Techdirt:No Network Neutrality, No Internet... And That's Just What Telcos Want

~~ This concept of the "Internet highway with tolls" gives me the creeps, Also see here

and next few posts below . ~~ TP
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Techdirt:No Network Neutrality, No Internet... And That's Just What Telcos Want:

Contributed by Mike on Tuesday, February 7th, 2006 @ 10:39AM
from the killing-the-internet dept.
The network neutrality debate has been heating up as of late, and with hearings today, it's no surprise to be hearing more about it. The always interesting Daniel Berninger has written up a good analysis on Om Malik's site explaining why the internet doesn't exist without network neutrality, while suggesting that's exactly what the telcos want. It's not so much about squeezing more money out of the likes of Google and others, but in killing off what makes the internet useful... which allows them (they think) to go back their older business model which is clearly under attack from the internet. Of course, most people recognize that this will never happen -- but that won't stop the telcos from making a mess of things in the meantime.

Is Verizon a Network Hog? Not yet ,, but they must be stopped !! Support "network neutrality." !!

"Is Verizon a Network Hog?"
News Analysis
By Catherine Yang
http://businessweek.com/technology/content/feb2006/tc20060202_061809.htm

"The telecommunications giant wants to devote most of its capacity to its own traffic, to Internet companies' dismay

"At issue is what the Internet of the future will offer. Critics of the phone industry say the Net has flourished because innovators anywhere could reach consumers just as easily as deep-pocketed corporations. But if Verizon and AT&T set up tolls and express lanes, upstarts may not be able to afford the fees. "If you deliver video the way Verizon does now, that makes it very hard for others to compete," says Carnegie Mellon's Sirbu.

LEGISLATIVE STRATEGY. The Net companies are trying to persuade Congress to pass a law ensuring that broadband providers, such as the Bells, don't discriminate against rivals when they charge tolls or prioritize traffic, an idea called "network neutrality."

"Tech.gov: A Gated Internet"

~~ Some major telcoms are pushing for a "tiered" internet , were website owners would pay extra to their web hosters to get their sites "favored" and easier to download .

As well some internet service providers {ISPs} also want to narrow the browsing freedom of Netizens, by charging more to surf beyond their Portal { and their paying partners ] at high speed.

In other words Verizon could give you broadband speeds for Verizon sites ,, but only dial-up speeds for the rest of the web.

This tiering will kill the internet. An issue worth hand-writing [-- not emailing, 'cause emails are useless as a lobbying tool --] your Congressperson about !! ~

~ ` `TP
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"A Gated Internet?"
Anush Yegyazarian, PC World
Thursday, February 02, 2006"

"The companies who build and control the Internet's pipes want to control the content over those pipes, too."

"A number of telephone companies such as SBC/AT&T, Verizon and others have begun talking about offering a new prioritization service to Internet businesses.

The general concept is simple: Pay the ISP some extra money, and the data packets to and from your Web site get priority. Your users will get the information they want faster, or perhaps they will enjoy a smoother online gaming experience, or they'll be able to make their purchases more quickly. Whichever the case, what business wouldn't want to deliver a better online experience to its customers?

Consumer advocacy groups Consumer Federation of America, the Consumers Union, and Free Press recently released results from a survey that indicates Americans want their Internet to remain neutral. These groups are lobbying Congress to incorporate network neutrality into law, while telecom firms are lobbying hard to prevent it."

http://www.pcworld.com/news/article/0,aid,124558,00.asp
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AT&T Sued Over NSA Eavesdropping

~~ A new twist in the NSA wiretap mess.

Did Ma Bell do it with Big Brother ?!?!

~~~TP

------------------------------

AT&T Sued Over NSA Eavesdropping
Wired News::
By Ryan Singel
04:03 AM Jan, 31, 2006

The Electronic Frontier Foundation filed a class-action lawsuit against AT&T Tuesday, accusing the telecom company of violating federal laws by collaborating with the government's secret, warrantless wiretapping of American citizens' phone and internet usage.

The suit, (.pdf) filed by the civil liberties group in federal court in San Francisco, alleges AT&T secretly gave the NSA access to two massive databases that included both the contents of its subscribers' communications and detailed transaction records, such as numbers dialed and internet addresses visited.

'Our goal is to go after the people who are making the government's illegal surveillance possible,' says EFF attorney Kevin Bankston. 'They could not do what they are doing without the help of companies like AT&T. We want to make it clear to AT&T that it is not in their legal or economic interests to violate the law whenever the president asks them to.'"

US plans to 'fight the net' revealed . BBC NEWS | Americas

~~~ This is well worth the read. ~~ ~ TP
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BBC NEWS | Americas | US plans to 'fight the net' revealed:
By Adam Brookes
BBC Pentagon correspondent

"A newly declassified document gives a fascinating glimpse into the US military's plans for 'information operations' - from psychological operations, to attacks on hostile computer networks."

The declassified document is called "Information Operations Roadmap". It was obtained by the National Security Archive at George Washington University using the Freedom of Information Act.

"Could Your VoIP Phone Be Tapped?"

~~ America has to decide just exactly how "Big" we want our "Big Brother " to be. As reported in New York Times , polls show a 50 -50 split , or so on Americans support of the Bush Wiretaps. ~~ TP
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PCWorld.com - Could Your VoIP Phone Be Tapped?: "

Dennis O'Reilly, PC World

Friday, January 27, 2006

BURLINGAME, CALIFORNIA -- "Several privacy and civil-liberties organizations are mounting a legal challenge to prevent VoIP and other Internet-based communications from being subject to taps from law-enforcement agencies."

"Climate Expert Says NASA Tried to Silence Him" " NYTimes

~~ Typical of the Bushies. ~~~ TP

"Climate Expert Says NASA Tried to Silence Him"
By ANDREW C. REVKIN
Published: January 29, 2006
http://www.nytimes.com

"In several interviews with The New York Times in recent days, Dr. Hansen said it would be irresponsible not to speak out, particularly because NASA's mission statement includes the phrase 'to understand and protect our home planet.'

He said he was particularly incensed that the directives had come through telephone conversations and not through formal channels, leaving no significant trails of documents.

Dr. Hansen's supervisor, Franco Einaudi, said there had been no official 'order or pressure to say shut Jim up.' But Dr. Einaudi added, 'That doesn't mean I like this kind of pressure being applied.'

The fresh efforts to quiet him, Dr. Hansen said, began in a series of calls after a lecture he gave on Dec. 6 at the annual meeting of the American Geophysical Union in San Francisco. In the talk, he said that significant emission cuts could be achieved with existing technologies, particularly in the case of motor vehicles, and that without leadership by the United States, climate change would eventually leave the earth 'a different planet.'

The administration's policy is to use voluntary measures to slow, but not reverse, the growth of emissions.

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Google : Communist sympathizer !!

Google is willing to bow to China on search censorship . but yet Google fights the American Government on releasing search data.
Seems clear to me . Google 's motto of " Do no evil", is easy to abide by when you have your own definitions of right and wrong. ~~ TP
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Google faces China challenges

By Jane Wakefield Technology reporter, BBC News website

Google has acknowledged that its decision to launch in China will be seen as inconsistent with its mission to make information universally accessible but believes it has little choice.

"We don't want to risk becoming irrelevant or useless due to the way that our content is blocked or filtered currently," Google's senior policy adviser Andrew McLaughlin told the BBC Radio Four's Today programme.

"We feel it is a step forward. Not a big step forward but a step forward. We understand that many people will find the decision either puzzling or objectionable," he said.

politics are only a matter of present concern. A mathematical equation stands forever.

~~ I found these quotes today on my Google homepage.

I thought I would share them ~` TP
---------------------------

"Yes, we have to divide up our time like that, between our politics and our equations. But to me our equations are far more important, for politics are only a matter of present concern. A mathematical equation stands forever."
- Albert Einstein
............... ..............................

"There are painters who transform the sun to a yellow spot, but there are others who with the help of their art and their intelligence, transform a yellow spot into the sun. "
- Pablo Picasso"

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"Annoying Online Posts Could Be Illegal"

~~ As the culture of the Internet matures it seems the net will become a less free-wheeling "post whatever you want" theater. But is it possible to criminalize non-violent speech ? ~~ ` TP


PCWorld.com - Annoying Online Posts Could Be Illegal:

"Annoying Online Posts Could Be Illegal. Free speech advocates say a new law geared to stop cyberstalking could be cause for concern."

Samantha Nelson, Medill News Service
Friday, January 13, 2006
http://www.pcworld.com/

Writing annoying, anonymous online posts or e-mails could land you in jail for as long as two years. That's according to the Violence Against Women and Department of Justice Reauthorization Act of 2005, which was signed into law last week."

The Final War ! Yahoo vs. Goggle . They are going Going Mobile !!

Yes it is the ratings battle between Yahoo! and Google 2006 .
They are the ones playing for the World Series of wireless & cyberspace.
[ And all the money it will make. ]

Yeah , there are Amazons, and
E-Bayers skirmishing around them. But for the first part
of this century, Google & Yahoo are a part of life on the
internet. Everyone goes there sometimes.

Will Google now
also rule the wireless world? Or maybe Yahoo -- who I think
is a better search engine~ will finally beat Google, and win the Wireless World Series.

Probably not.
Gmail beats Y-mail in my book for utility.
I go with Google to do it again in wireless. We will see.

`` TP
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Yahoo, Google Going Mobile,

David A. Utter ,

Staff Writer ,

Published: 2006-01-06 ,

www.webpronews.com :


"Both Internet players have new products ready to roll for mobile devices, with Google making another mobile-centric deal while Yahoo debuts its Go service.

The Consumer Electronics Show became a mobile Internet playground, as Google and Yahoo made announcements that will broaden the presence of their brands on mobile handsets."

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Answering Back to the News Media, Using the Internet - New York Times

~~ There is a bit of irony to me in the
New York Times reporting on the
Internet's rising power --
through personal blogs and
web pages -- as a growing check
and balance to the mainstream
media powers
{ Of which of course the Times is one.]
Yeah, there has been some
democratization of journalism
because of the Internet, but the blogsphere is still a small fish in the
Corporate Media Ocean.
And the business of actually
reporting the news – what is the
news story of the day --- is
dominated by the same mainstream
Wire & Broadcast services
that where in charge before the
rise of the Internet.

Internet based writers & bloggers,
have yet to become – for
the most -- the “reporters” of
news. The early promise of
Internet muckrackers – like Matt
Druge – becoming a powerful
force , really has yet to
emerge, and may never. As with
the mediums of print, radio
and then television , the power
of gathering and disseminating
original reporting on the web falls into
the hands of mega-media companies,
interested in circulations,
advertising revenues and
ratings, more than independent
reporting of the news that
really matters.
[See this link for a litte more backround]
~~ TP

Answering Back to the News Media, Using the Internet - New York Times

By KATHARINE Q. SEELYE
Published: January 2, 2006

"Never pick a fight with someone who buys ink by the barrel, or so goes the old saw. For decades, the famous and the infamous alike largely followed this advice. Even when subjects of news stories felt they had been misunderstood or badly treated, they were unlikely to take on reporters or publishers, believing that the power of the press gave the press the final word.
The Internet, and especially the amplifying power of blogs, is changing that."

Happy 2006 !

~~~ May 2006 be a year of more peace,

more freedom, less war ,

and a more honest American Government

~~ :) ~~ TechnoPolitical~ `

BBC NEWS | Technology | The year of the digital citizen

BBC NEWS | Technology | The year of the digital citizen:
By Jo Twist

"2005 was arguably the year citizens really started to do it for themselves. Raising mobiles aloft, they did not just talk and text, they snapped, shared and reported the world around them.

Twelve months ago, it was clear the mass consumer was going to have at his or her disposal many more gadgets with greater capacity to record, store and share content."

NSA Web Site Places 'Cookies' On Computers |

~ I personally now will delete my cookies after visiting any Government website. ~` `TP

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InformationWeek | Privacy | NSA Web Site Places 'Cookies' On Computers | December 29, 2005: " By Anick Jesdanun , NEW YORK (AP)--The National Security Agency's Internet site has been placing files on visitors' computers that can track their Web surfing activity despite strict federal rules banning most of them. These files, known as 'cookies,' disappeared after a privacy activist complained and The Associated Press made inquiries this week, and agency officials acknowledged Wednesday they had made a mistake. Nonetheless, the issue raises questions about privacy at a spy agency already on the defensive amid reports of a secretive eavesdropping program in the United States. 'Considering the surveillance power the NSA has, cookies are not exactly a major concern,' said Ari Schwartz, associate director at the Center for Democracy and Technology, a privacy advocacy group in Washington, D.C. 'But it does show a general lack of understanding about privacy rules when they are not even following the government's very basic rules for Web privacy.'"

Internet Fosters Local Political Movements, AP News

~~~ It appears from this article the Internet is finally causing some political activity , that otherwise would not happen. But I still feel for the most, the Internet has done little to change the balance of powers in elections , nor seriously impacted how legislation is passed & public policy formed. Even in the the headline here, note the choice of the word "fosters" as oppossed to "galvanizes" or "energizes" . [Click HERE for another recent post & article on this suject] ~~` TP
.

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"Internet Fosters Local Political Movements"
By RON FOURNIER
AP Political Writer
http://wireservice.wired.com/wired/story.asp?section=Breaking&storyId=1135653

FORT MYERS, Fla. -- Frustrated by government and empowered by technology, Americans are filling needs and fighting causes through grass-roots organizations they built themselves -- some sophisticated, others quaintly ad hoc. This is the era of people-driven politics.

From a homemaker-turned-kingmaker in Pittsburgh to dog owners in New York to a 'gym rat' here in southwest Florida, people are using the Internet to do what politicians can't -- or won't -- do."

Fla. attorney general says his e-mails aren't spam | CNET News.com

~~ Political emails may be propaganda, but to call them spam --- which is commercial -- is unfair. We expect politicians to stuff our real and virtual mailboxes with reasons why I should vote for them. I am just thankful to live in a country where election violence , bombings & etc does not occur [anymore ] . If the price for that is a little "political spam" , well I am cool with that ~ `~~ TP

Fla. attorney general says his e-mails aren't spam | CNET News.com: "Florida's attorney general has spearheaded an aggressive campaign against unsolicited e-mails, or spam. But as a candidate for governor, he appears to be generating some unwanted Internet clutter himself."

"Spy Court Judge Quits In Protest:" : washingtonpost.com

~ This Spy-gate thing is going to be serious news for a while. When both Democrats & Republican Senate leaders are expressing civil liberties concerns, all citizens should be concerned. Nixon -- and those Presidents before him -- walked over civil liberties regularly. No one wants to go back to those times , with Presidential Enemy lists , covert wire taps, & etc. The Bush Team must feel the Power of Checks and Balances here.
Hopefully Congress is up to the job ~~ TP
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"Jurist Concerned Bush Order Tainted Work of Secret Panel"

By Carol D. Leonnig and Dafna Linzer
Washington Post Staff Writers
Wednesday, December 21, 2005; Page A01

"A federal judge has resigned from the court that oversees government surveillance in intelligence cases in protest of President Bush's secret authorization of a domestic spying program, according to two sources. U.S. District Judge James Robertson, one of 11 members of the secret Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court,, sent a letter to Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. late Monday notifying him of his resignation without providing an explanation".

"Word of Robertson's resignation came as two Senate Republicans joined the call for congressional investigations into the National Security Agency's warrantless interception of telephone calls and e-mails to overseas locations by U.S. citizens suspected of links to terrorist groups. They questioned the legality of the operation and the extent to which the White House kept Congress informed."

"Sens. Chuck Hagel (Neb.) and Olympia J. Snowe (Maine) echoed concerns raised by Arlen Specter (R-Pa.), chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, who has promised hearings in the new year."

"Hagel and Snowe joined Democrats Dianne Feinstein (Calif.), Carl M. Levin (Mich.) and Ron Wyden (Ore.) in calling for a joint investigation by the Senate judiciary and intelligence panels into the classified program."

F.B.I. Watched Activist Groups, New Files Show - New York Times

~~~ Not that this is really surprising. When i worked for GreenPeace in during the Reagan years, we knew that we were being monitiored. Strange thing is we had nothing to hide,, I mean we were publicity-hound-political-activists, who telegraphed to the media most everything we did or said. Why non-violent groups need to be "monitiored" is still really beyond me.

Either way the Bush Team is in trouble. If these domestic spying games the Administration is playing are found to be more than just unethical, but also to be illegal, some heads are going to have to roll. Being Scooter Libby already got indicted, maybe Dick Cheney is next, as he is the main powerplayer. { Don't tell me you really think Bush is in charge of this complicated stuff ! } ~~ ` TP
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F.B.I. Watched Activist Groups, New Files Show - New York Times: "the documents, coming after the Bush administration's confirmation that President Bush had authorized some spying without warrants in fighting terrorism, prompted charges from civil rights advocates that the government had improperly blurred the line between terrorism and acts of civil disobedience and lawful protest.

One F.B.I. document indicates that agents in Indianapolis planned to conduct surveillance as part of a 'Vegan Community Project.' Another document talks of the Catholic Workers group's 'semi-communistic ideology.' A third indicates the bureau's interest in determining the location of a protest over llama fur planned by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.
The documents, provided to The New York Times over the past week, came as part of a series of Freedom of Information Act lawsuits brought by the American Civil Liberties Union. For more than a year, the A.C.L.U. has been seeking access to information in F.B.I. files on about 150 protest and social groups that it says may have been improperly monitored."

ABC News: Was Bush Authorized to Spy on American Citizens?

ABC News: Was Bush Authorized to Spy on American Citizens?: "Speed Necessary?

The president said he needed the power to eavesdrop without a court order to streamline the process of wiretapping suspected terrorists.

'We've got to be fast on our feet, quick to detect and prevent,' Bush said.

But the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act allows investigators to wiretap before getting a warrant, as long as they request permission from a special intelligence court within 72 hours.

'Doesn't hold water,' said Saltzburg. 'As long as you can act in emergencies before you get a court order, then speed is irrelevant here.'

The secret court has overwhelmingly done the bidding of recent administrations. Since 1979, the Justice Department has gone before the secret court 18,742 times and has only been turned down in four instances.

But for the Bush administration, court approval, at times, was not fast enough.

ABC News' Pierre Thomas filed this report for 'World News Tonight.'"

Just Three More Years !!!

~~ So Bush admits, with his anti-terror flag wrapped tightly around him,
Congress is ticked off. Hearings will come with the new year.
Well at least it will not be a boring three more years. ~~ TP

===================

Lawmakers Call for Domestic Spying Probe - Yahoo! News

"Lawmakers Call for Domestic Spying Probe"
============================

http://news.bbc.co.uk

Bush admits he authorised spying

President George W Bush has admitted he authorised secret monitoring of communications within the United States in the wake of the 2001 terror attacks.

Bush Lets U.S. Spy on Callers Without Courts - New York Times

~~~ The NY Times has an extensive article today on the Bush team again forgetting that a Democracy is a place where the Government does not spy on its citizens with out first getting a Court order. This is major news , but unless Congress raises a stink and starts hearings , it will pass under the radar of most voters.

I have to keep saying to myself -

-- "Just three more years,, Just three more years".

Anybody will be better than the Bushies in 2008. 

{ Assuming that Team Bush does not find 

some way to cancel the 2008 American elections.] ~~~ TP
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Bush Lets U.S. Spy on Callers Without Courts
By JAMES RISEN and ERIC LICHTBLAU

"WASHINGTON, Dec. 15 - Months after the Sept. 11 attacks, President Bush secretly authorized the National Security Agency to eavesdrop on Americans and others inside the United States to search for evidence of terrorist activity without the court-approved warrants ordinarily required for domestic spying, according to government officials"

" Hackers fuel Peru-Chile rivalry" BBC NEWS | Americas |

~~~ Now this is really Technopolitical. Maybe cross-border Political-Hacking could replace military wars. But probably not. ~~ TP
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BBC NEWS | Americas | Hackers fuel Peru-Chile rivalry: "The historic rivalry between Peru and Chile has spilled into cyberspace with hackers from both countries striking at government websites."

~~ Big alarm bells here. If the internet becomes a place where the Internet Service Providers can favor some websites over others , the internet will simply be crippled and much less useful---especially as a political tool. Something tells me that common sense and the consumer market will not let this fragmentation occur. But who knows? ~~~ TP
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At Stake: The Net as We Know It

BusinessWeek

By Catherine Yang

"Google et al fear broadband carriers will tie up traffic with new tolls and controls. Ultimately, it could mean a world of Internet haves and have-nots

The Internet has always been a model of freedom. Today the Web is flourishing because anyone can click to any site or download any service they want on an open network. But now the phone and cable companies that operate broadband networks have a different vision. If they get their way, today's Information Highway could be laden with tollgates, express lanes, and traffic tie-ups -- all designed to make money for the network companies."

http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/dec2005/tc20051215_141991.htm

" Sen. William Proxmire Dead At 90 "

~~ The second Senate giant to pass this week. Like Sen. Eugence McCarthy , William Proxmire is one for the history books. A unique maverick who often defied labels. Mostly "Liberal" , but against abortion. Thifty , but always bought home the milk-price supports to the home state. Most importantly Sen. Proxmire also led the charge to get the USA to sign the International Genocide Treaty. A very complex man indeed, and like Sen. McCarthy the type of politician who probably could not get elected today.~~ TP
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CBS News | Sen. William Proxmire Dead At 90 | December 15, 2005 "Long before the McCain-Feingold campaign finance reform law was a twinkle in the eye of lawmakers, and at a time when millions were spent campaigning for Senate seats, Proxmire made a point of accepting no contributions. In 1982 he registered only $145.10 in campaign costs, yet gleaned 64 percent of the vote."

"Who gets to see the e-mail of the deceased?":The Christian Science Monitor

~~ IF you want your email to stay private after you pass on , it seems the onus is on you to state so in your will. Otherwise as this case below ,, the courts can release the the email to your next of kin ~~ TP
----------------------------------------------

Who gets to see the e-mail of the deceased?

By Susan Llewelyn Leach |
Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor
"
....from a legal point of view, e-mail's status is not clear cut. Even the experts can't agree. One law professor describes it as "a property interest," but not intellectual property. Another lecturer on law says absolutely it is intellectual property and is covered by copyright laws.

What makes these legal distinctions more critical is the growing volume of e-mail - and with it rising privacy issues. Free e-mail accounts - some with storage capacities up to 250 MB - allow people to pile up digital photos, documents, and volumes of correspondence without a second's thought. Few people are thinking through the ramifications, says Alan Chappell, a privacy and data-collection consultant."

McCarthy's rare mold: USATODAY.com

~~~ I have been reading a lot of o-bits about Sen. Eugene McCarthy, and this one from 'USA Today' struck the chord I was looking for. ~~ TP
---------------------------------------------------

USATODAY.com - McCarthy's rare mold: "McCarthy's rare mold
Most politicians whose biggest claim to fame was a second-place finish in a presidential primary would barely rate a footnote from historians.

But Eugene McCarthy, who died Saturday at age 89, wasn't like most politicians." it is hard to imagine someone as quirky or principled as McCarthy surviving in today's political environment. He didn't take the oath of self-preservation and mindless partisanship that seems to be an officeholder's first action today. He didn't base his stands on the winds of the moment......

......The nation would be well-served if more people of McCarthy's unwavering integrity were drawn to public service. It would also do well to have more officials like McCarthy with interests in poetry and other areas beyond politics and the law.

......But he was an unusual politician at a unique moment in history. It's probably safe to say there won't be many more like him anytime soon. ~~` How True , and that is what is too bad . ~` TP

Internet redefining politics: new survey

~~ I disagree with the findings here. While the Internet is becoming "part" of politics in the USA, there has not been , nor will there be soon any major shift in political power.

The Republicans have used the internet to help
solidify their base better than the Democrats have.

This is because there is still a major Digital Divide in the USA,
with the wealthier Republicans having more broadband to use politically . ~~ ` `TP
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Internet redefining politics: new survey: "Online campaigning is transforming US politics and empowering individual voters dwarfed by the might of the print and broadcast media, the author of a major new Internet use survey said."

http://www.physorg.com/news8706.html

"US warns of fake net domain data" / BBC NEWS | Technology |

BBC NEWS | Technology | US warns of fake net domain data: "More than 5% of the net's most popular domains have been registered using 'patently false' data, research shows."

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~~~ But the USA also went to war in Iraq using " 'patently false' data."
So I guess that evens it all out, huh ?
{While I do not directly put my real name and etc, here at technopolitical.com ,
a few clicks around my profile will lead you to my ID if you really care to know. ] ~~~ TP

EFF moves to block certification of e-voting systems | CNET News.com

I do not see any reason to believe that the Internet will be able to overcome the fundamental issue of trust for election voting anytime in the near future.

Paper ballots and their "hanging chads" while time consuming to count and not at all perfect, are still physically tangible.

And it does not take an advanced degree in micro-processor technologies to re-count the votes if there is a challenge by the losing side in a close race.
If the Florida votes in dispute during the 2000 Bush-Gore Presidential race had been Internet-Cast-Votes, history may have been different,
Maybe not, but I would not choose to risk it. To have the core of the American democratic process become an activity of cyber-space is something I find spooky. Hackers have proven to be some of the most talented minds of our time and there has yet to be a cyber-system that has been made impregnable to attack. When it come to voting for President or anything else, I would rather take my chances with the hanging chads~~~ TP .

***

EFF moves to block certification of e-voting systems

By Anne Broache

http://news.com.com/EFF+moves+to+block+certification+of+e-voting+systems/2100-1028_3-5988243.html

Story last modified Thu Dec 08 17:57:00 PST 2005 The Electronic Frontier Foundation filed a court complaint Thursday aimed at blocking North Carolina's recent certifications of voting machines, saying state elections officials failed to meet legal requirements before signing off on the systems. The complaint (click for PDF), filed in Wake County Superior Court by the EFF and a Raleigh lawyer on behalf of a local voters' advocate, calls for a judge to void certifications that the Board of Elections issued last week to Diebold, ES&S and Sequoia Voting Systems. It also requests a restraining order that would prevent elections officials from certifying any new systems until they comply fully with state election laws. The state legislature modified those laws this summer, setting new standards for e-voting machines and requiring that existing systems be decertified. State elections officials 'exceeded their statutory authority' in signing off on the systems, because they disregarded the law in two areas, the complaint charges.