Net-Neutrality, Kill Switches, and Why My Right to Rant Protects our Country

Education and knowledge are said to be the great equalizers in a world of disparity. The Internet provides humanity with an opportunity to access nearly limitless information at a generally cheap and affordable cost. As an unregulated, independent forum, the world wide web promotes the public discourse to an extent previously unattainable and has given a voice and identity to millions. This vary entity closely reflects Adam Smith's vision of a free-market ruled by an invisible hand, so why are Republicans fighting for legislation which would censor the Internet? Maybe Washington politicians bow before the puppetering lobbyists who push aside the public's interest in order to make room for their corporate agenda. Or maybe its because conservatives love big government and executive power as long as they fly under the flag of 'defending freedom' or 'fighting terrorism.' The answer is sadly both, and whether the voice of the American people is stripped when net-neutrality legislation fails or the recently proposed power of an Internet 'Kill Switch' (which sounds a wee bit like a BP attempt to plug an oil leak) is passed, America suffers.

The issue of net-neutrality is old news, but to summarize the debate, Democrats want the Internet to fall under the jurisdiction of the FCC, who could then regulate Internet Service Providers (ISP) to ensure that everyone has equal access at equivalent speeds to the Web. This ensures that ISPs do not try and gain a competitive advantage by regulating the speeds of users accessing certain sites. For example, if a whistle-blower from Comcast goes to the Huffington Post and leaks out incriminating evidence which is detrimental to the company, the Huffington Post might not publish that article in fear that Comcast would limit access to their website. Net-neutrality would allow the FCC to protect the Huffington Post from attacks by Comcast and its Oligopoly. This protects the American people's freedom of speech and ensures that ISPs do not dictate an election by allocating endless bandwidth to streams of Glenn Beck, while feeds of the Rachel Maddow Show are constantly buffering. If Tea-partiers are really the Constitutionalists they claim to be, it would be clear that their freedom of speech is in jeopardy, and net neutrality is not promoting government control of the internet, but fighting against private regulation of the Web.

For more on the issue of, check out this critique from The Young Turks of a clip from the 'fair and balanced' news network...



A more recent issue is a Lieberman-backed bill that passed the Senate Homeland Security Committee that would give the President the power to shut down the Internet.

As The Hill explains, the bill, sponsored by Sens. Joe Lieberman, Susan Collins, and Tom Carper, would give the president "emergency authority to shut down private sector or government networks in the event of a cyber attack capable of causing massive damage or loss of life." The original bill granted the president the authority to "indefinitely" shut down networks, but an amendment to the PCNAA, approved yesterday, mandates that the president "get Congressional approval after controlling a network for 120 days."

Hmm, so the after 4 months, then the President has to tell congress what he's doing. We don't want to provide too much of a check against executive power...

the bill would also see the creation of a new agency within the Department of Homeland Security, the National Center for Cybersecurity and Communications (NCCC). Any private company reliant on "the Internet, the telephone system, or any other component of the U.S. 'information infrastructure'" would be "subject to command" by the NCCC, and some would be required to engage in "information sharing" with the agency.

Now that's what I call big government! Tea-partiers unite!!! Time to fight an infringement on civil liberties that makes the Patriot Act seem tame. Oh wait, since George W. passed the Patriot Act under the guise of protecting Americans from terrorists, you're cool with it?

Anyways, this is giving some the President some seriously powerful executive privilege. Knowing that the democrats aren't privy to using War as a means of self-interest, this is a great long-term Republican strategy to strengthen their War efforts and their profits from the Defense industry. But hey, lets hear out both sides and give Old Joe the right to defend his bill...

"Right now China, the government, can disconnect parts of its Internet in case of war and we need to have that here too... We need this capacity in a time of war. We need the capacity for the president to say, 'Internet service provider, we've got to disconnect the American Internet from all traffic coming in from another foreign country, or we have to put a patch on this part of it'."

Huh... an interesting defense from Traitor Joe. I guess we should emulate China with our Internet Policies. I think it's safe to say that Joe Lieberman is not fighting for the campaign finance dollars of Google.

But seriously, why is this such a big issue? Let's say that this law passes and is not brutally abused and is only used in times of war. As America occupies Afghanistan, it would not take a difficult argument to say that Taliban hackers might try and infiltrate the American network, so we should shut off all access from the Middle East since its the primary location of the threat.

While this does not really protect America from a cyber attack, it does have other serious ramifications. As previously mentioned, the Internet is a forum for public discourse, giving a voice to individuals who may otherwise not get one. It allows oppressed individuals to provide testimonies of their suffering, journalists to report on all the information, and a nation of bloggers to vet all these stories. Through social media, youtube, etc., stories are fleshed out and given a personal touch. Even if news organizations were able to provide objective information free of propaganda, these additional accounts broaden the scope of information. With more information, better decisions can be made, and ultimately justice can be served, but if the President flips the kill switch, all we have to rely on is the Government's word.

And we all know what happens when watch dogs don't hold the parties in power responsible for their actions. Without transparency, corruption is inevitable since their is a lack of oversight and accountability. It is inexcusable for that the White House Administration has even let the Senate toss around the idea of a Kill Switch. Why hasn't Obama told them to stop wasting their time since he won't sign such an egregious violation of privacy? I fear that hope and change we can believe in may be too idealistic for Washington politics, resulting in concessions that may have compromised the principles of our President.

Let's just hope our right to be critical of the Government and its officials isn't usurped from us. Without the Internet linking various principles and ideals with individuals to represent them, the civic engagement needed to restore the honor of our once proud nation will be lost. Sacrifices will need to be made during this tough economic climate, but the potential precedent set by these pending laws is a slippery slope for the American entitlement of free speech. The opportunity to openly and freely discuss various ideas, theories, and principles sparks the intellectual properties that drive our nations success. The long term consequences of stifling this communication are unacceptable.

Lets make sure that our government respects our most important asset: Human Capital.

Barak Obama: DON'T TELL Me You're Going to Break Another Campaign Promise

"The American people don't want the American military to be used to advance a liberal political agenda," Rep. Mike Pence (R-Ind.) told the Associated Press.

Hey Tea Partiers! Did you know that civil liberties are just one more part of Obama's socialist political agenda?

It infuriates me how little people care about principles in their politics. For many of Washington's elected officials and populists around the nation, ethics and values are deemed insignificant in comparison to self-preservation. Many individuals make their decisions based not on what they believe in, but what is most convenient and beneficial to themselves. Why do you think Californians in their direct legislation through propositions consistently vote for more social programs and less taxation? If one doesn't have a firm set of values or principles that dictate life's most difficult decisions, self-interest becomes the primary manipulator of choice.

Rants aside, Obama looks like he's finally going to put Don't Ask, Don't Tell on the legislative table. For all intensive purposes, both houses of congress should bite on a bill that repeals the dated tradition that allows homosexuals to lose their right to serve in the military if their sexual identity becomes known to other members of the armed forces. This policy discharges soldiers who make their personal life public, but there are instances when military officials have been released because of private emails. The argument supporting this measure supposes that homosexuality could disrupt military cohesion and create barriers between personnel serving our nation despite little evidence backing this claim.

Obama promised during the course of his campaign that he would revoke this draconian discrimination, but after reversing course on other campaign commitments, the GLBT community was worried that this pledge would be forgotten. Realizing the need to stimulate support from his liberal base, the Obama administration knew that there was no time better than the present to pass this reform, especially now that Financial Reform has passed the senate and is in reconciliation.

While it may be a political ploy, I'm just glad this is finally getting addressed. Civil rights passed more than forty years ago, and its absurd to think that discrimination against a protected class is still legal, especially in, what many consider, the primary bureaucracy of our government. If someone is a competent and loyal member of our military willing to sacrifice his or her flesh and blood, how unbelievable cruel of the US to not accept an aspect of his or her identity that does not affect performance. We are taking away the most noble service and display of citizenry on the grounds that their sexual preference might make someone feel icky. Every part of it is utterly unjust and filled with prejudice as individuals are stereotyped into a group as their freedom to be themselves is usurped from them.

Its incredibly disheartening to see that this sort of discrimination is still active in America. I have a dream...

To put a more personal face on the issue, please watch this interview and tell me that you would not want this man serving in the military.

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

If you still see the repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell as just another left-wing agenda, please explain your rationale to me. I, apparently, just don't get how this is America.

Breaking Down the Jargon: Leverage, Derivatives, and Further Proof that America Needs Financial Reform

While I'm going to leave the explanation of the dangers of leverage to Ezra Klein and derivatives to Cenk Uygar, I just wanted to comment on the fact that these convoluted issues are exactly why the Invisible Hand fails. A free-market system is said to regulate itself because consumers will make the best decision and those offering bad deals will either go bankrupt or change their policies to meet consumer demand. Instead of facilitating consumer understand, the financial industry intentionally creates complicated jargon that reads like a foreign language to the average investor or credit card holder. Is this ethical? Of course not, but these groups are just being "socially responsible" to their stock holders by trying to earn as much money as possible. In other words, corporations are claiming to make those rich enough to invest in them wealthier by exploiting the limited financial literacy of the average American. If this sounds like its creating greater fiscal inequality, it's cause it is. And of course, when this fraud works, company executives are obligated to compensate themselves to the tune of multi-million dollar bonuses for successfully deceiving their customers.

Yeah... financial reform is necessary. As long as corporate greed exists, regulation will be needed to protect the consumer.



Let me digress from the issue at hand by saying that in this exchange on financial reform with contract lawyer Elizabeth Warren, Colbert shows why he is 1000x better at interviews than his former master Jon Stewart. He channels his charisma into the interviewee while still provoking stimulating and informative discourse. Even if this point is defended by the fact Colbert creates pseudo-debates because of his satirical conservative persona, its still much better TV.

Alas, enjoy!

Earth Day: Leaving a Large Footprint

It was April 22, 1970 when universities across America were the launching point for the first Earth Day. After forty years, it is clear that their message of building a sustainable society through environmental awareness has been heard and now affects almost all facets of America. Since the movement has been fueled by University scholars studying various subjects, I am going to take a brief look at how Earth Day impacts academia. To do this, I am going to address the issues through the various schools at the University of Southern California, a prestigious institution that prides itself on providing world-class education in an incredibly diverse variety of subjects.

• Accounting » USC Leventhal School of Accounting:

In a field that truly prides itself on planning for the future, making sound investments, and keeping detailed records, the theories of accounting provide the structural foundation behind going green. Meticulous records and research have indicated that current behavior trends of humans are unsustainable, and that behavioral changes are necessary to ensure future generations have the same opportunities as we do. This means that resources must be redistributed and statistical projections for the future must be used to influence our accountability to future generations. Things such as the carbon market and energy efficiency ratings are just the tips of the icebergs of how accounting will be influenced by the environmental movement, especially if a carbon capping bill can be pushed through the Senate.

• Architecture » USC School of Architecture

While many architects see what they do as an art form, they know their creativity must be in context to achieve any success. New Urbanism represents the movement to rethink the way architects design their structures in order to promote sustainable cities. This movement affects the type of structures being built, where they’re being built, the purpose or purposes of a structure and how they are built to efficiently use energy. With an emphasis on high-density living through multi-purpose structures that promote green transportation methods, architects are incentivized to go green. The amount of green innovation in architecture is constantly changing design techniques with the incorporation of green roofs, solar panels, vertical farms, geothermal heating, and on and on. This sort of innovation is rewarded by the US Green Building Council which rewards sustainable buildings with Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Certification.

• Business » USC Marshall School of Business:

The future of business is green, and I’m not just talking about money. President Obama emphasized in his first State of the Union address that regardless if someone denies the facts proving Global Climate Change, the world is moving towards cleaner and more efficient energy, and businesses will have to adapt to this change. If the customers demand green, organizations that want to make a profit are going to have to meet these needs. This results in green marketing (whether its legitimate or simply “greenwashing”) that tries to appease this change in customer preference for more sustainable products. This change will also be present in organizational cultures as companies incorporate green HR strategies to keep their workers happy. And with green-collar jobs being one of the fastest growing industries in America, business would be foolish to ignore it. Finally, businesses will have to adapt to the stricter EPA regulations to ensure that the externalities of their businesses are minimized or paid for.

• Cinematic Arts » USC School of Cinematic Arts:

One of the most universal ways to communicate information is through movies, and just like any other art form, the environment and setting play a huge part in telling a story. Even with the constant improvements is CGI, it will never be a perfect substitute for capturing the natural beauty of the earth on film (Planet Earth, anyone?). And I think it also goes without saying that the surrounding environment is also inspirational to any story teller. Speaking of telling stories, since so many people watch movies, it is often used as an educational tool for social commentary. Whether it’s fictional works like Avatar or Wall-E or excellent documentaries like Food, Inc., An Inconvenient Truth, or Crude, movies serve as powerful tools of enlightenment that stimulate public discourse on issues.

• Communication, Journalism » USC Annenberg School for Communication & Journalism:

Anytime there’s a problem, someone’s going to have to communicate about it in order for information to be distributed. We learn so much about ourselves and the world around us through discourse. The role of Journalism in communicating rule issues and informing the public cannot go unappreciated. Without the media relaying important environmental-related stories to individuals that reinforce the importance of the movement, people will lose interest. These truth-finders and watchdogs hold governments and businesses accountable for environmental injustice.


• Dentistry » Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry of USC:

Believe it or not, even dentistry is influenced by the green movement. What people eat effects their oral health, and part of the sustainability movement emphasizes local grown produce free of chemicals and other manufactured preservatives. When people purchase organic food from farmer’s markets or grocery stores or other vendors and avoid chemically manufactured sweets and sodas, they reap the health benefits, but if a fast food cultural continues to destroy the healthy eating habits, then we will be reliant on advances in Dentistry to keep our teeth clean and functional.

• Education » USC Rossier School of Education:

Early education is one of the most important predictors of behavior, and the current generation of kids are getting a healthy dose of eco-friendly teaching. Schools are creating an environmental consciousness in today’s youth who include the leaders of tomorrow, and the one’s who will be forced to clean up our mess. It will be important to continue this education trned to ensure that the future has the tools to deal with the mistakes of the past.

• Engineering » USC Viterbi School of Engineering:

Engineers will be tasked with designing and improving the output of alternative energies to decrease our demand on fossil fuels. Additionally, their innovation will be required to create more efficient products that use less energy. While the trend for electronics once focused exclusively on increasing utility, markets are shifting the supply by demanding smaller, more energy efficient versions of current products, especially in developing economies.

• Fine Arts » USC Roski School of Fine Arts:

You will be hard pressed to come across an artist who has not been influenced by the natural environment. As a source of inspiration and a variety of their materials, there’s nothing more pure than nature. Some artists have helped advance public awareness of the benefits of recycling one man's trash and creating a treasured work of art. An entire museum in Missouri is composed exclusively of recycled materials (check it out in the video above... its really brilliant).

• Gerontology » USC Davis School of Gerontology

Alright, so here’s a field of education I’m struggling to find applications for. Since Gerontology is focused on improving the quality of life for the elderly through education and research, an interesting study would be to understand the factors that might be impediments for older generations to adapt a green lifestyle. Additionally, many pollutants include extremely lengthy latency periods which may not trigger detrimental symptoms until the later stages of life. And gerontologist must sift through the plethora of confounding variables in order to solve some of these riddles, but the problem might be right in front of them. As people get older, they might find it becomes harder to breathe if they live in a city with a lot of pollution, so elderly migration patterns depend on the environment. They general prefer temperate weather with clean air and blue skies, something your night going to find in most of America's urban cities.

• Law » USC Gould School of Law:

Environmental Law is an already prevalent field of legal study, and as stricter policies are implemented and more people are aware of the existing injustices, more law suits will pop up. Manufacturing industries, the biggest culprits which release pollutants into both the water supply and the air, should find attorneys and consultants as soon as possible if they wish to protect themselves from the long arm of the law.

• Medicine » Keck School of Medicine of USC:

Speaking of the effects of pollution, the health consequences are extremely serious. Improper water treatment can result in bacterial, viral, parasitic, chemical, and other dangerous diseases. Epidemiologists have proven that living in an environment with high levels of air pollution is harmful to the lungs and is one of the primary predictors of asthma, especially in children. Even the father of medicine, Hippocrates, understood more than 2,000 years ago that the environment effects health.

• Music » USC Thornton School of Music:

One word should answer this one: Woodstock.

• Pharmacy » USC School of Pharmacy:

As mentioned in my section on medicine, environmental health issues are impossible to ignore. Pharmacology assists doctors in treating these ailments by distributing safe drugs to those who need it.

• Policy, Planning, and Development » USC School of Policy, Planning, and Development:

As producers of environmental policies, sustainable city planning, and the development of a green global society, the students from the school of PPD are trained to champion the causes of justice through the non-profit and public sectors. This interdisciplinary school focuses on providing a brighter future through sustainable means and broad, social changes through public participation.

• Social Work » USC School of Social Work:

Social workers are driven by the desire to spark social change and improve the quality of life for entire community, and sustainability is one of the ways to protect against social injustice. Whether in practice or just in their research, social workers solve global issues for the benefit of the individual.

• Theatre » USC School of Theatre:

The effects reflect those aforementioned in the cinema section...

• Letters, Arts and Sciences » USC College of Letters, Arts and Sciences: With so many majors falling under the college, I’m just going to list a few of those most impacted by the efforts of Earth Day: Biochemistry, Biology, Chemistry, Earth Sciences, Economics, Environmental Studies, Geography, Geology, Health and Humanity, International Relations, Philosophy, Political Science, Social Science...

Since the inaugural Earth Day, the movement has come a long way, affecting many people from all walk's of life. Cultural change is not something that happens over a single night, but over the course of prolonged periods of times fueled by the behaviors and ability to spread awareness one person at a time. Thanks for starting a movement to give the earth a fighting chance.

Rage Against the ‘Socialist’ Machine – Killing in the Name

Teenage angst is something every parent has to deal with. As adolescents struggle with identity and their initial exposures to the evils of the outside world, they have these feelings that something’s wrong, but they have trouble articulating these emotions. They tend to be filled with a paranoia that the world is out to get them, exacerbating their anxiety through exaggerations and misattributions. To the average 16 year old male, it’s a dark world with big brother watching your every move. When individuals grapple with their own identity, it is easier to cope with troubles and shortcomings by shifting the responsibility and blame to others since we don’t really know where we stand. It is easy to be fearful of the unknown, and we become quick to believe any expert claiming to have answers.

The current populist rage in America is a lot like teen angst, and the self-proclaimed savior with the solutions is Ms. Sarah Palin. We all were once rebels without a cause, but did the same Tea Partiers raised in the '60s ever grow up? Liberals had their chance to protest in the name of love and civil rights, now conservatives are protesting in the name of guns and individual rights.

Without a question, Health Care Reform exemplified the complexity of government, so when the leading conservatives both in Washington and in the media demonized the Bill and its supporters, no one should be surprised that a large portion of their constituents believed them. If the average politician struggled to fully comprehend health reform policy, how could the average American without objective information? It’s much easier to lead a clueless flock of sheep than an educated and informed group of enlightened Americans, so keeping the objective information to a minimum serves the GOP’s interest. Check out this abridged version of a pre-tax day rally by the nation’s best fundraiser to see how typical rally rhetoric works.

What started with a response to the health-care system, which closely emulates the one proposed by Republicans in 1993 in response to Clinton-care, has expanded into an anti-government movement. Instead of real applicable answers, Tea Party advocates like to talk about the principles and ideologies which perpetuate the previously-held sentiments of their constituents. Instead of being driven by information, these pep-rallies, just like the high school days, are meant to build party spirit, but instead of cheerleaders, band members, and student athletes driving the motivation, it’s Sarah Palin. Sometimes she sparks just passion, but other time it turns into rage and violence as discussed by Effective Response . A recent Harris Poll has shown how the name calling of the Glenn Beck’s of the world have affected public opinion.

“57 percent of Republicans (32 percent overall) believe that Obama is a Muslim 45 percent of Republicans (25 percent overall) agree with the Birthers in their belief that Obama was "not born in the United States and so is not eligible to be president" 38 percent of Republicans (20 percent overall) say that Obama is "doing many of the things that Hitler did" Scariest of all, 24 percent of Republicans (14 percent overall) say that Obama "may be the Antichrist." These numbers all come from a brand-new Louis Harris poll, inspired in part by my new book Wingnuts. It demonstrates the cost of the campaign of fear and hate that has been pumped up in the service of hyper-partisanship over the past 15 months. We are playing with dynamite by demonizing our president and dividing the United States in the process. What might be good for ratings is bad for the country.
The poll, which surveyed 2,230 people right at the height of the health-care reform debate, also clearly shows that education is a barrier to extremism. Respondents without a college education are vastly more likely to believe such claims, while Americans with college degrees or better are less easily duped. It's a reminder of what the 19th-century educator Horace Mann once too-loftily said: "Ignorance breeds monsters to fill up the vacancies of the soul that are unoccupied by the verities of knowledge."

The violence and threats that occurred to congressmen immediately following Health Care Reform’s passage may be just the tip of the iceberg. When the leader of a gun-toting mob says "Don't Retreat. Let's Reload!” and has targets on her website over the political battles she wants to hit hardest, one can, and should, be concerned. Republican leaders say they aren’t promoting violence, only advocating the rage against socialism. It’s like handing a teenager and their friends a plastic bottle of vodka and telling them not to drink it.

Don’t believe me? The Hutaree Christian Militia planned on murdering a police officer, and then bombing the funeral in order to provoke a Holy War against the government. If you really believe that Obama is the Anti-Christ, it makes a weird sort of sense to want to go to war against him albeit incredibly foolish and ignorant. As discussed by Nanashi, it would be wrong to condemn those who oppose Obama of treason, outliers do exist, and they are dangerous. And when public support is raised for their causes, they have more incentive to strike.

Yes, everyone is entitled to their free speech, and by no means would I want that right to be limited, but I would encourage these powerful public figures to consider the consequences of their actions. Indirectly inciting violence doesn’t benefit anyone, nor does it play out well politically. Are one’s personal aspirations worth more than a human life? Instead of invoking rage through your passionate rally cries, use this opportunity to promote meaningful civic engagement through objective education instead of sensationalization. The current Pep-rally strategy might increase the quantity of your supporters, but it’s hardly developing the quality of your movement.

I would hate to wake up one morning and read that America’s first African-American President became a martyr for social justice.

Killing in the Name of…