“For a few brief, beautiful moments in the Internet’s history (from the mid-90s to the early 2000s), a majority of Netizens and cyber-policy pundits alike all rallied around the flag of “Hands Off the Net!” From censorship efforts, encryption controls, online taxes, privacy mandates and infrastructure regulations, there was a general consensus as to how much authority government should have over cyber life and our cyber liberties,” Thierer and Szoka write. “Simply put, there was a ‘presumption of liberty’ in all cyber matters.”
Thierer and Szoka write, “Those days are now gone; the presumption of online liberty is giving way to a presumption of regulation. A massive assault on real Internet freedom has been gathering steam for years and has finally come to a head. Ironically, victory for those who carry the banner of “Internet Freedom” would mean nothing less than the death of that freedom.
“We refer to the gradual but certain movement to have the federal government impose ‘neutrality’ regulation for all Internet actors and activities–and in particular, to Monday’s announcement by Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Julius Genachowski that new rules will be floated shortly,” Thierer and Szoka write. “‘But wait,’ you say, ‘You’re mixing things up! All that’s being talked about right now is the application of ‘simple net neutrality,’ regulations for the infrastructure layer of the net.’ You might even claim regulations are not really regulation but pro-freedom principles to keep the net ‘free and open.'”
“Such thinking is terribly short-sighted,” Thierer and Szoka write. “Here is the reality: Because of the steps being taken in Washington right now, real Internet Freedom–for all Internet operators and consumers, and for economic and speech rights alike–is about to start dying a death by a thousand regulatory cuts.”
Full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: In case you missed it: As we said back in August 2006: “We don’t presume to know the best way to get there, but we support the concept of “Net Neutrality” especially as it pertains to preventing the idea of ISP’s blocking or otherwise impeding sites that don’t pay the ISP to ensure equal access. That said, we usually prefer the government to be hands-off wherever possible, Laissez-faire, except in cases where the free market obviously cannot adequately self-regulate (antitrust, for example). Regulations are static and the marketplace is fluid, so such regulation can often have unintended, unforeseen results down the road. We sincerely hope that there are enough forces in place and/or that the balances adjust in such a manner as to keep the ‘Net as neutral as it is today.”
That we have the same Take over three years later should be telling. Government regulations are not a panacea, neither are the lack thereof. It’s all about striking a proper balance where innovation can thrive while abuses are prevented.
I’m confused.
So the government is doing something to keep the telecoms from sticking us in the ass.
And that’s bad, because eventually the government is going to stick me in the ass.
Either way, my ass hurts.
Another conservative view, shocking!
Just wait until an AT and T exec gets annoyed at something you say about their service, and suddenly AT and T customers can’t access your site. This is “freedom” in the sense that the Forbes article sees it: “freedom” to get screwed over by powerful multinational corporations.
You need to look no further than here to discover the motivation behind this rather obtuse article:
http://www.pff.org/about/supporters.html
Well if companys like Att would just give us the stuff we want then there wouldn’t be any problems um ya we want mms with the best phone on the market reallywhat do these CEOs do all day do they not know what we want like 100 Meg download speeds the tech. Is there if 3 world countries have why don’t we what the f get out from behind ur desks and give us what we want really
I applaud MDN for deciding to present us with an alternative view to the currently all pervasive socialist agenda that has gripped our nation.
The America that we have loved oh so dearly, has been taken from us, kidnapped by those who believe that government should force its will upon the little guys. This administration has proven to be the greatest threat and disaster to our nation since the Clinton’s ruthless reign.
Mac users have always been unjustly known to have an affinity towards socialism. I am glad that we have a website here that shows that Mac users DO NOT support regulation and the endless descent into communism.
MDN, I salute you!
AT&&;T
just wait until the Maobamacare “health” czar gets mad about what you do or don’t do for their cause and deny you health care and sick the IRS on you.
Hillary now is saying that our Afghanistan command doesn’t know what they’re talking about in requesting 40,000 more troops. I wonder where Hillary earned her military expertise??? Sounds like a surrender – retreat is in the works. Maobama and friends have taken over for the French in surrenderese.
@ Sic semper tyrannis
Yeah, I remember the ruthless reign of the Clintons. The endless beatings, the years spent in refugee camps, watching my friends die of dysentery and malaria, boiling shoes for dinner. Those were tough times for America.
Thank god I lived long enough to vote for Bush!
@sic semper tyrannis,
sorry, but yer all sorts of paranoid nuts.
For every ounce of government we gain, we lose an ounce of our freedom. There isn’t a more simple explanation.
Sic semper tyrannis, you remind me of this guy.
@@wannabe
@hillary
-you are nuts as well.
Not to mention, off topic.
Go to Fox.com & holler your a$$e$ off.
It’s not so much death as it is eternal imprisonment with vultures devouring your liver every time you click.
Yes, twodales hits it on the head. Funny how they don’t mention that in their opinion piece. Also funny how they warn in every paragraph that the government is going to take away our internet freedoms, yet in no paragraph do they ever provide any concrete examples.
Where’s George Carlin when you need him?!?!
Aren’t the telecos behind the “Hands Off The Internet” astroturf campaign?
MidWest Mac and Moog are in the running for best posts on this thread! Get your votes in now, folks! The polls close in 10 minutes!
@mormegil,
bummer, gone,
it’s up to us now…..
There is no such thing as a free market. Corporations do not regulate themselves or each other (although they occasionally collude). When people say “free market” I think “Lord of the Flies.” Anarchy in which might makes right and the bullies rule. An unregulated market quickly becomes dominated by the largest corporations that do all they can to prevent competition. In the case of the internet, this includes ISPs filtering out or slowing down their competitor’s services and websites. History demonstrates time after time that unregulated businesses abuse the market, employees, consumers, and the environment.
A healthy market with competition requires regulations that are enforced. The game requires a referee to make sure everyone competes fairly. Who is going to come up with and enforce these regulations? Who is going to be our referee? We the People, through the organization we have formed together for just such a job: the government.
In the case of the communications industry and the internet in particular, the whole system exists in the first place because of the government. And I’m not just talking about the legislation and funding Al Gore championed through the Congress (which is what he was referring to when he said he “created” the internet). We the people allow these companies to use the commons, those things that belong to all of us collectively as a society: the rights of way to run their cables, the air and radio waves for sending wireless signals, the spots in orbit for their satellites, etc.
So of course the government can and should step in when anti-competetive practices start to emerge in this arena. It’s their job.
“For every ounce of government we gain, we lose an ounce of our freedom.”
Oh yeah, like with Homeland Security.
“I applaud MDN for deciding to present us with an alternative view to the currently all pervasive socialist agenda that has gripped our nation.”
You mean all the “OH NOES THE SKY IS FALLING COMMUNISM!!! ELEVENTY” hysteria?
Uh yeah, turn off Fox News.
My (possibly) uninformed take has been that some kind of legislation was being used as a threat to get the telecos & cable companies to stop behaving in such a shady manner on the net neutrality front.
The problem is, those companies seem to be calling that bluff, not believing that the threat of legislation will amount to anything. And so the legislation has to move forward to prove that the threat is legitimate.
So, as MidWest Mac noted, we’re either going to get shafted by Big Business, or shafted by Big Government. All we need now is for Big Labor to somehow shaft us along the way too, and we’ll have the complete set.
For all freedoms, we have to have a set of rules which guarantee those freedoms. Freedom without rules is nothing but anarchy. It’s a question of finding the right rules to guarantee the right kind of freedom we need.
I’m not sure I trust either Big Business or Big Government to do things properly, but if Big Business doesn’t stop behaving like a bunch of morons about this there won’t be much choice but to hope Big Government at least makes things less worse.
@ Cubert,
I can’t pick one over the other – they both cracked me up.
I love how all the “government is bad” people seem to think that big corporations have all their best interests in mind and that the government wants to throw them in the wood chipper.
There could be no worse combination than a completely capitalist society without any sort of of representative body to balance out their greed and corruption. Granted the government has its fair share of corruption but at least I can vote out those who are corrupt.
When was the last time any of you had a say about who ran a corporation?
What an incredible amount of wingnut bullshit!
The proposed regulations will prevent ISPs and telecoms from infringing on net neutrality. The argument in this article is like saying “Look out–that Bill of Rights in the Constitution is going to let government take over–don’t pay any attention the the liberties and rights that it guarantees!”
gimme a break!
Well, said. I second that remark.
You fools that keep joking about being worried are just the types of peeps Maobama and friends love. You let them keep plugging away at their evil agenda and aid them every step of the way in taking away our private property and freedom. Sorry this country wasn’t founded on those principals and we won’t let it be turned into a communist nirvana. We have every right to be massively concerned with what is going on.
This article is nothing more than another example of the highly illogical “the gummint’s doing something = less freedom” thinking. In this case, the freedom of the ISPs certainly isn’t the same as the freedom of the internet user.
So, Forbes has got it all bass-ackwards. Then again, they’re just defending their interest group. One wishes they’d do it honestly though, instead of using FUD and amateurish slippery slope fallacies (“a death by a thousand regulatory cuts”).
you vote out corporations by not purchasing their products. you idiots vote for same corrupt democrats over and over again. Rangel, Frank, Dodd, etc. It’s sick.
So, some of you guys would rather the ISPs regulate the internet? Because that’s what they want to do. regulate it for their own gain.
I guarantee you that if net neutrality doesn’t go through,
It will make what Comcast has been doing seem like a whiff of fresh air.
You’ll be paying more to be able to download, or stream Tv shows and movies from iTunes, or download a combo update.
They purchased bandwidth that was not supposed to be touched by the government. Verizon purchased bandwidth that would be. AT & T paid much more for that bandwidth. If they are now going to be forced to do things they were promised they wouldn’t have to do they should get a massive refund on their investment down to the same price Verizon paid. You liberals are nothing but jealous little scum busy bodies. Must suck to be you.
The anti-net neutrality drooling here is kind of interesting considering that the internet was not created by private enterprise to begin with. The internet is a creation of the US government that had a very simple idea at its genesis–the creation of a highly distributed network that would provide for the reliable transmission of data even if parts of the network were destroyed. Private enterprise was then given access to this government created network, and now wishes to implement measures that go against the founding principles of the internet’s creations. Companies wish to choke off certain data, prefer certain data, exact additional tolls for data that competes with services the companies offer, etc. Certain companies want to implement, or have implemented, denials or limitations of services to their customers, blocking of data, counterfeiting of data, etc. Is it really all that odd for the government to pass regulations preventing private enterprises from diverting a government-created network from the principle functionality that the government created the network for in the first place?
There is the additional oddity that our paleo conservative members proudly protect the right of multinational corporations to implement network interference and blocking methods that they would howl and scream about if implemented by the government.
I side with AT&T;, you are a real idiot. You don’t understand the first thing about any of this.
If you want to talk about “the day Internet freedom died”, ask the French – the “three strikes” law just passed there.
Three accusations of file-sharing is enough to get you thrown into a courtroom – presumed guilty until proven innocent.
corporations = government, it is how power is encapsulated in our country;
laissez-faire capitalism is a myth that they trot out like apple pie and motherhood — corporations want regulation, as it diminishes uncertainly and provides a barrier of entry to disruptive competition….i.e. mom and pops — that is why they spend so much time and $ lobbying congress…they just don’t want anyone else’s regulation — just the regulation that *they* want in order to protect, maximize and regularize profits
@sic semper tyrannis
Yes I remember those gentler times when your library records can be seized.
Your international phone calls are monitored.
When the government can wiretap your phone without court supervision.
You can be retained without due process.
You can be tortured.
Oh wait, that happened under someone else’s administration. Ahh, the freedom loving right wing of the Republican party
One or two of you above seem to take matters too much to the extreme, this is MacDailyNews not ExtremeMacDailyNews, however I’ll leave it open what an Extreme Mac would be…
My point is about what socialism is, it isn’t communism as that is an extreme form of socialism and believe me you’re nowhere near it in America, and will never be!
On the other side, capitalism, which America certainly is and this has its extreme form and that is facism, yes the Nazi Party was facist and therefore extremely capitalist. No way near that either, and I hope not, ever!
MDN’s take and to get back onto topic to my mind hits it square right on. It is all about maintaining a balance, one hand preventing major corporations from having too much influence on internet usage, such as highlighted above in that say one bad thing to an exec of any ISP with that much influence and they prevent your website from being accessed, perhaps even if you are not a customer of theirs!
Now there is something in such a competitive space as the Internet has become, an ISP decides, for instance, to make it difficult for the customers of a major rival ISP by making websites of that rivals customer base from being accessed properly or worse yet diverted to a similar website offering a similar service/product that is from their own customer base, maybe even likened to typing in Google and the Bing search engine opens instead. And that despite whatever your computer web browser settings are!
Which by the way is what I have noticed when using Windows Live, no sign of Google or any way of selecting Google as your favored search engine from within MSN Messenger, to Bing or not to Bing, you have no choice, its Bing.
Not sure why anyone expects anything otherwise. They elected a socialist last November, and now the government has their hands in everything from the banks, to the car manufacturers, and now the internet. You people got what you wanted by electing a socialist, so you now have to live with the negative consequences.
Do some of you guys understand that the internet was set up by the US military?
Do you understand that the internet has been run by the US government all this time?
Do you understand that it’s been the US government that been enforcing what there has been of net neutrality all this time?
Do you understand the implications of that?
The implications are that the freedoms on the internet are a direct result of the US government and US acedemia getting together to decide how a free internet, available to everyone equally needed to be done. And then they did that.
ISPs are now trying to use newer technology that wasn’t available back then to subvert the cincept of a free , neutral internet—the one we’ve been enjoying since 1994.
Of course, if some of you want walled off partitions, where you have to pay “roaming” charges, and charges for heavy uses, then fine.
The rest of us don’t.
As for AT&T;and the rest of the carriers, the same thing applies. They are allowed to get the bandwidth subject to their using it in the public’s interest. If you don’t believe that, then you can go look it up.
Well said, OpJ.
RC, you don’t even know what a Socialist was. If Obama is a socialist, the Eisenhower was a communist. He did far more along that path than Obama is doing.
And you can blame what Obama’s doing on guess who? Reagan and Bush.
I suppose when Bush demanded the $700 billion to start with, without wanting to allow anyone to know where the money was going to, that was fine, because he was from your right wing branch of the Republican party.
It’s also sad when Forbes, the home of the right wing, is quoted for truth.
I applaud MDN for deciding to present us with an alternative view to the currently all pervasive necon agenda that has gripped our nation.
The America that we have loved oh so dearly, has been taken from us, kidnapped by those who believe that private property should force its will upon the little guys. The neocon movement has proven to be the greatest threat and disaster to our nation since British imperialism.
Mac users have always been justly known to have an affinity towards humanism. I am glad that we have a website here that shows that Mac users DO NOT support private greed and the endless descent into corporatism.
MDN, I salute you!
RC, that’s great…keep the government out of my internet, “The origins of the Internet reach back to the 1960s when the United States funded research projects of its military agencies to build robust, fault-tolerant and distributed computer networks.”
I suppose you want the government to keep its hands off your social security, too?
I’m pretty sure I hate everyone one of you wing nuts at this point.
Oh and I left out on the other hand having websites that are aimed at undermining your liberties, such as websites by various terrorist groups and then to child pornography to illicit drugs and other criminal activities.
Having the legal means to deny access to such websites isn’t new, as such, what is new is who has the authority to deny internet users access to such websites. This much can only be done to protect internet users in your own country, the FCC has no jurisdiction beyond the US borders/territories. As is the case for any country, some will follow suit with their own versions of the FCC, others simply won’t care, does that then lend to countries being cut off from the Internet, save for sending an email from one small town to a major city within the same country.
We all know that China already does this itself, hence its name, the Great Firewall of China. What happens if say the USA in its disagreement with Iran tells Iran that unless Iran does such and such, you will not be able to communicate via the Internet to the outside world until the country complies? Would Iranians care, yes the people on the street would as many have family members living ouside of Iran and the Internet for so many, the world over too, is the cheapest form of communication. Amen to free Skype to Skype calling, for one!
Maybe, just maybe the Internet has already become a hugely powerful and political weapon, I say yes, what about you?
It is equally sad that the government can barely keep itself in the technology loop. The vast majority of systems is older, problem prone, and concentric to Microsoft. Very little diversity and they continue to try to have a monopoly of software- even so that IE was the only choice.
Just about everything a government lays it’s hands to becomes so paper and regulated. Then you need the mult-national corporations with the cash and power to fight to have it loosened. Maybe that has been the problem. Government gets to involved.
Look at the hybrid, it was patented in the US and expired. Then picked up by Toyota. Had they listened To Lee Iocca and not have the government say, do not worry, we got your back in the late 60’s- maybe we have far more fuel efficent cars and be producing them.
I just think both sides are just crazy. But I work in the government- oh how I want to keep them out of as much of my life as possible! Bummer.
Don’t worry toatsy we hate you right back!
I was composing what became an overly long response to the right wing no government types posting on this thread (by their tone I believe a large number are children) when I discovered that these posts are limited to 5000 characters (mine had run to 5400). Take note! I backed out to the thread, and lo and behold many responses much more informed and elegant than mine had already been made.
I recently decided that it’s probably best to just completely ignore the totally ignorant fools who rant “no government” and “our country is lost” due to our “socialist” president. As I recall from my youth in the 1960s, ignorant right wingers were making the same kinds of arguments against civil rights legislation, Medicare, etc. Except the word then was “communism” not socialism. Probably just a coincidence that most of these folks who I met and knew personally appeared to be suffering from some sort of personality disorder. Worried about “them” trying to get their money, or jobs, or whatever. These attitudes went along usually with at least a fair amount of racial and religious prejudice. Not reliable sources of opinion on most matters.
So I was violating my new rule. After this post, I’m ignoring the complete wingnuts. If we ignore them, at least the posts will be shorter. But I can’t resist including this parting shot:
Let’s by all means argue about what net neutrality rules should be, if there should be more or less, and whose interests are best served by the proposals. As for those who argue that the FCC should have no power to enforce any form of net neutrality, why not just go right ahead and bend over to receive the love from unfettered AT&T;, Verizon, Comcast… Unless, of course, you’re just a shill for industry. What’s that, you say you’re standing on principle and no one is paying you? Sucker. These companies have lots of money they use to buy support. Why shouldn’t you get your share? I’m serious. Times are hard. There are lots of Astroturf phony grass roots organizations run by many industries. Don’t limit yourself to telecom & cable. Sign up for as many as you can, get your picture and maybe a little video blurb on their web sites. Show your patriotism! Earn a buck!
You have it exactly backwards. Socialism is the way to Nazism. Hitler took over all of the private sector just as Maobama is doing now. Get your facts straight numb nutz.
I agree with all my heart! You are sooo right. We have those RIGHT wing nuts and those LEFT wing nuts. They both should be stopped! I HATE the FAR LEFT and the FAR RIGHT.
Kill’em all!!!
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@Everyone
Does anyone here hate tits?
Seriously, can’t we all agree tits are awesome?
If we can all agree on that, we all would have something in common and all the us vs them crap can go away and we can get back to loving our Mac News and pokin’ fun at Zune Tang!
Love TIT’s! I agree! I agree!
Got milk?
Man, I used be all for net neutrality, but all the name calling and logical fallacies are really starting to bring me around. Great job everyone. Also, tits are awesome.
@ Toasty,
Only when they are on women.
you are a 1960’s commie. you are the wingnut. you are out to destroy the US along with your dear leader Maobama. new flash. we won’t let it happen. less government is the best thing any responsible adult could ask for. you libs need your mommies to wipe your asses for you right to the grave. Maobamacare will speed up your trip to the grave by the way. never ceases to amaze how clueless libs are.
Mel makes a good point, correct too, though remember it took academics to design and implement what a global computer network would be like and US Military style of funding to build it.
Not every academic college in the US is part of the Military and so access to such high levels of funding could only be done by being part of the military. So in order to secure the funding, in the early days, late 80’s or so, only the Internet’s military abilities were considered, its implications etc.
Same for the GPS system of satellites spanning the whole world, it began by being a military spy network covering the whole Earth. It took a huge amount of effort to get its positioning system into the hands of the general public. Other countries had to pay, still do perhaps, to allow its population the equipment, such on your car dashboard or built into the iPhone to operate in the same way – or does it, perhaps for those same reasons some functions will not work outside of the US. Or merely disabled by request of any particular countries government, I would not be surprised if it is for this reason for the delay of the iPhone launch in China.
By the way I have nothing against China and its regime, lovely country and people and is on my list of places to visit before I die.
macjammies,
“By the way I have nothing against China and its regime, lovely country and people and is on my list of places to visit before I die”.
spoken like the true comrade that you are. maobama loves china too.
@ Freddie,
Got anything made by Apple, Freddie? If so, check where it’s manufactured. That would make you a supporter of Communist China. Shame on you.
I can’t help thinking about the Mac ad where PC has the ‘Choose a Vista’ wheel. When he spins it and gets ‘lose a turn’.
Mac observes; “Didn’t you make this?”
Hey, has anyone lived in China? If you lived there you may, very well likely, come back with a different attitude on government control. The average Chinese lives poorly. But, hey- Our country looks and wants to be like it. Wow! I love what I have here! Been to other places and love the USA.
And besides, how many people here would leave here? Hell, they protest to make it like home. It so good they do not leave, just protest to make a different country.
Look at how many actors said they were leaving when Bush was elected. Even Bush could nor scare them away. It was better to have Bush and stay here than to leave here.
Wow, think about that!
MacJammer obviously hates boobs.
Freddie, this comment shows how little you know of history;
“macjammies,
“By the way I have nothing against China and its regime, lovely country and people and is on my list of places to visit before I die”.
spoken like the true comrade that you are. maobama loves china too.”
No one loved China more than Nixon. He was the first US Prez to go to them and Kowtow.
That was ok for you though, right?
MacDailyNews! Come for the Mac news, stay for the right-wingnuttery!
I swear, this site can be like being ambushed by Rush Limbaugh while browsing at an Apple Store.
“Check out the new iPods!”
“Wow, these are pretty awesom–“
“OBAMA IS DESTROYING REAL AMERICA!”
“Aaah! Go away! I just want to look at iPods!”
——RM
I don’t blame Apple for making their goods in China. You can’t do it in the US because of the out of control unions. Otherwise the Chinese government is very evil. So are Maobama and friends.
you could reverse your statement too you commie. you have no problem saying horrible things about conservatives.
Do not forget the FAR LEFT that is trying to take everyhing over and make it so the government tell you how to dress, eat, think, and who to hate or not.
They are never highlighted and run in sleath mode while everyone hammers the right.
The far left is far more dangerous because no one speaks of them.
Please include there web sites and information so we can be protected from the wacko left, he craz. Make my decisions for me left. The left is so hidden.
Please help us identify the Ninja Wacko left. The far left is the biggest danger. But you never hear of the radical left. No one ever mentions when the nutjob radical left plots to over throw some policy.
Hope you can help!!!
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The “less government” people I have met and who comment here don’t go far enough – they are weak minded. Not only should the government stay out of health care, it should also stay out of other important national maters such as military defense, the police, disaster relief and disease control. Those are best left to the free market. A military and police force run by the government is a terrible idea and will only lead to communism and the death of our great nation. A fully privatized military and police force will ensure that we will remain safe and secure because they will have to compete in the free market. However we should definitely continue to provide universal health care to Iraq and Afghanistan as we have been doing. That will ensure the demise of these evil nations as they slide into communism as everyone knows by now that communism is the result of government control of health care!
@LordRobin
“Check out the new iPods!”
“Wow, these are pretty awesom–“
“OBAMA IS DESTROYING REAL AMERICA!”
“Aaah! Go away! I just want to look at iPods!”
YOU, my friend, get the prize for best comment today! I laughed so much I had tears in my eyes.
Gosh this is just like watching a ping pong match. Two groups of people fighting each other internally as well as being involved in a war internationally. That is pretty well is continuing to define America, funny to think that for close to 50% of your history you have been at war.
The mega ego is huge, how your empire is crumbling.
At one time most writings were controlled by the religious doctrines. Guttenberg press changed that and the worlds has not looked back since. Same with music, art, we now have all sorts of ways to store and replay these items.
Fire, paint and pottery, been around and available to nearly everyone for a long long time. No way to stop it, living things communicate.
All these tools can be used in a variety of ways. You can take a glass of water and use it to refresh yourself, or break the glass to cut through skin.
The message gets through, regardless of the media.
As the article says, there *was* a day when the internet was free and was a place where you could send or receive anything, anywhere in the world without any restriction. Those days are long gone already. Whether you fight for “net neutrality” or not, your freedom is already gone via various forms of DRM, national boundaries, and protectionist software schemes like Sandvine. The Status Quo has for years been quietly carving away the abilities of your software via the DCMA and conspiring to keep devices out of your hands that freely copy or share files or that offer free worldwide VOIP
communication.
So get all upset, rant and rave, riot if you want about “neutrality”, but it will make no difference as companies leverage moral assertions to carry out their desire to create captive markets. The internet is fast becoming little more than a marketplace where you will be nickeled and dimed for every once free feature you want to use.
@ Freddie,
The unions in this country have been emasculated, so I don’t believe they can still be blamed for this countries woes. Besides, there are plenty of successful operations in the U.S. that are non-union, such as Honda.
Whether the government of China is evil or not, they have us by the short hairs. This situation is self-inflicted.
I think you all hate boobs.
BOOB HATERS!
@ F. Maxwell,
This is reminiscent of the Lewin Group, the ‘experts’ on the healthcare issue who the Republicans love to quote as a reason against it.
They are part of Ingenix, which is owned by United Health Group. No conflict of interest there, by golly.
I guess I’m all for free market until I am locked into one or two options, both of which are inferior to what is considered norm in other parts of the world, and is only inferior because the available providers have chosen to make it so, to force me to buy yet other products of theirs that are inferior to options that would be available but for their arbitrary interference. They are already making money off of my service plan, so the further efforts to wring out more cash have started to irritate me.
I am becoming increasing fond of the idea that internet access should be regulated the same as any utility service. Regulation would open the way for more development, especially mixes of devices, services, and uses that are not possible under the current situation.
So, in short, MacDailyNews sides with the NeoCons, who believe that it is always better that rich CEOs have the freedom to screw everyone without any regulatory oversight by elected officials who act on behalf of the public.
That is some twisted logic.
Maybe what is needed is not some open-ended “Net Neutrallity” act, but suitable regulation that simply oversees ISPs.
Everyone yammering for FCC regulation, ought to look at how well the FCC has handled their “oversight” of the broadcast TV. Expect similar and inevitable “oversight” (regulation) of the net within U.S. borders.
Remember George Carlin’s 7 Words? Eventually they will come to the internet, too..
“Remember George Carlin’s 7 Words? Eventually they will come to the internet, too..”
Heck ‘leo’, I think that happened the first week of MDNs existence.
It’s hilarous seeing Adam Thierer and Berin Szoka rant that net neutrality is really this Orwellian conspiracy to put the Internet in shackles, when they themselves both work for “The Progress & Freedom Foundation”, a phony grassroots organization working for a long list of corporations that have a vested interest in, and history of, restricting the Internet.
Gee, guys, what was that you were saying about Orwell…?
By the way, Freddie. You are aware that Apple is a company of liberal Maobama supporters? And that Steve Jobs is a liberal Buddhist? Who used to drop LSD? And that ALDOLPH GOREHITLER-MCSATAN himself sits on their Board of Directors?
You need to throw out all your Apple kit and get some Dells and Zunes, man. I mean, what are you supporting those socialist liberals for? ARE YOU A TERRORIST OR SOMETHING!?
DO YOU HATE AMERICA?!?!
Wow! Another sad day for America as we continue down our path of defeat and destruction all in the name of freedom driven completely by greed.
Glad I got to post while it is still somewhat “free”.
“So, in short, MacDailyNews sides with the NeoCon”
Umm, MDN isn’t siding with Neocons on this. They’re saying that neither government regulation nor a *lack thereof* is the answer.
Which is about as level-headed and non-partisan as anything can be.
Most of you guys don’t understand the issues with Net Neutrality. Bottom line is companies have purchased bandwith in an effort to exploit consumers not just wireless, but through control of the Internet as well. Throttling, chocking, or shutting us out through tiering prices exploiting prices is insane. But like someone else said this now a political rant site.
Just because you post your anti Obama crap doesn’t mean we all agree. I support this country no matter who is in charge. Stop crying about regs when big business can self regulate. Dry your tears and roll up your sleaves to advocate fairness in business practices.
Wah! Wah! Wah!
That’s all you Repugnicants do is whine! So President Obama is a socialist, eh? I don’t recall ANY of you complaining about the fascist we had in office the previous eight years. You complain about all the freedoms and liberties we are “supposedly” losing under the current administration but you had NO problem with the real freedoms we lost under Bush. Blanket wiretaps and rampant unchecked surveillance of ALL forms of communication were ok with you, right? You didn’t have to be Muslim, Arabic, black, hispanic or martian to become suspect, WE ALL WERE and not one of you complained. GET AN EFFIN LIFE!!!!!
The telcos and internet service providers have done this to themselves. If you live in a rural area you STILL can’t get DSL or cable service nearly 20 years after the general public has had access to the internet. Got DSL? How long has the majority of the country been stuck at 1.5 Mbps? Too long! For the last 4 years I have been after AT&T;to offer higher speeds that I was WILLING to pay for! Still nothing! I am PRAYING that the Wi-Max consortium gets their act together and gives us some REAL choice. In the meantime, my monthly DSL fees have steadily risen over the years for the SAME speed. And I don’t want to hear about Roadrunner or cable service as I already have satellite tv service that I don’t want to part with and don’t need more cabling running through the house.
By the way, I told you whiners a year ago that your party was on the verge of becoming irrelevent. If they keep sitting with their thumbs up their a22e2 on healthcare reform, they’ll be that much closer to making my statement come true. I’m still laughing that so many of you thought having Sarah Palin on the ticket was a smart move! LOL!
George Bush and his Republican party done more to expand government than 5 Obama’s could You idiots. This so called social agenda that you talk of is such a fantasy that it asrounds me how stupid you really are. Do you hate the government when they build your roads and bridges, Keep your infrastructure up, fund your the police and fire depts. Keep the lights on in your kids schools. I’m sorry but you can’t be this stupid. Oh wait, you voted George Bush 2 times. You would believe every lie that a republican throws your way. Like WMD’s in Iraq. Silly you.
@JRoy
+100
O gosh, It is of a real relief to note that all Americans are not idiots!
Remember Lee Iacocca, the man who rescued Chrysler Corporation from its death throes? He’s now 82 years old and has a new book, ‘Where Have All The Leaders Gone?’.
Lee Iacocca Says:
‘Am I the only guy in this country who’s fed up with what’s happening? Where the hell is our outrage? We should be screaming bloody murder! We’ve got a gang of clueless bozos steering our ship of state right over a cliff, we’ve got corporate gangsters stealing us blind, and we can’t even clean up after a hurricane much less build a hybrid car. But instead of getting mad, everyone sits around and nods their heads when the politicians say, ‘Stay the course..’
Stay the course? You’ve got to be kidding. This is America , not the damned, ‘Titanic’. I’ll give you a sound bite: ‘Throw all the bums out!’
You might think I’m getting senile, that I’ve gone off my rocker, and maybe I have. But someone has to speak up. I hardly recognize this country anymore..
The most famous business leaders are not the innovators but the guys in handcuffs.. While we’re fiddling in Iraq , the Middle East is burning and nobody seems to know what to do. And the press is waving ‘pom-poms’ instead of asking hard questions.. That’s not the promise of the ‘ America ‘ my parents and yours traveled across the ocean for. I’ve had enough. How about you?
I’ll go a step further. You can’t call yourself a patriot if you’re not outraged. This is a fight I’m ready and willing to have. The Biggest ‘C’ is Crisis! (Iacocca elaborates on nine C’s of leadership, with crisis being the first.)
Leaders are made, not born. Leadership is forged in times of crisis. It’s easy to sit there with your feet up on the desk and talk theory. Or send someone else’s kids off to war when you’ve never seen a battlefield yourself. It’s another thing to lead when your world comes tumbling down.
On September 11, 2001, we needed a strong leader more than any other time in our history. We needed a steady hand to guide us out of the ashes. A hell of a mess, so here’s where we stand.
We’re immersed in a bloody war with no plan for winning and no plan for leaving.
We’re running the biggest deficit in the history of the country.
We’re losing the manufacturing edge to Asia , while our once-great companies are getting slaughtered by health care costs.
Gas prices are skyrocketing, and nobody in power has a coherent energy policy. Our schools are in trouble.
Our borders are like sieves.
The middle class is being squeezed every which way.
These are times that cry out for leadership.
But when you look around, you’ve got to ask: ‘Where have all the leaders gone?’ Where are the curious, creative communicators? Where are the people of character, courage, conviction, omnipotence, and common sense? I may be a sucker for alliteration, but I think you get the point.
Name me a leader who has a better idea for homeland security than making us take off our shoes in airports and throw away our shampoo?
We’ve spent billions of dollars building a huge new bureaucracy, and all we know how to do is react to things that have already happened.
Name me one leader who emerged from the crisis of Hurricane Katrina. Congress has yet to spend a single day evaluating the response to the hurricane or demanding accountability for the decisions that were made in the crucial hours after the storm.
Everyone’s hunkering down, fingers crossed, hoping it doesn’t happen again. Now, that’s just crazy. Storms happen. Deal with it. Make a plan. Figure o ut what you’re going to do the next time.
Name me an industry leader who is thinking creatively about how we can restore our competitive edge in manufacturing. Who would have believed that there could ever be a time when ‘The Big Three’ referred to Japanese car companies? How did this happen, and more important, what are we going to do about it?
Name me a government leader who can articulate a plan for paying down the debit, or solving the energy crisis, or managing the health care problem. The silence is deafening. But these are the crises that are eating away at our country and milking the middle class dry.
I have news for the gang in Congress. We didn’t elect you to sit on your asses and do nothing and remain silent while our democracy is being hijacked and our greatness is being replaced with mediocrity. What is everybody so afraid of? That some bonehead on NBC news or CNN news will call them a name? Give me a break. Why don’t you guys show some spine for a change?
Had Enough? Hey, I’m not trying to be the voice of gloom and doom here. I’m trying to light a fire. I’m speaking out because I have hope – I believe in America . In my lifetime, I’ve had the privilege of living through some of America ‘s greatest moments. I’ve also experienced some of our worst crises: The ‘Great Depression,’ ‘World War II,’ the ‘Korean War,’ the ‘Kennedy Assassination,’ the ‘Vietnam War,’ the 1970’s oil crisis, and the struggles of recent years culminating with 9/11.
If I’ve learned one thing, it’s this: ‘You don’t get anywhere by standing on the sidelines waiting for somebody else to take action. Whether it’s building a better car or building a better future for our children, we all have a role to play. That’s the challenge I’m raising in this book. It’s a “Call to Action” for people who, like me, believe in America ‘. It’s not too late, but it’s getting pretty close. So let’s shake off the crap and go to work.. Let’s tell ’em all we’ve had ‘enough.’
Make your own contribution by sending this to everyone you know and care about. It’s our country, folks, and it’s our future. Our future is at stake!!
IN GOD WE TRUST
Live simply, Love generously, Care deeply, Speak kindly & Leave the rest to God
Listen and learn lemmings!
http://www.marklevinshow.com/sectional.asp?id=32930
In addition to keepin’ the gummint out of our webnets, let’s keep ’em out of regulating our food, our drinking water, our environment, our workplace safety, our highways and bridges, our building codes, our doctors, our legal system…
Wow, Obama really has the conservatives versus the democrats stirred up, they are finding sides in any issue.
Net neutrality is a good thing. Saying it is a bad thing just because it represents government regulation and fearing what that might lead to is alarmist and unfounded. Unfortunately it seems the conservative argument now consists of banging trash can lids in the street and yelling “The End is Nigh”. Grow up, children, and accept that you are no longer an island, and that state-level government cannot address interstate issues like the ‘net.
As far as the whole Obama is a communist things, you are deluding yourself if you think we can just ignore large scale social issues. Maybe you are content to wait until the disenfranchised come pounding your door down so you can shoot them legally (that’s how the chinese revolution came about, by the way), or to stuff them in our largest socialized system of all – prisons, but I am not. Either we deal with these issues now or we have a real communist revolution on our hands.
Well said Mac Daily News.
The Little Red Hen called all of her Democrat neighbors together and said, ‘If we plant this wheat, we shall have bread to eat. Who will help me plant it?’
‘Not I,’ said the cow.
‘Not I,’ said the duck.
‘Not I,’ said the pig.
‘Not I,’ said the goose.
‘Then I will do it by myself,’ said the little red hen, and so she did. The wheat grew very tall and ripened into golden grain.
‘Who will help me reap my wheat?’ asked the little red hen.
‘Not I,’ said the duck..
‘Out of my classification,’ said the pig.
‘I’d lose my seniority,’ said the cow.
‘I’d lose my unemployment compensation,’ said the goose.
‘Then I will do it by myself,’ s aid the little red hen, and so she did.
At last it came time to bake the bread.
‘Who will help me bake the bread?’ asked the little red hen.
‘That would be overtime for me,’ said the cow.
‘I’d lose my welfare benefits,’ said the duck.
‘I’m a dropout and never learned how,’ said the pig.
‘If I’m to be the only helper, that’s discrimination,’ said the goose.
‘Then I will do it by myself,’ said the little red hen.
She baked five loaves and held them up for all of her neighbors to see. They wanted some and, in fact, demanded a share. But the little red hen said, ‘No, I shall eat all five loaves.’
‘Excess profits!’ cried the cow. (Nancy Pelosi)
‘Capitalist leech!’ screamed the duck. (Barbara Boxer)
‘I demand equal rights!’ yelled the goose. (Jesse Jackson)
The pig just grunted in disdain. (Ted Kennedy)
And they all painted ‘Unfair!’ picket signs and marched around and around the little red hen, shouting obscenities.
Then the farmer (Obama) came. He said to the little red hen,
‘You mustnot be so greedy.’
‘But I earned the bread,’ said the little red hen.
‘Exactly,’ said Barack the farmer. ‘That is what makes our free enterprise system so wonderful. Anyone in the barnyard can earn as much as he wants. But under our modern government regulations, the productive workers must divide the fruits of their labor with those who are lazy and idle.’
And they all lived happily ever after, including the little red hen, who smiled and clucked, ‘I am grateful, for now I truly understand.’
But her neighbors became quite disappointed in her. She never again baked bread because she joined the ‘party’ and got her bread free. And all the Democrats smiled. ‘Fairness’ had been established.
Individual initiative had died, but nobody noticed; perhaps no one cared…so long as there was free bread that ‘the rich’ were paying for.
EPILOGUE
Bill Clinton is getting $12 million for his memoirs.
Hillary got $8 million for hers.
That’s $20 million for the memories from two people, who for eight years, repeatedly testified, under oath, that they couldn’t remember anything.
IS THIS A GREAT BARNYARD OR WHAT?
@ Barnyard,
Can’t you come up with something new? That schtick was slightly humorous the first half-dozen times, but now …
Great post Barnyard. Hits the nail on the head and drives the lib-comms nuts.
Great post Barnyard. We won’t let these liberal wing nuts silence our massive opposition to their radical agenda!
Says it all.
http://d.yimg.com/kq/groups/15523565/1322781786/name/TeaPartyCommercial.wmv
“He’s right!” shouted the Little Red Farmer, upon reading Barnyard’s retarded parable. “I till the land, I grow the crops, and I raise the livestock! So I’ll enjoy it all for myself! Anybody who doesn’t pitch in and help me out can just starve to death!”. So 70% of the country died in a horrible famine, because most people weren’t equipped to become productive farmers overnight, and most of the major population centers had a serious lack of arable land, anyway. The remaining people were forced to join the Little Red Farmer’s cooperative and labour away to survive. At long last, the means of production were finally owned and controlled by the workers! It was the dawn of a new golden age of Communism.
“Oh shit,” said Barnyard, “I didn’t really think that through”.
And they all lived happily ever after in a Communist utopia. The end.
in response to “@ Mike”
Laissez-faire is one of the core planks of the Neo-Con platform. In contrast with plain old conservatives, who believed in fair rules that slowed the pace of change in a desire for stability, Neo-Cons are against all progress or regulation unless it profits them — and of course, this means prioritizing increasing military power because only the strong (rich) will survive in their world view.
Throughout history it has been proven that rules and officials are necessary for maximizing long-term prosperity/health/peace for all. No game, market, or community can persist when “laissez-faire” is the order of the day. This leads to power wars where only the richest hired guns play dirty and the majority get tramped or revolt. Do we really want to live in the Wild West again?
“I BET YOU DIDN’T SEE THIS
IN THE NEWSPAPER OR
ON THE 6 O’CLOCK NEWS”
~
The Sailor Pictured Below Is,
Navy Petty Officer,
PO2
(Petty Officer, Second Class)
EOD2
(Explosive Ordnance Disposal, Second Class)
“MIKE MONSOOR”
April 5th, 1981 ~ September 29th, 2006
Mike Monsoor,
Was Awarded “The Congressional Medal Of Honor” Last Week,
For Giving His Life In Iraq , As He Jumped On, And Covered With His Body, A Live Hand Grenade,
That Was Accidentally Dropped By A Navy Seal,
Saving The Lives Of A Large Group Of Navy Seals That Was Passing By!
~
During Mike Monsoor’s Funeral,
At Ft. Rosecrans National Cemetery , In San Diego , California .
The Six Pallbearers Removed The Rosewood Casket From The Hearse,
And Lined Up On Each Side Of Mike Monsoor’s Casket,
Were His Family Members, Friends, Fellow Sailors, And Well-wishers.
The Column Of People Continued From The Hearse, All The Way To The Grave Site.
What The Group Didn’t Know At The Time Was,
Every Navy Seal
(45 To Be Exact)
That Mike Monsoor Saved That Day Was Scattered Throughout The Column!
~
As The Pallbearers Carried The Rosewood Casket
Down The Column Of People To The Grave Side.
The Column Would Collapse.
Which Formed A Group Of People That Followed Behind.
~
Every Time The Rosewood Casket Passed A Navy Seal,
He Would Remove His Gold Trident Pin From His Uniform,
And Slap It Down Hard,
Causing The Gold Trident Pin To Embed Itself
Into The Top Of The Wooden Casket!
Then The Navy Seal Would Step Back From The Column, And Salute!
~
Now For Those,
(And Me)
Who Doesn’t Know What A Trident Pin Is or What It Looks Like?
Here Is The Definition And Photo!
~
After One Completes The Basic Navy Seals Program Which Lasts For Three Weeks,
And Is Followed By Seal Qualification Training,
Which Is 15 More Weeks Of Training,
Necessary To Continue Improving Basic Skills And To Learn New Tactics And Techniques,
Required For An Assignment To A Navy Seal Platoon.
After successful completion,
Trainees Are Given Their Naval Enlisted Code,
And Are Awarded The Navy Seal Trident Pin.
With This Gold Pin They Are Now Officially Navy Seals!
It Was Said,
That You Could Hear Each Of The 45 Slaps From Across The Cemetery!
By The Time The Rosewood Casket Reached The Grave Site,
It Looked As Though It Had A Gold Inlay From The 45 Trident Pins That Lined The Top!
This Was A Fitting End To An Eternal Send-Off For A Warrior Hero!
This Should Be Front-Page News!
Instead Of The Garbage We Listen To And See Every Day.
spoken like the true eurotrash commie that you are. the US is not a communist country and we will fight tooth and nail to prevent you commies from destroying this great country. we are so different from you you could never comprehend it. go bow to your royalty and beg for hand outs you losers. we will fend for ourselves and continue to be the best and strongest nation on the planet. go to hell commies.
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/09/23/mcconnell-blasts-government-gag-order-private-health-care-provider/
McConnell Blasts Government Over ‘Gag Order’ on Private Health Care Provider
If you’re anything like Barnyard, you’ll fight tooth and nail to prevent the US from turning into a Communist country in such a boneheaded way that you inadvertantly turn the US *into* a Communist country.
You fail at comprehending satire, by the way.
@ State Run Media,
It’s a good thing I checked before accusing you of spreading an urban legend. It checks out:
http://www.snopes.com/politics/military/monsoor.asp
But, what’s your point?
General Eisenhower Warned Us
It is a matter of history that when the Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces, General Dwight Eisenhower, found the victims of the death camps he ordered all possible photographs to be taken, and for the German people from surrounding villages to be ushered through the camps and even made to bury the dead.
He did this because he said in words to this effect:
‘Get it all on record now – get the films – get the witnesses -because somewhere down the road of history some bastard will get up and say that this never happened’
This week, the UK debated whether to remove The Holocaust from its school curriculum because it ‘offends’ the Muslim population which claims it never occurred. It is not removed as yet.. However, this is a frightening portent of the fear that is gripping the world and how easily each country is giving into it.
It is now more than 60 years after the Second World War in Europe ended. This e-mail is being sent as a memorial chain, in memory of the,6 million Jews, 20 million Russians, 10 million Christians, and 1,900 Catholic priests
Who were ‘murdered, raped, burned, starved, beat, experimented on and humiliated’ while the German people looked the other way!
Now, more than ever, with Iran , among others, claiming the Holocaust to be ‘a myth,’ it is imperative to make sure the world never forgets.
How many years will it be before the attack on the World Trade Center
‘NEVER HAPPENED’
.because it offends some Muslim in the U.S. ???
Hitler was the supreme socialist. Socialism and it’s cousins lead to more misery than anything. Stop socialism in the US now!
Critics Assail Obama’s ‘Safe Schools’ Czar, Say He’s Wrong Man for the Job
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/09/23/critics-assail-obamas-safe-schools-czar-say-hes-wrong-man-job/
Would normally be unbelievable if it weren’t the norm for Maobama now.
School kids taught to praise Obama
Please read and act,
only takes a minute!
Please pass this on!!
On Tuesday, the Senate health committee voted 12-11 in favor of a two-page amendment courtesy of Republican Tom Coburn that would require all Members and their staffs to enroll in any new government-run health plan. It took me less than a minute to sign up to require our congressmen and senators to drink at the same trough! Three cheers for Congressman John Fleming of Louisiana!
Congressman John Fleming ( Louisiana physician) has proposed an amendment that would require congressmen and senators to take the same healthcare plan they force on us (under proposed legislation they are curiously exempt).
Congressman Fleming is encouraging people to go on his Website and sign his petition (very simple – just first, last and email). I have immediately done just that at: http://fleming.house.gov/index.cfm?sectionid=55§iontree=29,55
Please urge as many people as you can to do the same!
If Congress forces this on the American people, the Congressmen should have to accept the same level of health care for themselves and their families.
Well said:
http://rightvoices.com/2008/11/14/ronald-reagan-1977-the-new-republican-party/
@ Healthcare,
Members of Congress are eligible for ‘The Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) Program’, just as are all Federal employees. Shouldn’t all of these people have to participate in the new healthcare plan?
No more StarKist Tuna for me …..
SNOPES” VALIDATES THE FACTS BELOW :
Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi’s home district
includes San Francisco .
StarKist Tuna’s headquarters are in San Francisco, Pelosi’s home district.
StarKist is owned by Del Monte Foods and is a major contributor to Pelosi.
StarKist is the major employer in American Samoa employing 75% of the Samoan work force.
Paul Pelosi, Nancy ‘s husband, owns $17 million dollars of StarKist stock.
In January, 2007 when the minimum wage was increased from $5.15 to $7.25,
Pelosi had American Samoa exempted from the increase
so Del Monte would not have to pay the higher wage.
This would make Del Monte products less expensive than that of its competitors.
Last week when the huge bailout bill was passed,
Pelosi added an earmark to the final bill
adding $33 million dollars for an “economic development credit in American Samoa “
Pelosi has called the Bush Administration “CORRUPT” and many other things !!!
How do you spell “HYPOCRISY” ?
SHE’S SHAMELESS….
@ Tuna,
I dunno, smells kinda fishy to me. Or is that your breath?
Sorry, just couldn’t help myself.
Obviously they all should have to.
I just LOVE how people think deregulation is the ultimate in freedom. Anyone remember what happened when the energy markets were deregulated? One word, Enron. How about when banking was deregulated? Housing crisis, stock market crisis, bank failures, I could go on.
Regulations are not bad. Their intent and purpose is to enforce rules and guidelines. It is the duty of our representatives and regulatory bodies to impose rules that allow for innovation, free markets, competition, level playing field, and protect citizens from rampant greed and unfair practices. The rules should not stifle the market, but to make it a fair place for everyone. Providers need to make a profit, yet consumer interests must also be addressed.
I understand it is a balancing act… as it should be. The Bush administrations did not understand this. They wanted to shift all of the benefits to the side of the providers, and to hell with the consumers. Look what happened.
Jeez you americans are so preoccupied with being right and protecting free speech and other bullshit like the right own a gun.
The rest of the world can speak freely too you know? Without the need to own a gun bigger than… Anyways, internet neutrality, in priciple govt. may need to pass laws to enforce it. For high-speed a.k.a. broadband it should be neutral (just build bigger pipes suckers) but for mobile wireless well the telco’s still control that pipe and they are masters at selling this bit for this price, that bit for that price etc. Oh and none of that at any price! Why is text messaging so expensive? Why bill by the minute as opposed to by the MB.
THINK people or get a mark on your freakin foreheads!