From MyDD :: Net Neutrality: On to the Senate:

We lost the vote in the House on net neutrality. Now it's on to the Senate. I want to address what I see as a bit of defeatism going on, which I find somewhat surprising.

We always knew the House was wired. We always got that. We always knew the fight was in the Senate. The fact that the telcos took TWO MONTHS to get this bill through a House that the own is remarkable. The fact that the telcos ran millions in ads and millions in lobbying, and the tech companies really did not show up until the very end, and we still delayed the bill this long is remarkable.

Net neutrality is now a voting issue. It has been widely reported and widely discussed. Senators are out on the issue.

Now the key is to put pressure on Senators Harry Reid and John McCain. Both are sympathetic, but not publicly out. This is largely because neither thinnk that the Stevens bill has a chance of passing.

I'm not sure if that's true, since Ted Stevens is a wily Senator who happens to sneak a lot of his pet projects into Defense Appropriations Bills without attracting a lot of notice.

But that's where things stand. They look a lot better than the did two months ago.

[via omjp]

Military attempts to stop Lt. Watada from speaking against illegal war

PRESS ADVISORY (June 9, 2006) - On Thursday, June 8, 2006 U.S. Army First Lieutenant Ehren Watada's commanding officer moved to prosecute Lt. Watada for protected speech. An official investigation into his public speech in opposition to the illegal war in Iraq is underway. Lt. Watada was read his rights and declined to make a statement without a lawyer present.

In response, Lt. Watada confirmed, “I have a legal and ethical obligation to speak out against, and refuse to fight, this patently illegal war in Iraq. This has not changed.

Religion is one thing that every person is free to acquire. Money is a different story.

Many articles in scientific journals have proved that life expectancy in the U.S. is directly dependent on income. While African Americans are more prone to heart disease than any other race, more poor people suffer from heart disease more than rich people regardless of race in the U.S.

Some schools have teachers who are less-trained than teachers at other schools. Well the reason that minority schools have less-trained teachers is because the pay is less at those schools, yet, the government pretends that student success is directly dependent on teacher-qualification, but actually, the bottom line is money.

Income is our nation's true health determinant. You could have insurance or not, what matters is how much money you have for fresh fruits and vegetables. Income is a larger health determinant than race or geographical location. That's just the way it is in the U.S. Not much we can do about it except for make money ourselves.

What worries me about the activist community is that they shy away from money with good reasons, but in a money-controlled society I am not sure how practical that is. Religion taught me that its okay to be rich. Of course, I'm poor. Accordingly I am suffering right now from a few medical conditions that are harder to spell than they are to say. I cannot afford regular check-ups with qualified doctors so the tumors in my ears just keep growing. Without money, my only hope is that my God will save me in the end. If not, at least I had some hope to keep me going.

• The federal gov has once again blamed teachers for our failing academic systems. It's not about under-trained teachers! It's about outdated textbooks, curriculums that don't apply to real life, and under-funded schools in minority neighborhoods.
• We need to increase funding to minority schools and make the military hold bake sales! Increased funding should not be used for more tv's or more brainwashing news like "channel one" in the classroom or school pools. Increased funding should be used for more microscopes so that students can find the facts for themselves! Increased funding should also be used to put fresh, organic food in the cafeteria.
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• Accurate science proved many years ago that brain functioning is directly dependent upon nutrient-absorbtion, so if we really want our kids to succeed we need to make sure that they eat a nutritious breakfast every day followed by a just-as-nutritious lunch. Its either that or I'm kicking Coke AND the government out of our schools! WASL must be combined with appropiate learning tools (microscopes and higher quality texts) and nutritous food to achieve maximum results.

I'm leading a bike ride as part of a grant that the Eastside Neighborhood Association got from the city.  I'll be kicking off at 10 am (probably rain or shine, unless it's pouring at 9:30) at Lions Park.  See the ENA site for a list of all the events, and Wayfaring.com for my route tomorrow.

Regular monthly board meeting of the ENA.  All are welcome.  See the ENA Web site for a tentative agenda.

Nazi Radio

Scroll down and listen to Rattle Those Pots and Pans, 6/8/06 Jim Ramm of the NSM talks over upcoming plans for the Olympia rally.

Mr. Ramm suggests that we bring ear plugs to the rally.

 

Hello everyone! Please remember to join us at 4 PM at Heritage Park for a roving street party in defense of civil liberties. We will make some noise to "show the world that the voice of truth will not be silenced by fear"! (quote from Jeff "Free" Luers)

There will be dj's, speakers, and dance music! We will meet at the park but then take it to the streets! Bring signs and banners and help us kick of the International Weekend of Resistance Against the Green Scare in Olympia!

Olympia Civil Liberties Resource http://www.olycivlib.org

Olympia is a different place after the sun goes down.  A time comes when many are a sleep, albiet some of them in the doorways and alleys of our downtown.  The quiet after midnight is an agent that changes our perceptions.  So I go out walking after midnight, sometimes, in our fair city.  Devoid of commerce and population the city becomes a place that can  instill hope and create dreams.  So go out walking after midnight and see if you can't have a new dream for or about Olympia

[via email]

Rick McKinnon - I picked up on the activists trying to block the Pomeroy. Those war supplies may be part of the logistics build-up to support Bush's preparations to attack Iran. See the below story for details. Keep track of CVN 74 USS John C Stennis homeported at Bremerton. If it "disappears" around the middle to late July, It will be enroute to the Arabian Sea to launch airstrikes.

Read Andrew Schoerke's statement here.