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Political Waves
Aug 20, 2010, 4:19:38 PM8/20/10
to politic...@googlegroups.com
Mercury has gone retro with a clap of thunder and a screech of brakes ... at least in my household. Can't get to my email and the links I needed for the planned post -- so here's a down and dirty alternative, pointing your attention to a couple of serious issues from the class and culture wars that could use your activism.
The Google/Verizon dialogues have given us a heads up about what could happen to the Internet. If this doesn't resonate with you, think back to when we all had free television; not many channels but costing us no more than the set, the rabbit ears or an unsightly contraption on our roof to catch the signal. The airways belonged to the people.
Along came cable television with its pledge to give us programming without those pesky commercials and SOOOOOO much more choice [much of which we don't give a rats ass about but, well ... it sounded SOOOOOO good at the time] so we all jumped on board, with premium channels suddenly SOOOOOO attractive for just a little more. Now television is expensive enough to count as a luxury, what belonged to the people is now the property of giant corporations and even the basic signal has gone digitized, requiring conversion.
As goes the TV, so goes the net -- unless we stop it.
Next, Pakistan is under water. 20 MILLION people are displaced, 4 million are permanently homeless, cholera and dysentery is spreading like wildfire and the US ... as well as other countries ... are not responding as we usually do in these kinds of dire emergencies.
There are social and political reasons why the fate of this enigmatic country seem too distant to care about -- some the same ones driving the hatespeak in the Mosque at Ground Zero conversation -- but there is a DIFFERENCE between the political leadership of a nation and its people. You wouldn't know it by the hardened hearts of some -- consider this blogged response, posted in the Sacramento Bee:
Pakistan is one of the worst regimes in the world. Let the Muslims take care of their own with their trillions in oil money. Pakistan is the blood enemy of our ally, India. Pakistan has brought misery upon themselves with their medieval cult of hatred that denies women any rights, treats children as cattle, and stones young women to death for the crime of being raped by a Muslim man. Any money we send to Pakistan will be stolen and turned into weapons to be used against us.
The Google/Verizon dialogues have given us a heads up about what could happen to the Internet. If this doesn't resonate with you, think back to when we all had free television; not many channels but costing us no more than the set, the rabbit ears or an unsightly contraption on our roof to catch the signal. The airways belonged to the people.
Along came cable television with its pledge to give us programming without those pesky commercials and SOOOOOO much more choice [much of which we don't give a rats ass about but, well ... it sounded SOOOOOO good at the time] so we all jumped on board, with premium channels suddenly SOOOOOO attractive for just a little more. Now television is expensive enough to count as a luxury, what belonged to the people is now the property of giant corporations and even the basic signal has gone digitized, requiring conversion.
As goes the TV, so goes the net -- unless we stop it.
Next, Pakistan is under water. 20 MILLION people are displaced, 4 million are permanently homeless, cholera and dysentery is spreading like wildfire and the US ... as well as other countries ... are not responding as we usually do in these kinds of dire emergencies.
There are social and political reasons why the fate of this enigmatic country seem too distant to care about -- some the same ones driving the hatespeak in the Mosque at Ground Zero conversation -- but there is a DIFFERENCE between the political leadership of a nation and its people. You wouldn't know it by the hardened hearts of some -- consider this blogged response, posted in the Sacramento Bee:
Pakistan is one of the worst regimes in the world. Let the Muslims take care of their own with their trillions in oil money. Pakistan is the blood enemy of our ally, India. Pakistan has brought misery upon themselves with their medieval cult of hatred that denies women any rights, treats children as cattle, and stones young women to death for the crime of being raped by a Muslim man. Any money we send to Pakistan will be stolen and turned into weapons to be used against us.
-- Obamunist_Party
Makes ya proud, don't it, citizen? Pfffft!
The Pakistani people are suffering calamity and, considering the millions if not billions of US military dollars that have been folded into this region in order to keep its fragile government stabilized, that's money that might be better spent on rescue. The UN Secretary-General sez he's NEVER seen anything like this, and he's seen plenty in these last couple of years.
Still, everybody has their hand out these days, so we must carefully discern how we spend our resources. The truth is, little kids and innocent victims are dying so we should help if we can ... and if we don't, let's make sure it's for the right reasons. While we're on this subject, go over to Planet Waves blog and read our Fe Bongolan's post -- add a comment if you'd like.
The Internet under attack and Pakistan under water, below.
Have a good weekend.
Jude
"We're F--ked"
Jon Stewart
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/08/18/jon-stewart-google-net-neutrality-_n_686122.html
Have a good weekend.
Jude
"We're F--ked"
Jon Stewart
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/08/18/jon-stewart-google-net-neutrality-_n_686122.html
Sen. Al Franken: We Have a Free Speech Problem
Timothy Karr, Free Press and SavetheInternet.com via HuffPo
August 19, 2010
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/timothy-karr/sen-al-franken-we-have-a-_b_688487.html
Sen. Al Franken (D.-Minn.) warned a packed house Thursday night in Minneapolis that the corporate takeover of our media, and the government's failure to stop it, is one of the most important issues of our time.
Franken said our media system is at risk everywhere we turn -- from our free speech online to the growing power of companies who own a massive number of media outlets.
Franken was speaking during a hearing featuring Federal Communications Commission Commissioners Mignon Clyburn and Michael Copps.
He spoke about recent efforts by Verizon and Google to push a "policy framework" on Washington that transfers control over Internet content from the people who go online into the hands of a few powerful corporations.
Franken: "We have a problem"
"We can't let companies write the rules that they're supposed to follow," he said. "Because if that happens those rules are going to be written only to protect corporations."
He also warned of the looming merger between cable giant Comcast and NBC-Universal, urging Copps and Clyburn to oppose the merger and enforce Net Neutrality rules that would protect free speech online.
With the Internet, "We don't just have a competition problem, we have a First Amendment problem," Franken said. He then quoted Justice Hugo Black, who warned against letting companies have the power to prevent people from publishing.
In a Thursday Minneapolis Star-Tribune editorial, both Copps and Clyburn said that the power of the Internet must remain in the hands of consumers, "because corporations will press their advantage if they can."
"History teaches us ... that when technological capability to exercise control combines with a financial incentive to do so, some will try to turn this power to their own advantage, " they wrote.
In reference to the Verizon and Google deal, they wrote: "This new framework is not what the American people have been waiting for, not by a long shot."
Companies like AT&T, Verizon and Google would like to resolve this issue by creating policies in closed-door meetings with regulators. But the hundreds of people who packed the hearing in Minneapolis made it clear that this issue demands public participation.
Commissioners Copps and Clyburn and Sen. Franken are strong supporters of policies that would make Net Neutrality the rule of the road. President Obama has called protecting Net Neutrality a top priority. But FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski has been reluctant to move forward to create a lasting rule.
You can change that. Watch the video of Franken's speech and take action at SavetheInternet.com. ++
Why The Unfolding Disaster in Pakistan Should Concern You
Robert Reich
Thursday, August 19, 2010
The human tragedy unfolding in Pakistan right now demands our full attention.
Flooding there has already stranded 20 million people, more than 10 percent of the population. A fifth of the nation is underwater. More than 3.5 million children are in imminent danger of contracting cholera and acute diarrhea; millions more are in danger of starving if they don’t get help soon. More than 1,500 have already been killed by the floods.
This is a human disaster.
It’s also a frightening opening for the Taliban.
Yet so far only a trickle of aid has gotten through. As of today (Thursday), the U.S. has pledged $150 million, along with 12 helicopters to take food and material to the victims. (Other rich nations have offered even less – the U.K., $48.5 million; Japan, $10 million, and France, a measly $1 million. Today (Thursday), Hillary Clinton is speaking at the UN, seeking more.)
This is bizarre and shameful. We’re spending over $100 billion this year on military maneuvers to defeat the Taliban in Pakistan and neighboring Afghanistan. Over 200 helicopters are deployed in that effort. And we’re spending $2 billion in military aid to Pakistan.
More must be done for flood victims, immediately.
Beyond helping to prevent mass disease and starvation we’ll also need to help Pakistan rebuild. Half of the nation’s people depend on agriculture for their livelihood, and a large portion of the nation’s crops and agricultural land have been destroyed. Roads, bridges, railways, and irrigation systems have been wiped out.
Last year, Congress agreed to a $7.5 billion civilian aid package to Pakistan to build roads, bridges, and schools. That should be quadrupled.
While they’re at it, Congress should remove all tariffs on textiles and clothing from Pakistan. Textiles and clothing are half Pakistan’s exports. More than half of all Pakistanis are employed growing cotton, weaving it into cloth, or cutting and sewing it into clothing. In the months and years ahead, Pakistan will have to rely ever more on these exports.
Yet we impose a 17 percent tariff on textiles and clothing from Pakistan. If we removed it, Pakistan’s exports would surge $5 billion annually. That would boost the wages of millions there.
That tariff also artificially raises the price of the clothing and textiles you and I buy. How many American jobs do we protect by this absurdity? Almost none. Instead, we’ve been importing more textiles and clothing from China and other East Asian nations. China subsidizes its exports with an artificially-low currency.
If you’re not moved by the scale of the disaster and its aftermath, consider that our future security is inextricably bound up with the future for Pakistan. Of 175 million Pakistanis, some 100 million are under age 25. In the years ahead they’ll either opt for gainful employment or, in its absence, may choose Islamic extremism.
We are already in a war for their hearts and minds, as well as those of young people throughout the Muslim world.
Right now, Islamic insurgents are using the chaos as an opportunity, attacking police posts in Pakistan’s northwest while police have been occupied in rescue and relief work. Meanwhile, lacking help and losing hope, many Pakistanis are becoming increasingly hostile toward President Asif Ali Zardari.
And, of course, Pakistan has the bomb.
What can you do? Government efforts are important but so is private giving. Check the New York Times’s Lede blog for organizations providing disaster relief. The Oxfam website has lots of good information about who’s doing what, and how effectively/ ++
Pakistan in dire need of our help
Sacramento Bee Editorial Board
Friday, Aug. 20, 2010
Friday, Aug. 20, 2010
http://www.sacbee.com/2010/08/20/2970845/pakistan-in-dire-need-of-our-help.html#ixzz0xAjIicvy
America has a well-deserved, hard-earned reputation for generosity to people in need, not just at home but anywhere in the world.
When Haiti was devastated by the earthquake in January, there was an amazing outpouring of support. In the first two weeks alone, Americans texted and called in more than $500 million in donations to nonprofit groups. As of last month, the American Red Cross had raised $468 million by itself, and U.S. government agencies had set aside more than $1.1 billion in help for Haiti.
So why the relative lack of charity now toward Pakistan? Epic flooding that started last month has killed about 1,600 people and counting and left as many 4 million homeless. In all, 8 million are in urgent need of humanitarian relief, the United Nations says.
Aid groups, however, report a trickle of donations compared to Haiti. World Vision, for instance, says it has raised about $660,000 for Pakistan relief from private U.S. donors, who gave the group $44 million for Haiti.
It's not just the public that has been slow to respond.
Until the United Nations convened an emergency meeting Thursday, it had received pledges for only half of its appeal for $460 million in emergency aid. After being shamed by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and leaders of relief groups, governments are finally promising more. The U.S. government, which had already committed more aid than any other country – some $90 million – pledged an additional $60 million. The European Union upped its pledge to $180 million.
The hesitation is understandable. Americans are still pinching pennies in a deep recession and are focused on those hurt by the gulf oil spill. No doubt there's some disaster fatigue.
There is also concern that money sent to Pakistan might end up in the hands of government officials who are corrupt or friendly to the Taliban, whom our troops are fighting. But international aid groups have become adept in making sure that the help gets directly to the people in need.
And it's in our national security interest to respond. When emergency food, water and other supplies in boxes labeled "From the American people" arrive in Army helicopters, it can only improve the image of the United States. The longer the crisis goes, the more destabilized nuclear-armed Pakistan becomes and danger grows in the region.
We can be wary of Pakistan's government, but it's the people who are suffering. It's time for Americans to show our charity, once again.
WANT TO HELP?
Here are some of the major groups helping victims of the Pakistan floods:
American Red Cross: www.redcross.org
UNICEF: www.unicefusa.org
Save the Children: www.savethechildren.org
International Rescue Committee: www.theirc.org/pakistan
AmeriCares: www.AmeriCares.org
America has a well-deserved, hard-earned reputation for generosity to people in need, not just at home but anywhere in the world.
When Haiti was devastated by the earthquake in January, there was an amazing outpouring of support. In the first two weeks alone, Americans texted and called in more than $500 million in donations to nonprofit groups. As of last month, the American Red Cross had raised $468 million by itself, and U.S. government agencies had set aside more than $1.1 billion in help for Haiti.
So why the relative lack of charity now toward Pakistan? Epic flooding that started last month has killed about 1,600 people and counting and left as many 4 million homeless. In all, 8 million are in urgent need of humanitarian relief, the United Nations says.
Aid groups, however, report a trickle of donations compared to Haiti. World Vision, for instance, says it has raised about $660,000 for Pakistan relief from private U.S. donors, who gave the group $44 million for Haiti.
It's not just the public that has been slow to respond.
Until the United Nations convened an emergency meeting Thursday, it had received pledges for only half of its appeal for $460 million in emergency aid. After being shamed by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and leaders of relief groups, governments are finally promising more. The U.S. government, which had already committed more aid than any other country – some $90 million – pledged an additional $60 million. The European Union upped its pledge to $180 million.
The hesitation is understandable. Americans are still pinching pennies in a deep recession and are focused on those hurt by the gulf oil spill. No doubt there's some disaster fatigue.
There is also concern that money sent to Pakistan might end up in the hands of government officials who are corrupt or friendly to the Taliban, whom our troops are fighting. But international aid groups have become adept in making sure that the help gets directly to the people in need.
And it's in our national security interest to respond. When emergency food, water and other supplies in boxes labeled "From the American people" arrive in Army helicopters, it can only improve the image of the United States. The longer the crisis goes, the more destabilized nuclear-armed Pakistan becomes and danger grows in the region.
We can be wary of Pakistan's government, but it's the people who are suffering. It's time for Americans to show our charity, once again.
WANT TO HELP?
Here are some of the major groups helping victims of the Pakistan floods:
American Red Cross: www.redcross.org
UNICEF: www.unicefusa.org
Save the Children: www.savethechildren.org
International Rescue Committee: www.theirc.org/pakistan
AmeriCares: www.AmeriCares.org
Desperation Grows Over Pakistan Flood Damage
WAQAR GILLANI, NYT
August 17, 2010
August 17, 2010
"I'm asking you to believe. Not just in my ability to bring about real change in Washington ... I'm asking you to believe in yours."
~ Barack Obama
~ Barack Obama
In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, this material is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes.
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