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Business - Capitalism - Computers - Congress - Democrats/Leftists - Google - Government - Inernet - Jobs - Liberals - Net Neutrality - Regulation - Scott Cleland - Taxes - Technology

Verizon-Cable Opponents Goading FCC to Overreach its Authority Again — Part 9 of Series

May 17, 2012 by

-By Scott Cleland

Opponents urging the FCC to block the Verizon-Cable secondary market spectrum transaction are pushing the FCC into dangerous institutional territory, effectively goading it to: overreach its statutory authority; ignore FCC precedent, evidence, and facts; and game its own spectrum-screen process. The same FreePress radical fringe — that goaded the FCC to flout the D.C. Appeals Court decision and pass the Open Internet Order and Data-Roaming Order — are at it again.

The FreePress radical fringe who care not for the rule of law, are again goading the FCC to trump up some new public interest rationale and statutory theory to allow the FCC to transmogrify its limited public interest authority into unbounded authority that disregards the law, FCC precedent, or the facts. This radical manipulation of the process may be good for forwarding FreePress’ anti-business, Internet commons goals, but it is not good for the institution of the FCC, which is a creature of Congress and subject to the rule of law. And nor is it good for the American public.

The FreePress coalition appreciates that the FCC is in search of relevance in the broadband Internet era, and is preying on that uncertainty to goad the FCC to re-imagine its own legal authority by declaring broadband a Title II common carrier service and/or by interpreting their limited public interest authority boundlessly. If the FCC determines it needs new authority, it must seek it from Congress.
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Verizon-Cable Opponents Goading FCC to Overreach its Authority Again — Part 9 of Series”

Dr. Don Boys - Google - Inernet - New Media - Scott Cleland - Technology - Twitter

Google’s Poor & Defiant Settlement Record

May 15, 2012 by

-By Scott Cleland

Google’s poor and defiant track record in respecting government agreements and settlements is likely one of the reasons the FTC hired an undefeated former Federal prosecutor and litigator to lead their Google antitrust probe and potential litigation against Google. The EU and the FTC are naturally exceptionally skeptical about negotiating an antitrust settlement with Google, given the substantial evidence that shows Google is consistently less-than-trustworthy in abiding by its agreements with Governments.

Specifically, the evidence shows that Google has not abided by either of its privacy agreements with the FTC concerning Street-View WiSpy or Google-Buzz, nor has Google fully-abided by its criminal Non-Prosecution-Agreement with the DOJ concerning its advertising of illegal prescription drug imports. In addition, Google attempted to broadly game the justice system in negotiating a Google Book Settlement that would have rewarded it with a partial monopoly for its mass copyright infringement.
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Google’s Poor & Defiant Settlement Record”

Blogging - Budget - Business - Capitalism - Computers - Crony Capitalism - Democrats/Leftists - Economy/Finances - Ethics - Government - Inernet - Jobs - Net Neutrality - New Media - Scott Cleland - Technology

‘Leaf’ Vision & Broadband Usage Caps

May 10, 2012 by

-By Scott Cleland

Near hysterical opponents of broadband data usage caps need to breathe slowly, drop their magnifying glass, look up and take in the big world all around them. They are not just missing the forest for the trees, they are missing the leaves, stems, branches, trees, forest and sky, because they can’t take their magnifying glass off of the leaf with which they are myopically obsessed.

Broadband data usage caps are a very small, normal, and essential part of a healthy and economically-sustainable Internet ecosystem. Pricing is the central mechanism for any marketplace to balance supply and demand and to create economic incentives and disincentives for behavior that can drive costs. There is nothing wrong with pricing caps, tiers, and other pricing mechanisms that are used to manage networks, avoid network congestion, achieve a return on investment, manage a business model, differentiate a business, and/or earn a profit.

Does an average consumer get indignant when an all-you-can-eat buffet limits them from: piling food on a tray and not a plate; sharing their food with someone who hasn’t paid; or putting it in a bag to take home? No. Does an average consumer expect to be able to run their AC at max 24-7 during a heat wave when the system is at peak usage? No. Does an average consumer imagine that they can pay a flat rate for water, electricity, or gasoline, and then consume it without any usage limit or extra payment for high-usage? No. Most all American consumers understand the most basic economic principle, that if one uses more of a good or a service, one can expect to pay more for it. Only the small but very vocal group of Internet commons radicals that are currently indignant over broadband data usage caps imagine that broadband communications should somehow be a public unlimited free good.
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‘Leaf’ Vision & Broadband Usage Caps”

Blogging - Computers - Google - Inernet - Net Neutrality - Scott Cleland - Technology

Consumer Groups’ Advocacy Hypocrisy

May 8, 2012 by

-By Scott Cleland

Consumer groups by definition, are supposed to be protecting consumers’ interests — not be pushing a special interest political agenda under the guise of the “public interest.” Let’s spotlight a recent and blatant hypocrisy whereby consumer groups near-completely ignored an instance of obvious widespread consumer harm (the FCC’s proposed fine of Google for obstructing its Street View wiretapping investigation), while in another contemporaneous issue, consumer groups gang-pummeled a non-issue to push a political Internet commons agenda (strongly objecting to Comcast’s new market offering where XBox usage does not apply to a user’s 250 Gig monthly data cap.)

Google Street View Wiretapping: Why is Google obstructing a Federal wiretapping investigation affecting the privacy of literally tens of millions of American households’ — not a consumer protection issue? How come consumer groups routinely and loudly call for FCC investigations of broadband companies’ legal marketplace actions, but are silent on the obvious obstruction of a Federal investigation into Google allegedly being involved in potentially the largest wiretapping and mass invasion of citizens’ privacy by a corporation in U.S. history? How is it in consumers’ interest for the government to not be able to determine if Google actually violated Federal law or not?
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Consumer Groups’ Advocacy Hypocrisy”

Business - Capitalism - Computers - Crony Capitalism - Google - Inernet - New Media - Scott Cleland - Technology

Google’s PR Strategy in Advance of the EU’s Monopoly Charges — A Satire

May 3, 2012 by

-By Scott Cleland

Confidential Memorandum:

To: All 11,342 Google PR/Spokespeople

From: Brandi Sparkles, Google PR Chief & Googlerati Whisperer

Subject: PR Statement/Strategy in Advance of EU’s Monopoly Charges

We expect the European Union’s antitrust authority to issue a Statement of Objections against Google shortly, which will charge Google with being a monopoly that anti-competitively ranks its own content #1 while ranking its competitors’ content where few will find them.

So you can help rally the Googlerati in the media to Google’s side and organize a chorus of Google adoration among the masses to make this problem blow over, we are sharing an advance copy of our public statement for public dissemination and also a copy of our confidential PR strategy for this event, so you can be in the know. But remember, this PR strategy is not for public distribution.
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Google’s PR Strategy in Advance of the EU’s Monopoly Charges — A Satire”

Business - Computers - Economy/Finances - Google - Inernet - Net Neutrality - Scott Cleland - Technology

AAI’s Analysis of Verizon-Cable Is Industrial Policy Not Antitrust

April 30, 2012 by

-By Scott Cleland

Reading through The American Antitrust Institute’s white paper on Verizon-Cable, it is striking how little analysis is relevant to antitrust/market-competition and how it is basically a thinly-veiled tacit pitch for the DOJ and the FCC to pursue an aggressive industrial policy for the wireless industry.

The white paper presumes that because the DOJ blocked the AT&T/T-Mobile merger to preserve T-Mobile as a disruptive fourth wireless competitor, and because T-Mobile now claims it needs more spectrum, that the government should intervene somehow to effectively redirect the spectrum to T-Mobile and away from Verizon.

The huge flaw in the AAI’s analysis is its central presumption, which is contrary to longstanding spectrum auction law, that the government, not market forces, should allocate spectrum. The analysis ignores that the law of the land allocates spectrum via property rights and auctions enabling the spectrum to find the party that most economically values it and has the most economic incentive to put it to productive use. The AAI’s analysis appears biased against existing law in assuming that the only or primary reason that the largest wireless providers would want more spectrum would be to anti-competitively keep it from its smaller competitors, and not the obvious and real reason that they want to provide better, faster, more reliable mobile broadband service to more people in more of the country to make more money.
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AAI’s Analysis of Verizon-Cable Is Industrial Policy Not Antitrust”

Blogging - Computers - Humor - Inernet - Warner Todd Huston

Americans with Disabilities Act Necessity: Conservative, White, Male Bloggers NEED a Federal Subsidy

March 10, 2012 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

OK, you people, I am sick and tied of this. The Americans with Disabilities Act is NOT being fairly applied. That’s right. You read that headline correctly. Conservative, white, male bloggers NEED a hand from Washington. In fact, I’d say we have a right to it. We are being discriminated against even from those on our own side. It’s time for redress. I DEMAND a handout.

For years I’ve been wondering why the heck few of us white, male, bloggers ever make it big. Why aren’t there ever any white, male, conservative bloggers on TV or radio? Ever wondered that? There aren’t any. Think about it. How many can you think of? I can think of but one.

Oh, there are plenty of conservative Internet sensations that have made it big, mind you. There’s Mary Katherine Ham. Hot chick. There’s Michelle Malkin. Hot Chick and a minority to boot. There’s S.E.Cupp, no lacking the hotness there. There’s all the women from Smart Girl Politics, more hot chicks than I can shake a box of Viagra at (I did not get this from an online Canadian pharmacy. Really). Em Zanotti, Elizabeth Crum, Liz Mair, Pam Geller, Lila Rose, Susannah Fleetwood, Tina Korbe, Dana Loesch, Bettina Inclan — they are almost all married, or soon to be (good luck Bettina) so back off you slobs. Still hotness overload, already.

It isn’t just hot chicks, either.

There’s ZO!, AlfonZo Rachel. Despite being named “Rachel,” not a hot chick, but a black conservative guy. Then there is Kevin Jackson of The Black Sphere, another black conservative. Bob Parks of Black and Right — yep, black guy. Lloyd Marcus, ditto. La Shawn Barber, black female conservative. Star Parker also a female, black conservative. Many more, too. Joe Biden told me these are all clean and articulate bloggers.

As a side note, this whole minorities being conservative thing really chaps my hide. I mean, the left tells me that only white men should be conservative and all these minorities… well it’s just too much competition going on. Could it be that the left doesn’t know what they are talking about? I’m dubious.
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Americans with Disabilities Act Necessity: Conservative, White, Male Bloggers NEED a Federal Subsidy”

Blogging - Computers - Conservatives - Elections - GOP - Government - Inernet - Liberals - President - Republicans - Rick Santorum - Ron Paul - Society/Culture - Warner Todd Huston

Stupid Internet Meme of the Week: Santorum’s ‘Rough’ Handshake With Ron Paul Outrage

February 24, 2012 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

Buzzfeed was the first to indulge it’s inner gossip — well, maybe its outer gossip since that is all that site is; gossip. Anyway, the stupid story of the day is based on the hearty handshake that Rick Santorum gave Ron Paul after Wednesday’s debates. Paul’s fans took offense at the handshake for some idiotic reason and now it is the “thing” to talk about it.

First, let’s go to the video, shall we?

As Buzzers has it:
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Stupid Internet Meme of the Week: Santorum’s ‘Rough’ Handshake With Ron Paul Outrage”

Barack Obama - Budget - Business - Capitalism - Computers - Crony Capitalism - Democrats/Leftists - Ethics - Government - Inernet - Jobs - Liberals - President - Regulation - RightPundits.com - Taxes - Technology - Warner Todd Huston

Obama-Supported Wireless Startup Suffers Massive Tech Failure

December 10, 2011 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

The startup wireless service that the Obama administration is investing both financial and political capital in, a company called LightSquared, seems to have suffered a massive technical failure, one that has been warned about for some time. Despite the warnings, though the administration continues to push LightSquared causing many to worry about another Solyndra-like calamity.

Bloomberg Businessweek reports that testing of the wireless service is showing that its signal disrupts 75% of all global-positioning system receivers (GPS). Apparently, there is no doubt about this result, either….

Read the rest at RightPundits.com.

Abortion - Computers - Inernet - Planned Parenthood - Technology - Warner Todd Huston

Is Apple’s iPhone Ap Siri Pro-Life?

November 30, 2011 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

A story has been circulating about Apple’s new smart phone product called Siri. It is an iPhone application that allows users to ask the phone questions that the phone then searches to answer. Well, apparently one thing that the ap won’t answer is for it to provide directions to the nearest abortion mill.

Siri is an early voice recognition phone ap that hears your spoken questions, searches the Internet and/or Apple’s cloud services, then returns a verbal answer to the user. If, for instance, you ask for an email to be read to you, Siri will do so. If you ask for the nearest Taco Bell, Siri will tell you.

As mentioned, though, it has been discovered that if you ask where the nearest baby killing center is, well apparently it won’t tell you.

This is leading people to tout Siri as a “pro-life” ap.
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Is Apple’s iPhone Ap Siri Pro-Life?”

Anti-Americanism - Blogging - Budget - Business - Capitalism - Computers - Congress - Democrats/Leftists - Inernet - Liberals - Net Neutrality - Technology - Twitter - Warner Todd Huston

Tweet and Facebook Activism! Stop Congress From Destroying the Internet

November 15, 2011 by

The End of the Internet as We Know It

Tomorrow, the House Judiciary Committee will hold their first hearing on E-PARASITE, a bill written by Hollywood lobbyists that could end the Internet as we know it. They’ve had their say, now it’s our turn.

Act now to protect Internet freedom by contacting the members of the House Judiciary Committee over the phone, and on Twitter and Facebook. Then, spread the word about Social Media #LobbyDay as we use the Internet to save the Internet.

What is PROTECT IP and E-PARASITE?

The PROTECT IP Act (S. 968) and the E-PARASITE Act (part of the “Stop Online Piracy Act”, H.R. 3261) would devastate job-creating American technology companies and social networking sites like Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube in the name of protecting Hollywood copyrights. These bills would create a “Great Firewall of America” by embracing the same Internet censorship tactics as the world’s worst human rights abusers, including regimes like communist China, Iran, Syria, and Burma. A number of technology experts have concluded that these bills would mean “the end of the Internet as we know it.”

What does it do?…
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Tweet and Facebook Activism! Stop Congress From Destroying the Internet”

Anti-Americanism - Barack Obama - Blogging - Business - Capitalism - Censorship - Computers - Congress - Democrats/Leftists - Elections - Ethics - FCC - Free Trade - Government - Inernet - Law - Liberals - Net Neutrality - President - Regulation - Senate - Technology - Warner Todd Huston

Video: Urgent – Tell Your Senator to Overturn FCC’s Illicit Net Neutrality Internet Power Grab

November 8, 2011 by

-By Seton Motley

From most appearances, the Senate will this week vote on Senate Joint Resolution (S.J.Res) 6 – the Congressional Review Act Resolution of Disapproval of the Obama Administration Federal Communications Commission (FCC)’s illegal Internet Net Neutrality power grab.

Only 51 votes are required for passage – which means only 4 Democrats are needed. There are 23 Democrat Senate seats up for reelection next year. A few of these folks aren’t running. The rest are – many in center or center-right states. Additionally, there are a few other Senators that should also be subject to Constitutional reason, and thusly contacted.
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Video: Urgent – Tell Your Senator to Overturn FCC’s Illicit Net Neutrality Internet Power Grab”

Computers - Congress - Conservatives - Democrats/Leftists - Ethics - GOP - Government - House of Representatives - Inernet - Liberals - Military - Patriot Act - President - Republicans - Rights - Security/Safety - Senate - State Department - Technology - Terrorism - Transparency - Warner Todd Huston

We Need Rules for Cyberwarfare Before a President Steals That Power, Too

October 19, 2011 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

A recent New York Times article revealed that the Pentagon briefly considered engaging in cyberwarfare at the outset of the actions in Libya, but decided against it for a variety of reasons. This reminds us all that as a nation we really need to discuss the use of cyberwarfare. The first question asked must be: should a president be able to simply order such an attack on his own hook?

The Times noted that one of the concerns about the use of cyberwarfare is how it would be justified under the War Powers Resolution of 1973?

One unresolved concern was whether ordering a cyberattack on Libya might create domestic legal restrictions on war-making by the executive branch without Congressional permission. One question was whether the War Powers Resolution — which requires the executive to formally report to lawmakers when it has introduced forces into “hostilities” and sets a 60-day limit on such deployments if Congress does not authorize them to continue — would be required for an attack purely in cyberspace.

One would think that the answer to this would be somewhat obvious — though nothing seems obvious in Constitution-based discussions, sadly.

We know that the Founders vested in Congress the power to declare war not in the president. They wanted to avoid a repeat of the historical outrage of a King’s untrammeled powers to declare wars without the consent of the people and their duly elected representatives.
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We Need Rules for Cyberwarfare Before a President Steals That Power, Too”

Anti-Americanism - Computers - Democrats/Leftists - Gary Krasner - Google - Inernet - Liberals - Rick Santorum - Technology

Libel By Any Other Name

October 18, 2011 by

-By Gary Krasner

If you thought the pro-Democrat company, Google, was the only company actively tarnishing the name “Santorum” by showcasing a false definition of it, you can now add Wikipedia and Firefox browser to that list.

For several years and currently, if you Googled “Santorum”, you would get this as the FIRST entry out of over 2 million hits:

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
Santorum
spreadingsantorum.com/
Santorum 1. The frothy mix of lube and fecal matter that is sometimes the byproduct of anal sex.
2. Senator Rick Santorum.
– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

A gay activist, Dan Savage, created the website and the false definition. It is the only website that displays that erroneous definition. Google “defends” itself by disingenuously claiming a passive role. Yet Google has yet to explain why it gives it the top priority in its search results.

But now, there are other companies joining Google in the defamation campaign against Senator Rick Santorum.
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Libel By Any Other Name”

Blogging - Illinois - Inernet - New Media - Tea Party - Technology - Warner Todd Huston

TeaCon 2011, The Blogger’s Who’s Who

October 1, 2011 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

And now for a little name dropping. Some of the more well-known conservatives bloggers are here this weekend chief among them Ed Morrissey famed HotAir.com blogger. Then there is Jim Hoft from GatewayPundit.com; Jeremy Segal of RebelPundit.com; Andrew Marcus of FoundingBloggers.com; Dana Loesch BigGovernment.com; Adam Sharp of SharpElbows.com; John Ruberry of MarathonPundit.com. And I won’t mention me… because… well… you’re reading my post! Oh, and I almost forgot, the famed Iowahawk was there, too.

Hoft, Segal, Sharp, and Marcus were also on a new media panel. The key phrase of how we conservatives can get coverage of our issues was “show up.” Go. Be at. Do. Don’t sit at home. Get out and about and attend these political meetings, appearances of your congressmen, public events, even protests. Just get out there and cover it.


The New Media panel led by Eric Kohn

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TeaCon 2011, The Blogger’s Who’s Who”

1st Amendment - Blogging - Computers - Constitution - Free Speech - Freedom - Illinois - Inernet - Law - Liberty - Technology - The Law - Warner Todd Huston

Victory for Bloggers: Illinois Blog Wins Lawsuit

September 24, 2011 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

In a good sign for blogger free speech, a lawsuit against a high profile conservative blog in Illinois has just been tossed out. A political contributor brought the lawsuit over a story about property tax reassessments and political contributions. This is a victory for free political speech as well as a victory for the status of blogs in the world of “journalism.”

I’ve been aware of this story for some time but the folks at Illinois Review, the blog in question, asked me to sort of keep it all quiet. There were all sorts of legal questions being thrown about and since the folks that run the blog don’t have deep pockets and the whole thing was being born at their own expense, they wanted to be sure this whole mess didn’t escalate and hurt them too bad financially.

The lawsuit meant to silence the blog was a convoluted one, to be sure. Illinois Review had posted a story that revealed that former Ill. State Rep. Paul Froehlich (R, Schaumburg) had sought campaign contributions from property owners who had won property tax relief claims that the Representative had assisted in getting settled. But after the story went live, due to the notoriety the county assessors office reversed those tax relief decisions.
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Victory for Bloggers: Illinois Blog Wins Lawsuit”

Elections - Google - GOP - Government - Inernet - New Media - Republicans - Technology - Twitter - Warner Todd Huston

Twitter Screws Me For The GOP Debate

September 12, 2011 by

Well, I don’t know about you, but I never knew that Twitter shut people down if they make a bunch of Tweets in a row! I just found that out tonight. I was half way through the Live Tweeting the GOP debate and Twitter shut me down telling me that I went over the Twitter limit!

So, tonight the initials of my name really do mean What The Heck?

Yours, Warner Todd Huston

Anti-Americanism - Barack Obama - Blogging - Budget - Business - Capitalism - Computers - Democrats/Leftists - Economy/Finances - Ethics - Government - Illinois - Inernet - Jobs - Liberals - President - Regulation - Socialism - Technology - Unemployment - Warner Todd Huston

Obama Blames Job Loss on Technology, Internet and Efficiency

August 18, 2011 by 1 Comment

-By Warner Todd Huston

During his Midwest Misery Tour, President Obama was back to blaming technology, the Internet, and ATMs again for America’s job loss.

At a stop in Atkinson, Illinois Obama spoke about the need for education at an agricultural company named Wyffels Hybrids, Inc. He said that America is no longer a place where you can just “work hard” and find a good job doing so. Those days are gone he told his audience.

Obama lamented that bank tellers and travel agents have been replaced by automation. This is, apparently, why we have high unemployment.

Excerpt
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Obama Blames Job Loss on Technology, Internet and Efficiency”

1st Amendment - Blogging - Civil Rights - Computers - Constitution - Democrats/Leftists - Elections - Ethics - Free Speech - Government - Inernet - Liberals - Maryland - Technology - The Law - Warner Todd Huston

Freedom of Speech Wins: Baltimore Politician Drops Lawsuit Against Blogger

August 3, 2011 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

Examiner blogger Adam Meister was doing what bloggers do, namely posting the info that “journalists” refuse to write about. In this case, back in March, Meister found that a Baltimore Councilwoman was living in a different district than she claimed she was living in. As a result, the politician tried to sue the blogger for his posts.

City Councilwoman Belinda Conaway filed a lawsuit demanding an idiotic $21 million in damages for Meister’s expose of her true primary residence. But this week Conaway abruptly dropped her suit against the blogger.

Through public records, blogger Meister discovered that Conaway lives in Randallstown and not Baltimore, the city she was elected to represent. Conaway has, though, claimed she lives in an extended-family household in Baltimore.

Meister disputed Councilwoman Conaway’s claim and he posted tax information where Conaway claimed for tax purposes that Randallstown, not Baltimore, was her primary residence.
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Freedom of Speech Wins: Baltimore Politician Drops Lawsuit Against Blogger”

AFL-CIO - Anti-Americanism - Barack Obama - Blogging - Computers - Democrats/Leftists - Inernet - Liberals - President - Richard Trumka - Twitter - Unions - Warner Todd Huston

Twitter Townhall: Another Case of Obama’s ‘For Thee But Not For Me’ Events

July 6, 2011 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

It was hailed as a technological first. President Obama was to hold the first “Twitter Townhall.” The truth is more like it was a desperate attempt by the Obama administration to appeal to the youth vote in which nearly every poll shows him losing ground.

The idea was that questions could be submitted by any American citizen via the Internet social media website Twitter. If you are not aware of what Twitter is, it is sort of like a phone texting service — but Internet-based. But on Twitter users are limited to 140 characters (including spaces) per message.

Anyway, getting to Obama’s “for thee but not for meism,” his first answer during the Twitter Townhall was 1,484 WORDS! So much for 140 characters! I guess cramped limitations are only good for the lowly people while he can indulge volumes of words when he wants to.

In fact, this is sort of an allegory for the way Obama treats the nation. He allows himself all sorts of luxuries, but the lowly people need to “sacrifice” and to be hampered and limited.

Amusingly, Obama probably didn’t expect one of his closest allies, Richard Trumka’s AFL-CIO, to needle him via Twitter, either.

Trumka’s AFL-CIO Twitter feed pointedly asked the prez, “Where are the jobs?”

Ouch.
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Twitter Townhall: Another Case of Obama’s ‘For Thee But Not For Me’ Events”

Anti-Americanism - Censorship - Computers - Crime - Democrats/Leftists - Ethics - Free Speech - Freedom - Government - Inernet - Liberals - Liberty - Media - New Media - Police - Privacy - Regulation - Society/Culture - Technology - The Law - Warner Todd Huston - YouTube

Don’t Film Me Bro: Getting Arrested for Filming People in Public Places

July 2, 2011 by 1 Comment

-By Warner Todd Huston

The law has not caught up with cell phone cameras, Flip Cameras, compact video cameras, and the electronic age. Two stories being reported last weekend prove out how the ubiquity of video capture devices are often a gray area in the law.

In one case a woman in Rochester, New York, pulled out her video camera to record the actions of a local policeman as he arrested a neighbor. As it happens, this woman was standing on her own front lawn, no where near the policeman who was going about his duties, yet this cop got incensed and arrested her anyway. He claimed she was guilty of obstruction of justice.

How this woman’s actions was interfering with the police officer is impossible to figure, but she was detained nonetheless.
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Don’t Film Me Bro: Getting Arrested for Filming People in Public Places”

Anti-Americanism - Barack Obama - Business - Capitalism - Computers - Congress - Democrats/Leftists - Economy/Finances - FCC - Free Speech - Free Trade - Freedom - Government - Inernet - Jobs - Law - Liberals - Liberty - Net Neutrality - President - Regulation - The Law - Virginia - Warner Todd Huston

Virginia Attny Gen to Sue FCC Over Net Neutrality

June 29, 2011 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

Up to this point, the far left has won the war for branding on the issue of Net Neutrality. Even many conservatives and Republicans have been fooled by the “freedom of the Internet” lies that the left has spun with NN. But the Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli of The Commonwealth of Virginia means to change all that by launching a lawsuit to stop the government take over of the Internet.

First off this claim from the left that they only want to keep the Internet free and open is simply an outright lie. What they really want is two fold. One, they want all capitalist ventures removed from the Internet, and two, they want government to have 100% control over the Internet and they want the Internet treated sort of like a public utility.

The simple fact of the matter is that if government has 100% control over the Internet “free and open” is impossible. Even if this government control starts with no rules over content (and it won’t start that way), it won’t be long before the federal government starts mandating what is on the Internet, starts banning content that it doesn’t like, and starts laying out requirements for those websites lucky enough to be allowed to stay in operation.
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Virginia Attny Gen to Sue FCC Over Net Neutrality”

Americans For Prosperity - Democrats/Leftists - Government - Inernet - Liberals - Minnesota - Net Neutrality - Regulation - The Atlantic - Warner Todd Huston

The Atlantic Magazine’s Lies: Of Breitbarts, Kochs, and RightOnLine

June 22, 2011 by 2 Comments

-By Warner Todd Huston

Last weekend Americans For Prosperity once again held its RightOnLine conference, this year in beautiful downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota. Consequently, the Atlantic Magazine decided to do a report on what went on at RightOnLine. Unfortunately, the whole thing was filled with opinions stated as fact, misconstructions of facts, and outright lies. Sadly, along with the rest of the Old Media, it seems as if the veracity of The Atlantic has taken a hit in this bad Obama economy.

The Atlantic assigned third string reporter Tina Dupuy to handle the RightOnLine retrospective, apparently, if her reports are any indication, because she was already in town to cover Netroots Nation. Netroots Nation is the far left conference made famous by the Daily Kos and its YearlyKos conference. YearlyKos started in 2006 and was later re-branded as Netroots Nation in 2008.

As always the RightOnLine event was held at the same time and in the same city as this year’s left-wing extravaganza. AFP does this because, in AFP President Tim Phillips’ words, “to see the true nature of our opponents.”

In order to ingratiate herself with the Nutrooters, at the top of her piece the Atlantic’s Dupuy went right for the left’s favorite boogey men: the dreaded Koch Brothers. Dupuy lamented, “Why is there a giant Koch-funded conservative gathering at the same time and in the same city as Netroots Nation, anyway?”
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The Atlantic Magazine’s Lies: Of Breitbarts, Kochs, and RightOnLine”

Blogging - Computers - Congress - Democrats/Leftists - GOP - Government - House of Representatives - Inernet - Liberals - Republicans - Senate - Technology - Video - Warner Todd Huston - YouTube

YouTube Launches New Congressional Townhall Channel

May 20, 2011 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

This week Youtube launched a new channel it is calling the “Youtube Townhall,” a new channel where members of congress are seen in short videos discussing the issues of the day.

Republican Senators Alexander, McCain, Moran, Lugar, Sessions, Isakson, and Hutchison have already uploaded videos to the channel and more are on the way. Republican Representatives Steve Chabot and Phil Gingrey have also added videos.

Interestingly, the identification of the members of Congress do not include party affiliation on the site.

Youtube’s description of its new site is as follows:
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YouTube Launches New Congressional Townhall Channel”

1st Amendment - Anti-Americanism - Bill Clinton - Blogging - Censorship - Civil Rights - Computers - Constitution - Democrats/Leftists - Ethics - Federalism - Free Speech - Freedom - Government - Inernet - Journalism - Law - Liberals - Liberty - Media - Media Bias - Nanny State - Net Neutrality - New Media - PCism - Privacy - Regulation - Society/Culture - Technology - The Law - Warner Todd Huston - Western Civilization

Big Brother Bubba’s Ministry of Internet Facts

May 18, 2011 by 1 Comment

-By Warner Todd Huston

Bill Clinton wants the government to “correct” what you say on the Internet, folks. Should the government listen to the former panderer-in-chief, we’ll go from Big Brother to Big Bubba on the ol’ Internet tubes.

Bubba is not happy with what he claims is the “misinformation” on the Internet and he wants the force of government to stop it all. Politico is reporting that Clinton makes the proposal in an upcoming CNBC interview saying, “It would be a legitimate thing to do.”

No, Bubba, it would not.
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Big Brother Bubba’s Ministry of Internet Facts”

Anti-Americanism - Business - Capitalism - Computers - Congress - Democrats/Leftists - Google - Government - Inernet - Jobs - Liberals - Net Neutrality - PCism - President - Society/Culture - Technology - Warner Todd Huston - Western Civilization

Why We Can’t Trust Government on Technology

April 29, 2011 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

Free market advocates have for years been fighting the anti-capitalist left over government control of the Internet, a battle that has reached a temporary plateau when Obama’s Federal Communications Commission (FCC) arbitrarily decided that it was in full control of the Internet and by fiat implemented the left’s long-sought net neutrality rules. This isn’t the only technology kerfuffle that the federal government is involved in, either.

Another techno-mess has been raging over a contract being considered by the Department of the Interior for its new email/messaging system using a cloud computing solution. The fight has been between Microsoft and Google and the results tends to prove that the government is as tech stupid as a Luddite on steroids. It tends to show that the government simply can’t be trusted with technology issues, whether net neutrality or otherwise.
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Why We Can’t Trust Government on Technology”

Business - Capitalism - Chicago - Computers - Congress - Cook County - Democrats/Leftists - Economy/Finances - Government - House of Representatives - Illinois - Inernet - Jesse Jackson - Liberals - Socialism - Technology - Warner Todd Huston

Rep. Jesse Jackson, Jr. Attacks Apple iPad

April 20, 2011 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

Chicago area Congressman Jesse Jackson, Jr. is apparently as fickle as he is uninformed about economics and the Constitution both. In March we saw him praising the Apple iPad as technology so important that he wanted to have the federal government buy one for every American student. Only a month later he was calling the iPad a destroyer of American jobs. Talk about a whiplash inducing turn around.

In March, Jackson was pleased to announce a brilliant idea to put a provision into the Constitution that gives every student an iPad and a laptop computer. After a week of ridicule, Rep. Jackson doubled down on that plan saying that the iPad had so fundamentally altered education that it should be a right.

And now, only a month later Jackson has made a complete turnaround on the iPad calling it a destroyer of American jobs.
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Rep. Jesse Jackson, Jr. Attacks Apple iPad”

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Arianna Huffington Sued for Being Blog Slavemaster

April 12, 2011 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

I have to say my feelings swing wildly on this story. After all, I thrill to see these extremist, lefties slaving away for free while their boss makes millions upon millions of dollars off their backs. It’s just too funny. Yet… and yet, I too am a writer that does some work (and too much at that) for free and I fully understand the ire that some of Huffington’s digital plantation slaves feel. And apparently the ire over there has caused at least one guy to take Puffington Post to court. This week Jonathan Tasini filed a class-action lawsuit against HuffPo on behalf of the Puffington plantation’s blogger slaves.

Ever since Arianna Huffington merged her famous blog with AOL and was awarded control of its news services, some of her former bloggers began to get restless. With Arianna getting $315 million buckaroos in her pocket those writers that made her famous with their years of unpaid blogging began to think that they deserved to get a piece of the puffypie at long last…

Read the rest at RightPundits.com.

Adam Kinzinger - Barack Obama - Budget - Business - Capitalism - Communism - Democrats/Leftists - Economy/Finances - Ethics - FCC - Free Trade - GOP - Government - House of Representatives - Illinois - Illinois State Government - Inernet - Liberals - Net Neutrality - Peter Roskam - Policy - President - Republicans - Socialism - Taxes - Technology - Warner Todd Huston

House Votes to Curb FCC’s Internet Power Grab

April 11, 2011 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

We’ve been writing about Obama’s attempt to take over control of the Internet for some time, now, and there is at last a bit of good news on that front. The House of Representatives has passed Congressional Resolution, H.J. Res. 37 aimed at preventing the FCC’s wild, unconstitutional powergrab.

Chief Deputy Whip Congressman Peter Roskam was in favor of this move and released a statement that said:

The FCC’s decision to prohibit America’s Internet providers from managing content on their own networks is a colossal mistake that will hurt job creation and innovation in one of our most vibrant industries. These new regulations are a solution in search of a problem. America’s Internet companies – from large enterprises to tiny garage start-ups – are examples of what can happen when government stays out of the way. The Internet is an engine of innovation and economic growth essential to America maintaining its qualitative edge. Net Neutrality rules will only stifle competition, hurt job creation and provide huge disincentives to innovate – so I urge the FCC to rescind these rules immediately.

Likewise, Congressman Adam Kinzinger voted yes on the resolution.
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House Votes to Curb FCC’s Internet Power Grab”

Budget - Business - Capitalism - Democrats/Leftists - Free Trade - Government - Illinois - Illinois State Government - Inernet - Jobs - Liberals - Pat Quinn - Taxes - Technology - Warner Todd Huston

ILL Gov. Quinn Signs the Boot Out Internet Companies Law

March 11, 2011 by 1 Comment

-By Warner Todd Huston

Illinois’ Democrat Governor Pat Quinn has signed the so-called Mainstreet Fairness Bill brought to him by the Illinois General Assembly. The bill forces all Internet companies to charge Illinois’ 6.25% sales tax whether they are based in the state or not.

Quinn signed the bill in the last few days before it would have gone into force anyway.

The nation’s largest Internet-based business, Amazon,com, said it would cut ties with all its affiliates in Illinois if the bill became law. No word if they are following through on that threat, yet, but Amazon has cut ties in some states that have instituted similar laws — though it has stayed in other states that have done so, New York in particular.

Several Illinois-based Internet companies have warned the state that if the bill became law they would pull up stakes and leave the state.
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ILL Gov. Quinn Signs the Boot Out Internet Companies Law”