From Fight For The Future:
We love the internet.
And we’re guessing you do too. Think about all the awesome things it gives us: A vast communication network; innovative businesses; a platform to freely speak or challenge powerful governments; and hundreds and hundreds of hours of cat videos.
All this great stuff is available because the internet was designed in an open and inclusive way, with a multitude of voices being able to get a say on how it’s governed.
But the internet is in danger.
There’s a meeting between the world’s governments in a just a few weeks, and it could very well decide the future of the internet through a binding international treaty. It’s called the World Conference on International Telecommunications (WCIT), and it’s being organized by a government-controlled UN agency called the International Telecommunication Union (ITU).
If some proposals at WCIT are approved, decisions about the internet would be made by a top-down, old-school government-centric agency behind closed doors. Some proposals allow for access to be cut off more easily, threaten privacy, legitimize monitoring and blocking online traffic. Others seek to impose new fees for accessing content, not to mention slowing down connection speeds. If the delicate balance of the internet is upset, it could have grave consequences for businesses and human rights.
This must be stopped.
Only governments get a vote at WCIT, so we need people from all around the world to demand that our leaders keep the internet open.
Watch the video, and take action above to tell your governments to oppose handing over key decisions about the internet to the ITU. Let’s use the internet’s global reach to save it.
Source:click here to sign petition.
Most of the other governmental lobbying usually involves one or two governments this one concerns the entire planet. It looks like the statists are going for broke on this one. This either shows how arrogant they've become or how desperate they are to shut up dissenting voices. Let's take them on and kick their ass.
Showing posts with label government oppression. Show all posts
Showing posts with label government oppression. Show all posts
Wednesday, November 14, 2012
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
CISPA and the president
CISPA Is Up For Vote This Week: Help Kill It Now
We're making a big difference: As lawmakers get ready to vote on CISPA, the bill's sponsors have agreed to amend the legislation to constrain what the government can do with the information it uses CISPA to collect.
But those changes don't go far enough.
We need lawmakers to support any and all amendments that would protect Internet users' privacy AND to vote against CISPA as a whole.
We're nearly out of time: Please add your name at right to email your lawmakers right away.
CISPA would obliterate any semblance of online privacy in the United States. You can read more about it here.
Many lawmakers share our concerns about CISPA and will introduce amendments to minimize its negative impact on ordinary Internet users. We need to get their backs and encourage others to support their efforts.
Click here to sign petition.
Obama Threatens To Veto CISPA: Encourage Him To Stand Strong
This is HUGE: President Obama just threatened to veto CISPA if it makes its way through Congress.
Please add your name at right to urge Obama to stand strong, and to let your lawmakers know that you support Obama's veto threat.
CISPA is up for a vote this week. It would obliterate any semblance of online privacy in the United States, giving the government -- including the military -- broad new powers to spy on Internet users.
The White House's letter expresses precisely the concerns that we've been highlighting over recent weeks -- and is a result of the public pressure against CISPA:
The White House says that any cybersecurity legislation must preserve "Americans' privacy, data confidentiality, and civil liberties and [recognize] the civilian nature of cyberspace."
It says that, "The bill also lacks sufficient limitations on the sharing of personally identifiable information between private entities and does not contain adequate oversight or accountability measures necessary to ensure that the data is used only for appropriate purposes."
And the letter goes on to assert that:
The American people expect their Government to enhance security without undermining their privacy and civil liberties.
Without clear legal protections and independent oversight, information sharing legislation will undermine the public's trust in the Government as well as in the Internet by undermining fundamental privacy, confidentiality, civil liberties, and consumer protections.
Click here to sign the petition.
Obama didn't have a record to run on before now he can run as the anti-CISPA candidate.
I guess with Obama's help we can beat this thing so let's send those emails.
We're making a big difference: As lawmakers get ready to vote on CISPA, the bill's sponsors have agreed to amend the legislation to constrain what the government can do with the information it uses CISPA to collect.
But those changes don't go far enough.
We need lawmakers to support any and all amendments that would protect Internet users' privacy AND to vote against CISPA as a whole.
We're nearly out of time: Please add your name at right to email your lawmakers right away.
CISPA would obliterate any semblance of online privacy in the United States. You can read more about it here.
Many lawmakers share our concerns about CISPA and will introduce amendments to minimize its negative impact on ordinary Internet users. We need to get their backs and encourage others to support their efforts.
Click here to sign petition.
Obama Threatens To Veto CISPA: Encourage Him To Stand Strong
This is HUGE: President Obama just threatened to veto CISPA if it makes its way through Congress.
Please add your name at right to urge Obama to stand strong, and to let your lawmakers know that you support Obama's veto threat.
CISPA is up for a vote this week. It would obliterate any semblance of online privacy in the United States, giving the government -- including the military -- broad new powers to spy on Internet users.
The White House's letter expresses precisely the concerns that we've been highlighting over recent weeks -- and is a result of the public pressure against CISPA:
The White House says that any cybersecurity legislation must preserve "Americans' privacy, data confidentiality, and civil liberties and [recognize] the civilian nature of cyberspace."
It says that, "The bill also lacks sufficient limitations on the sharing of personally identifiable information between private entities and does not contain adequate oversight or accountability measures necessary to ensure that the data is used only for appropriate purposes."
And the letter goes on to assert that:
The American people expect their Government to enhance security without undermining their privacy and civil liberties.
Without clear legal protections and independent oversight, information sharing legislation will undermine the public's trust in the Government as well as in the Internet by undermining fundamental privacy, confidentiality, civil liberties, and consumer protections.
Click here to sign the petition.
Obama didn't have a record to run on before now he can run as the anti-CISPA candidate.
I guess with Obama's help we can beat this thing so let's send those emails.
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
Stand up to CISPA
From Demand Progress:
Congress Votes On CISPA This Week: Tell Your Lawmakers To Oppose It
CISPA is up for a vote this week. It would obliterate any semblance of online privacy in the United States, giving the government -- including the military -- broad new powers to spy on Internet users.
CISPA demolishes existing barriers between the government and the private sector -- and between government agencies -- that restrict data sharing without cause, effectively allowing information about Americans' use of the Internet to slosh back and forth uninhibited.
Please call your member of Congress right away to urge them to oppose this legislation. We'll find your lawmaker's phone number and provide you with a script you can use.
Source:click here
Let's send some email or make some phone calls. Time to stand up to big government again. Let's do it.
Congress Votes On CISPA This Week: Tell Your Lawmakers To Oppose It
CISPA is up for a vote this week. It would obliterate any semblance of online privacy in the United States, giving the government -- including the military -- broad new powers to spy on Internet users.
CISPA demolishes existing barriers between the government and the private sector -- and between government agencies -- that restrict data sharing without cause, effectively allowing information about Americans' use of the Internet to slosh back and forth uninhibited.
Please call your member of Congress right away to urge them to oppose this legislation. We'll find your lawmaker's phone number and provide you with a script you can use.
Source:click here
Let's send some email or make some phone calls. Time to stand up to big government again. Let's do it.
Friday, April 13, 2012
Facebook supports CISPA
From Demand Progress:
Tell Facebook: Withdraw Your Support For CISPA
What is Facebook thinking? They've signed on in support of CISPA -- the new bill that would obliterate online privacy, give the military crazy new abilities to spy on the Internet, and potentially let ISPs block sites and cut off users accused of piracy.
First, please help push this viral on Facebook by using this link -- you'll be sharing the campaign, along with the photo of Mark Zuckerberg at right:
The Center for Democracy and Technology says, "CISPA has a very broad, almost unlimited definition of the information that can be shared with government agencies and it supersedes all other privacy laws."
According to the Electronic Frontier Foundation:
An ISP could even interpret this bill as allowing them to block accounts believed to be infringing, block access to websites like The Pirate Bay believed to carry infringing content, or take other measures provided they claimed it was motivated by cybersecurity concerns.
Internet users were able to push GoDaddy to withdraw its support of SOPA. Now it's time to make sure Facebook knows we're furious.
First, please help push this viral on Facebook by using this link -- you'll be sharing the campaign, along with the photo of Mark Zuckerberg above:
PETITION TO MARK ZUCKERBERG: What is Facebook thinking? You're encouraging Congress to obliterate online privacy -- Even as your users express increasing concern about the privacy of their accounts on your site. Please withdraw your support for CISPA right away.
Facebook is supporting CISPA. Ain't that fucking ironic considering facebook is shooting itself in the foot by supporting CISPA. What if facebook promotes something The Powers That Be don't approve of and facebook is blacklisted? They didn't think about that one obviously. If censorship is something that pisses you off then by all means sign the petition.
Thursday, April 12, 2012
CISPA,the new SOPA
From Demand Progress:
Here's their next move: The Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act, or CISPA, would obliterate any semblance of online privacy in the United States.
And CISPA would provide a victory for content owners who were shell-shocked by the unprecedented outpouring of activism in opposition to SOPA and Internet censorship.
The House of Representatives is planning to take up CISPA later this month. Click here to ask your lawmakers to oppose it.
SOPA was pushed as a remedy to the supposed economic threat of online piracy -- but economic fear-mongering didn't quite do the trick.
So those concerned about copyright are engaging in sleight of hand, appending their legislation to a bill that most Americans will assume is about keeping them safe from bad guys.
This so-called cyber security bill aims to prevent theft of "government information" and "intellectual property" and could let ISPs block your access to websites -- or the whole Internet.
Don't let them push this back-door SOPA. Click here to demand that your lawmakers oppose CISPA.
CISPA also encourages companies to share information about you with the government and other corporations.
That data could then be used for just about anything -- from prosecuting crimes to ad placements.
And perhaps worst of all, CISPA supercedes all other online privacy protections.
Please click here to urge your lawmakers to oppose CISPA when it comes up for a vote this month.
Thanks for fighting for the Internet.
Sign the petition here
and this:
Demand Progress members have been bombarding Congress in opposition to CISPA, with nearly 60,000 emails sent in the last 24 hours.
We need to make sure our lawmakers know that we won't stop fighting for privacy rights and Internet freedom.
Fine,let's add to it. It is our internet too and we want to preserve its freedom. By preserving its freedom we are preserving our freedom particularly our freedom of speech. If you haven't sign the petition to preserve free speech you may want to do so.
Here's their next move: The Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act, or CISPA, would obliterate any semblance of online privacy in the United States.
And CISPA would provide a victory for content owners who were shell-shocked by the unprecedented outpouring of activism in opposition to SOPA and Internet censorship.
The House of Representatives is planning to take up CISPA later this month. Click here to ask your lawmakers to oppose it.
SOPA was pushed as a remedy to the supposed economic threat of online piracy -- but economic fear-mongering didn't quite do the trick.
So those concerned about copyright are engaging in sleight of hand, appending their legislation to a bill that most Americans will assume is about keeping them safe from bad guys.
This so-called cyber security bill aims to prevent theft of "government information" and "intellectual property" and could let ISPs block your access to websites -- or the whole Internet.
Don't let them push this back-door SOPA. Click here to demand that your lawmakers oppose CISPA.
CISPA also encourages companies to share information about you with the government and other corporations.
That data could then be used for just about anything -- from prosecuting crimes to ad placements.
And perhaps worst of all, CISPA supercedes all other online privacy protections.
Please click here to urge your lawmakers to oppose CISPA when it comes up for a vote this month.
Thanks for fighting for the Internet.
Sign the petition here
and this:
Demand Progress members have been bombarding Congress in opposition to CISPA, with nearly 60,000 emails sent in the last 24 hours.
We need to make sure our lawmakers know that we won't stop fighting for privacy rights and Internet freedom.
Fine,let's add to it. It is our internet too and we want to preserve its freedom. By preserving its freedom we are preserving our freedom particularly our freedom of speech. If you haven't sign the petition to preserve free speech you may want to do so.
gay supremacy enforced in schools
Received the following from the Public Advocate:
The Radical Homosexuals infiltrating the United States Congress have a plan:
Indoctrinate an entire generation of American children with pro-homosexual propaganda and eliminate traditional values from American society.
Their ultimate dream is to create a new America based on sexual promiscuity in which the values you and I cherish are long forgotten.
I hate to admit it, but if they pass the deceptively named "Student Non-Discrimination Act," (H.R. 998 & S. 555) that's exactly what they'll do.
Better named the "Homosexual Classrooms Act," its chief advocate in Congress is Rep. Jared Polis, himself an open homosexual and radical activist.
And it's dangerously close to becoming the law of the land.
H.R. 998 already has 157 co-sponsors in the House!
And S. 555 already has 37 co-sponsors in the Senate!
That's why I need you to act quickly -- right away -- to protect our nation's youth.
I have prepared the official "Protect Our Children's Innocence" Petition to Congress for you to sign.
Please click here to sign it right away so I can rush it to the Capitol with thousands more.
You and I must defeat this disastrous legislation.
You see, the Homosexual Classrooms Act contains a laundry list of anti-family provisions that will:
*** Require schools to teach appalling homosexual acts so "homosexual students" don't feel "singled out" during already explicit sex-ed classes;
*** Spin impressionable students in a whirlwind of sexual confusion and misinformation, even peer pressure to "experiment" with the homosexual "lifestyle;"
*** Exempt homosexual students from punishment for propositioning, harassing, or even sexually assaulting their classmates, as part of their specially-protected right to "freedom of self-expression;"
*** Force private and even religious schools to teach a pro-homosexual curriculum and purge any reference to religion if a student claims it creates a "hostile learning environment" for homosexual students.
And that's just the beginning of the Homosexual Lobby's radical agenda.
In fact, it will set them up to ram through their entire perverted vision for a homosexual America.
My friend, I'm sure I don't have to tell you this is not a fight we can afford to lose.
That's why Public Advocate is leading the fight against this immoral legislation.
This is a battle for the survival of American values and the fact is, there's no time to waste.
The Homosexual Classrooms Act will turn America's schools into indoctrination centers and its classrooms into social laboratories -- and they're pulling out all the stops to pass it.
You see, they've disguised the bill's wicked purpose behind an innocent name: "The Student Non-Discrimination Act."
The Homosexual Lobby knows that if the public knew the truth about their radical agenda, they'll have no hope of success.
And their dangerously close to ramming their perversity into law.
H.R. 998 already has 157 co-sponsors in the House!
And S. 555 already has 37 co-sponsors in the Senate!
You and I need to take action right now to stop the growing momentum of this disastrous legislation.
Unfortunately, this agenda is nothing new.
In fact, other countries like Britain are already experimenting with this kind of legislation, such as mandating public schools inject pro-homosexual content into every aspect of education.
Word problems in math classes are now to include homosexual characters. History classes will document the "civil rights" struggle against the "oppressive" pro-family establishment.
And it's even started to infiltrate our state governments.
In California, lawmakers want to "require schools to portray lesbians, homosexuals, transsexuals ... as positive role models to children in all public schools."
Sexual deviants being held up as models of virtue?
If that makes you as sick as it makes me, you simply must join me in this battle for America's children.
Please sign the "Protect Our Children's Innocence" Petition to Congress. Your action will make all the difference.
And if all that wasn't enough to convince you that action must be taken immediately, there's more.
Many say that there will always be private schools and traditional homeschool families to teach traditional values to the next generation.
But the truth is, this radical agenda is NOT restricted to public schools.
Kevin Jennings, while acting as Obama's "Safe Schools Czar," clearly stated that "every school, public, private or parochial has an obligation" to teach a pro-homosexual curriculum.
Jennings even denounced school choice programs as "very dangerous" because they make it much harder to impose the Homosexual Agenda on our kids. "Lord forbid a Baptist or Mormon school," he added.
Jennings' ultimate goal is for all curriculum in "kindergarten, and first grade, and second grade - every grade" be infused with a pro-homosexual slant.
Traditional values will be squashed and demonized as old fashioned or out of date, or even as bigotry.
You and I cannot let them succeed.
Please sign the "Protect Our Children's Innocence" Petition to Congress I've prepared for you right away.
Thank you so much for all you have done.
Sincerely,
Eugene Delgaudio
President,
Public Advocate of the U.S.
P.S. Radical Homosexuals in Congress have a plan to indoctrinate our children in schools -- both public and private.
But Public Advocate is taking a stand. Will you join me?
Please sign the "Protect Our Children's Innocence" Petition to Congress I've enclosed.
Sign the petition here
The GLBT community has no business pushing their agenda on the rest of us nor do they deserve to be exempt from this if it were to become law. It's time that radical homosexual advocates stop trying to shove their agenda down our throats considering we outnumber them.
The Radical Homosexuals infiltrating the United States Congress have a plan:
Indoctrinate an entire generation of American children with pro-homosexual propaganda and eliminate traditional values from American society.
Their ultimate dream is to create a new America based on sexual promiscuity in which the values you and I cherish are long forgotten.
I hate to admit it, but if they pass the deceptively named "Student Non-Discrimination Act," (H.R. 998 & S. 555) that's exactly what they'll do.
Better named the "Homosexual Classrooms Act," its chief advocate in Congress is Rep. Jared Polis, himself an open homosexual and radical activist.
And it's dangerously close to becoming the law of the land.
H.R. 998 already has 157 co-sponsors in the House!
And S. 555 already has 37 co-sponsors in the Senate!
That's why I need you to act quickly -- right away -- to protect our nation's youth.
I have prepared the official "Protect Our Children's Innocence" Petition to Congress for you to sign.
Please click here to sign it right away so I can rush it to the Capitol with thousands more.
You and I must defeat this disastrous legislation.
You see, the Homosexual Classrooms Act contains a laundry list of anti-family provisions that will:
*** Require schools to teach appalling homosexual acts so "homosexual students" don't feel "singled out" during already explicit sex-ed classes;
*** Spin impressionable students in a whirlwind of sexual confusion and misinformation, even peer pressure to "experiment" with the homosexual "lifestyle;"
*** Exempt homosexual students from punishment for propositioning, harassing, or even sexually assaulting their classmates, as part of their specially-protected right to "freedom of self-expression;"
*** Force private and even religious schools to teach a pro-homosexual curriculum and purge any reference to religion if a student claims it creates a "hostile learning environment" for homosexual students.
And that's just the beginning of the Homosexual Lobby's radical agenda.
In fact, it will set them up to ram through their entire perverted vision for a homosexual America.
My friend, I'm sure I don't have to tell you this is not a fight we can afford to lose.
That's why Public Advocate is leading the fight against this immoral legislation.
This is a battle for the survival of American values and the fact is, there's no time to waste.
The Homosexual Classrooms Act will turn America's schools into indoctrination centers and its classrooms into social laboratories -- and they're pulling out all the stops to pass it.
You see, they've disguised the bill's wicked purpose behind an innocent name: "The Student Non-Discrimination Act."
The Homosexual Lobby knows that if the public knew the truth about their radical agenda, they'll have no hope of success.
And their dangerously close to ramming their perversity into law.
H.R. 998 already has 157 co-sponsors in the House!
And S. 555 already has 37 co-sponsors in the Senate!
You and I need to take action right now to stop the growing momentum of this disastrous legislation.
Unfortunately, this agenda is nothing new.
In fact, other countries like Britain are already experimenting with this kind of legislation, such as mandating public schools inject pro-homosexual content into every aspect of education.
Word problems in math classes are now to include homosexual characters. History classes will document the "civil rights" struggle against the "oppressive" pro-family establishment.
And it's even started to infiltrate our state governments.
In California, lawmakers want to "require schools to portray lesbians, homosexuals, transsexuals ... as positive role models to children in all public schools."
Sexual deviants being held up as models of virtue?
If that makes you as sick as it makes me, you simply must join me in this battle for America's children.
Please sign the "Protect Our Children's Innocence" Petition to Congress. Your action will make all the difference.
And if all that wasn't enough to convince you that action must be taken immediately, there's more.
Many say that there will always be private schools and traditional homeschool families to teach traditional values to the next generation.
But the truth is, this radical agenda is NOT restricted to public schools.
Kevin Jennings, while acting as Obama's "Safe Schools Czar," clearly stated that "every school, public, private or parochial has an obligation" to teach a pro-homosexual curriculum.
Jennings even denounced school choice programs as "very dangerous" because they make it much harder to impose the Homosexual Agenda on our kids. "Lord forbid a Baptist or Mormon school," he added.
Jennings' ultimate goal is for all curriculum in "kindergarten, and first grade, and second grade - every grade" be infused with a pro-homosexual slant.
Traditional values will be squashed and demonized as old fashioned or out of date, or even as bigotry.
You and I cannot let them succeed.
Please sign the "Protect Our Children's Innocence" Petition to Congress I've prepared for you right away.
Thank you so much for all you have done.
Sincerely,
Eugene Delgaudio
President,
Public Advocate of the U.S.
P.S. Radical Homosexuals in Congress have a plan to indoctrinate our children in schools -- both public and private.
But Public Advocate is taking a stand. Will you join me?
Please sign the "Protect Our Children's Innocence" Petition to Congress I've enclosed.
Sign the petition here
The GLBT community has no business pushing their agenda on the rest of us nor do they deserve to be exempt from this if it were to become law. It's time that radical homosexual advocates stop trying to shove their agenda down our throats considering we outnumber them.
Saturday, April 7, 2012
Fight for the future by opposing internet censorship today
From Fight For The Future:
Can you believe this? After the largest online protest in history, the Obama administration is still voicing support for SOPA.
We promised to ask for your help if SOPA returned. We're asking now. This kind of backtracking demands a strong, fast response. We're running a petition to demand that Obama drop all support for internet censorship. Our goal? Get more signatures than the top petition on whitehouse.gov -- 151,000 signatures. Tell Obama to promise: "I will never advance legislation that blocks websites or disconnects Americans’ internet access.”
What is the White House working on exactly? Just the other day, the administration sent a letter to Congress to demonstrate their support for new internet censorship legislation. A few weeks ago, the White House struck a deal to give corporations private powers to shut down your internet connection (after "six strikes" without due process or judicial review), completely in secret.
Obama's internet would let private companies block sites and turn off our web connections. Blocking websites censors free speech, hurts jobs, and breaks the internet. These are tactics used by totalitarian governments and we believe they’re never ok. Let's get more signatures than any petition on whitehouse.gov.
As Wired noted*, "The White House did say that it wouldn't endorse a bill that endangers freedom of expression, increases cybersecurity risks, or negatively affects the DNS system. On the other hand, it says elsewhere that "combating online infringement" -- not protecting free speech -- is a governmental priority "of the highest order." What about free speech, Obama?
Sign the petition now, then share it to keep the internet strong. Our friends need to know where the President is currently standing on SOPA.
We couldn't have stopped SOPA and PIPA without you and all of your friends! And we can't do it without you now. Let's make sure SOPA 2.0 never gets written. Thank you,
Tiffiniy, Zak, Fight for the Future!
click here to sign the petition.
The Hollywood lobby sure knows how to make everyday people from all walks of life hate them. Free speech advocates,such as myself,need to keep them honest and the best way to do that is with an uncensored internet. An uncensored internet is a threat to the PTB and they know it. To preserve freedom I will sign a lot of petitions so one more won't hurt. Sign today.
Can you believe this? After the largest online protest in history, the Obama administration is still voicing support for SOPA.
We promised to ask for your help if SOPA returned. We're asking now. This kind of backtracking demands a strong, fast response. We're running a petition to demand that Obama drop all support for internet censorship. Our goal? Get more signatures than the top petition on whitehouse.gov -- 151,000 signatures. Tell Obama to promise: "I will never advance legislation that blocks websites or disconnects Americans’ internet access.”
What is the White House working on exactly? Just the other day, the administration sent a letter to Congress to demonstrate their support for new internet censorship legislation. A few weeks ago, the White House struck a deal to give corporations private powers to shut down your internet connection (after "six strikes" without due process or judicial review), completely in secret.
Obama's internet would let private companies block sites and turn off our web connections. Blocking websites censors free speech, hurts jobs, and breaks the internet. These are tactics used by totalitarian governments and we believe they’re never ok. Let's get more signatures than any petition on whitehouse.gov.
As Wired noted*, "The White House did say that it wouldn't endorse a bill that endangers freedom of expression, increases cybersecurity risks, or negatively affects the DNS system. On the other hand, it says elsewhere that "combating online infringement" -- not protecting free speech -- is a governmental priority "of the highest order." What about free speech, Obama?
Sign the petition now, then share it to keep the internet strong. Our friends need to know where the President is currently standing on SOPA.
We couldn't have stopped SOPA and PIPA without you and all of your friends! And we can't do it without you now. Let's make sure SOPA 2.0 never gets written. Thank you,
Tiffiniy, Zak, Fight for the Future!
click here to sign the petition.
The Hollywood lobby sure knows how to make everyday people from all walks of life hate them. Free speech advocates,such as myself,need to keep them honest and the best way to do that is with an uncensored internet. An uncensored internet is a threat to the PTB and they know it. To preserve freedom I will sign a lot of petitions so one more won't hurt. Sign today.
Thursday, April 5, 2012
Hollywood lobby to get SOPA like legislation passed
From Demand Progress:
Tell Obama And Dodd: No Backroom Dealing, No New SOPA
They still just don't get it. Chris Dodd -- the head of the Hollywood Lobby -- is bragging that he's working on a new insider deal to push through SOPA-like legislation.
He had this exchange with the Hollywood Reporter this week:
THR: Are there conversations going on now?
Dodd: I'm confident that's the case, but I'm not going to go into more detail because obviously if I do, it becomes counterproductive.
THR: Did you feel personally blindsided by Obama over SOPA?
Dodd: I'm not going to revisit the events of last winter. I'll only say to you that I'm confident he's using his good relationships in both communities to do exactly what you and I have been talking about.
This exchange comes days after the White House issued a report that urges a redoubling of efforts to crack down on piracy.
Hollywood and Obama should've learned: No form of censorship will be acceptable to Internet users, and we're fed up with corrupt, back-room deals that are driven by the rich and well-connected. Any major Internet policy changes should be negotiated in the light of day, so the millions of people who'd be affected can have their say too.
Please tell President Obama to reject Hollywood's backroom deals -- just add your name at right.
TO PRESIDENT OBAMA AND CHRIS DODD: After the biggest outpouring of activism in the history of the Internet, it's appalling that Hollywood is back to its old insider ways. No backroom deals -- and no new SOPA. And any and all negotiations with Hollywood should take place in the light of day.
click here to sign petition.
Wow,these idiots just don't get it. We don't want their censorship pushed on us. You would think that after they got shellacked for sponsoring SOPA they would learn their lesson but no they want to go through this again. If we have to stand up to them again it is not a problem because the price of liberty is eternal vigilance.Preserve your liberty sign the petition today.
Tell Obama And Dodd: No Backroom Dealing, No New SOPA
They still just don't get it. Chris Dodd -- the head of the Hollywood Lobby -- is bragging that he's working on a new insider deal to push through SOPA-like legislation.
He had this exchange with the Hollywood Reporter this week:
THR: Are there conversations going on now?
Dodd: I'm confident that's the case, but I'm not going to go into more detail because obviously if I do, it becomes counterproductive.
THR: Did you feel personally blindsided by Obama over SOPA?
Dodd: I'm not going to revisit the events of last winter. I'll only say to you that I'm confident he's using his good relationships in both communities to do exactly what you and I have been talking about.
This exchange comes days after the White House issued a report that urges a redoubling of efforts to crack down on piracy.
Hollywood and Obama should've learned: No form of censorship will be acceptable to Internet users, and we're fed up with corrupt, back-room deals that are driven by the rich and well-connected. Any major Internet policy changes should be negotiated in the light of day, so the millions of people who'd be affected can have their say too.
Please tell President Obama to reject Hollywood's backroom deals -- just add your name at right.
TO PRESIDENT OBAMA AND CHRIS DODD: After the biggest outpouring of activism in the history of the Internet, it's appalling that Hollywood is back to its old insider ways. No backroom deals -- and no new SOPA. And any and all negotiations with Hollywood should take place in the light of day.
click here to sign petition.
Wow,these idiots just don't get it. We don't want their censorship pushed on us. You would think that after they got shellacked for sponsoring SOPA they would learn their lesson but no they want to go through this again. If we have to stand up to them again it is not a problem because the price of liberty is eternal vigilance.Preserve your liberty sign the petition today.
FBI abuses the rights of the people
To Eric Holder: Stop Lying About The PATRIOT Act
Senators Ron Wyden and Mark Udall have been blowing the whistle: Law enforcement is using a secret interpretation of the PATRIOT Act to spy on people who aren't connected with terrorism. The FBI operates under a cloak of secrecy, so we only know about this because these two courageous senators are defying the intelligence agencies and speaking out. Here's the New York Times:
Mr. Wyden and Mr. Udall have for months been raising concerns that the government has secretly interpreted a part of the Patriot Act in a way that they portray as twisted, allowing the Federal Bureau of Investigation to conduct some kind of unspecified domestic surveillance that they say does not dovetail with a plain reading of the statute.
Wyden and Udall deserve our support. They just wrote a letter to Attorney General Eric Holder demanding that he come clean -- will you sign on at right to join them?
PETITION TO ATTORNEY GENERAL ERIC HOLDER: Stop misleading the public. We stand with Senators Wyden and Udall and demand that you come clean about how you're using the PATRTIOT Act
click here to sign the petition.
Looks like the Patriot Act is being misused and in the interests of freedom we have to call them on it. The FBI is not the SS nor are they the KGB so they don't need to act that way. This is a democratic republic where the rights of the people are safeguarded. Time for us to exercise ours.
Senators Ron Wyden and Mark Udall have been blowing the whistle: Law enforcement is using a secret interpretation of the PATRIOT Act to spy on people who aren't connected with terrorism. The FBI operates under a cloak of secrecy, so we only know about this because these two courageous senators are defying the intelligence agencies and speaking out. Here's the New York Times:
Mr. Wyden and Mr. Udall have for months been raising concerns that the government has secretly interpreted a part of the Patriot Act in a way that they portray as twisted, allowing the Federal Bureau of Investigation to conduct some kind of unspecified domestic surveillance that they say does not dovetail with a plain reading of the statute.
Wyden and Udall deserve our support. They just wrote a letter to Attorney General Eric Holder demanding that he come clean -- will you sign on at right to join them?
PETITION TO ATTORNEY GENERAL ERIC HOLDER: Stop misleading the public. We stand with Senators Wyden and Udall and demand that you come clean about how you're using the PATRTIOT Act
click here to sign the petition.
Looks like the Patriot Act is being misused and in the interests of freedom we have to call them on it. The FBI is not the SS nor are they the KGB so they don't need to act that way. This is a democratic republic where the rights of the people are safeguarded. Time for us to exercise ours.
Friday, March 9, 2012
Defeat the McCain bill
From Demand Progress:
Privacy Nightmare: McCain Bill Could Have Military Monitor The Internet
The message still hasn't sunk in. Congress is proposing yet another law to monitor your activities on the Internet -- Here's the ACLU's take on John McCain's new cybersecurity bill:
"This is a privacy nightmare that will eventually result in the military substantially monitoring the domestic, civilian Internet."
Will you fight back against McCain's legislation by adding your name at right?
As Reuters notes, the "types of information that could be shared are broad, and the data would go to 'cybersecurity centers' that specifically include the National Security Agency's Threat Operations Center and the U.S. Cyber Command Joint Operations Center."
We have a key opportunity to help steer this debate away from McCain's inanity and towards a more reasonable alternative.
Just sign up at right to email your lawmakers in opposition to McCain's bill.
Here's some more background from Reuters.
Source:click here
If you think that another internet snooping bill is bullshit then sign the petition. Congress seems to be on a quest to see who can get away with trampling our freedoms and now McCain is taking a shot. Does McCain know what it's like to be Sopa'd? Let's show him how it feels. Sign the petition today.
Privacy Nightmare: McCain Bill Could Have Military Monitor The Internet
The message still hasn't sunk in. Congress is proposing yet another law to monitor your activities on the Internet -- Here's the ACLU's take on John McCain's new cybersecurity bill:
"This is a privacy nightmare that will eventually result in the military substantially monitoring the domestic, civilian Internet."
Will you fight back against McCain's legislation by adding your name at right?
As Reuters notes, the "types of information that could be shared are broad, and the data would go to 'cybersecurity centers' that specifically include the National Security Agency's Threat Operations Center and the U.S. Cyber Command Joint Operations Center."
We have a key opportunity to help steer this debate away from McCain's inanity and towards a more reasonable alternative.
Just sign up at right to email your lawmakers in opposition to McCain's bill.
Here's some more background from Reuters.
Source:click here
If you think that another internet snooping bill is bullshit then sign the petition. Congress seems to be on a quest to see who can get away with trampling our freedoms and now McCain is taking a shot. Does McCain know what it's like to be Sopa'd? Let's show him how it feels. Sign the petition today.
Sunday, February 26, 2012
Das State of Maine
When Stephen King would depict parts of Maine as horrible I thought it was fiction. Now I know better.
Two words come to mind: collusion and conspiracy.
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
Standing up to the whoreporations
I received the following from Demand Progress:
Tell Congress: Only people are people
We deserve a country where our elected officials are not bought and paid for by big corporations.
But the Citizens United vs. FEC Supreme Court decision overturned over a century of precedent and opened the floodgates for unlimited amounts of corporate money to flow into our political system.
Shockingly, the court came to this decision based on the notion that a corporation is legally a "person" entitled to First Amendment rights, and by equating a corporation's right to spend unlimited amounts of money influencing an election with our right to free speech.
Tell your senators and member of Congress to support a constitutional amendment to overturn Citizens United and end corporate personhood.
Even before the Citizens United decision, we too often saw the interests of Main Street subverted in favor of the interests of Wall Street.
But with the Citizens United decision now the law of the land, large corporations have the power to spend unlimited amounts of money from their general treasuries to buy elections.
To put things in perspective, the roughly $745 million Barack Obama raised to run for President in the 2008 election cycle (which was the most money raised by any candidate ever to run for office in the U.S.) is dwarfed by the $45 billion in profits a single company (ExxonMobil) made in 2008.
What's more, Citizen United opened loopholes that allow corporations to hide their campaign expenditures by laundering the money through non-profit advocacy organizations.
Tell your senators and member of Congress to support a constitutional amendment to overturn Citizens United and end corporate personhood.
The Supreme Court recently indicated that it would hear a challenge to Montana's campaign finance law. While it's possible the Court could narrow the scope of Citizens United, it's very unlikely that the Supreme Court will fix the issue any time soon.
And because Congress cannot pass a law that supersedes a Supreme Court ruling, it may take a constitutional amendment to undo the worst aspects of the Citizens United decision and end corporate personhood.
Clearly, the bar to successfully amending the Constitution is very high. But with 85% of the public opposed to the Citizens United decision, there is a potential for a broad coalition of Democrats, Republicans and Independents who all want to restore our democracy.
And let's remember, the stakes are too high to allow inaction on this issue. It's no exaggeration to say that the Citizens United decision fundamentally threatens the integrity of our democracy.
We need a government of, for and by the people. And sadly, we might need to work really hard to re-establish the common sense and democratic view that only people are people, not corporations.
Your senators and member of Congress need to hear from you, regardless of where they stand on this issue. We need to show them that their constituents are part of a broad movement demanding action -- not only to convince them that overturning Citizens United is the right thing to do, but also that it's possible.
Today, take a step to be part of that movement.
Tell your senators and member of Congress to support a constitutional amendment to overturn Citizens United and end corporate personhood.
click here to sign the petition.
If it's not the government fucking with you it's corporations. This time it's both. We need to give power back to the people and tell the whoreporate assholes to shove it and the best way you can do that is sign the petition. The freedoms you save may be yours,sign today.
Tell Congress: Only people are people
We deserve a country where our elected officials are not bought and paid for by big corporations.
But the Citizens United vs. FEC Supreme Court decision overturned over a century of precedent and opened the floodgates for unlimited amounts of corporate money to flow into our political system.
Shockingly, the court came to this decision based on the notion that a corporation is legally a "person" entitled to First Amendment rights, and by equating a corporation's right to spend unlimited amounts of money influencing an election with our right to free speech.
Tell your senators and member of Congress to support a constitutional amendment to overturn Citizens United and end corporate personhood.
Even before the Citizens United decision, we too often saw the interests of Main Street subverted in favor of the interests of Wall Street.
But with the Citizens United decision now the law of the land, large corporations have the power to spend unlimited amounts of money from their general treasuries to buy elections.
To put things in perspective, the roughly $745 million Barack Obama raised to run for President in the 2008 election cycle (which was the most money raised by any candidate ever to run for office in the U.S.) is dwarfed by the $45 billion in profits a single company (ExxonMobil) made in 2008.
What's more, Citizen United opened loopholes that allow corporations to hide their campaign expenditures by laundering the money through non-profit advocacy organizations.
Tell your senators and member of Congress to support a constitutional amendment to overturn Citizens United and end corporate personhood.
The Supreme Court recently indicated that it would hear a challenge to Montana's campaign finance law. While it's possible the Court could narrow the scope of Citizens United, it's very unlikely that the Supreme Court will fix the issue any time soon.
And because Congress cannot pass a law that supersedes a Supreme Court ruling, it may take a constitutional amendment to undo the worst aspects of the Citizens United decision and end corporate personhood.
Clearly, the bar to successfully amending the Constitution is very high. But with 85% of the public opposed to the Citizens United decision, there is a potential for a broad coalition of Democrats, Republicans and Independents who all want to restore our democracy.
And let's remember, the stakes are too high to allow inaction on this issue. It's no exaggeration to say that the Citizens United decision fundamentally threatens the integrity of our democracy.
We need a government of, for and by the people. And sadly, we might need to work really hard to re-establish the common sense and democratic view that only people are people, not corporations.
Your senators and member of Congress need to hear from you, regardless of where they stand on this issue. We need to show them that their constituents are part of a broad movement demanding action -- not only to convince them that overturning Citizens United is the right thing to do, but also that it's possible.
Today, take a step to be part of that movement.
Tell your senators and member of Congress to support a constitutional amendment to overturn Citizens United and end corporate personhood.
click here to sign the petition.
If it's not the government fucking with you it's corporations. This time it's both. We need to give power back to the people and tell the whoreporate assholes to shove it and the best way you can do that is sign the petition. The freedoms you save may be yours,sign today.
Monday, January 23, 2012
VAWA again
I received the following from SAVE concerning the authorization of VAWA:
The Senate Judiciary Committee is expected to vote on the reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) this coming Thursday at 10am. As you know, we have found many flaws in this bill, which is why we created the Partner Violence Reduction Act (PVRA).
The Partner Violence Reduction Act:
1.Gives priority to real victims.
1.Reduces false allegations.
2.Removes provisions that violate the Constitution.
1.Protects families.
1.Provides legal assistance for alleged victim and alleged offender.
2.Requires third-party accreditation.
1.Curbs immigration fraud.
2.Makes the law gender-inclusive.
Today we'd like you to call members on the committee. Tell them to reject VAWA and to support the Partner Violence Reduction Act. More info: click here
Please contact the members listed below:
•Chuck Grassley (202) 224-3744 email contact
•Orrin G. Hatch (202) 224-5251 email contact
•Jon Kyl (202) 224-4521 email contact
•Jeff Sessions (202) 224-4124 email contact
•Lindsey Graham (202) 224-5972 email contact
•John Cornyn (202) 224-2934 email contact
•Michael S. Lee (202) 224-5444 email contact
•Tom Coburn (202) 224-5754 email contact
Call them once, call them twice, call them several times. Call Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. Ask your family, friends, church family, co-workers and neighbors to call. And don't forget to ask your facebook, twitter and google+ friends too.
It's now or never, folks!
Sincerely,
teri
Teri Stoddard, Program Director
Stop Abusive and Violent Environments
www.saveservices.org
Looks like it's time to apply the pressure again to safeguard our rights and keep from losing any more. If you are unable to make the calls then send email telling these Senators that you are less than thrilled with VAWA with all its anti-male sexism and that you want them to enact the PVRA instead. The more of us they hear from the better so contact them today.
The Senate Judiciary Committee is expected to vote on the reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) this coming Thursday at 10am. As you know, we have found many flaws in this bill, which is why we created the Partner Violence Reduction Act (PVRA).
The Partner Violence Reduction Act:
1.Gives priority to real victims.
1.Reduces false allegations.
2.Removes provisions that violate the Constitution.
1.Protects families.
1.Provides legal assistance for alleged victim and alleged offender.
2.Requires third-party accreditation.
1.Curbs immigration fraud.
2.Makes the law gender-inclusive.
Today we'd like you to call members on the committee. Tell them to reject VAWA and to support the Partner Violence Reduction Act. More info: click here
Please contact the members listed below:
•Chuck Grassley (202) 224-3744 email contact
•Orrin G. Hatch (202) 224-5251 email contact
•Jon Kyl (202) 224-4521 email contact
•Jeff Sessions (202) 224-4124 email contact
•Lindsey Graham (202) 224-5972 email contact
•John Cornyn (202) 224-2934 email contact
•Michael S. Lee (202) 224-5444 email contact
•Tom Coburn (202) 224-5754 email contact
Call them once, call them twice, call them several times. Call Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. Ask your family, friends, church family, co-workers and neighbors to call. And don't forget to ask your facebook, twitter and google+ friends too.
It's now or never, folks!
Sincerely,
teri
Teri Stoddard, Program Director
Stop Abusive and Violent Environments
www.saveservices.org
Looks like it's time to apply the pressure again to safeguard our rights and keep from losing any more. If you are unable to make the calls then send email telling these Senators that you are less than thrilled with VAWA with all its anti-male sexism and that you want them to enact the PVRA instead. The more of us they hear from the better so contact them today.
Thursday, January 19, 2012
Governmental harassment
From Demand Progress:
Fight Back: Government Shuts Down MegaUpload
Unbelievable: After history's largest online protest, the U.S. Government nonchalantly responds with the middle finger. The Wall Street Journal reports:
The FBI shut down Thursday one of the world's most popular file-sharing websites, MegaUpload.com, and announced the arrest of four of the people behind it in a global crackdown against the suspected online pirates.
Here -- check it out: If SOPA and PIPA pass it'll just broaden the government's power to do things like this: MegaUpload.com. (And make it ILLEGAL for us to link to sites that are seized -- like we just did in the last sentence.)
As MegaUpload's website notes -- er... noted:
The fact is that the vast majority of mega's Internet traffic is legitimate, and we are here to stay. If the content industry would like to take advantage of our popularity, we are happy to enter into a dialogue.
This is what we're up against. Please tell President Obama and your lawmakers to put an end to it. NOW.
Just fill out the form at right to tell Obama and your lawmakers to stop messing with the Net!
click here to sign the petition.
It would be a good idea if we all preserved our freedoms by signing this petition otherwise our rights are gone. To safeguard them sign today.
Fight Back: Government Shuts Down MegaUpload
Unbelievable: After history's largest online protest, the U.S. Government nonchalantly responds with the middle finger. The Wall Street Journal reports:
The FBI shut down Thursday one of the world's most popular file-sharing websites, MegaUpload.com, and announced the arrest of four of the people behind it in a global crackdown against the suspected online pirates.
Here -- check it out: If SOPA and PIPA pass it'll just broaden the government's power to do things like this: MegaUpload.com. (And make it ILLEGAL for us to link to sites that are seized -- like we just did in the last sentence.)
As MegaUpload's website notes -- er... noted:
The fact is that the vast majority of mega's Internet traffic is legitimate, and we are here to stay. If the content industry would like to take advantage of our popularity, we are happy to enter into a dialogue.
This is what we're up against. Please tell President Obama and your lawmakers to put an end to it. NOW.
Just fill out the form at right to tell Obama and your lawmakers to stop messing with the Net!
click here to sign the petition.
It would be a good idea if we all preserved our freedoms by signing this petition otherwise our rights are gone. To safeguard them sign today.
Saturday, December 24, 2011
Fight for the future by opposing censorship today
I received this from Fight For The Future:
Happy Holidays -- we have some great news to share.
Please join us in holding GoDaddy accountable, until they drop any and all efforts to support not just SOPA, but also its Senate cousin, PIPA. The boycott already worked to get GoDaddy to change their position on SOPA, now we urgently need to hear from GoDaddy about PIPA too.
So what's next?
The PIPA bill is still alive and strong in the Senate, and could be voted on in January. Like SOPA, it threatens free speech, innovation, and the basic structure of the Internet.
Thank you for all that you do -- it is working!
Tiffiniy & Phil
Fight for the Future
P.S. Please use these links to ask your friends to hit GoDaddy where it hurts, by pledging to join the boycott too:
Fight For The Future:click here
Sounds like something we can all do and that is stand up to censorship by saying no to companies that engage or encourage it. Do you want to be told when to talk,whom to talk to or what you are allowed to hear? Do you like the idea of someone else deciding what's best for you? If not then get on board today by signing that petition.
Happy Holidays -- we have some great news to share.
We've just won two huge battles in the fight against Internet censorship -- everything you are doing is working! First off, the House of Representatives failed to move SOPA out of committee! Why? Because their offices got swamped with phone calls and overwhelmed by the snowballing opposition. Thank you for helping make that happen.
Second, in response to the boycott of GoDaddy, the web hosting company just made a public announcement that it's dropping its support of SOPA. Amazing what you have made happen.Please join us in holding GoDaddy accountable, until they drop any and all efforts to support not just SOPA, but also its Senate cousin, PIPA. The boycott already worked to get GoDaddy to change their position on SOPA, now we urgently need to hear from GoDaddy about PIPA too.
So what's next?
The PIPA bill is still alive and strong in the Senate, and could be voted on in January. Like SOPA, it threatens free speech, innovation, and the basic structure of the Internet.
Thank you for all that you do -- it is working!
Tiffiniy & Phil
Fight for the Future
P.S. Please use these links to ask your friends to hit GoDaddy where it hurts, by pledging to join the boycott too:
Fight For The Future:click here
Sounds like something we can all do and that is stand up to censorship by saying no to companies that engage or encourage it. Do you want to be told when to talk,whom to talk to or what you are allowed to hear? Do you like the idea of someone else deciding what's best for you? If not then get on board today by signing that petition.
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
Congress is pulling a fast one
I received the following from Demand Progress:
Some annoying news: As was widely reported last Friday, all indications were that the House Judiciary Committee would delay its vote on SOPA for a few weeks. Now it looks like they might vote this week, if Congress stays in session:
PCMAG: "SOPA vote might happen this week after all"
ACTIVIST POST: "Congress tries to pull a fast one"
You've all been amazing as we've worked to spread word about SOPA, convinced more and more lawmakers to oppose it, and dragged out the hearing for a week -- that's pretty much unheard of.
But we need to ask you to pick up the phone once more:
Will you call Speaker of the House John Boehner and Majority Leader Eric Cantor and ask them to reign in Judiciary Chairman Lamar Smith?
Speaker John Boehner: (202) 225-6205 (Email Contact)
Majority Leader Eric Cantor: (202) 225-2815 (Email Contact)
Please be polite, but firm. You can work off of this script:
I'm calling because Judiciary Chairman Lamar Smith is pushing the Stop Online Piracy Act even though it will kill jobs, undermine cybersecurity, stifle free speech, and give comfort to totalitarian regimes that want to censor the Internet. And they're doing it all to prop up a few Hollywood bigwigs.
His hearings are turning into a circus that's embarrassing for our country and for the House of Representatives. Please ask him to back down and hold real hearings on this legislation before rushing it through his committee.
These powerful leaders control what will be voted on by the full House, and we need to put them on notice.
And you can use these links to ask your friends to join the effort and email and call their lawmakers about the Internet censorship bills, or just ask them to visit StopCensorship.org.
The price of freedom is eternal vigilance and when needed activism. We'll we need the activism part right now so call and/or send email to the above to rein in Lamar Smith and his evil quest to censor the net.
UPDATE:
Received the following from Damand Progress:
That was close -- after threatening to hold a vote this week, the House Judiciary Committee just cancelled tomorrow's hearing on SOPA!
WASHINGTON POST: The House Judiciary Committee confirmed Tuesday that it will delay continuing debate on the Stop Online Piracy Act until after Congress returns from its winter recess.
In January of one year ago it looked like Internet censorship legislation could pass in a matter of months. But then Demand Progress members stepped in: We've pushed the legislation back a full year, and now it's on the ropes.
Demand Progress is doing everything in our power to make sure that our members' voices are heard in the halls of power.
We've organized press conferences on Capitol Hill, hosted policy briefings. We've delivered countless petitions to Congress, and met with the White House as they consider whether to oppose SOPA and its Senate cousin, the PROTECT IP Act.
We've repeatedly been slammed by the Chamber of Commerce, the Motion Picture Assocaition of America, and other censorship proponents -- proving the importance of our work and the righteousness of our cause.
Most importantly, we've driven hundreds of thousands of constituent contacts to Congress -- And helped lead an unprecedented coalition of activist groups, websites, and tech firms which together have helped more than 3 million people send anti-censorship emails and make anti-censorship phone calls to Congress and the White House.
But the fight isn't over yet: The Senate is still threatening to hold a vote in January, and we need to make sure we're in a position to keep pushing back. We've proved that our voices make a real difference, but we can't afford to let up one bit.
Thanks so so much,
The Demand Progress team
PS: We know we've been sending a ton of emails over the last few weeks -- we promise it'll calm down a bit over the next couple of weeks, now that the most immediate threat is behind us.
No problem because as I have said before the price of freedom is eternal vigilance. I'd rather do this than have someone else decide what I can and cannot view or listen too. Maybe as a child I had others make my decisions for me but as an adult I'll be damned if I'll let that happen.
Some annoying news: As was widely reported last Friday, all indications were that the House Judiciary Committee would delay its vote on SOPA for a few weeks. Now it looks like they might vote this week, if Congress stays in session:
PCMAG: "SOPA vote might happen this week after all"
ACTIVIST POST: "Congress tries to pull a fast one"
You've all been amazing as we've worked to spread word about SOPA, convinced more and more lawmakers to oppose it, and dragged out the hearing for a week -- that's pretty much unheard of.
But we need to ask you to pick up the phone once more:
Will you call Speaker of the House John Boehner and Majority Leader Eric Cantor and ask them to reign in Judiciary Chairman Lamar Smith?
Speaker John Boehner: (202) 225-6205 (Email Contact)
Majority Leader Eric Cantor: (202) 225-2815 (Email Contact)
Please be polite, but firm. You can work off of this script:
I'm calling because Judiciary Chairman Lamar Smith is pushing the Stop Online Piracy Act even though it will kill jobs, undermine cybersecurity, stifle free speech, and give comfort to totalitarian regimes that want to censor the Internet. And they're doing it all to prop up a few Hollywood bigwigs.
His hearings are turning into a circus that's embarrassing for our country and for the House of Representatives. Please ask him to back down and hold real hearings on this legislation before rushing it through his committee.
These powerful leaders control what will be voted on by the full House, and we need to put them on notice.
And you can use these links to ask your friends to join the effort and email and call their lawmakers about the Internet censorship bills, or just ask them to visit StopCensorship.org.
The price of freedom is eternal vigilance and when needed activism. We'll we need the activism part right now so call and/or send email to the above to rein in Lamar Smith and his evil quest to censor the net.
UPDATE:
Received the following from Damand Progress:
That was close -- after threatening to hold a vote this week, the House Judiciary Committee just cancelled tomorrow's hearing on SOPA!
WASHINGTON POST: The House Judiciary Committee confirmed Tuesday that it will delay continuing debate on the Stop Online Piracy Act until after Congress returns from its winter recess.
In January of one year ago it looked like Internet censorship legislation could pass in a matter of months. But then Demand Progress members stepped in: We've pushed the legislation back a full year, and now it's on the ropes.
Demand Progress is doing everything in our power to make sure that our members' voices are heard in the halls of power.
We've organized press conferences on Capitol Hill, hosted policy briefings. We've delivered countless petitions to Congress, and met with the White House as they consider whether to oppose SOPA and its Senate cousin, the PROTECT IP Act.
We've repeatedly been slammed by the Chamber of Commerce, the Motion Picture Assocaition of America, and other censorship proponents -- proving the importance of our work and the righteousness of our cause.
Most importantly, we've driven hundreds of thousands of constituent contacts to Congress -- And helped lead an unprecedented coalition of activist groups, websites, and tech firms which together have helped more than 3 million people send anti-censorship emails and make anti-censorship phone calls to Congress and the White House.
But the fight isn't over yet: The Senate is still threatening to hold a vote in January, and we need to make sure we're in a position to keep pushing back. We've proved that our voices make a real difference, but we can't afford to let up one bit.
Thanks so so much,
The Demand Progress team
PS: We know we've been sending a ton of emails over the last few weeks -- we promise it'll calm down a bit over the next couple of weeks, now that the most immediate threat is behind us.
No problem because as I have said before the price of freedom is eternal vigilance. I'd rather do this than have someone else decide what I can and cannot view or listen too. Maybe as a child I had others make my decisions for me but as an adult I'll be damned if I'll let that happen.
Friday, December 16, 2011
Fighting back against PROTECT IP
I received this from Demand Progress:
Huge Victory In House -- Let's Slam The Senate
Holy moly. We did it -- at least for now. The House Judiciary Committee looked certain to vote for the Stop Online Piracy Act today. Instead, because of the work of so many rank-and-file Internet users, the bill's lead sponsor acknowledged that our concerns are legitimate, and adjourned the committee without holding a vote!
Here's Wired's take:
The House Judiciary Committee considering whether to send the Stop Online Piracy Act to the House floor abruptly adjourned Friday with no new vote date set – a surprise given that the bill looked certain to pass out of committee today.
It's amazing work: Politicians are, for the first time, having to contend with the Internet as a political force -- and we might actually win.
But now we need to focus attention back on the Senate, where Marjority Leader Harry Reid says the PROTECT IP Act will be the first bill he calls for a vote next year.
Will you let him and your Senators know that they need to stop pushing this legislation? It's an election year, and they don't want to do any heavy lifting. Pushing hard now could get them to back down altogether.
Just fill out the form at right to email Reid and your Senators.
This is great news and it shows we've made great strides but there is more work to do and we can do it so if internet freedom is something you love send those emails today.
Huge Victory In House -- Let's Slam The Senate
Holy moly. We did it -- at least for now. The House Judiciary Committee looked certain to vote for the Stop Online Piracy Act today. Instead, because of the work of so many rank-and-file Internet users, the bill's lead sponsor acknowledged that our concerns are legitimate, and adjourned the committee without holding a vote!
Here's Wired's take:
The House Judiciary Committee considering whether to send the Stop Online Piracy Act to the House floor abruptly adjourned Friday with no new vote date set – a surprise given that the bill looked certain to pass out of committee today.
It's amazing work: Politicians are, for the first time, having to contend with the Internet as a political force -- and we might actually win.
But now we need to focus attention back on the Senate, where Marjority Leader Harry Reid says the PROTECT IP Act will be the first bill he calls for a vote next year.
Will you let him and your Senators know that they need to stop pushing this legislation? It's an election year, and they don't want to do any heavy lifting. Pushing hard now could get them to back down altogether.
Just fill out the form at right to email Reid and your Senators.
This is great news and it shows we've made great strides but there is more work to do and we can do it so if internet freedom is something you love send those emails today.
Thursday, December 15, 2011
SOPA going down to the wire
I received the following from Demand Progress:
Want a window into the minds of our opponents? Former Senator Chris Dodd -- head of the Motion Picture Association of America -- says that China censors its Internet, so we can too:
"When the Chinese told Google that they had to block sites or they couldn't do [business] in their country, they managed to figure out how to block sites."
These are the voices our lawmakers listen to. If we're going to win, we need to drown them out before TOMORROW's committee vote on SOPA.
Our goals for the week are one call per congressmember per minute -- and one million emails: Please click here to make a call or send an email, or do both right away -- it'll really only take a couple of minutes.
It's do-or-die time: The House Judiciary Committee will likely pass the Stop Online Piracy Act TOMORROW, Thursday. Once the bill moves out of committee, the House can pass it at any time.
If you've already made a call, please use our "censor anything" tool to urge your friends to contact Congress:
We want to make sure people understand what the Internet could be like if SOPA passes, so we're asking millions of people to protest censorship as part of our #CensorshipEverywhere campaign -- use our tool to censor parts of your own posts to Facebook, Twitter, blogs, and anything and everything else.
To uncensor it, your friends will need to contact their lawmakers and ask them to oppose SOPA.
The most important thing this week is that EVERYONE join the protests in some way. If all of us drive our audiences to make phone calls, we're unstoppable. We need to jam Congress's inboxes and melt their phone lines if we're going to stop SOPA.
Let's make those calls and/or write those emails to preserve our internet freedoms. I'm not a big fan of the Chinese government and I don't believe we need to emulated them. If you feel the same way call and/or email today.
Want a window into the minds of our opponents? Former Senator Chris Dodd -- head of the Motion Picture Association of America -- says that China censors its Internet, so we can too:
"When the Chinese told Google that they had to block sites or they couldn't do [business] in their country, they managed to figure out how to block sites."
These are the voices our lawmakers listen to. If we're going to win, we need to drown them out before TOMORROW's committee vote on SOPA.
Our goals for the week are one call per congressmember per minute -- and one million emails: Please click here to make a call or send an email, or do both right away -- it'll really only take a couple of minutes.
It's do-or-die time: The House Judiciary Committee will likely pass the Stop Online Piracy Act TOMORROW, Thursday. Once the bill moves out of committee, the House can pass it at any time.
If you've already made a call, please use our "censor anything" tool to urge your friends to contact Congress:
We want to make sure people understand what the Internet could be like if SOPA passes, so we're asking millions of people to protest censorship as part of our #CensorshipEverywhere campaign -- use our tool to censor parts of your own posts to Facebook, Twitter, blogs, and anything and everything else.
To uncensor it, your friends will need to contact their lawmakers and ask them to oppose SOPA.
The most important thing this week is that EVERYONE join the protests in some way. If all of us drive our audiences to make phone calls, we're unstoppable. We need to jam Congress's inboxes and melt their phone lines if we're going to stop SOPA.
Let's make those calls and/or write those emails to preserve our internet freedoms. I'm not a big fan of the Chinese government and I don't believe we need to emulated them. If you feel the same way call and/or email today.
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
Don't sacrifice your rights for the war on terror
I received this from Campaign For Liberty:
You and I both know that freedom is not free. Its price cannot be measured in dollars - and its defense requires eternal vigilance.
On December 1, the U.S. Senate passed S. 1867, the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), by a vote of 93-7.
A slightly different NDAA, H.R. 1540, had already passed the U.S. House in May, and it has been reconciled with the Senate version in a closed session of a Joint Conference Committee.
The NDAA is passed annually to specify the budget and expenditures for the U.S. Department of Defense, but this year's version would essentially strip American Citizens of due process - protections that used to set us apart from despotic nations.
The Senate version of the NDAA declares the homeland to be part of the battlefield in the "War on Terror."
In simple terms, Sections 1031 and 1032 of S. 1867 allow American citizens to be detained indefinitely - without charges or trial - until the War on Terror is declared over.
There has been some recent confusion over what exactly the Senate bill actually stipulates.
In fact, when you call your representative and BOTH of your senators, as I'm about to ask you to do, the staff will probably give you one of two canned responses:
1.) "The Feinstein amendment #1456, which passed on Dec. 1 (by a vote of 99-1), says that no provision of Sec. 1031 can be taken to "affect existing law or authorities, relating to the detention of United States citizens."
In reality, this was added nearly unanimously at the last minute to appease those of us rightly opposed to these detention provisions. In the Congressional Record that day, there are arguments from Senators Lindsey Graham and Carl Levin, both of whom supported this amendment, stating they believe the President and Congress already have the authority to detain American Citizens, since the Supreme Court hasn't yet ruled otherwise. This is not the case, but it explains why the bill's main supporters did not oppose the Feinstein amendment.
2.) "It already exempts American Citizens. You should know that Sec. 1032 actually states: "The requirement to detain a person in military custody under this section does not extend to citizens of the United States."
Don't fall for their cleverly chosen legislative language.
A careful reading of the suspect sections bears out that, while there is no requirement to detain an American citizen, the act thereof is not explicitly prohibited. By extension, it is actually permitted.
As if the above is not bad enough, the power to determine which American citizens will be indefinitely detained without charges or trial will be left to the President alone.
I'm certain you would agree that something as important as overturning longstanding American jurisprudence deserves to be the subject of a vigorous debate in a public forum.
But, late last week, the House, by an overwhelming majority (406-17), passed a motion that allowed this Joint Committee to meet in secret.
Last night, the House and Senate conferees emerged without having changed the offending detainee provisions of the NDAA.
And the section numbers (formerly 1031 and 1032) have been changed to 1021 and 1022.
A vote on the conference report could come as early as this Wednesday in the House of Representatives!
So I need your members of Congress to know where you stand immediately!
It is imperative you contact your representative and both of your senators today to urge them to vote NO on the NDAA (H.R. 1540/S. 1867) Conference Report unless Secs. 1021 and 1022 are removed or modified to explicitly exclude all U.S. citizens and lawful resident aliens.
Also related to this story is this one:
Here at C4L, we've been getting a wide range of questions from our members about what happened in the Senate during the fight over S. 1867, the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), and what the current status of the bill is.
Legislative battles are often fast-paced fights where details are changing minute-to-minute. Unfortunately, the internet doesn't always help clear things up because many political reporters who think they have a grasp of what is occurring, don't, and they unintentionally mislead people. To help clear things up, we'll start with the most recent, and work our way back, then finish up with where the bill is now.
To begin, the Senate passed the NDAA on Thursday Dec. 1, by a vote of 93-7. This is not the end of the fight. The House passed a different version, H.R. 1540, near the end of May. Both versions will now end up in a joint House/Senate conference where differences will be hammered out, but more on that at the end.
On Friday, Dec. 2nd, C4L's Vice President, Matt Hawes sent around an email describing an amendment to S. 1867 that would have allowed the military to keep an individual locked up even after they had been tried and found NOT GUILTY until after the conclusion of the "War on Terror." Senator Paul helped defeat the amendment, S.A. 1274, by a vote of 41-59, just by calling for a roll call vote on Thursday night.
What you won't see from looking at the roll call vote on S.A. 1274, is that Senators Carl Levin, John McCain, and members of both parties had agreed to allow the amendment to pass by voice vote, but when forced to record Yea or Nay next to their name, the majority voted against it.
Next, we move back to last Thursday afternoons vote on Senate Amendments (S.A.) 1125 & 1126. Campaign for Liberty urged a "YES" vote on both of these amendments.
S.A. 1125 would have clarified that military requirement to detain individuals only applies to those captured overseas by adding the word "abroad" after "captured" in Section 1032 of S. 1867. This amendment failed by a vote of 45-55.
S.A. 1126 would have amended Section 1031 of S. 1867 to clearly state that the authority to detain individuals does not confer any authority of the military to detain American citizens without trial until the end of hostilities. This amendment also failed by a vote of 45-55.
Now, it's important to make something very clear here. We've received a number of messages from well-intentioned folks who contacted us saying something like, "But, Section 1032 already says it doesn't apply to U.S. Citizens, you're making a fight where there isn't one and really just being used as pawns in the ACLU's liberal agenda..."
I cannot stress this enough (nor can I express how many times I responded to it by email, phone, and private message) -- don't be fooled by Section 1032, Subsection (b) on "Applicability to United States Citizens and Lawful Resident Aliens."
Despite what a straight-forward reading of the text would appear to say, that the "requirement to detain a person" does not apply to U.S. Citizens and Lawful Resident Aliens this is just cleverly worded political-speak to deceive the American people. Just because they aren't "required" doesn't mean they aren't allowed.
With all that cleared up (hopefully clear as glass rather than mud) let's look at where we're at now.
The National Defense Authorization Act, (H.R. 1540/S. 1867) is now in a conference committee squaring the differences between the House and the Senate version. The House passed a motion that allows them to hold the meetings for this important conference committee behind closed doors. Arguments pertaining to something as important as overturning the Posse Comitatus Act and Habeus Corpus deserve to be heard in a public forum.
Click here to see a list of House & Senate Conferees. If your representative or senator is one of those listed, please contact them immediately at 202-224-3121 and urge them not to sign the conference report unless the language of Sec. 1031 & 1032 is removed or modified to explicitly exclude all U.S. Citizens and lawful resident aliens.
A vote on the conference report could come as early as this Thursday in the House of Representatives. It is imperative you contact your representative and both of your senators today to urge them to vote no on the NDAA Conference Report unless Sec. 1031 & 1032 are removed or the offending sections are modified in such a way as to prohibit the application to U.S. Citizens and lawful resident aliens.
Source:click here
Let's contact our elected leaders by clicking here and let them know to make the modifications to safeguard U.S. citizen's rights. The more of us they hear from the better so email them today.
You and I both know that freedom is not free. Its price cannot be measured in dollars - and its defense requires eternal vigilance.
On December 1, the U.S. Senate passed S. 1867, the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), by a vote of 93-7.
A slightly different NDAA, H.R. 1540, had already passed the U.S. House in May, and it has been reconciled with the Senate version in a closed session of a Joint Conference Committee.
The NDAA is passed annually to specify the budget and expenditures for the U.S. Department of Defense, but this year's version would essentially strip American Citizens of due process - protections that used to set us apart from despotic nations.
The Senate version of the NDAA declares the homeland to be part of the battlefield in the "War on Terror."
In simple terms, Sections 1031 and 1032 of S. 1867 allow American citizens to be detained indefinitely - without charges or trial - until the War on Terror is declared over.
There has been some recent confusion over what exactly the Senate bill actually stipulates.
In fact, when you call your representative and BOTH of your senators, as I'm about to ask you to do, the staff will probably give you one of two canned responses:
1.) "The Feinstein amendment #1456, which passed on Dec. 1 (by a vote of 99-1), says that no provision of Sec. 1031 can be taken to "affect existing law or authorities, relating to the detention of United States citizens."
In reality, this was added nearly unanimously at the last minute to appease those of us rightly opposed to these detention provisions. In the Congressional Record that day, there are arguments from Senators Lindsey Graham and Carl Levin, both of whom supported this amendment, stating they believe the President and Congress already have the authority to detain American Citizens, since the Supreme Court hasn't yet ruled otherwise. This is not the case, but it explains why the bill's main supporters did not oppose the Feinstein amendment.
2.) "It already exempts American Citizens. You should know that Sec. 1032 actually states: "The requirement to detain a person in military custody under this section does not extend to citizens of the United States."
Don't fall for their cleverly chosen legislative language.
A careful reading of the suspect sections bears out that, while there is no requirement to detain an American citizen, the act thereof is not explicitly prohibited. By extension, it is actually permitted.
As if the above is not bad enough, the power to determine which American citizens will be indefinitely detained without charges or trial will be left to the President alone.
I'm certain you would agree that something as important as overturning longstanding American jurisprudence deserves to be the subject of a vigorous debate in a public forum.
But, late last week, the House, by an overwhelming majority (406-17), passed a motion that allowed this Joint Committee to meet in secret.
Last night, the House and Senate conferees emerged without having changed the offending detainee provisions of the NDAA.
And the section numbers (formerly 1031 and 1032) have been changed to 1021 and 1022.
A vote on the conference report could come as early as this Wednesday in the House of Representatives!
So I need your members of Congress to know where you stand immediately!
It is imperative you contact your representative and both of your senators today to urge them to vote NO on the NDAA (H.R. 1540/S. 1867) Conference Report unless Secs. 1021 and 1022 are removed or modified to explicitly exclude all U.S. citizens and lawful resident aliens.
Also related to this story is this one:
Here at C4L, we've been getting a wide range of questions from our members about what happened in the Senate during the fight over S. 1867, the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), and what the current status of the bill is.
Legislative battles are often fast-paced fights where details are changing minute-to-minute. Unfortunately, the internet doesn't always help clear things up because many political reporters who think they have a grasp of what is occurring, don't, and they unintentionally mislead people. To help clear things up, we'll start with the most recent, and work our way back, then finish up with where the bill is now.
To begin, the Senate passed the NDAA on Thursday Dec. 1, by a vote of 93-7. This is not the end of the fight. The House passed a different version, H.R. 1540, near the end of May. Both versions will now end up in a joint House/Senate conference where differences will be hammered out, but more on that at the end.
On Friday, Dec. 2nd, C4L's Vice President, Matt Hawes sent around an email describing an amendment to S. 1867 that would have allowed the military to keep an individual locked up even after they had been tried and found NOT GUILTY until after the conclusion of the "War on Terror." Senator Paul helped defeat the amendment, S.A. 1274, by a vote of 41-59, just by calling for a roll call vote on Thursday night.
What you won't see from looking at the roll call vote on S.A. 1274, is that Senators Carl Levin, John McCain, and members of both parties had agreed to allow the amendment to pass by voice vote, but when forced to record Yea or Nay next to their name, the majority voted against it.
Next, we move back to last Thursday afternoons vote on Senate Amendments (S.A.) 1125 & 1126. Campaign for Liberty urged a "YES" vote on both of these amendments.
S.A. 1125 would have clarified that military requirement to detain individuals only applies to those captured overseas by adding the word "abroad" after "captured" in Section 1032 of S. 1867. This amendment failed by a vote of 45-55.
S.A. 1126 would have amended Section 1031 of S. 1867 to clearly state that the authority to detain individuals does not confer any authority of the military to detain American citizens without trial until the end of hostilities. This amendment also failed by a vote of 45-55.
Now, it's important to make something very clear here. We've received a number of messages from well-intentioned folks who contacted us saying something like, "But, Section 1032 already says it doesn't apply to U.S. Citizens, you're making a fight where there isn't one and really just being used as pawns in the ACLU's liberal agenda..."
I cannot stress this enough (nor can I express how many times I responded to it by email, phone, and private message) -- don't be fooled by Section 1032, Subsection (b) on "Applicability to United States Citizens and Lawful Resident Aliens."
Despite what a straight-forward reading of the text would appear to say, that the "requirement to detain a person" does not apply to U.S. Citizens and Lawful Resident Aliens this is just cleverly worded political-speak to deceive the American people. Just because they aren't "required" doesn't mean they aren't allowed.
With all that cleared up (hopefully clear as glass rather than mud) let's look at where we're at now.
The National Defense Authorization Act, (H.R. 1540/S. 1867) is now in a conference committee squaring the differences between the House and the Senate version. The House passed a motion that allows them to hold the meetings for this important conference committee behind closed doors. Arguments pertaining to something as important as overturning the Posse Comitatus Act and Habeus Corpus deserve to be heard in a public forum.
Click here to see a list of House & Senate Conferees. If your representative or senator is one of those listed, please contact them immediately at 202-224-3121 and urge them not to sign the conference report unless the language of Sec. 1031 & 1032 is removed or modified to explicitly exclude all U.S. Citizens and lawful resident aliens.
A vote on the conference report could come as early as this Thursday in the House of Representatives. It is imperative you contact your representative and both of your senators today to urge them to vote no on the NDAA Conference Report unless Sec. 1031 & 1032 are removed or the offending sections are modified in such a way as to prohibit the application to U.S. Citizens and lawful resident aliens.
Source:click here
Let's contact our elected leaders by clicking here and let them know to make the modifications to safeguard U.S. citizen's rights. The more of us they hear from the better so email them today.
Friday, December 9, 2011
Be cautious my Canadian brothers
We are all being watched
“I am not placing you under arrest, but I have some questions and I am going to read you your rights.”
That was the first thing the prominent Canadian MRA, whom we must now refer to as Mr. X, was told when he walked into the police investigators office. He had been phoned at work the day before by police officials, who told X that an allegation had been made against him that involved the MRM, stockpiling weapons and threats to do harm. They asked him to come in to “answer some questions.”
Those questions were largely about his personal life and beliefs, focusing on whether he was a violence prone individual. There were questions about the MRM and MRA’s, and it became clear to him during the course of the interview that significant prior effort had been invested by police officials into studying his beliefs as well as the overall mentality of those in the movement.
He admits to being a little rattled. Making threats of violence of any kind is a very serious matter in Canada. And something like this coming nearly to the day on the anniversary of the “Montreal Massacre,” was a bit more chilling. December 6 marks the day that Marc Lepine murdered fourteen women and wounded ten women and four men at the École Polytechnique, an engineering school affiliated with the University of Montréal.
Anyone, and this includes police officials, who has read Mr. X’s blog articles or watched his YouTube videos, knows him to be a level headed, intellectual sort, not given to violence. But it is clear that someone reported otherwise to Canadian law enforcement. The question remains why, but that is likely to never be answered because he was not made privy to where the complaint originated.
He was informed, according to my conversation with him last night, that he was not a suspect and the police found nothing in his writings that caused them concern. They were, in effect, following up on a complaint and after speaking with him determined there was no need for further inquiry. So they said.
But even in the best case scenario, there is an object lesson in the thick of this that must be addressed. The men’s movement is a growing phenomenon. We are, as were we destined to do, starting to scare some people. That is what happens when insight meets ignorance. Those who cling to the status quo, in this case feminist governance, get uncomfortable. They react. Over react. Although over reaction may be the wrong word. These people were full of hate and lies long before anyone started speaking back.
It is possible that this was orchestrated, that more than one person conspired to set our associate up for trouble. It is also possible that this was one reactive person acting on their own. Again, we will never know.
But we do know enough to know that for MRA’s, especially those that live in Canada, that there is a need, not for panic, but for caution.
We are documenting the fact that these events transpired for the sake of public record. If other MRA’s are called in and questioned in similar circumstances we will document that as well. On the outside chance that we are seeing the police manipulated into some sort of ideological McCarthyism, we want to document it as it happens.
Regarding AVfM, there have been times when I have banned people from this site for making even non serious suggestions of violence. I have gotten complaints and nasty emails for doing so. Now you know at least one reason why I felt it was necessary.
Personally, I would be flabbergasted to know there are any MRA’s out there that would take their beliefs and use them as an excuse for violence. And truth tell, I am more than happy with their being removed from our ranks, and even from society, if they are out there.
The only weapon we ever needed is the truth, and I do believe that we can see through Mr.X’s unfortunate experience, that the truth is indeed a potent weapon that causes irrational reactions from the very people we would identify as the problem.
But a word of caution. As we know all too well, lies are powerful weapons, too. They can take a terrible toll in terms of lost reputation, as even lost freedom. Unfortunate then that our stock and trade is in dealing with liars. We see people like David Futrelle and others trying to cast us as pro-violence in any way they possibly can, often treating the truth and integrity like minor obstacles to their ambitions.
So, the question becomes, how are we going to react to what has happened here? The answer is that we are going to move ahead full steam. We won’t slither into private forums with our beliefs. That is the province of those we oppose, as you will soon see detailed on the pages of this site like never before.
Just like Mr. X, the people at AVfM are simply telling the truth and looking for justice. There is no need to slow down or change course. But these events remind us that on whatever level you can imagine, there are those that would do most anything to shut us up. Or, as we have said around here before, we are getting flak, so we must be over the target.
But, it is official now, people. They are watching us. We must remain aware of that, even though it changes nothing that we do. AVfM will continue to enforce its no violence policy, just as we have from the day we launched. And we will continue to confront hateful ideologues, corrupt public officials and the plague of misandry wherever we find it and FTSU.
Sometimes the ride will get bumpy, so we are all better off to strap in securely.
Written by
Paul Elam
Source:click here
I'm sure we are making an impact in Canada along with the rest of western societies and there are those that will resist us,resist us even to the point of censorship and/or violence. We have the truth on our side,that is more than our enemies have and with the truth we can show the world who is telling the truth. I guess taking into consideration what Canadian MRA Earl Silverman is putting the Human (Women's) Rights Commission through and according to Earl he is having a blast putting the feminazis through this then yes,feminazis and other defenders of evil have a lot to be afraid of.
“I am not placing you under arrest, but I have some questions and I am going to read you your rights.”
That was the first thing the prominent Canadian MRA, whom we must now refer to as Mr. X, was told when he walked into the police investigators office. He had been phoned at work the day before by police officials, who told X that an allegation had been made against him that involved the MRM, stockpiling weapons and threats to do harm. They asked him to come in to “answer some questions.”
Those questions were largely about his personal life and beliefs, focusing on whether he was a violence prone individual. There were questions about the MRM and MRA’s, and it became clear to him during the course of the interview that significant prior effort had been invested by police officials into studying his beliefs as well as the overall mentality of those in the movement.
He admits to being a little rattled. Making threats of violence of any kind is a very serious matter in Canada. And something like this coming nearly to the day on the anniversary of the “Montreal Massacre,” was a bit more chilling. December 6 marks the day that Marc Lepine murdered fourteen women and wounded ten women and four men at the École Polytechnique, an engineering school affiliated with the University of Montréal.
Anyone, and this includes police officials, who has read Mr. X’s blog articles or watched his YouTube videos, knows him to be a level headed, intellectual sort, not given to violence. But it is clear that someone reported otherwise to Canadian law enforcement. The question remains why, but that is likely to never be answered because he was not made privy to where the complaint originated.
He was informed, according to my conversation with him last night, that he was not a suspect and the police found nothing in his writings that caused them concern. They were, in effect, following up on a complaint and after speaking with him determined there was no need for further inquiry. So they said.
But even in the best case scenario, there is an object lesson in the thick of this that must be addressed. The men’s movement is a growing phenomenon. We are, as were we destined to do, starting to scare some people. That is what happens when insight meets ignorance. Those who cling to the status quo, in this case feminist governance, get uncomfortable. They react. Over react. Although over reaction may be the wrong word. These people were full of hate and lies long before anyone started speaking back.
It is possible that this was orchestrated, that more than one person conspired to set our associate up for trouble. It is also possible that this was one reactive person acting on their own. Again, we will never know.
But we do know enough to know that for MRA’s, especially those that live in Canada, that there is a need, not for panic, but for caution.
We are documenting the fact that these events transpired for the sake of public record. If other MRA’s are called in and questioned in similar circumstances we will document that as well. On the outside chance that we are seeing the police manipulated into some sort of ideological McCarthyism, we want to document it as it happens.
Regarding AVfM, there have been times when I have banned people from this site for making even non serious suggestions of violence. I have gotten complaints and nasty emails for doing so. Now you know at least one reason why I felt it was necessary.
Personally, I would be flabbergasted to know there are any MRA’s out there that would take their beliefs and use them as an excuse for violence. And truth tell, I am more than happy with their being removed from our ranks, and even from society, if they are out there.
The only weapon we ever needed is the truth, and I do believe that we can see through Mr.X’s unfortunate experience, that the truth is indeed a potent weapon that causes irrational reactions from the very people we would identify as the problem.
But a word of caution. As we know all too well, lies are powerful weapons, too. They can take a terrible toll in terms of lost reputation, as even lost freedom. Unfortunate then that our stock and trade is in dealing with liars. We see people like David Futrelle and others trying to cast us as pro-violence in any way they possibly can, often treating the truth and integrity like minor obstacles to their ambitions.
So, the question becomes, how are we going to react to what has happened here? The answer is that we are going to move ahead full steam. We won’t slither into private forums with our beliefs. That is the province of those we oppose, as you will soon see detailed on the pages of this site like never before.
Just like Mr. X, the people at AVfM are simply telling the truth and looking for justice. There is no need to slow down or change course. But these events remind us that on whatever level you can imagine, there are those that would do most anything to shut us up. Or, as we have said around here before, we are getting flak, so we must be over the target.
But, it is official now, people. They are watching us. We must remain aware of that, even though it changes nothing that we do. AVfM will continue to enforce its no violence policy, just as we have from the day we launched. And we will continue to confront hateful ideologues, corrupt public officials and the plague of misandry wherever we find it and FTSU.
Sometimes the ride will get bumpy, so we are all better off to strap in securely.
Written by
Paul Elam
Source:click here
I'm sure we are making an impact in Canada along with the rest of western societies and there are those that will resist us,resist us even to the point of censorship and/or violence. We have the truth on our side,that is more than our enemies have and with the truth we can show the world who is telling the truth. I guess taking into consideration what Canadian MRA Earl Silverman is putting the Human (Women's) Rights Commission through and according to Earl he is having a blast putting the feminazis through this then yes,feminazis and other defenders of evil have a lot to be afraid of.
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