Glenn Beck’s Idea of ‘Freedom’: Letting Corporations Control What You Read on the Internet – Net neutrality is the fundamental openness principle of the Internet. Whenever you connect to the Internet, net neutrality makes sure that you can connect to everyone else who’s on the Internet. And this has been a tremendous engine for free speech, for economic innovation, for equal opportunity.
But, we are now fighting with some very prominent Internet service providers, very powerful companies, to try to preserve that fundamental openness. These companies want to control where you can go, what speed you can use, and how much they can charge for these special privileges.
Glenn Beck is now pushing the notion that somehow, regulating Internet providers so that they cannot determine or limit public access is the same thing as communism. He says it’s an attack on “freedom of speech” — when it obviously is precisely the opposite. Indeed, his argument boils down to a simple proposition: “Freedom” means letting powerful business interests control the public’s access to the internet.
Beck’s discussion featured a guy named Phil Kerpen from Americans For Prosperity, which has a long history of shilling for whatever right-wing corporate agenda it can suck out money for: tobacco interests, health-insurance companies, corporate polluters have all pitched in money so that AFP can variously promote tobacco, lobby against health-care reform (it was one of the original promoters of the Tea Parties) and push the idea that global warming isn’t really happening. Nice company.
Rush Limbaugh Tells Environmental Reporter to Kill Himself – Rush Limbaugh said of Andrew Revkin, The New York Times’ lead environmental reporter:
“This guy from The New York Times, if he really thinks that humanity is destroying the planet, humanity is destroying the climate, that human beings in their natural existence are going to cause the extinction of life on Earth — Andrew Revkin,” Limbaugh quipped. “Mr. Revkin, why don’t you just go kill yourself and help the planet by dying?”
Of environmentalists in general, the conservative heavyweight declared they’re really just would-be suicide bombers.
Goldman Sachs’s Griffiths Says Inequality Helps All – A Goldman Sachs International adviser defended compensation in the finance industry as his company plans a near-record year for pay, saying the spending will help boost the economy.
“We have to tolerate the inequality as a way to achieve greater prosperity and opportunity for all,†Brian Griffiths, who was a special adviser to former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, said yesterday at a panel discussion at St. Paul’s Cathedral in London. The panel’s discussion topic was, “What is the place of morality in the marketplace?â€
Yes, remember, the only way for everyone to advance is to give more to the people already on top. Huh?
Congressional Sportsmen’s Caucus Says, “We hunt liberal, tree-hugging Democrats” – Rep. Gregg Harper, a Mississippi Republican, had a jocular interview with Politico’s Anne Schroeder Mullins and popped out this little knee-slapper:
Mullins: What in the world does the Congressional Sportsmen’s Caucus do?
Harper: We hunt liberal, tree-hugging Democrats, although it does seem like a waste of good ammunition.
Fox News Shows Just Just How far They Will Go – Fox & Friends hosts Brian Kilmeade and Steve Doocy were gabbing away with Bush-era Press Secretary Dana Perino about how wrong they think it is that the Obama administration is finally standing up against the numerous falsehoods and manipulations aired by Fox News. Doocy says that an article in Newsweek states that the critisism of Fox News is un-American.
The Newsweek article actually states the exact opposite – that Rupert Murdoch and Fox News are un-American. Doocy showed that he couldn’t even correctly read the title of the article, “The O’Garbage Factor. Fox News isn’t just bad. It’s un-American.”
The Ten Most Egregious Fox News Distortions (Videos) – Fox News has defended itself against administration criticism by saying the White House has confused its pundit shows with its news programs. But the network constantly, misleadingly disparages Obama and his administration in its supposedly straight reporting. At the link are videos of ten of the worst examples; there are many more.
Hypocrisy Alert: 67 House Republicans Take Credit for the Economic Bills They Opposed – Here is the House Republicans Hypocrisy Hall of Fame, which has now grown to 67 Members. These Republicans have been caught trying to celebrate the benefits of projects they opposed in President Obama’s recovery bill, the 2009 Omnibus Appropriations bill, and the Omnibus Public Land Management Act.
A few of the entries:
· Representative Pete Olson (TX-22) – Representative Pete Olson showed his hypocrisy after asking the Obama Administration for three billion in funds for NASA from the economic recovery act, which he voted against. Members of the Texas delegation signed the letter, including two Republican Senators and 19 House Republicans who all voted against the recovery act in February. [Texas delegation wants stimulus money for NASA, Houston Chronicle, 10/5/09]
· Representative Eric Cantor (VA-07) – The Culpeper Star-Exponent (Allison Brophy Champion) reports that Democrats are calling out Republican Whip Eric Cantor for what they claim is contradictory support of federal funding for high-speed rail in Virginia. The funding would be part of President Barack Obama’s stimulus package – the same stimulus package Cantor vehemently opposed earlier this year. [Dems: Cantor a hypocrite on high-speed rail, Culpeper Star-Exponent, 6/24/09]
· Representative Aaron Schock (IL-18) – “The biodiesel plant is ready to go. I want to call for a meeting with the state to guarantee $20 million in loans for the building of the plant. This could produce real jobs and a real stimulus in the next 30 days.” [Peoria Journal Star; 2/17/09]
· “Last week, U.S. Rep. Aaron Schock was in East Peoria to award the city’s Police Department a $410,000 federal grant to update its aging in-car video camera systems and portable radios… that money was included in the FY 2009 Omnibus Spending Bill that Schock, a Peoria Republican, voted against. [Peoria Journal Star; 6/29/09]
· Representative Bill Young (FL-10) – Rep. Bill Young of Florida’s congressional Web site contains a page with dozens of links to help Floridians “take advantage of federal stimulus money.” [GOP opposes plan then seeks money, AP, 8/27/09]
Regards,
Jim
Andy Hailey