Senator John Kerry is Taking YOUR Suggestions on Expanding Broadband Access

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Tuesday September 25, 2007 · 8:26 PM PDT

2007/09/25 · 20:26

John Kerry is blogging over at SaveTheInternet.com. He hits the major points: broadband access is good for everyone, including small business, minorities, and media. Most importantly, he’s looking for recommendations:

…on Wednesday I will chair a hearing to explore the impact of a lack of adequate broadband access on our nation’s small businesses. We’ll be looking for ways to move closer to making broadband accessible and affordable for every American and every business. We’ll hear from advocates for greater broadband penetration (including Free Press’ own Ben Scott), and 2 FCC commissioners will be there, as well. You can watch the hearing live at http://sbc.senate.gov.

[snip]

And, in addition to watching, please put in comments below your own thoughts, recommendations, and plans to improve broadband penetration.

My idea after the jump...

Cross posted at The Seminal

fatbyjhnsn

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Thursday September 20, 2007 · 10:10 AM PDT

2007/09/20 · 10:10

The Democrats just passed a Republican resolution condemning the MoveOn ad that called General Petraeus a biased figurehead 72-25.

Do the Democrats even know who votes for them anymore? Don’t they understand that if they continue to piss off the die-hard Democrats, the MoveOn Democrats, they are going to continue to lose elections?

Cross posted at The Seminal

fatbyjhnsn

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Tuesday September 18, 2007 · 6:46 PM PDT

2007/09/18 · 18:46

Now here's a novel idea. It seems at least one record company is using peer-to-peer download data for market research.

Interscope Records is using file sharing data from a company called MediaDefender, which bills itself as "the leading provider of anti-piracy solutions in the emerging Internet-Piracy-Prevention (IPP) industry." MediaDefender makes its money by seeding file sharing networks with bogus files, allowing content providers to serve users ads instead of the files users request, and in general try to screw up the peer-to-peer experience. Not that it's working.

In addition, they are apparently supplying traffic data to record companies like Interscope to help them choose which single to release next. Presumably, a song that is downloaded often on file sharing networks but has yet to be released as a single is a good target for promotion. It's like record companies have a little test market running online, which they can learn from before they spend money on advertising in the real market.

Cross posted at The Seminal

fatbyjhnsn

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Thursday September 13, 2007 · 12:46 PM PDT

2007/09/13 · 12:46

Last week I called for progressive plans for Iraq. Today, Barack Obama says he has one:

The American people have had enough of the shifting spin. We've had enough of extended deadlines for benchmarks that go unmet. We've had enough of mounting costs in Iraq and missed opportunities around the world. We've had enough of a war that should never have been authorized and should never have been waged...And I am here to say that we have to begin to end this war now.

Any progressive plan for Iraq must adhere to the four assertions I've put forward. They are, in summary:

The Iraq War was a mistake.
Our presence in Iraq is making things worse, not better.
Iraq is a political problem, and it requires a political solution.
Our goal in Iraq should not be to “win,” but to leave responsibly.

Barack's new plan is a step towards these assertions. But it also falls short and leaves some troubling questions that must be answered.

fatbyjhnsn

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Wednesday September 12, 2007 · 2:53 PM PDT

2007/09/12 · 14:53

This is a call for progressive ideas about Iraq. It's time to stop waiting for Democratic leaders to propose their plans. Instead, it is time to start articulating our own.

I understand why progressives and leading Democrats are reluctant to put forward plans for transitioning out of Iraq. Devising any plan is fraught with complexity and peril. We've all seen how failure after failure has taken a toll on the Bush presidency. These failures will likely haunt Republicans for years to come. For progressives to come out with an idea of their own, while trying to convince the country they are fit to lead, and open themselves up to the same failures is a political risk few are willing to take.

Yet, it's imperative that we do put forward plans. We can't let Bush impale himself on his own sword, confident that in November 2008 we'll set things right again. There is frustration right now over Congress's inability to simply defund the war. Many believe that we need to sell the basic "get out of Iraq" message. However, while we continue these efforts, we need to be talking about future plans. We need to convince America that we are ready to lead. When we say we want out of Iraq immediately, we need a good answer to the inevitable conservative question, "Then what?"

fatbyjhnsn

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Tuesday September 11, 2007 · 2:51 PM PDT

2007/09/11 · 14:51

General Petraeus has called for a drawdown of U.S. troops:

Petraeus has recommended that some of the units be pulled out starting this month, beginning with a Marine Expeditionary Unit, followed by the withdrawal of a brigade in mid-December and the departure without replacement of four more brigades and two Marine battalions by July.

The plan would then continue to withdraw troops, though Petraeus declined to say exactly when this would happen or how many troops would be able to come home.

Clearly, this solution doesn't go far enough. Petraeus was wrong when he said the military objectives of the surge, "are in large measure being met." The surge has failed and the faster we bring our troops home, the faster Iraq can start to make real progress.

However, political momentum is now on our side. Many will rightly criticize the general for lying to Congress and manipulating statistics. Yet, Patraeus's overarching message is one we can use. While he is overly optimistic about the U.S. military's gains in Iraq, he has come out in favor of a withdrawal. If our "most trusted" general in Iraq says that we can withdraw, the battle to end the war is half over.

fatbyjhnsn

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Thursday September 06, 2007 · 2:02 PM PDT

2007/09/06 · 14:02

I moved from Chicago, where I had lived for 5 years, to Washington D.C. last week. I’m not an extravagant person, yet I was obliged to rent a moving truck to haul my assorted belongings from the shores of Lake Michigan to the banks of the Potomac. I completed this half-cross-country trip in two stages, stopping in Cincinnati, Ohio for a couple days before continuing on with the main push to D.C.

Though moving can be a real pain, I was actually excited about the trip itself. My father told me stories as a child of a cross-country car trip he took when he was finished with college, and so I was looking forward to having something of a cross-country trip of my own. I was excited to see this great country and I wasn’t at all phased by the thought of spending 8+ hours alone, driving a truck, with all of my worldly possessions riding behind me.

Of course, this truck, while newish and reliable (I used Penske, I highly recommend!), had no CD player or even tape player of any kind. And so my entertainment for the trip came solely from commercial radio.

It wasn't pretty. Hit the jump for some observations...

Cross posted at The Seminal

fatbyjhnsn

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Friday August 31, 2007 · 2:59 PM PDT

2007/08/31 · 14:59

At the Yearly Kos convention, I had the opportunity to ask a question about media consolidation to seven of the eight Presidential candidates present at the forum. My question was:

With only a handful of companies controlling the majority of news and information Americans consume, media consolidation and the lack of viewpoint diversity is threatening our democracy. How do you plan to support equal access to broadcast media?

The question was directed at Senator Dodd, and was then bumped over to Hillary Clinton. Dodd got a huge round of applause by pledging to stand up to corporations such as News Corp. not only as President, but also right now, during his time as a Senator. Clinton’s answer was less inspiring. She talked vaguely about competition and supporting net neutrality, but there were no firm proposals or pledges, only a promise to take a look at legislation in the future. You can see the full exchange here.

I submitted the same question to the Edwards campaign and I got a personal message back. Hit the jump for John's response.

Cross posted at The Seminal

fatbyjhnsn

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Wednesday August 29, 2007 · 2:55 PM PDT

2007/08/29 · 14:55

If Bush can start a preemptive war, I can do some preemptive Iraq framing. According to the NYTimes, the White House is going to offer a new strategy for Iraq in September. (What number strategy are we on? I've lost count.) That strategy won't be to dig ourselves in deeper with a further "surge" but to offer some (gasp!) troop reductions. Hooray! They're coming home!

Well, no.

Under [the withdrawal] timeline...the troop increase would end by April with the five brigades leaving Iraq one each month, with American force levels returning to the troop levels existing before the increase by next August.

So while troop levels will be reduced, we're basically talking about reversing the surge. That's not enough to hang my hat on. However, anti-war advocates and Dems must be ready for the spin. In fact, the goal of these "reductions" are political:

One administration official made it clear that the goal of the planned announcement was to counter public pressure for a more rapid reduction and to try to win support for a plan that could keep American involvement in Iraq on “a sustainable footing” at least through the end of the Bush presidency.

So, Democrats and anti-war peoples, how are you going to turn this in your favor?

fatbyjhnsn

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Monday August 27, 2007 · 2:42 PM PDT

2007/08/27 · 14:42

At some point, anyone who thinks about politics will inevitably ask themselves whether they think “the system” is working. As Americans who participate in democracy, we almost have a duty to think that way. The right to question the system and the right of revolution is taken straight from the Declaration of Independence:

That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these Ends, it is in the Right of the People to alter or abolish it, and to institute a new Government, laying its Foundation on such Principles, and organizing its Powers in such Form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.

So, when exactly is it time to rise up? When does one reach such a point that working within the system for change is hopeless, and dismantling the system from the outside is the only option? When are efforts to overthrow the system no longer unwarranted and insurgent, but just and revolutionary?

Cross posted at The Seminal

fatbyjhnsn

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Friday August 17, 2007 · 4:03 PM PDT

2007/08/17 · 16:03

Most people have probably heard of Phil Spector. He’s currently on trial for allegedly murdering girlfriend and B-movie actress Lana Clarkson in 2003. What you may not know is that Spector has been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and is arguably the most influential music producer of his generation, up there with the likes of George Martin and The Beatles and Brain Wilson of Beach Boys fame.

Follow me for more!

Cross posted at The Seminal

fatbyjhnsn

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Wednesday August 15, 2007 · 5:37 PM PDT

2007/08/15 · 17:37

david mizner railed yesterday against a post by Matt Stoller accusing John Edwards of veiled racism, which said:

John Edwards is talking about poverty, but he's not talking to poor people. He may say that women's rights are related to economic issues, but Clinton is actually framing her arguments around language women use. Edwards is talking as a college educated white guy to other college educated white guys. It's the white man's burden, and while well-meaning, it's a little racist and annoying.

To which david responds:

Stoller thinks it's racist to appeal to morality to help the poor. But who said the poor people Edwards wants to help are black or brown? Not Edwards; he frequently points out that most poor people are white and that poverty isn't a problem unique to cities. It's Stoller who assumes that poor people are black or brown'an interesting assumption for someone accusing someone else of racism.

And david has a point, but that doesn't really change Edward's problem. John Edwards, though I'm convinced he means well, is still a little bit racist.

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