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Corporate Monopolies Strike Out Against Web Neutrality

admin — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 20:26:00 +0000

It should come as no surprise, at a time when the free world wide web allows people and social movements to access information ignored by the corporate media and to organize mass movements such as the recent overthrow of the Egyptian leadership and the now international Occupy Wall Street, that the corporate media is striking back with a vengeance. The Senate Bill The Protect IP Act (PIPA, S. 968), and its sister House Bill, the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA, H.R. 3261) are currently under discussion in both houses of Congress. These bills were introduced on May 11^th, 2011, with the stated goal of protecting copyrighted media. In the words of H.R. 3261, its intent is “to promote prosperity, creativity, entrepreneurship, and innovation by combating the theft of U.S. property, and for other purposes.” However, the wording of the bills has the potential to take away the right of free speech for individual American citizens or organizations that challenge the Corporate Media status quo.

Under the pending legislation, owners of copyrighted material would be able claim infringement and approach the Justice Department requesting that the whole site be taken down. It furthermore absolves copyright holders and the government of all liability. The language in these bills is often vague, conflates corporate and national interests, and is open to multiple interpretations. SOPA, is nominally intended to “promote prosperity, creativity, entrepreneurship, and in-novation by combating the theft of U.S. property, and for other purposes.” It would permit the dismantling of sites that are perceived to be a threat to “national security” or to “economic creativity.”

The corporate media, when they mention it at all, don’t even pretend to be objective.

Edward Wyatt’s “Lines Drawn On Antipiracy Bill” from December 14^th, 2011, spends its first three paragraphs problematizing illegal downloading. The fourth paragraph describes the bill as “broadly supported on both sides of the political aisle.” In Wyatt’s fifth paragraph, he writes that “the howls of protest have been loud and lavishly financed, not only from Silicon Valley companies but also from public-interest groups, free-speech advocates and even venture capital investors.” The article quotes Tom Rothman, the co-chief executive of Fox Filmed Entertainment, and Lamar Smith, the Texas Republican who is the primary sponsor of the bill. The article does quote one voice in opposition to the legislation: Markham Erickson, the executive director of NetCoalition, a coalition of global internet companies including Google, Yahoo!, Amazon.com, eBay, IAC, Bloomberg LP, Expedia and Wikipedia. In other words, the only oppostional voice referenced in the article,supports Wyatt’s implicit claim that there exists no popular opposition to unchecked corporate domination of the world wide web.

This story, which potentially affects all users of the internet, is hardly mentioned at all in the corporate media, and when it is, the coverage is highly slanted.

Sources:

H.R. 3261,

http://judiciary.house.gov/hearings/pdf/112%20HR%203261.pdf

Title:”How SOPA would Affect You: FAQ”

Author: Declan McCullagh,

Source: news.cnet.com 12/7/11

http://news.cnet.com/‌8301-31921_3-57329001-281/‌how-sopa-would-affect-you-faq/

Title: “Lines Drawn on Antipiracy Bills”

Author: Edward Wyatt

New York Times, December 14^th, 2011

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/15/technology/lines-are-drawn-on-legislation-against-internet-piracy.html?scp=4&sq=SOPA&st=cse

Title: The Stop Online Piracy Act is Class War in Cyberspace, Enriching the 1% at the Expense of the 99%

Author: Dean Baker

Source: Alternet.org,

http://www.alternet.org/media/153319/the_stop_online_piracy_act_is_class_war_in_cyberspace,_enriching_the_1_at_the_expense_of_the_99

Student Researcher: Erika Cowan, Syracuse University

Faculty Evaluator: Jeff Simmons, Syracuse UniversitySimilar Posts:

Students Are Crushed By $1 Trillion Dollar Student Loan Debt

admin — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 17:51:09 +0000

At some point this year, student loan debt will exceed $1 trillion, surpassing credit card debt. Students accepted a home mortgage worth of debt before they ever even had a regular income. This is based on phony promises, and that the debt is inescapable, regardless of life circumstances or ability to pay. Due to the 2005 bankruptcy bill, debtors cannot discharge student loans through bankruptcy. The government is shielded from the risk, and creditors are licensed to collect by almost any means they deem necessary.

This student loan epidemic is going to lead to a generation of wage slavery. If students are lucky enough to find a job during our economic crisis, they will be spending a lot of their money paying off their student loans, and the banks will continue to see massive profits. Different institutions are encouraging people to take out student loans through mainstream media, when in reality taking out these loans are a big scam.

Title: The $1 Trillion Student Loan Rip-Off: How An Entire Generation Was Tricked Into Taking On Crushing Debt That Just Enriches Banks.”

Source: Alternet, October 20, 2011

Author: Alex Pareene

URL: http://www.alternet.org/story/152809/the_$1_trillion_student_loan_rip-off%3A_how_an_entire_generation_was_tricked_into_taking_on_crushing_debt_that_just_enriches_banks/?page=1

Student Researcher: Joshua Nervis – Sonoma State University

Faculty Advisor: David McCuan, Sonoma State Uinversity

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Congress Considers Endless War, Worldwide

admin — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 17:44:23 +0000

A controversial provision in the National Defense Authorization Bill that would “affirm” the President’s supposed power to wage perpetual war anywhere on Earth against undefined enemies — including Americans in the United States — is attracting fierce criticism from across the political spectrum.

The language was inserted into the bill by Rep. Howard McKeon (R-Calif.), the chairman of the Armed Services Committee. It purports to cede “the authority to use all necessary and appropriate force” to the executive branch in its never-ending battle against unnamed countries, organizations, and people.

The military could even be used to go after Americans in America. So-called “belligerents,” Americans included, could be detained without trial until the end of hostilities. “.… If Congress broadly turns over to the President the power that Article I of the Constitution provides to Congress to declare war, it very likely will never get the power back.”

“Of all of the powers that Article I of the Constitution assigns to Congress, no power is more fundamental or important than the power ‘to declare War,’” a letter from oppositionists concludes. “We urge you to use this power carefully, and to oppose this wholesale turnover of war power, without any checks — and without even holding a single hearing.”

Title: Congress Considers Endless War, Worldwide

Author: Alex Newman

Published in: The New American

Published on: May 16^th, 2011

URL: http://www.thenewamerican.com/usnews/foreign-policy/7502-congress-considers-endless-war-worldwide

Student Researcher – Corey Savio, Sonoma State University

Faculty Evaluator – James Joseph Dean, Sonoma State UniversitySimilar Posts:

South Dakota’s New Anti-Abortion Law: Longest Wait in Nation

admin — Mon, 18 Apr 2011 02:52:41 +0000

South Dakota Gov. Dennis Daugaard signed a law Tuesday requiring women to wait three days after meeting with a doctor to have an abortion, the longest waiting period in the nation. On Monday, March 21, 2011, this law was signed in order to restrict women’s reproductive rights and defer women from having abortions. Naturally, Pro-choice groups began firing up to file lawsuits against the new law. Gov. Daugaard refused to make any verbal comments after signing the bill, but said in a written statement that state attorneys will fight for this law in court, and that a sponsor is willing to fund private money to finance legal costs of the state. The new law also requires women to seek mandatory counseling at pregnancy help centers, also known as Crisis Pregnancy Centers (CPCs). These centers are often filled with unqualified medical personnel. The only purposes of these CPCs are to encourage and persuade women to carry and keep their child. By doing so, staff sometimes “counsels” by using false and misleading information. Visits to these Crisis Pregnancy Centers are against the woman’s will, and women of South Dakota are forced to reconsider aborting their babies.

Student Researcher: Jessica Santos
Faculty Instructor: Elliot D. Cohen
Indian River State College
Source: Benen, Steve. “SOUTH DAKOTA’S ODIOUS NEW ANTI-ABORTION LAW.” Washington Monthly (2011): 1. Web. 23 Mar 2011. Similar Posts:

Columbia: The Violent ‘Agrarian Counter-Reform’ Conspiracy

admin — Sun, 10 Apr 2011 02:04:38 +0000

Former Columbia Governor Alvaro Uribe instructed his allies in Congress, who formed a majority, to block passage of a bill that would have provided for, among other things, reparations and restoration of stolen property to victims of the paramilitaries. The bill, he argued, would entail costs too heavy for the state coffers to handle.

Testimony of former paramilitary chief Jairo Castillo “Pitirri” reveals the conspiracy between Uribe, far-right paramilitaries, agribusiness owners, and public employees of all levels. The paramilitaries were the ones doing the killing, others would follow behind, buying up the land, and then others would legalize the new ownership of the land. The aim was to keep the properties from being registered in the victim reparations funds to be created under the Law on Justice and Peace, to avoid handling them over in compensation, as part of the process of restoration of stolen property. Most of the millions of hectares of land that had been seized were put in the name of dummy companies and front men or sold to business people that also financed the election campaigns of close Uribe allies.
Title: Columbia: The Violent ‘Agrarian Counter-Reform’ Conspiracy

Author: Constanza Vieira

Source: CommonDreams.org, 8/22/10

URL: http://www.comondreams.org/headline/2010/08/22-0
Student Researcher: Caitlin Morgan, Sonoma State University

Faculty Advisor: Peter Phillips, Sonoma State UniversitySimilar Posts:

Activists Mobilize to Ban Arsenic in Maryland Poultry Production

admin — Tue, 05 Apr 2011 02:23:25 +0000

Maryland conservationists call upon the FDA to ban the use of arsenic in Maryland poultry production. Earlier this year, a bill to ban arsenic from chicken feed was introduced to the Maryland House of Delegates. Arsenic is often added to chicken feed in the form of compound roxarsone to control intestinal disease, promote growth, and also as a cosmetic additive. Between 20 and 50 metric tons of roxarsone are applied to crops every year via poultry waste. Chronic exposure to arsenic has been shown to increase the risk of cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, neurological deficits and other health problems. Since the FDA approved the use of arsenic in 1944, science had proven it to be a dangerous, unnecessary contaminant. Dr. Keeve Nachman of Johns Hopkins contends that the “approval of roxarone for the use of poultry and swine production is based on sorely outdated science that ignores both our present-day understanding of arsenic’s toxicity and the potential for arsenic to contaminate soils, water and crops where animal waste is spread.” By not revising the allowed levels of arsenic residues in poultry since 1951, the FDA has neglected to take into account the fact that the average American’s annual chicken consumption has tripled from 20 pounds in the 1940’s to nearly 60 pounds as of 2008. As the seventh largest poultry-producing state in the U.S., Maryland has the opportunity to make a major stride in the fight to protect the health of our environment.

Source: “Activists Mobilize to Ban Arsenic in Maryland Poultry Production; New Food & Water Watch Report Warns of Public Health and Environmental Risks of Chemical” Common Dreams, November 2010

http://www.commondreams.org/newswire/2010/11/09-12

Student Researchers: Zach Clapp and Michael Harris

Faculty Instructor: Kevin Howley Ph.D.

Evaluator: Richard Martoglio, Assistant Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry

DePauw University

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Emergency Financial Manager Bill Passes Michigan Senate

admin — Tue, 05 Apr 2011 01:14:48 +0000

With over 1,000 union members and supporters on the lawn, and hundreds packing the Capitol dome chanting “kill the bill,” the Republican controlled state Senate in Michigan passed the controversial “Emergency Financial Managers” Bill 153. The bill is expected to be signed into law by Republican Governor Rick Snyder after a conference committee reconciles the differences in each bodies version of the bill.

The Emergency Financial Manager Bill would allow the State Treasurer to determine the existence of a local governments financial crisis and then the Governor would appoint a financial reviewing team and the appointed Emergency Manager would have the power to: renegotiate or terminate the terms of an existing collective bargaining contract, disincorporate or dissolve municipal governments, consolidate municipalities, reorganize school districts and change academic plans, strip local governing bodies of any powers of office, recommend local governments to file for bankruptcy, exempt governing members from running for office for six years, and exempt local government from collective bargaining requirements for five years or until termination of the emergency state.

The Legislature could only remove an Emergency Manager with a two-thirds vote from each house. This bill will strip collective bargaining rights, reduce transparency of Government and allow for dramatic changes without the consent of the citizenry or their elected officials. Critics argue that the deep cuts in school funding and revenue sharing proposed by Gov. Snyder and Republican legislators could push many cities over the brink into bankruptcy, dramatically increasing the number of cities under control of the state-appointed emergency managers that will have unprecedented and many argue unconstitutional powers.

Title: Emergency Financial Manager bill on the verge of passage despite union protests on Tuesday
Source: The Michigan Messenger 3/9/2011
Author: Todd A. Heywood
URL: HYPERLINK “http://michiganmessenger.com/47158/emergency-financial-manager-bill-on-the-verge-of-passage” http://michiganmessenger.com/47158/emergency-financial-manager-bill-on-the-verge-of-passage
Title: Financial Manager bill passes Michigan Senate: Lawmakers crafting final version; Snyder’s approval expected
Source: The Detroit News 3/10/2011
Author: Karen Bouffard
HYPERLINK “URL:http://www.detnews.com/article/20110310/POLITICS02/103100375/1022/local/Financial-manager-bill-passes-Michigan-Senate” URL:http://www.detnews.com/article/20110310/POLITICS02/103100375/1022/local/Financial-manager-bill-passes-Michigan-Senate
Title: S.B. 153 (S-2)-158: Summary as Reported From Committee
Source: Senate Fiscal Agency, Michigan 2/25/2011
URL: HYPERLINK “http://www.legislature.mi.gov/documents/2011-2012/billanalysis/Senate/pdf/2011-SFA-0153-A.pdf” http://www.legislature.mi.gov/documents/2011-2012/billanalysis/Senate/pdf/2011-SFA-0153-A.pdf

Student Researcher: CONTACT _Con-36E91DB21 \c \s \l Amy Ortiz, Sonoma State University
Faculty Evaluator: Cynthia Boaz, Sonoma State UniversitySimilar Posts:

South Dakota Takes Extreme Measures to Be the Top Anti-Abortion State

admin — Sat, 12 Mar 2011 23:07:16 +0000

South Dakota is taking extreme action against any person who performs an abortion within the states borders. The South Dakota House is taking up a bill to redefine “justifiable homicide” that may “make it legal to kill doctors who perform abortions,”

Mother Jones reports. A bill, which is backed by the GOP in theory, could allow a woman’s father, mother, son, daughter, or husband to kill anyone who tried to provide that woman an abortion, even if she wanted the procedure. GOP lawmakers at the state and federal level have come up with four other radical abortion restrictions to marginalize women’s rights and eradicate choice. Through such inflexible attachment to pro-life policies, the GOP subordinates the choices and lives of women to a narrow-minded and impracticable philosophy.

In 1994, the state banned abortion providers inside its borders. “Planned Parenthood flies a doctor in from out-of-state once a week to see patients at a Sioux Falls clinic. Women from the more remote parts of the large, rural state drive up to six hours to reach this lone clinic” and must “receive counseling and wait 24 hours before undergoing the procedure.”

Other proposed restrictions include: GOP state lawmakers in Arizona and Ohio unveiled so-called “Heartbeat Bills” to “prohibit women from ending pregnancies at the first detectable fetal heartbeat.” The heartbeat can be heard “within 18 to 24 days of conception” and “in almost all cases by six weeks” — a period in which “many women don’t even know they’re pregnant.”

Texas Gov. Rick Perry (R) “fast-tracked” an anti-abortion bill mandating that “pregnant women be shown an ultrasound of the fetus at least two hours before an abortion.” Physicians would have to show the fetus’ dimensions, limbs or internal organs, and — if audible — the fetal heartbeat.”

An Arizona GOP Rep. Steve Montenegro actually introduced bills to criminalize abortions if they’re sought because of race or sex. The bill would charge doctors with a Class 3 felony if they “knowingly perform abortions for these reasons.”

On the federal level, House Republicans took the first two months of the newyear to marginalize the rights of women. First, they tried to exclude certain victims — including women who are drugged, women who do not physically fight off the offender, and some minors — from abortion coverage by redefining rape. Rep. Joe Pitts (R-PA) then introduced the “Protect Life Act,” a bill that would “give doctors the green light to let pregnant women die if they have a life-threatening condition and need and emergency abortion.”

Title: Five Ways That The GOP Is Trying To Eradicate A Woman’s Right To Choose

Author: Tanya Somanader

Source: Think Progress, 2/15/11

URL: http://thinkprogress.org/2011/02/15/five-ways-eradicate-choice/

Student Researcher: Taylor Wright, Sonoma State University

Faculty Evaluator: Don Romesburg , Sonoma State University

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Margo MacDonald’s End of Life Assistance Bill rejected

admin — Sun, 30 Jan 2011 01:41:02 +0000

On December 1, 2010 Margo MacDonald’s end of life assistance bill was rejected by the Scottish Parliament. Despite the fact that key measures were included for strict monitoring and interpretation, Parliament feared the bill would cause an increase in suicidal tourism. The bill would have allowed individuals over 16 years of age with a progressive degenerative condition, a trauma, or terminal illness to end their life with the help of a recognized medical practitioner. Each candidate for the procedure would have been required to meet certain standards, and their death would have been closely supervised. Committing suicide in Scotland is not illegal however assisting someone could result in prosecution. MacDonald is a seasoned politician who was diagnosed with Parkinson disease in 2002. She thought, “it was important to allow terminally ill people some dignity.”

Sources: n.a. (2010, Dec 1). “Margo MacDonald’s End of Life Assistance Bill rejected,” BBC News http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-11876821

n.a. (2010, Nov 18). “Holyrood Committee Rejects Right to Die Bill” BBC News http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-11781981

Background Source:

n.a. (2008 Oct 30)“MSP to Launch ‘Right to Die’ Bill” BBCNews, October 2008. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/7700814.stm

Student Researchers: Nichole Kelder & Sarah Vine

Faculty Evaluator: Karen Wilson, Department of English and Communication, SUNY Potsdam

photo from http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-11781981 Similar Posts:

Sharp Cut In Medicare Pay To Doctors

admin — Sun, 19 Dec 2010 04:32:02 +0000

The House has passed and sent to President Barack Obama a bill to delay for a year an impending sharp cut in Medicare pay to doctors. Doctors that threatened to disrupt care for the nation’s seniors will be cut funding. The doctor cuts are the result of a 1990s budget-balancing law that tried, but failed, to keep Medicare spending in line through automatic reductions. Congress was under tremendous pressure this time, with medical groups estimating that as many as two-thirds of doctors would stop taking new Medicare patients. “Many physicians made clear that this year’s roller coaster ride, caused by five delays of this year’s cut, forced them to make difficult practice changes like limiting the number of Medicare patients they could treat.” said Cecil B. Wilson, president of the American Medical Association. Congress will use the 12-month reprieve to try to come up with a new way of paying doctors that rewards quality care instead of sheer numbers of tests and procedures
Title: Medicare pay-cut delay passes House
Author: Eric Gay
Publication Source: The Christian Science Monitor, December 10, 2010
Author: Eric Gay
URL: HYPERLINK “http://www.csmonitor.com/Business/Latest-News-Wires/2010/1210/Medicare” http://www.csmonitor.com/Business/Latest-News-Wires/2010/1210/Medicare

Student Researcher: Danielle Frisk, Sonoma State University
Experts in Field: Elena Verba, RN at Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital

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