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Stories and comments across the archive that link to senate.gov.

Comments · 2,348

  1. Next Up by killmenow · · Score: 4, Interesting · on Broadcast Flag All But Approved

    Closing the analog hole

  2. Re:Are you people INSANE? by JCMay · · Score: 1 · on Dilbert Readers Rat Out Some Weasels

    Federal spending is not what makes the United States a great country. The American Experiment was not an experiment with strong central power; that had been done for years and was the very thing the American Revolutionaries were escaping. The United States constitution was constructed to balance the needs for some federal power (the Articles of Confederation gave it almost none!) while serverly restricting the excercise of those powers.

    I could not disagree with you more with regard to a new amendment abolishing the 9th and 10th amendments that Congress holds in such disdain. Instead, I am for a return to Federal constitutionally correctness and the ouster of those Representatives and Senators that fail to live up to their oaths of office. What does "promoting national growth and standards" conflict with a small, constitutionally correct Federal government? I'm somewhat bothered by government "promoting growth" of any fashion; should not a liberated people be left to achieve what they can imagine? How did the United States ever survive the Nineteenth Century without the programs of the New Deal or the Great Society? Remember: the "General Welfare Clause" is in the preamble, not Article I.

    For what it's worth, I'm for the repeal of the Seventeenth Amendment, as it silenced the voice of the States in Federal Government, giving power to the People that was originally intended for States to hold.

  3. Re:Taxachusetts by slamb · · Score: 1 · on More on Massachusetts' Push for Open Source
    Jameth wrote: As opposed to the conservatives, that never make intrusions into your privacy with massive things such as the Department of Homeland Security and the PATRIOT Act. No, they would never try to decide what was best for you.

    El replied: Gee, funny how those damn conservatives managed to pass all those with a Democrat majority in congress...

    Gee, funny how that didn't happen. The Republicans have the majority in the House and the Senate now. When the PATRIOT Act was passed on 24 Oct 2001, they had the majority in the House and the Senate was evenly divided (see this page about the 107th congress).

  4. Tell them you want VeriSign stopped! by SEE · · Score: 5, Informative · on VeriSign CEO on Commercializing the Internet
    1. The Department of Commerce; VeriSign's contract to operate .com and .org was originally with them.
    2. The Federal Communications Commission, which oversees telecommunications.
    3. The Senate Commerce Committee's Subcommittee on Communications; contact the committee itself, the chairman, the ranking member, and any of the other members you'd like.
    4. The House Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet, including the committee itself, the chairman, the vice-chairman, and the ranking member. Plus any of the other members you feel like contacting.
    5. The Federal Trade Commission, which hears consumer complaints.
    6. Your U.S. Representative
    7. Your Senators
    8. Your Governor
    9. Your State Legislators
    10. ICANN's wildcard comment address
    11. Finally, complain to the media. If they get enough letters on a topic, they'll run stories. Try the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Washington Times, the Los Angeles Times, USA Today, the Wall Street Journal, CNN, Fox News, CBS News, ABC News, NBC News and MSNBC.

    Remember, VeriSign is busy telling them its side of the story. We need to tell them ours!

  5. Tell them you want VeriSign stopped! by SEE · · Score: 5, Informative · on VeriSign CEO on Commercializing the Internet
    1. The Department of Commerce; VeriSign's contract to operate .com and .org was originally with them.
    2. The Federal Communications Commission, which oversees telecommunications.
    3. The Senate Commerce Committee's Subcommittee on Communications; contact the committee itself, the chairman, the ranking member, and any of the other members you'd like.
    4. The House Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet, including the committee itself, the chairman, the vice-chairman, and the ranking member. Plus any of the other members you feel like contacting.
    5. The Federal Trade Commission, which hears consumer complaints.
    6. Your U.S. Representative
    7. Your Senators
    8. Your Governor
    9. Your State Legislators
    10. ICANN's wildcard comment address
    11. Finally, complain to the media. If they get enough letters on a topic, they'll run stories. Try the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Washington Times, the Los Angeles Times, USA Today, the Wall Street Journal, CNN, Fox News, CBS News, ABC News, NBC News and MSNBC.

    Remember, VeriSign is busy telling them its side of the story. We need to tell them ours!

  6. Tell them you want VeriSign stopped! by SEE · · Score: 5, Informative · on VeriSign CEO on Commercializing the Internet
    1. The Department of Commerce; VeriSign's contract to operate .com and .org was originally with them.
    2. The Federal Communications Commission, which oversees telecommunications.
    3. The Senate Commerce Committee's Subcommittee on Communications; contact the committee itself, the chairman, the ranking member, and any of the other members you'd like.
    4. The House Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet, including the committee itself, the chairman, the vice-chairman, and the ranking member. Plus any of the other members you feel like contacting.
    5. The Federal Trade Commission, which hears consumer complaints.
    6. Your U.S. Representative
    7. Your Senators
    8. Your Governor
    9. Your State Legislators
    10. ICANN's wildcard comment address
    11. Finally, complain to the media. If they get enough letters on a topic, they'll run stories. Try the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Washington Times, the Los Angeles Times, USA Today, the Wall Street Journal, CNN, Fox News, CBS News, ABC News, NBC News and MSNBC.

    Remember, VeriSign is busy telling them its side of the story. We need to tell them ours!

  7. Tell them you want VeriSign stopped! by SEE · · Score: 5, Informative · on VeriSign CEO on Commercializing the Internet
    1. The Department of Commerce; VeriSign's contract to operate .com and .org was originally with them.
    2. The Federal Communications Commission, which oversees telecommunications.
    3. The Senate Commerce Committee's Subcommittee on Communications; contact the committee itself, the chairman, the ranking member, and any of the other members you'd like.
    4. The House Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet, including the committee itself, the chairman, the vice-chairman, and the ranking member. Plus any of the other members you feel like contacting.
    5. The Federal Trade Commission, which hears consumer complaints.
    6. Your U.S. Representative
    7. Your Senators
    8. Your Governor
    9. Your State Legislators
    10. ICANN's wildcard comment address
    11. Finally, complain to the media. If they get enough letters on a topic, they'll run stories. Try the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Washington Times, the Los Angeles Times, USA Today, the Wall Street Journal, CNN, Fox News, CBS News, ABC News, NBC News and MSNBC.

    Remember, VeriSign is busy telling them its side of the story. We need to tell them ours!

  8. Tell them you want VeriSign stopped! by SEE · · Score: 5, Informative · on VeriSign CEO on Commercializing the Internet
    1. The Department of Commerce; VeriSign's contract to operate .com and .org was originally with them.
    2. The Federal Communications Commission, which oversees telecommunications.
    3. The Senate Commerce Committee's Subcommittee on Communications; contact the committee itself, the chairman, the ranking member, and any of the other members you'd like.
    4. The House Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet, including the committee itself, the chairman, the vice-chairman, and the ranking member. Plus any of the other members you feel like contacting.
    5. The Federal Trade Commission, which hears consumer complaints.
    6. Your U.S. Representative
    7. Your Senators
    8. Your Governor
    9. Your State Legislators
    10. ICANN's wildcard comment address
    11. Finally, complain to the media. If they get enough letters on a topic, they'll run stories. Try the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Washington Times, the Los Angeles Times, USA Today, the Wall Street Journal, CNN, Fox News, CBS News, ABC News, NBC News and MSNBC.

    Remember, VeriSign is busy telling them its side of the story. We need to tell them ours!

  9. Contact your congress-critter re: VoIP by mjh · · Score: 1 · on Slashback: Forbes, VoIP, Firefly

    After reading the Vonage v. MPUC ruling, it's clear that the judge made his ruling based on the "clear intent" of the congress to seperate information services from telecommunications services. The former being of the type which congress clearly wishes to remain regulation free, and the latter of the type which congress enforces regulation.

    But this ruling is only as strong as congressional intent. MPUC (and for that matter any PUC) and all the LECs are going to start lobbying congress to change their intent w.r.t. VoIP. All that need happen is that congress clearly state that they did not intend to include VoIP as an information service and this ruling is moot.

    Call, write, email your congress critters today. Do it now. Remind them that they should keep regulation to a minimum only in areas where "full competition has emerged" (quoting the ruling).

  10. George Bush - Godless Communist by Richard+M.+Nixon · · Score: 1 · on Supreme Court Will Hear Pledge of Allegiance Case

    George Bush is not a man of God. George Bush abuses the name of God for his own political ends. George Bush is a sleeper agent for the Godless Communists. George Bush is a Godless Communist. George W Bush encourages our enemies to shoot down our troops in Iraq.

    That is why I, Richard Milhous Nixon, the greatest president this great country has ever had, is calling for all truely God fearing Americans to bring down this liberal pink hippie commie liberal scumbag George W. Bush. And don't wait until the Presidential election in November 2004. I'm calling on all Loyal Americans to join the Republican Party, if you haven't already, to vote against George W Bush in the Republican Primary.

    Vote for John McCain, a truely loyal American, who not only fought for our country, but survived being an MIA for years. Do you think that he would needlessly squander our military resources, and put our brave soldiers at risk like that Godless Communist George W Bush did in Iraq? No. John McCain knows what it means to be a soldier and would not risk other soldiers lives so pointlessly.

    Only a Liberal godless communist like JFK or George W Bush would start a war over so little. Remember, Liberals start wars, and true conservatives finish them. I didn't start Vietnam, Kennedy did. I just did what I had to do to finish it. That's why I say that George W Bush is a Godless Commie Liberal.

    Thank you, and good night.

  11. It's one plank in the wall by karmawarrior · · Score: 1 · on Apple Releases iTunes for Windows
    Well done Apple. This is the kind of action necessary to balance the interests of all sides in the digital music realm. On the one side you've had the users, who want a flexible, accessible, affordable method of downloading music. On the other, the music industry is panicy because it realizes that the digital medium provides a potential to bypass mechanisms to funnel payments to music creators on a scale never seen before. There will never be a perfect balance, the iTMS's limitation of 30 second clips still makes it hard to see people being able to sample music in the ways that Napster, Kazaa, and Gnutella have made possible. While independent publishers have cut into the burden, a large proportion of iTune's revenues still go to groups unrelated to the creation of the music it funds the creation of. Many artists are concerned because they want to ensure their works are bought and used as a whole, not as individual tracks, and the iTunes system isn't always optimized terribly well for that scenario.

    But undeniably, this is a step in the right direction. The above issues, of course, need to be addressed. Solutions such as online radio may improve the ability of individuals to sample music, for example, but the RIAA has created tough conditions for low level online radio systems, keeping the medium for the most part under the heavy thumb of the cartels. This isn't, by itself, a bad thing: there's nothing to stop independent groups coming together and creating libraries of non-mainstream music that Internet radio stations can play cheaply, or without cost at all. It requires the will however, and the mechanisms to be created such that Internet radio's operators can easily find and thus negotiate directly with such libraries, avoiding the dangerous possibility of not doing so and hitting the defaults the RIAA offers.

    Creating a huge, high quality, downloadable library, as Apple has done, and making it semi-platform-independent, is certainly a single brick that can be used as a plank to build a bigger concept, a better music platform than the bricks and mortar systems of the past. Without other bricks to form those additional planks, however, that concept will never be dreamt.

    This quagmire of downloadable music services requiring a substantial ancillary infrastructure to survive will not disappear by itself. Unless people are prepared to actually act, not just talk about it on Slashdot, nothing will ever get done. Apathy is not an option.

    You can help by getting off your rear and writing to your congressman [house.gov] or senator [senate.gov]. Tell them that online music is important to you. Tell them that the infrastructure, both technical and organizational, must be built up to ensure the long term viability of online music. Tell them that you appreciate the work being done by Apple and others to create download services but that if the rest of the system is not built you will be forced to use less and less secure and intelligently designed alternatives. Let them know that SMP may make or break whether you can efficiently deploy OpenBSD on your workstations and servers. Explain the concerns you have about freedom, openness, and choice, and how a lack of a viable music distribution network harms all three. Let your legislators know that this is an issue that effects YOU directly, that YOU vote, and that your vote will be influenced, indeed dependent, on their policies concerning downloadable music.

    You CAN make a difference. Don't treat voting as a right, treat it as a duty. Keep informed, keep your political representatives informed on how you feel. And, most importantly of all, vote.

  12. Re:My Idea for a name. by angst7 · · Score: 1 · on Element 110 Now Darmstadtium

    Been done - reference:

    Unobtainium.
    The official suppliers website

    and according to Sen. Jeff Bingaman, both Bowman and Doggit have some of it, and the U.S. is none too pleased.

  13. Re:Beating dead horses. by Guppy06 · · Score: 1 · on Oops, Dave Barry Does It Again

    No, I didn't. Chris Cannon was one of the 'yeas.' I was referring to HR 395, the actual Do-Not-Call List bill. What Cannon voted 'nay' on was HR 3161, the bill that got pushed through both houses in response to a federal court ruling that the FTC didn't have the authority to enforce the law. He was joined in by Kendrick Meek (D-FL), while Tom Tancredo (R-CO) did the reverse by voting against the actual law but in favor of delegating authority to the FTC.

    What's really interesting is the number of abstentions in the two votes, with almost twice as many non-voting members on HR 3161 as there were with HR 395. And, while I'm on the subject, HR 395 sailed through the Senate on a voice vote (which means nobody objected and there was no record kept) while there was a recorded Senate vote on HR 3161 of 95-0 with 5 abstentions.

  14. Complain about VeriSign here! by SEE · · Score: 5, Insightful · on Slashback: VeriSign, Balance, Manifestation
    1. The Department of Commerce; VeriSign's contract to operate .com and .org was originally with them.
    2. The Federal Communications Commission, which oversees telecommunications.
    3. The Senate Commerce Committee's Subcommittee on Communications; contact the committee itself, the chairman, the ranking member, and any of the other members you'd like.
    4. The House Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet, including the committee itself, the chairman, the vice-chairman, and the ranking member. Plus any of the other members you feel like contacting.
    5. The Federal Trade Commission, which hears consumer complaints.
    6. Your U.S. Representative
    7. Your Senators
    8. Your Governor
    9. Your State Legislators
    10. ICANN's wildcard comment address
    11. VeriSign itself
    12. Finally, complain to the media. If they get lots of letters on a topic, they'll run stories. Try the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Washington Times, the Los Angeles Times, USA Today, the Wall Street Journal, CNN, Fox News, CBS News, ABC News, NBC News and MSNBC.
  15. Complain about VeriSign here! by SEE · · Score: 5, Insightful · on Slashback: VeriSign, Balance, Manifestation
    1. The Department of Commerce; VeriSign's contract to operate .com and .org was originally with them.
    2. The Federal Communications Commission, which oversees telecommunications.
    3. The Senate Commerce Committee's Subcommittee on Communications; contact the committee itself, the chairman, the ranking member, and any of the other members you'd like.
    4. The House Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet, including the committee itself, the chairman, the vice-chairman, and the ranking member. Plus any of the other members you feel like contacting.
    5. The Federal Trade Commission, which hears consumer complaints.
    6. Your U.S. Representative
    7. Your Senators
    8. Your Governor
    9. Your State Legislators
    10. ICANN's wildcard comment address
    11. VeriSign itself
    12. Finally, complain to the media. If they get lots of letters on a topic, they'll run stories. Try the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Washington Times, the Los Angeles Times, USA Today, the Wall Street Journal, CNN, Fox News, CBS News, ABC News, NBC News and MSNBC.
  16. Complain about VeriSign here! by SEE · · Score: 5, Insightful · on Slashback: VeriSign, Balance, Manifestation
    1. The Department of Commerce; VeriSign's contract to operate .com and .org was originally with them.
    2. The Federal Communications Commission, which oversees telecommunications.
    3. The Senate Commerce Committee's Subcommittee on Communications; contact the committee itself, the chairman, the ranking member, and any of the other members you'd like.
    4. The House Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet, including the committee itself, the chairman, the vice-chairman, and the ranking member. Plus any of the other members you feel like contacting.
    5. The Federal Trade Commission, which hears consumer complaints.
    6. Your U.S. Representative
    7. Your Senators
    8. Your Governor
    9. Your State Legislators
    10. ICANN's wildcard comment address
    11. VeriSign itself
    12. Finally, complain to the media. If they get lots of letters on a topic, they'll run stories. Try the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Washington Times, the Los Angeles Times, USA Today, the Wall Street Journal, CNN, Fox News, CBS News, ABC News, NBC News and MSNBC.
  17. Complain about VeriSign here! by SEE · · Score: 5, Insightful · on Slashback: VeriSign, Balance, Manifestation
    1. The Department of Commerce; VeriSign's contract to operate .com and .org was originally with them.
    2. The Federal Communications Commission, which oversees telecommunications.
    3. The Senate Commerce Committee's Subcommittee on Communications; contact the committee itself, the chairman, the ranking member, and any of the other members you'd like.
    4. The House Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet, including the committee itself, the chairman, the vice-chairman, and the ranking member. Plus any of the other members you feel like contacting.
    5. The Federal Trade Commission, which hears consumer complaints.
    6. Your U.S. Representative
    7. Your Senators
    8. Your Governor
    9. Your State Legislators
    10. ICANN's wildcard comment address
    11. VeriSign itself
    12. Finally, complain to the media. If they get lots of letters on a topic, they'll run stories. Try the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Washington Times, the Los Angeles Times, USA Today, the Wall Street Journal, CNN, Fox News, CBS News, ABC News, NBC News and MSNBC.
  18. Complain about VeriSign here! by SEE · · Score: 5, Insightful · on Slashback: VeriSign, Balance, Manifestation
    1. The Department of Commerce; VeriSign's contract to operate .com and .org was originally with them.
    2. The Federal Communications Commission, which oversees telecommunications.
    3. The Senate Commerce Committee's Subcommittee on Communications; contact the committee itself, the chairman, the ranking member, and any of the other members you'd like.
    4. The House Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet, including the committee itself, the chairman, the vice-chairman, and the ranking member. Plus any of the other members you feel like contacting.
    5. The Federal Trade Commission, which hears consumer complaints.
    6. Your U.S. Representative
    7. Your Senators
    8. Your Governor
    9. Your State Legislators
    10. ICANN's wildcard comment address
    11. VeriSign itself
    12. Finally, complain to the media. If they get lots of letters on a topic, they'll run stories. Try the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Washington Times, the Los Angeles Times, USA Today, the Wall Street Journal, CNN, Fox News, CBS News, ABC News, NBC News and MSNBC.
  19. DAILY REMINDERS by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic · on Group Asks Gov't to Crack Down on Product Placement
    DAILY REMINDERS:

  20. Re:More canidates should do this by UrgleHoth · · Score: 2, Funny · on Free Software for Politics

    Especially John Sununu. They could have the slogan If you GNU Sununu like I GNU Sununu...

  21. Ticked at VeriSign? Tell these people! by SEE · · Score: 2, Informative · on 3rd Lawsuit Against VeriSign Seeks Class Action
    1. The Department of Commerce; VeriSign's contract to operate .com and .org was originally with them.
    2. The Federal Communications Commission, which oversees telecommunications.
    3. The Senate Commerce Committee's Subcommittee on Communications; contact the committee itself, the chairman, the ranking member, and any of the other members you'd like.
    4. The House Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet, including the committee itself, the chairman, the vice-chairman, and the ranking member. Plus any of the other members you feel like contacting.
    5. The Federal Trade Commission, which hears consumer complaints.
    6. Your U.S. Representative
    7. Your Senators
    8. Your Governor
    9. Your State Legislators
    10. ICANN's wildcard comment address
    11. VeriSign itself
    12. Finally, complain to the media. If they get lots of letters on a topic, they'll run stories. Try the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Washington Times, the Los Angeles Times, USA Today, the Wall Street Journal, CNN, Fox News, CBS News, ABC News, NBC News and MSNBC.

  22. Ticked at VeriSign? Tell these people! by SEE · · Score: 2, Informative · on 3rd Lawsuit Against VeriSign Seeks Class Action
    1. The Department of Commerce; VeriSign's contract to operate .com and .org was originally with them.
    2. The Federal Communications Commission, which oversees telecommunications.
    3. The Senate Commerce Committee's Subcommittee on Communications; contact the committee itself, the chairman, the ranking member, and any of the other members you'd like.
    4. The House Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet, including the committee itself, the chairman, the vice-chairman, and the ranking member. Plus any of the other members you feel like contacting.
    5. The Federal Trade Commission, which hears consumer complaints.
    6. Your U.S. Representative
    7. Your Senators
    8. Your Governor
    9. Your State Legislators
    10. ICANN's wildcard comment address
    11. VeriSign itself
    12. Finally, complain to the media. If they get lots of letters on a topic, they'll run stories. Try the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Washington Times, the Los Angeles Times, USA Today, the Wall Street Journal, CNN, Fox News, CBS News, ABC News, NBC News and MSNBC.

  23. Ticked at VeriSign? Tell these people! by SEE · · Score: 2, Informative · on 3rd Lawsuit Against VeriSign Seeks Class Action
    1. The Department of Commerce; VeriSign's contract to operate .com and .org was originally with them.
    2. The Federal Communications Commission, which oversees telecommunications.
    3. The Senate Commerce Committee's Subcommittee on Communications; contact the committee itself, the chairman, the ranking member, and any of the other members you'd like.
    4. The House Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet, including the committee itself, the chairman, the vice-chairman, and the ranking member. Plus any of the other members you feel like contacting.
    5. The Federal Trade Commission, which hears consumer complaints.
    6. Your U.S. Representative
    7. Your Senators
    8. Your Governor
    9. Your State Legislators
    10. ICANN's wildcard comment address
    11. VeriSign itself
    12. Finally, complain to the media. If they get lots of letters on a topic, they'll run stories. Try the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Washington Times, the Los Angeles Times, USA Today, the Wall Street Journal, CNN, Fox News, CBS News, ABC News, NBC News and MSNBC.

  24. Ticked at VeriSign? Tell these people! by SEE · · Score: 2, Informative · on 3rd Lawsuit Against VeriSign Seeks Class Action
    1. The Department of Commerce; VeriSign's contract to operate .com and .org was originally with them.
    2. The Federal Communications Commission, which oversees telecommunications.
    3. The Senate Commerce Committee's Subcommittee on Communications; contact the committee itself, the chairman, the ranking member, and any of the other members you'd like.
    4. The House Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet, including the committee itself, the chairman, the vice-chairman, and the ranking member. Plus any of the other members you feel like contacting.
    5. The Federal Trade Commission, which hears consumer complaints.
    6. Your U.S. Representative
    7. Your Senators
    8. Your Governor
    9. Your State Legislators
    10. ICANN's wildcard comment address
    11. VeriSign itself
    12. Finally, complain to the media. If they get lots of letters on a topic, they'll run stories. Try the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Washington Times, the Los Angeles Times, USA Today, the Wall Street Journal, CNN, Fox News, CBS News, ABC News, NBC News and MSNBC.

  25. Ticked at VeriSign? Tell these people! by SEE · · Score: 2, Informative · on 3rd Lawsuit Against VeriSign Seeks Class Action
    1. The Department of Commerce; VeriSign's contract to operate .com and .org was originally with them.
    2. The Federal Communications Commission, which oversees telecommunications.
    3. The Senate Commerce Committee's Subcommittee on Communications; contact the committee itself, the chairman, the ranking member, and any of the other members you'd like.
    4. The House Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet, including the committee itself, the chairman, the vice-chairman, and the ranking member. Plus any of the other members you feel like contacting.
    5. The Federal Trade Commission, which hears consumer complaints.
    6. Your U.S. Representative
    7. Your Senators
    8. Your Governor
    9. Your State Legislators
    10. ICANN's wildcard comment address
    11. VeriSign itself
    12. Finally, complain to the media. If they get lots of letters on a topic, they'll run stories. Try the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Washington Times, the Los Angeles Times, USA Today, the Wall Street Journal, CNN, Fox News, CBS News, ABC News, NBC News and MSNBC.

  26. not to mention by _avs_007 · · Score: 1 · on States Push for Net Sales Taxes

    We may have had 8 years of "Clinton's Tax Free Internet", but wasn't it Clinton who instituted the largest tax hike in US history? Now granted this is probably not the most unbiased source :p , just saying....

    Anyways, I would hardly call it 8 years of Clinton's tax free internet, considering the web (as we know it today), did not really exist the first four years of his presidency. I remember using stuff like lynx, gopher, and Mosaic. I don't think the graphical browsers were even available until after 94'. And even then, I remember hardly anyone had web sites. Most people I knew were just using usenetto surf for free pr0n :)

  27. Or if you prefer to be rational about this... by Lendrick · · Score: 2, Informative · on U.S. Court Blocks Anti-Telemarketing List

    Contact your senators and representatives, at the very least by email, instead of harassing the judge who made the decision (no matter what your opinion of him). The directories are here:

    House of Representatives

    Senate

  28. Re:Begging the question... by LarsWestergren · · Score: 1 · on Ward Hunt Ice Shelf Breaks In Two

    But most environmentalists beg that question, and accept it as a given that "the weather is getting more extreme". I disagree with that premise and defy someone to show me figures showing drastic increases in precipitation, temperature, storm destruction, etc. over a 30+ year span (to leave out the 20-year sunspot/storm cycle).

    Here you go, enjoy. I could find only ONE link that disagreed that weather was getting more extreme, from NASA:

    Even with Needed Corrections, Data Still Don't Show the Expected Signature of Global Warming.

    The rest say a definite YES that the weather is getting more extreme, most that it is caused by global warming, and some that this global warming is caused by humans:


    NOVA and FRONTLINE join forces to investigate the science and politics of one of the most controversial issues of the 21st century: the truth about global warming.

    I would especially like to draw your attention to

    this graph.

    2001 report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change


    TESTIMONY OF THOMAS R. KARL, DIRECTOR NATIONAL CLIMATIC DATA CENTER NATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL SATELLITE DATA AND INFORMATION SERVICES NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION BEFORE THE
    COMMITTEE ON GOVERNMENTAL AFFAIRS UNITED STATES SENATE.


    WMO STATEMENT ON THE STATUS OF THE GLOBAL CLIMATE IN 2001


    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration - Global Warming - Frequently Asked Questions

    Cheers,
    Lars

  29. Verisign Troubles? Contact these people: by SEE · · Score: 4, Informative · on Paul Vixie And David Maher On VeriSign Wildcarding
    Not quite on-topic, and a repost, but . . .

    1. The Department of Commerce; VeriSign's contract to operate .com and .org was originally with them.
    2. The Federal Communications Commission, which oversees telecommunications.
    3. The Senate Commerce Committee's Subcommittee on Communications; contact the committee itself, the chairman, the ranking member, and any of the other members you'd like.
    4. The House Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet, including the committee itself, the chairman, the vice-chairman, and the ranking member.

    By email, phone, fax, telegram, or letter (or better, several of these), let them know what you think. These are the people who can give Verisign reasons to change their behavior.

  30. Verisign Troubles? Contact these people: by SEE · · Score: 4, Informative · on Paul Vixie And David Maher On VeriSign Wildcarding
    Not quite on-topic, and a repost, but . . .

    1. The Department of Commerce; VeriSign's contract to operate .com and .org was originally with them.
    2. The Federal Communications Commission, which oversees telecommunications.
    3. The Senate Commerce Committee's Subcommittee on Communications; contact the committee itself, the chairman, the ranking member, and any of the other members you'd like.
    4. The House Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet, including the committee itself, the chairman, the vice-chairman, and the ranking member.

    By email, phone, fax, telegram, or letter (or better, several of these), let them know what you think. These are the people who can give Verisign reasons to change their behavior.

  31. Verisign Troubles? Contact these people: by SEE · · Score: 4, Informative · on Paul Vixie And David Maher On VeriSign Wildcarding
    Not quite on-topic, and a repost, but . . .

    1. The Department of Commerce; VeriSign's contract to operate .com and .org was originally with them.
    2. The Federal Communications Commission, which oversees telecommunications.
    3. The Senate Commerce Committee's Subcommittee on Communications; contact the committee itself, the chairman, the ranking member, and any of the other members you'd like.
    4. The House Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet, including the committee itself, the chairman, the vice-chairman, and the ranking member.

    By email, phone, fax, telegram, or letter (or better, several of these), let them know what you think. These are the people who can give Verisign reasons to change their behavior.

  32. Verisign Troubles? Contact these people: by SEE · · Score: 4, Informative · on Paul Vixie And David Maher On VeriSign Wildcarding
    Not quite on-topic, and a repost, but . . .

    1. The Department of Commerce; VeriSign's contract to operate .com and .org was originally with them.
    2. The Federal Communications Commission, which oversees telecommunications.
    3. The Senate Commerce Committee's Subcommittee on Communications; contact the committee itself, the chairman, the ranking member, and any of the other members you'd like.
    4. The House Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet, including the committee itself, the chairman, the vice-chairman, and the ranking member.

    By email, phone, fax, telegram, or letter (or better, several of these), let them know what you think. These are the people who can give Verisign reasons to change their behavior.

  33. Whom You Should Complain To: by SEE · · Score: 2, Informative · on VeriSign Responds To ICANN's SiteFinder Advisory
    1. The Department of Commerce; VeriSign's contract to operate .com and .org was originally with them.
    2. The Federal Communications Commission, which oversees telecommunications.
    3. The Senate Commerce Committee's Subcommittee on Communications; contact the committee itself, the chairman, the ranking member, and any of the other members you'd like.
    4. The House Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet, including the committee itself, the chairman, the vice-chairman, and the ranking member.

    By email, phone, fax, telegram, or letter (or better, several of these), let them know what you think. These are the people who can give Verisign reasons to change their behavior.

  34. Whom You Should Complain To: by SEE · · Score: 2, Informative · on VeriSign Responds To ICANN's SiteFinder Advisory
    1. The Department of Commerce; VeriSign's contract to operate .com and .org was originally with them.
    2. The Federal Communications Commission, which oversees telecommunications.
    3. The Senate Commerce Committee's Subcommittee on Communications; contact the committee itself, the chairman, the ranking member, and any of the other members you'd like.
    4. The House Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet, including the committee itself, the chairman, the vice-chairman, and the ranking member.

    By email, phone, fax, telegram, or letter (or better, several of these), let them know what you think. These are the people who can give Verisign reasons to change their behavior.

  35. Whom You Should Complain To: by SEE · · Score: 2, Informative · on VeriSign Responds To ICANN's SiteFinder Advisory
    1. The Department of Commerce; VeriSign's contract to operate .com and .org was originally with them.
    2. The Federal Communications Commission, which oversees telecommunications.
    3. The Senate Commerce Committee's Subcommittee on Communications; contact the committee itself, the chairman, the ranking member, and any of the other members you'd like.
    4. The House Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet, including the committee itself, the chairman, the vice-chairman, and the ranking member.

    By email, phone, fax, telegram, or letter (or better, several of these), let them know what you think. These are the people who can give Verisign reasons to change their behavior.

  36. Whom You Should Complain To: by SEE · · Score: 2, Informative · on VeriSign Responds To ICANN's SiteFinder Advisory
    1. The Department of Commerce; VeriSign's contract to operate .com and .org was originally with them.
    2. The Federal Communications Commission, which oversees telecommunications.
    3. The Senate Commerce Committee's Subcommittee on Communications; contact the committee itself, the chairman, the ranking member, and any of the other members you'd like.
    4. The House Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet, including the committee itself, the chairman, the vice-chairman, and the ranking member.

    By email, phone, fax, telegram, or letter (or better, several of these), let them know what you think. These are the people who can give Verisign reasons to change their behavior.

  37. Offshoring: I finally did it by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic · on Principal Photography on Star Wars III Complete
    Well, after getting turned down for an interview for a job that was posted here in Rochester (to be performed here and in California), I found out the company is outsourcing it to India...

    This was the kick in the pants I needed to finally call up Senator Clinton's office (+1 (716) 854-9725) in Buffalo and ask what the fuck they were thinking when they invited Tata to set up shop in Buffalo in March (http://www.tata.com/tcs/releases/20030310.htm)...

    What a chilling experience. The guy that answered is the director of the Buffalo office, Jim Kane. I thought he'd just spew some platitudes and hustle me off the phone, instead he came out swinging. I'm guessing he thought I was a shill from some opposing political party, 'cause his stance softened somewhat (but not much) when he found out I have voted mostly Democrat in the past and that I really am an unemployed software engineer...

    I couldn't get a straight answer as to why Senator Clinton actively sought out an Indian offshoring services firm in to New York State instead of working with one or more domestically owned and run ones in Western New York.

    In the past, I've thought the "beholden to the corporate interests" stories we've seen in the news have been a little overwrought--I'm reconsidering my opinion in light of my conversation with Jim Kane.

    Among the more fantastic comments Jim made:

    • There are University of Buffalo graduates making $100K in Binghamton working for defense contractors.
    • Tata Consultancy Services is a bigger company than General Motors. I could not get him to state whether this is as a measure of revenues or in terms of headcount.
    • TCS is creating IT jobs in Buffalo, not outsourcing them back to back to India.
    BTW, if anyone is looking for a job, you may have to pay your own airfare to India for the interview, but here are some leads: http://www.tata.com/0_careers/vacancies/index.htm

  38. Brownback's Own Press Release by drpentode · · Score: 5, Informative · on Taking a Closer Look at the P2P Subpoenas

    Also of note is a press release from Sen. Brownback's own office. The press release also discusses the senator's plans for the digital TV broadcast flag.

  39. Re:Danger, Will Robinson! Danger! by kilgore_47 · · Score: 4, Insightful · on Russ Cooper's Internet Penalties Plan

    Riight, lets punish the ignorant victims for their ignorance... 'Cause fining the richest man in the world, or his company that is the cause of most of the problems, why.. that... that would be crazy!

    *shakes head*

    This is a horrible idea for oh so many reasons. The first that comes to mind is that government mandates about ISP logging and packet blocking are a bad thing. Once a national infrastructure is in place that allows a government sponsored program to declare certain packets or application signatures "bad", what's to stop them from adding more things than just viruses? It would be trivial, technically, to write a 'virus definition' for p2p traffic. It would be almost as trivial, and only a bit more expensive, to get this done on a political level (a certain senator from disney would probably love to help out). When the DMCA crowd is done adding their firewall rules, maybe the Patriot Act fan club will want to throw in a few too... What it comes down to is that the U.S. government cannot be allowed to regulate the internet in this manner.

    Which also brings up another point; being US-only, this system is pretty worthless for stopping attacks. To be effective, the law would need to require extensive "border" filtering at sites with international peers. See point above about why this is really bad. Fortunately, this whole proposition is such preposterous crazytalk that I don't think it actually has much of any chance at happening.

    I think a better idea would be to implement new regulations surrounding software warranties. I don't know how exactly it should be done, but I do know that (a) if a company's ReallyExpensiveProduct routinely breaks and causes large financial damages for it's users, the company should be somehow held liable, and they shouldn't be able to get out of it with a clause in an EULA. But at the same time, (b) independent programmers who are giving their software away need to be able to do it without taking on liability, or they won't be able to do it at all, and we won't have Free software. The No Warranty clause of the GPL is a very important one. It would be great if paying for software meant you had more guarantee that it was going to work... it's really a bit bizarre that today the software you can get for free works better than the software that costs money. Perhaps a sliding scale price based warranty would help with that.

  40. Offshoring: Well, I Finally Did It.... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic · on Worldwide State of Broadband - S Korea, Japan Lead
    Well, after getting turned down for an interview for a job that was posted here in Rochester (to be performed here and in California), I found out the company is outsourcing it to India...

    This was the kick in the pants I needed to finally call up Senator Clinton's office (+1 (716) 854-9725) in Buffalo and ask what the fuck they were thinking when they invited Tata to set up shop in Buffalo in March (http://www.tata.com/tcs/releases/20030310.htm)...

    What a chilling experience. The guy that answered is the director of the Buffalo office, Jim Kane. I thought he'd just spew some platitudes and hustle me off the phone, instead he came out swinging. I'm guessing he thought I was a shill from some opposing political party, 'cause his stance softened somewhat (but not much) when he found out I have voted mostly Democrat in the past and that I really am an unemployed software engineer...

    I couldn't get a straight answer as to why Senator Clinton actively sought out an Indian offshoring services firm in to New York State instead of working with one or more domestically owned and run ones in Western New York.

    In the past, I've thought the "beholden to the corporate interests" stories we've seen in the news have been a little overwrought--I'm reconsidering my opinion in light of my conversation with Jim Kane.

    Among the more fantastic comments Jim made:

    • There are University of Buffalo graduates making $100K in Binghamton working for defense contractors.
    • Tata Consultancy Services is a bigger company than General Motors. I could not get him to state whether this is as a measure of revenues or in terms of headcount.
    • TCS is creating IT jobs in Buffalo, not outsourcing them back to back to India.
    BTW, if anyone is looking for a job, you may have to pay your own airfare to India for the interview, but here are some leads: http://www.tata.com/0_careers/vacancies/index.htm

  41. Narrow views by poptones · · Score: 1 · on Post-copyright: Digital Cash and Compulsory Licensing?
    You need to stop citing outdated periodicals and look at who's doing whom in the industry. Is hilary Rosen's successor a democrat? How about the Utah representative who seems to spearhead half the new Hollywood-centric protectionist legislation? Including openly advocating a system that would physically disable the computers of people who participate in file sharing?

    Neither party gives a shit about anyone's rights or liberties. All that varies ar their motives. And if you believe anything else given the heaps of evidence, you truly are a moron.

  42. Here's how they voted by bezuwork's+friend · · Score: 2, Interesting · on Senate Approves Measure to Undo FCC Rules
    roll call for S. J. Res. 17.

    So does it do more bad than good to write and express displeasure at how they voted after the fact?

  43. Senate Voting Record by tashanna · · Score: 4, Informative · on Senate Approves Measure to Undo FCC Rules

    Here's the Senate Voting Record so you can appropriately attack your local representatives if you disagree with their actions.

    But this is /.. We don't talk to our reps, we just bitch about them.

  44. Voting record by dwsauder · · Score: 1 · on Justice Department Proud of Patriot Act Slippery Slope

    For anyone who's interested, here a link to the voting record of the Senate on the USA PATRIOT Act of 2001:

    USA PATRIOT Act voting record

    How many people realize that the bill passed the Senate by a vote of 98 to 1?

  45. Re:Anonymous Coward by hesiod · · Score: 1 · on Edward Teller Passes Away At 95

    > frist pots

    That's a pretty brash accusation! How do you know that Senator Bill Frist smokes pot?

  46. Alert your congressman by trolman · · Score: 0 · on China Blocks Spam Servers
    Alert your Congressman ,Corporations and Librarians and tell them to block all of those bad people from the Internet since they must be criminals and all that stuff on the Internet is not really free speach.

    If you like censorship then this is great news! Otherwise ask some privacy and to be left the hell alone as We the People are the Internet.

  47. Re:Consumers unite! by Seraphim_72 · · Score: 1 · on RIAA Settles With 12-Year-Old Downloader

    You also might want to send a note to Norm Coleman - US Senator (R)-Minn he has made statements that might help!! I am in no way a Coleman fan - but in this regard he is proving to be a decent man .... contact him here.

    Seraphim

  48. Re:Consumers unite! by Seraphim_72 · · Score: 1 · on RIAA Settles With 12-Year-Old Downloader

    You also might want to send a note to Norm Coleman - US Senator (R)-Minn he has made statements that might help!! I am in no way a Coleman fan - but in this regard he is proving to be a decent man .... contact him here.

    Seraphim

  49. Re:Consumers unite! by Seraphim_72 · · Score: 1 · on RIAA Settles With 12-Year-Old Downloader

    You also might want to send a note to Norm Coleman - US Senator (R)-Minn he has made statements that might help!! I am in no way a Coleman fan - but in this regard he is proving to be a decent man .... contact him here.

    Seraphim

  50. Re:Consumers unite! by Seraphim_72 · · Score: 1 · on RIAA Settles With 12-Year-Old Downloader

    You also might want to send a note to Norm Coleman - US Senator (R)-Minn he has made statements that might help!! I am in no way a Coleman fan - but in this regard he is proving to be a decent man .... contact him here.

    Seraphim