Athenae* [Scout] of First Draft has a video up

From Wisconsin:



*This was done by Scout for First Draft.

Our new Congress ignores its own brand new rule

Of having to cite where in the Constitution the legislation applies:

Thank god for Weiner and Waxman!

Update: Didn't mean to snub Congresswoman Schakowsky either.

74 Democrats sold you out to AT&T, Verizon and Comcast

They signed industry-backed letters telling the FCC to abandon efforts to protect Internet users by prohibiting big companies from blocking Internet traffic.

Not only is this letter an attack on net neutrality, but by signing the industry letter, they are attempting to drastically undercut the FCC's ability to make a fast, affordable and open Internet available to everyone in America. They are actually taking a position against the interests of rural and low-income communities.

This is unacceptable.

We need to make sure these members of Congress know that their constituents are paying attention and will hold them accountable when they undermine net neutrality protections.

Sign our petition to these representatives telling them that you're upset by their decision to side with the wealthy telecommunications corporations over their constituents.

What this comes down to is a principle known as "net neutrality." Net neutrality means that Internet users, not Internet service providers, should be in control. It ensures that Internet service providers can't speed up, slow down, or block Web content based on its source, ownership, or destination.

Of course broadband providers are insisting that we should just trust them and there's no need for consumers to be protected by net neutrality rules. But we cannot trust AT&T, Verizon and Comcast to protect a free and open Internet any more than we could trust BP to protect the oceans.

Without strong net neutrality rules, we might have to rely upon the good will of large telecoms to protect our access to the diversity of political perspectives. We might have to trust companies like Comcast, which actively and secretly interfered with users' ability to access popular video, photo and music sharing applications. We might have to trust companies like AT&T, which censored anti-Bush comments made by Pearl Jam's lead singer during a concert.

A free and open Internet is an important part of 21st Century democracy, but these 74 House Democrats signed a letter that undercut the efforts of the FCC to make sure the Internet stays free and open.

In other words, they decided to stand with wealthy corporations rather than stand up for your interests.

The simple fact of the matter is that powerful companies with a vested interest in this fight like AT&T have armies of lobbyists to push their agenda.

If these 74 House Democrats are going to get the message that it's unacceptable for them to sell out their constituents, it's only going to be because people like you speak up.

So take a minute right now to sign our petition.



The following Democratic members of the House signed the industry-backed letter:

Bobby Bright (AL-02), Mike Ross (AR-04), Ann Kirkpatrick (AZ-01), Ed Pastor (AZ-04), Gabrielle Giffords (AZ-8), Dennis Cardoza (CA-18), Jim Costa (CA-20), Laura Richardson (CA-37), Joe Baca (CA-43), Loretta Sanchez (CA-47), Allen Boyd (FL-02), Corrine Brown (FL-03), Alcee Hastings (FL-23), Suzanne Kosmas (FL-24), Sanford D Bishop, Jr. (GA-02), John Barrow (GA-12), David Scott (GA-13), Leonard Boswell (IA-03), Wally Minnick (ID-01), Bobby Rush (IL-01), Debbie Halvorson (IL-11), Baron P Hill (IN-09), Dennis Moore (KS-03), Charlie Melancon (LA-03), Frank Kratovil, Jr. (MD-01), Dutch Ruppersberger (MD-2), Elijah Cummings (MD-07), Gary Peters (MI-9), William Lacy Clay Jr (MO-01), Russ Carnahan (MO-03), Travis Childers (MS-01), Bennie G Thompson (MS-02), Gene Taylor (MS-04), G. K. Butterfield (NC-01), Heath Shuler (NC-11), John Adler (NJ-3), Albio Sires (NJ-13), Harry Teague (NM-2), Tim Bishop (NY-01), Gregory Meeks (NY-06), Joseph Crowley (NY-07), Ed Towns (NY-10), Yvette Clarke (NY-11), Michael McMahon (NY-13), Scott Murphy (NY-20), Bill Owens (NY-23), Michael Arcuri (NY-24), Daniel Maffei (NY-25), Steve Driehaus (OH-01), Charlie Wilson (OH-06), Marcia Fudge (OH-11), Zachary T. Space (OH-18), Dan Boren (OK-02), Kurt Schrader (OR-05), Robert Brady (PA-01), Chaka Fattah (PA-02), Kathleen Dahlkemper (PA-03), Jason Altmire (PA-04), Christopher Carney (PA-10), Allyson Schwartz (PA-13), Tim Holden (PA-17), Lincoln Davis (TN-04), John Tanner (TN-08), Al Green (TX-09), Ruben Hinojosa (TX-15), Charlie Gonzalez (TX-20), Ciro Rodriguez (TX-23), Solomon Ortiz (TX-27), Henry Cuellar (TX-28), Gene Green (TX-29), Eddie Bernice Johnson (TX-30), Glenn Nye (VA-02), Rick Larsen (WA-02), Nick Rahall (WV-03)

Stupid is as stupid does.

And this is a lot of stupid.

Oklahoma Is At It Again: State Legislature Passes Bill Stripping Abortion Coverage From Health Insurance.

And Arizona keeps digging deeper:

Arizona Governor signs law banning ethnic studies programs in public schools

And Tennessee is allowing guns in bars. What could possibly go wrong?

Louie Gohmert does his part for Texas:

[Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-Texas)] was first to respond: "An absolute breakdown in morality," he said. "And when you lose morality, you get economic chaos. And when you have economic chaos, historically, people have always been willing to give up liberty. And that's what we're seeing."

Even California's Issa tried to get on the stupid before running away:

Rep. Issa Wants To Strip Provision Promoting Gender Parity In Academic Science And Technology

(He walked it back later.)

They're reserving the right to screw anybody?

Florida legislature fails to outlaw sex with animals.

Boycott Valero and Tesoro gas stations

In 2006, California passed The Global Warming Solutions Act (AB 32), making our state number one in the world in legislating real reductions in the greenhouse gases that cause global warming.

Now Valero Energy -- a Texas-based oil company -- has already spent half a million dollars to fund a deceptive initiative that would destroy AB 32, California's landmark clean energy and air pollution law.

Together Valero and another Texas-based oil company, Tesoro, are projected to spend millions of dollars to gather signatures for a November ballot initiative that would kill AB 32 and new clean energy development.

Don't let Texas oil barons mess with California's climate change law!

Every dollar spent at a Valero or Tesoro gas stations is another dollar Texas oil barons can use to buy this election.

Sign the pledge.

Own a Geiger counter, go to jail?

What on earth are they trying to prevent us from learning? When the next dirty bomb goes off? Not knowing whether the air you breathe has asbestos?:

Ken sez, "The Village Voice has a great overview of a uber-nanny NYPD's deputy commissioner (of counterterrorism, natch) attempt to fast-track a piece of legislation that would make mere possession of many sensors, from Geiger counters to asbestos detectors, illegal without a police permit. Send you to jail, illegal, too. Luckily, dozens of university researchers, public-health professionals, and environmental lawyers were somehow alerted and showed up at the city council session, blocking the quick enactment with old-fashioned argument and analysis. The commissioner is still dead set on taking away your ability to test for pollutants without a license (it's For the Children?!), but they pledge to 'accommodate all the concerns' as they draw up the new bill."

We should trust this government (or any government) to tell us the truth about the water we drink, the air we breathe, the beef we eat, the radioactive particles we are irradiated with?

Don't answer that...

Anything that has the words sunlight and Congress in the same sentence needs to be supported!

Open Congress:

OpenCongress brings together official government data with news and blog coverage to give you the real story behind each bill.

A project of the Sunlight Foundation and PPF.

Wonderful!

What is it about pregnancy

That makes politicians think they need to legislate bizarre laws?

Feministe:

In other words, stripping women of their rights as soon as they become pregnant is nothing new. So Georgia’s proposal to require that doctors offer HIV tests to all pregnant women — and make a note in their medical records if they refuse — should not surprise us.

At first glance, this bill doesn’t seem all that egregious — after all, who doesn’t support cutting the risk of HIV transmission? But this puts pregnant women in a unique category of people who must be offered the test, and who will be on record as to accepting it or not. If we’re really worried about HIV transmission, why not require that doctors offer an HIV test to every sexually active boy or man they treat, and make a permanent note if he refuses? After all, men are pretty good at spreading STIs to their partners (far better than women). But we don’t do that because men, as a class, are assumed to be responsible enough to request a test if they feel they need it.

I think we need to pass a constitutional amendment that says whatever laws are passed affecting women, the same or equivalent one will be passed affecting men. Fair is fair!

The Bring Our Troops Home and Sovereignty of Iraq Restoration Act

Holy crap! Look! Actual legislation being attempted in the House of Representatives!

But look! Republican senators say no to ethics!