Keeping the Internet Open and Free

The best thing about the Internet is our ability to find and share all kinds of information and ideas as we choose. Most of us have tolerated ads as long as we could get to the sites we wanted. The House Energy and Commerce just sent a bill to the full House that would let the major telecommunications companies control both the speed and availability of our access to internet sites. So, if you want to access your news through Common Dreams or read a progressive blog, you may have to wait much longer than you would for a site these companies own or agree with.

The Committee defeated a "network neutrality" amendment that would have required equal access. The details are here.

Thank you, Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.) for voting for the amendment and against the bill. Jan's interview on NPR explained the issues well. To find out how other committee members voted, look here.

Contact other House members.

Two birds with one stone: making a profit on detention centers

Common Dreams reported that Kellogg Brown & Root (KBR), a Halliburton subsidiary, had been awarded a contract to build "temporary detention and processing" centers for immigration control and enforcement (ICE) , to supplement existing ICE Detention and Removal Operations Program facilities in case of an "emergency influx of immigrants into the U.S., or to support the rapid development of new programs." The article quoted directly from Halliburton's press release announcing the $385 million contract on its web site. Somehow, the document is no longer available at the Halliburton site. Lots of other links work, but not that one.

So, having overcharged the U.S. and Iraqi governments for its services in Iraq, Dick Cheney's [former] firm can overcharge us to round up immigrants into camps if the administration declares martial law. For more on the corporate gravy train here and in Britain, look here.

They're equal opportunity exploiters, though, avoiding health insurance benefits for American workers and abusing "third party nationals" in addition to bilking Iraq and the U.S.

Movement on impeachment

Public sentiment for impeachment is growing, and Illinois is a leader. Last week, Rep. Karen Yarbrough introduced a joint resolution in the Illinois House of Representatives to impeach the Occupant. As of today there are 17 cosponsors.

California is considering a resolution to impeach both Bush and Cheney. Cheney must be charged in any articles of impeachment because otherwise he would succeed Bush -- meaning that he would be president in name as well as in reality.

It appears Vermont is next.

Most of the cosponsors of the Illinois House resolution are from the south side of Chicago or the south suburbs. Ask your representative to sign on and to introduce an amendment to add allegations against Cheney. Contact information is available here for the House and here for the Senate.

Iran -- Deja vu all over again

A middle eastern country developing nuclear technology, a possibility that it will have a nuclear bomb at some future time. The administration claiming it doesn't want to attack but may be forced to do so preemptively. Defense Department predicting an easy victory, though military analysts express doubts. Haven't we seen this movie?

Colin Powell has confirmed that the Bush League cherry-picked and distorted intelligence to justify invading Iraq. It's clear that Dick Cheney deliberately leaked classified and sensitive information about Ambassador Wilson's trip and his wife's connection to the CIA. Suddenly W remembers that he had declassified that information three years ago, before the leak.

We were fooled once. We can't let it happen again.