Column for Wired takes Christian Right groups to task for not telling the whole story on the “success rate” for non-embryonic stem cell research. Continue reading
Category Archives: Uncategorized
Qualifications for Office
Rusty from Georgia writes in the Knoxville Sentinel about the low security used for the email server servicing Ralph Reed’s campaign. So he asks:
Can someone who can’t even run an e-mail server preside over the state Senate?
And, speaking of e-mail, Jay Bookman takes Reed to task regarding his lapse of ethics and the Abramoff affair.
A group called DefCon (Campaign to Defend the Constitution) has paid for advertising to take Reed to task for his past alliances. However, Reed’s campaign manager say we shouldn’t pay heed to these taxpaying Americans (see stories on immigration) as they are “left wing radicals.”
So, begging the question, do tax paying left wing radicals deserve any less voice than taxpaying illegal immigrants?
Filed under Politics, Uncategorized
Are information consumers, hmm, forming a group?
Article by Leslie Walker of the Washington Post on concerns over the New AT&T controlling content on the Internet:
EBay said restricted, or “pay for play,” Internet systems will increase costs for all Internet users, and some of the 90 million U.S. eBay users have started asking their legislators for “network neutrality” protections, said Hani Durzy, a spokesman for the San Jose-based company.
90 million eBay customers? Calling their legislators? That is more people than voted for President? Could we be auctioning the next President?
Filed under Neutral Net, Uncategorized
New AT&T vs. Old Utilities Commissions
Would you consider it a fair, nay, even an entertaining race for a Model T to challenge an F-22? That is the disadvantage government regulators face as they try to enforce 20th century regs and laws on 21st century organizations using the 19th century model of bureaucracy the agencies employ.
See the LA Times article, As AT&T bulks up, regulators shrink from task for more reading.
Filed under Models, Uncategorized
Information, and access to it, Fundamentals for 21st Century Government
The Post notes the 70th birthday of the Federal Register.
Of particular interest to me, is the section discussing how Justice Brandeis may have spurred creation of the Register:
Legal experts and historians who have studied the genesis of the register, modeled after England’s Rules Publication Act of 1893, credit Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis for pulling the proper political levers to make it a reality.
He was reacting to two things: the federal government’s dismal central recordkeeping system (there wasn’t any) and a stunning increase in regulation generated by New Deal programs. Brandeis worried about the “bigness” of government and the need to tell the public what government was doing.
The article goes on to describe how this concern was further heightened when Justice Brandeis reviewed a case against Standard Oil for allegedly violating a regulation — which didnt’ exist at the time of the alleged violation. Justice Brandeis elaborated in a piece written for the Harvard Law Review entitled Government Ignorance of the Law — a Plea for Better Publication of Executive Legislation.
So, the Federal Register grew as an instrument to tell the public what was going on in that huge bureaucracy. Now, you ask, how do I know what is going on in state government?
We have something called the Georgia Register. Unfortunately, most agencies are not complying with the law, as was pointed out in testimony for HB 1307, a bill designed to force agencies to publish their documents online and thus save money (BTW, the bill is stuck in House Rules Committee). And, that is a problem, especially in this century.
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As a sidebar — go to www.firstgovsearch.gov and in the search box type “Government Ignorance Law” — you will see the biography of George Bush as the second item on the list.
Another sidebar — Harvard Law Review is totally open to public access. Kewl.
Filed under Government Information, Uncategorized
The Empire Strikes Back
Legend has it that AT&T, when asked to submit a proposal on expanding the early version of the Internet during the 80’s, said “Why would we build our direct competitor?”. AT&T then spent the next 20 years missing what the consumer wanted, and found itself stripped of its greatest assets, for sale on the auction block.
The new AT&T, bolstered by its acquisition of BellSouth, now stands ready to do to the Internet what the Internet did to it — break it apart, piece by piece until the Internet no longer serves a meaningful purpose to business or consumers.
Read this story in USA Today. AT&T’s intent to charge your internet phone, video and data provider “access fees” directly contradicts testimony by BellSouth personnell supporting SB 120 that they would never segrate Internet services.
SB 120 is in the House Rules committee. Call Earl Erhart — tell him you don’t appreciate corporate America lying to you. And, you don’t think destroying the Internet is how you compete in the 21st century.
Further Reading
Filed under Neutral Net, Policy, Uncategorized
So much to write and so little time
I apologize — I realize I started some interesting stuff — then faded out. I ended up in the middle of the stem cell debate (SB 596) and had little time to “blog” the hearing (it is difficult to write while at the same time participating in the debate).
But, I did take good notes… so, when time permits, I will bring everyone up to date
Filed under Uncategorized
So much to write and so little time
I apologize — I realize I started some interesting stuff — then faded out. I ended up in the middle of the stem cell debate (SB 596) and had little time to “blog” the hearing (it is difficult to write while at the same time participating in the debate).
But, I did take good notes… so, when time permits, I will bring everyone up to date
Filed under Uncategorized
Back to immigration
The committee is meeting at 3:30 today to pass SB 529 out. The only question is what amendments will be placed on the bill. Stay tuned
Filed under Uncategorized
Immigration – Continued
Today is another “hearing” only day for SB 529. A vote will be taken in tomorrows committee meeting at 3:30 pm. Only one set of TV cameras (WSB) has appeared. and we have a small security contingent of state patrol officers in the back. At least the meeting room is larger than the one used last week.
Chairman Kemp has announced that this meeting will end at 4. He will manage the time and is asking for new information only.
I have moved all the details to the Policy>Immigration category
Filed under Immigration, Uncategorized
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