Keeping the Net Neutral Creates The Strangest of Allies

Net neutrality is the concept that all internet content should be treated equally by broadband providers without any kind of discrimination. It has become a hot political topic this year, especially in the US, amid fears that telcos may start blocking some websites or charge users extra to access them.

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US Agrees to Negotiations With Iran on Silly Condition

Marking a surprising shift in its position with Iran, the Bush administration on Wednesday agreed to join E3 bigwigs Britain, Germany and France at the negotiating table. The US had previously refused to participate in direct negotiations with Iran on the grounds that it would legitimize the regime there.

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Let's Be Honest About the Marines in Hadithah

by William M. Arkin, washingtonpost.com. Posted at 09:05 AM ET, 05/30/2006

Let's Be Honest About the Marines in Hadithah

Another Abu Ghraib. A massive cover-up. The Iraqi Mai Lai.

Amidst all of the hate mail I'm getting relating to 9/11, readers and friends have asked me to comment on the new stories alleging intentional Marine killings of Iraqi civilians.

Sadly, I believe the charges. I believe them not because I think the United States is a rogue nation, or because the Bush administration is oblivious to the truth on the ground, or because the military is a bunch of insensitive killers, or because Marines, even these Marines, are inherently inhumane or lawless.

I believe it because this is war, frightening, frustrating, and most important, completely disconnected anymore from humanity.

finish the article here...

The Public and Congress Still Tolerate Washington Scandals

The Capital is the gift that keeps on giving. Federal prosecutors say they found a $90,000 payoff in the freezer of Rep. William Jefferson (D-La.). For Democrats working to saddle Republicans with the "Culture of Corruption" label, Jefferson has been their kryptonite.

In January, powerful lobbyist Jack Abramoff pleaded guilty to conspiracy to bribe public officials, last I heard a rather serious infraction. Late last year, Randy "Duke" Cunningham, a war hero and former Republican congressman from California, resigned after confessing to taking $2.4 million in bribes, including a Rolls-Royce. Did I mention that he's a war hero?

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Which Candidate Would Most Benefit US Technology as President?

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Attorney General Gonzalez wants ISP's to Watch You

(CNET News.com) U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales and FBI Director Robert Mueller on Friday pressured telecommunications officials to record their customers' Internet activities. Oh, happy day.

In a private meeting with industry representatives, Gonzales, Mueller and other black suits of the Justice Department said Internet service providers should retain subscriber information and network data for two years.

The secret (closed to the public) meeting at the Justice Department, which Gonzales had requested, comes as the idea of legally mandated data retention has become popular on Capitol Hill and inside the Bush administration. Supporters of the idea say it will help prosecutions of child pornography because in many cases, logs are deleted during the routine course of business. Critics of the idea admit that the concept sounds great but don't trust the administration to use the power wisely.

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Blackboxvoting.org Review

A nonprofit 501c(3) organization, blackboxvoting.org calls itself the country's "official consumer protection group for elections," and it has a reputation on the progressive (aka liberal) talk radio scene for being exactly that. Funded by donations, the site also claims to be non-partisan, and at first glance it may well be. The focus is narrow, concentrating on election irregularities, the fights in favor of and against electronic voting machines and updates into unofficial and official investigations into contested election results nationwide.

But ... good luck finding anything specific on the site's main page. It's a cluttered mess. Almost couldn't be any worse. Thankfully, the forums, investigations and news links lead to highly organized pages. One gets the impression that the forum is inhabited by that certain sunlight-deprived sub-species of liberal who refers to himself as a progressive as if the term describes a third party. Warning: Angry people live here, but make no mistake - there's also a huge amount of relevent information.

Overlooking the messy front page and tenaciousness within its forums, blackboxvoting.org IS the Web's preeminent site in consumer protection for elections. You can visit it here.

Robertson Among World's Strongest Men

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (AP) - Religious broadcaster Pat Robertson says he has leg-pressed 2,000 pounds, but some say he'd be in a pretty tough spot if he tried.

The "700 Club" host's feat of strength is recounted on the Web site of his Christian Broadcasting Network, in a posting headlined "How Pat Robertson Leg Pressed 2,000 Pounds."

According to the CBN Web site, Robertson worked his way up to lifting a ton with the help of his physician, who is not named. The posting does not say when the lift occurred, but a CBN spokeswoman released photos to The Associated Press that she said showed Robertson lifting 2,000 pounds in 2003, when Robertson was 73. He is now 76. link

Hillary Clinton or John McCain?

Bush's C.I.A. Pick Confirmed by Senate

Fire all the Democrats.... But seriously, how does the man who oversaw the warrantless wiretapping program get confirmed in the Senate by a vote of 78 to 15? Last week liberal radio network Air America and the Ed Schultz Show were filled with interviews of Democratic members of Congress questioning Gen. Michael V. Hayden's qualifications to lead the CIA considering his role in the domestic spying program, yet ... good grief, people! 78 to 15?


Sentate Votes

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Bush, Blair Concede Missteps on Iraq

President Bush and British PM Tony Blair on Thursday said they goofed a whole bunch of times on Iraq, but each followed the remarks by saying "No big deal, right?" Sure, I shouldn't have said "Bring 'em on!" the president admitted, but everyone misunderstood what I meant by that. I meant "Bring them here," but everyone totally got me wrong. I mean, is that my fault or is it their fault for misunderstanding me? How can I be responsible for the way other people interpret what I say??? I mean come on!

Foxnews.com Spin Zone

In his Friday, May 19, 2006 entry in the site's Political Grapevine, columnist Brit Hume spun a string of recent political polls to make it look as though half of all Americans support the NSA spying program as it stands (49%) and to make it look as though most Americans (54%) are pleased to give up rights for the program.

Removing the spin, the Fox News poll Mr. Hume refers to asked of respondents slightly different questions. 49% of Americans think the government is doing a good job protecting their privacy, not with regard to the ongoing NSA spying program but in general, and 54% of Americans would be willing to give up some personal freedoms to reduce the threat of terrorism, again, in general and not with regard to the NSA spying program.

Hume, through his slight of hand, implies that about half of the country accepts the NSA program and thinks the issue should just go away, when in reality the results he cites aren't specific to the NSA program at all.

Welcome to Pollyticks.com, American!

Thanks for stopping by. It was great seeing you. You haven't changed a bit! And thanks for the t-shirt. Aw, you shouldn't have. "I love pron!" Not sure what it means, but it sounds funny. You really shouldn't have.

Once the site gets rolling, meaning once I get off my @ss and start writing some content, it'll be great. We'll post our thoughts on the current state of affairs in this here country. We'll throw out ideas and see what sticks. We've got lots to cover - US politics and questionable political comics and cartoons, so, all really educational stuff. Thanks for visiting, American!