Clipmarks | n2sooners's 'congress' clips

Comcast to sue FCC

Fri, 05 Sep 2008 05:06:28 GMT

clipped by: n2sooners

Federal Communications Commission Chair Kevin Martin said today that he was "disappointed" by Comcast's decision to sue the FCC over its move to sanction the company for P2P throttling.

Anticipating Comcast's arguments that the FCC has no jurisdiction to sanction its behavior, Martin reminded the company that when the FCC approved it and Time-Warners' acquisition of Adelphia Communications in July of 2006, the FCC "put Comcast on notice" that it would act on complaints of degraded Internet content. "Comcast nonetheless chose to close on that deal," Martin noted.

The FCC still wants answers, Martin's statement concludes. "Perhaps more importantly, Comcast's subscribers deserve to know the answers."

"The future of the Internet is too important to let Comcast tie it up in legal limbo," Scott said. "Congress should act now to pass net neutrality laws that clear up any uncertainty once and for all."

Tags: fcc, comcast, internet, bandwidth, lawsuit

Biden's tech voting record

Sun, 24 Aug 2008 22:31:51 GMT

clipped by: n2sooners

Clip Source: gizmodo.com

CNet's Declan McCullagh wrote up an informative history of Joe Biden's tech-related voting record

He asked Congress to spend $1 billion to monitor peer-to-peer activity.

Two Biden bills have been explicitly anti-encryption, because you know, encryption makes it hard for the FBI to read people's e-mails

He has expressed support for internet taxes and internet filtering in schools and libraries

iden sponsored a bill that would restrict recording of songs from satellite and net radio, and another one that would make it a felony to "trick" a computer into playing back unauthorized songs or running bootlegged videogames.

Biden was one of just four senators invited to attend a celebration of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act hosted by the MPAA's Jack Valenti and the RIAA's Hillary Rosen

When he was asked in 2006 about proposing net-neutrality laws, he said there was no need,

Tags: biden, internet, file sharing, music, politics, election

US oil reserves estimated over 3x that of Saudi known reserves

Thu, 21 Aug 2008 16:29:22 GMT

clipped by: n2sooners
clipper's remarks: And Pelosi thinks drilling for all that oil wouldn't effect oil and gas prices.

Clip Source: www.cnsnews.com

In 2006, the Interior Department estimated that about 85.9 billion barrels of “undiscovered technically recoverable” oil sits offshore on the Outer Continental Shelf within U.S. territory.

In 2007, the Energy Department’s “Task Force on Strategic Unconventional Fuels” reported that: “America’s oil shale resource exceeds 2 trillion barrels

as much as 800 billion barrels of oil equivalent could be recoverable from oil shale resources

This combined 885.9 billion barrels of recoverable oil that the government estimates lies undeveloped within U.S. territory is almost three and a half times as much as the 260 billion barrels in proven oil reserves that lie under Saudi territory.

Unless Congress enacts a new law banning offshore leases and oil-shale leases, Interior can legally start selling these leases on Oct. 1.

Tags: oil, usa, saudi arabia, politics, gas

MSM shrugs at GOP revolt over drilling

Sat, 02 Aug 2008 19:19:29 GMT

clipped by: n2sooners

Clip Source: newsbusters.org

On Friday, NewsBusters wondered how much attention media would pay to the Republican revolt that occurred after Speaker Pelosi adjourned the House for a five week vacation without allowing a vote on offshore oil drilling.

It turns out that if you rely on the evening news programs of the three broadcast networks, you didn't hear about this extraordinary event at all

And, if you're one of the few people that still reads newspapers, the one thrown on your driveway Saturday morning likely also ignored this story, or buried it well off the front page.

As for newspapers, the New York Times alloted 520 words to this issue Saturday...on page A16. The Washington Post gave it 402 words...on page A3.

The results of a LexisNexis search suggest the Los Angeles Times, the Boston Globe, the Chicago Tribune, and the San Francisco Chronicle all ignored this revolt.

With gas and oil prices on the minds of Americans from coast to coast, how could any press outlet not cover this story?

Tags: gop, media, msm, bias, politics, congress, oil, gas

The internet revolution runs over Pelosi

Fri, 01 Aug 2008 23:52:31 GMT

clipped by: n2sooners

Clip Source: twitter.com

I just told the House chamber We the People can take back the Capitol with these new media tools by networking and shining sunlight everywhe about 2 hours ago from TwitterBerry

I am Qikking live now - sign on at qik.com/johnculberson http://qik.com/video/147408 about 2 hours ago from web

Press conf live now on qik.com about 2 hours ago from TwitterBerry

Twitter posts have been a big part of driving this important news story about 2 hours ago from TwitterBerry

Qikking and Twittering now about 2 hours ago from TwitterBerry

Pelosi's House thrives on secrecy and is going on vacation and ignoring the need to bring down gas prices about 2 hours ago from TwitterBerry

Clip Source: twitter.com

@johnculberson Way to go John, but what about House rules on public communication? Aren't you skirting them by doing this? about 1 hour ago from twitterrific in reply to johnculberson

Clip Source: twitter.com

@mikepratt Yes but this is a rule that needs to be broken bcz it needs to be changed to make Congress transparent to the public

Tags: oil, gas, energy, congress, house, politics, internet, qik, twitter

How high can you go?

Fri, 01 Aug 2008 01:29:06 GMT

clipped by: n2sooners

Clip Source: hotair.com

[Video]

How high will Democrats let the price of gas get before considering the option of drilling for more oil? Ken Salazar (D-CO) has set the bar in today’s action in the Senate. Gas can hit $10 per gallon and the Democrats still won’t act

Let a thousand television ads bloom. Even Floridians and Californians now support drilling in the OCS:

With gas prices hovering at $4 a gallon, a majority of Floridians now support drilling for oil in protected areas offshore, according to a new poll.

A majority of Californians favor more oil drilling off the coast, according to a statewide survey released Wednesday, for the first time since oil prices spiked nearly three decades ago.

Republicans should use a very simple message. We have enough oil to satisfy American needs for at least the next 100 years, but Democrats won’t let you have it. They’d rather you pay $10 per gallon at the pump and watch food prices increase 250% rather than agree to drilling. If you don’t want $10 per gallon gas, vote Republican.

Tags: gas, oil, congress, politics, economy

Boarding the Tomnibus

Fri, 01 Aug 2008 01:21:34 GMT

clipped by: n2sooners

Clip Source: www.spectator.org

As the Alaska senator flies into it with seven graft-related indictments trailing him, his old nemesis, Tom Coburn of Oklahoma, emerges from this week looking better than ever.

Truth is the best policy and the best politics, Coburn's example reminds his pork-bloated colleagues.

Stevens, shrieking on the Senate floor in anger at Coburn for opposing his "Bridge to Nowhere," threatened to resign if he didn't get it. Had the Republican leadership displayed some sense, they would have let him go.

Coburn single-handedly won a victory for them by drawing Harry Reid into his ill-advised "Tomnibus" bill, which aimed to dislodge Coburn's hold on 34 Senate pork bills.

Reid's legislation failed, exposing the Dems' purported distaste for excessive spending under President Bush as a sham

John McCain, if he wanted to challenge Obama's pretensions as a reformer and "change" agent, wouldn't bother with any of the business-as-usual Republicans on his VP shortlist; he would select Coburn.

Tags: stevens, coburn, pork, corruption, reid, congress, politics

Let's Spend Money: Durbin vs. Durbin

Fri, 01 Aug 2008 01:12:15 GMT

clipped by: n2sooners

Clip Source: www.youtube.com

[Video]

Tags: congress, money, politics, durbin

Most ethical congress ever

Fri, 01 Aug 2008 00:12:03 GMT

clipped by: n2sooners

Clip Source: www.usatoday.com

House Democrats voted down a public reprimand Thursday that Republicans sought against influential Rep. Charles Rangel, D-N.Y., over a questionable housing arrangement that he insists violated no laws.

Rangel, chairman of the tax-writing House Ways and Means Committee, has come under scrutiny over the past month for his use of four rent-stabilized apartments in a building in New York City's Harlem neighborhood.

A measure offered by House Minority Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio, said Rangel "has dishonored himself and brought discredit to the House and merits the censure of the House for same."

"instead of keeping their promise to 'drain the swamp' of corruption in Washington, House Democrats are sinking in it."

Rangel had four apartments in the same building, one of which served as a campaign office despite rules requiring such discounted apartments to be a tenant's primary residence.

New York City's rent stabilization law allows for people to pay less

to rent their primary residence.

Tags: congress, corruption, rangel, new york, politics

Congress: No airplane cellphone calls

Fri, 01 Aug 2008 00:05:22 GMT

clipped by: n2sooners
clipper's remarks: Just a few problems. First, just because you turn off your cell phone for calls doesn't mean the camera doesn't still work. Second, if those loud and obnoxious people can't talk on the phone, isn't anyone worried that they will talk to you? Third, what about all the other loud and obnoxious behaviors one encounters on a plane? Will they ban babies next? Fourth, the first paragraph of the story said that cell phones are dangerous on planes, where is the evidence of that? And finally, are they going to extend the ban to those insanely expensive phones you can currently use on planes? Or are only the well to do allowed to be obnoxious on the phone?

Clip Source: www.usatoday.com

Members of the House of Representatives, most of whom board airplanes almost every week, traded horror stories Thursday about their worst experiences with annoying fellow passengers who talk loudly on cellphones before takeoff and after landing. One lawmaker said his wife sat next to a woman who loudly discussed her sex life on the phone.

Another House member topped that with the passenger sitting him behind on one flight who got a "dear John" phone call from either his wife or sweetheart just before takeoff.

A third House member raised the specter of national security, saying she had witnessed one man use his cellphone camera to take pictures of sensitive parts of the airplane.

With that, the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee approved by voice vote a bill that would make the current Federal Aviation Administration and Federal Communication Commission ban on cellphone use during flight permanent.

Tags: congress, airplane, cell phone, politics

An Agenda Americans Just Can't Afford

Thu, 31 Jul 2008 22:47:26 GMT

clipped by: n2sooners

Clip Source: www.youtube.com

[Video]

Tags: politics, pelosi, gas, oil, congress

Obama walking on Blackwater

Thu, 31 Jul 2008 22:45:28 GMT

clipped by: n2sooners

Clip Source: gatewaypundit.blogspot.com

On October 15, 2007, antiwar Democrat Barack Obama wrote the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee to demand that the head of Blackwater, Erik Prince, testify before Congress.

Obama accused the Blackwater guards of damaging the United State's reputation by killing 17 Iraqi civilians:

It was later discovered that at least three of those 17 Iraqis killed were legitimate insurgent targets.

On November 14, 2007, Barack Obama called for the Pentagon to reconsider awarding any new contracts to Blackwater USA.

But, look who got the gig protecting the antiwar candidate...

This past week in Iraq and Afghanistan, Blackwater employees protected Barack Obama:

Sen. Barack Obama has not been a fan of private police like Blackwater in war zones, and some news outlets even reported that they were spurned for his trip last week to Afghanistan and Iraq. But Whispers confirms that Blackwater did handle the Democratic presidential candidate's security in Afghanistan and helped out in Iraq.

Tags: obama, blackwater, security, iraq, afghanistan, war on terror, politics, hypocrisy

Congressional Democrats Aim to Censor Twitter and Qik

Wed, 09 Jul 2008 04:07:17 GMT

clipped by: n2sooners

Clip Source: mashable.com

I’ve seen some discussion around the blogosphere that has correlated with an email I got this morning from the office of Representative John Culberson (the US House GOP leader) talking about a Democrat plan hatched to curtail free speech from members of Congress on the Internet’s various social media websites.

As Robert Scoble and Andrew Feinberg unmasked to us in the Web 2.0 crowd, there are a couple of members of congress who actually do get social media, and use it personally. John Culberson is one of those folks, and has actively used Twitter and Qik in the past to communicate not only with his constiuency but the general wilds of the web.

Rep. Michael Capuano, Chairman of the Congressional Commission on Mailing Standards, seeks to end this.

The upshot is that Michael Capuano for some reason is uneasy or afraid of the shift towards openness in access to our nations legislators made possible by social media, and rather than encourage the change, he aims to have it cut off at the head.

Tags: congress, politics, free speech, twitter

Dem answer to gas prices? "There ain't no answer"

Fri, 27 Jun 2008 21:45:04 GMT

clipped by: n2sooners

Clip Source: gatewaypundit.blogspot.com

A leading democrat says Americans need to get used to paying $5 to $6 a gallon for their gas.

Impeached judge and leading Democrat Rep. Alcee Hastings (D-Miramar) confessed this week that democrats have no answers to the skyrocketing gas prices.

I predict to you that gas prices will be as much as $5 before the end of this year and they will go to $6 at some point next year

"When they go to $6 it will fluctuate between $5 and $6 and more for some time to come. That's the harsh reality no matter what law we pass," he said.

"There ain't no answer, OK? ... All the talk is feel good talk."

LTC Allen West, the Republican candidate for Florida's 22nd Congressional District, offered this response:

His words

are the most pathetic and abyssmal response I have heard.

There can be no doubt as to why this Congress under the presumed leadership of Speaker Pelosi is a collection of whining losers, and we as the American people should not have to suffer for their lack of courage, competence, and character.

Tags: gas, oil, democrat, congress, politics, energy

Postage stamp on a football field.

Mon, 23 Jun 2008 20:14:38 GMT

clipped by: n2sooners
clipper's remarks: When the US is sitting on such vast energy reserves while it is experiencing an energy crisis, one can conclude that there are other forces at work here.

Clip Source: gatewaypundit.blogspot.com

Representative Devin Nunes (R-CA) talked about his trip to ANWR including and exposed the Democrat's big lie:

[Video]

"If the Arctic National Wildlife Area was a football field, the (area to be developed for oil) would be like a postage stamp on that football field... So it is totally outrageous what they say. What Americans forget too, is that the Republican Congress opened up ANWR every single year that we were in power. But, what happened was in the Senate, the democrats killed it every year in the senate."

"So, you had Clinton veto it in 1995, and then every single year after that you had the democrats kill it in the US Senate."

Last week author George Will explained why Democrats are against drilling

I believe that on the Left in this country what they want is a manufactured scarcity so that government can have the rationale to ration which gives the government what the Left wants, an ever more minute supervision of our daily choices... There's a fear that someone somewhere may make a profit

Tags: anwar, oil, gas, energy, politics