October, 25 2018, 12:00am EDT
Net Neutrality Advocates Plan Candidate Town Halls in 24 Swing Districts
Polls show that net neutrality will be a deciding issue for voters. Open Internet advocates want all candidates to go on the record about where they stand ahead of election day
WASHINGTON
Digital rights group Fight for the Future is working with local organizers to plan a series of telephone town halls in two dozen key districts across the country where voters can hear directly from candidates about where they stand on the FCC's disastrous and unpopular repeal of net neutrality. The forums, which will take place via phone in 24 districts, will be co-sponsored by local organizations and small businesses. Hundreds of constituents are expected to RSVP for the events, and all candidates in each district have been invited. The forums will also enable constituents of sitting House members to call on their representatives to support the Congressional Review Act (CRA) resolution to restore net neutrality.
See a list of planned net neutrality town halls here: https://www.votefornetneutrality.com/#join
"Net neutrality is a crucial issue for Texas and clearly one of the most talked about issues of this election cycle. Voters deserve to know where the candidates stand on preserving the free and open Internet," said Jerri Glover of TX-13, who is helping organize the town hall in her district along with Amarillo Tech Meetup and other local groups.
Anthony Damore, a resident of FL-18 who will be participating on the town hall, hosted with Palm Beach Tech and other groups, said, "I plan to attend the Tele-town hall and make sure Congressman Mast knows why supporting Net Neutrality means supporting an Internet that prioritizes people over corporate interest, that videos and music aren't subject to fast lanes and slow lanes ensuring only those with money get heard. Without Net Neutrality smaller companies would be helpless trying to keep their businesses afloat and turn a profit. Net Neutrality ensures we all have a voice!"
The town halls come as part of a larger Vote for Net Neutrality campaign to educate as many Internet users as possible about where current members of Congress stand on net neutrality. The groups behind the campaign plan to reach people in key districts with information about where the candidates stand, and mobilize them to pressure legislators to declare support for the CRA ahead of election day. Other activities include:
* Online actions promoting the VoteForNetNeutrality.com scorecard
* Candidate position alerts to the group's combined 5 million+ supporters.
* Mass text messages to activate and inform net neutrality supporters across the country.
* Mobilizing websites, online communities, and social media users to pressure Congress to do the right thing ahead of election day
The announcement comes on the heels of a new study from Stanford University which found that nearly 100% of unique comments submitted to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) last year opposed the agency's proposal to repeal the 2015 Open Internet Order, which established strong rules preventing blocking, throttling, and paid fast lanes for Internet content.
In May the Senate passed a Congressional Review Act (CRA) resolution to overturn the FCC's repeal in a historic bipartisan vote of 52-47. All that's needed now is for a simple majority of 218 representatives in the House to sign a discharge petition and bring the CRA to a vote. Currently 177 members, including Republican Rep. Mike Coffman, have signed. Constituents are pressing lawmakers to join the ranks of representatives choosing their constituents over Big Cable by signing the discharge petition.
Activists will direct Internet users to VoteForNetNeutrality.com to pressure lawmakers facing tight races to sign CRA discharge petition or face the consequences on election day.
Fight for the Future is a group of artists, engineers, activists, and technologists who have been behind the largest online protests in human history, channeling Internet outrage into political power to win public interest victories previously thought to be impossible. We fight for a future where technology liberates -- not oppresses -- us.
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'Power Play of the Highest Order': DNC Plot to Ram Through Biden Nomination Sparks Fury
"Behind the scenes, people at the Biden campaign and DNC are working to put in the fix," warned one Biden delegate from Maryland.
Jul 16, 2024
The Democratic National Committee is barreling ahead with plans to cement U.S. President Joe Biden's spot at the top of the party's November ticket weeks before next month's convention in Chicago, an effort that has sparked outrage among congressional Democrats and delegates who are worried about the incumbent's ability to defeat GOP nominee Donald Trump.
Rep. Jared Huffman (D-Calif.), a member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus who has said a "major course correction is needed" to avert disaster in November, has been circulating a letter to colleagues expressing concern about the DNC's plans, which were detailed Tuesday by Axios and The New York Times. At least three House Democrats thus far have said they're considering signing the letter, according to Axios.
Huffman told the Times in an interview that "to try to squelch debate and jam this through is a power play of the highest order."
"That kind of heavy-handed move is not going to go over well with a lot of people," Huffman added.
The letter, published in full by Axios, states that "there is no legal justification" for the DNC's plan for a "virtual roll call" among DNC delegates to formally confirm Biden as the party's presidential nominee before the end of the month.
The Democratic convention is set to begin on August 19.
Without offering specifics on the timeline, DNC Chairman Jamie Harrison confirmed the plans for a virtual roll call in a statement to Axios, even in the face of vocal concerns from congressional Democrats, grassroots activists, and some DNC delegates.
"We look forward to nominating Joe Biden through a virtual roll call and celebrating with fanfare together in Chicago in August alongside the 99% of delegates who are supporting the Biden-Harris ticket," Harrison said.
The Timesexplained Tuesday that "the process will effectively begin when the rules committee of the Democratic National Convention meets on a video call at 11:00 am on Friday, followed by another party group on Sunday."
"All of the more than 4,000 delegates are expected to begin casting their ballots as soon as Monday, a process that is likely to take about a week," the Times continued. "After that, the committee is expected to quickly hold the roll call, a tradition that typically occurs on the convention floor but is being held virtually this year."
"They are using non-existent rationalizations to quick-strike Biden into place."
One Biden delegate from Maryland, Jennifer Laszlo Mizrahi, warned in a recent email to fellow state delegates that "behind the scenes, people at the Biden campaign and DNC are working to put in the fix."
"Put simply, they are trying to shut down the process earlier. We can't allow it," Mizrahi wrote in the email, which was obtained by Axios. "I am asking you to ask the DNC to stop pushing for an early vote."
The DNC initially instituted plans for a virtual roll call following the enactment of an Ohio law that could have prevented the Democratic presidential candidate from being on the state's November ballot if the nominee wasn't chosen by August 7.
But Ohio has since pushed back the deadline to September, rendering that justification moot.
The American Prospect's David Dayen wrote on social media Tuesday morning that he has heard from a source who said the DNC is still moving ahead with a virtual roll call because of supposed "ballot deadlines in Montana and California."
"This is nonsense, there are no such deadlines," Dayen wrote. "They are using non-existent rationalizations to quick-strike Biden into place."
Huffman's letter warns that "proceeding with the 'virtual roll call' in the absence of a valid legal rationale will be rightly perceived as a purely political maneuver, which we believe would be counterproductive and undermine party unity and cohesion."
"Moreover, it would contradict what President Biden himself has repeatedly said to members of Congress in recent days, telling us that anyone who 'wants to challenge his nomination should do so 'at the convention,'" the letter continues. "We respectfully but emphatically request that you cancel any plans for an accelerated 'virtual roll call' and further refrain from any extraordinary procedures that could be perceived as curtailing legitimate debate or attempting to force an early resolution of the party nomination."
Aaron Regunberg, a progressive organizer who has vocally demanded that Biden step aside, argued Tuesday that "even if you're all in for Biden, you should oppose" the DNC's plan for a pre-convention virtual roll call.
"If Biden's our nominee, he'll desperately need Dem unity [and] enthusiasm," Regunberg wrote on social media. "Moves like this are tailor-made to engender mistrust and make it much, much harder for Dems—volunteers, donors, voters, all of us—to come together."
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Democrats, Progressives Call On Menendez to Resign After Bribery Conviction
"He must resign today or be immediately expelled," said one watchdog leader.
Jul 16, 2024
U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez faced fresh pressure to resign on Tuesday after his federal corruption trial ended with a jury finding him guilty on all 16 counts for accepting bribes from three businessmen and acting as a foreign agent for the Egyptian government.
"In light of this guilty verdict, Sen. Menendez must now do what is right for his constituents, the Senate, and our country, and resign," Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said of the New Jersey Democrat, who had pleaded not guilty.
Democratic New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy said in a statement that the verdict "demonstrates that the senator broke the law, violated the trust of his constituents, and betrayed his oath of office. It also shows that in America, everyone—no matter how powerful—is accountable to our laws."
Murphy continued:
Sen. Menendez received a fair trial and due process of law as he was entitled to under our Constitution. I want to thank all the public servants who play crucial roles in our criminal justice system, including our law enforcement officials, prosecutors, defense attorneys, jurors, and judges. Their hard work ensured that these brazen crimes were proven beyond a reasonable doubt, and our nation is grateful for their service.
I reiterate my call for Sen. Menendez to resign immediately after being found guilty of endangering national security and the integrity of our criminal justice system. If he refuses to vacate his office, I call on the U.S. Senate to vote to expel him. In the event of a vacancy, I will exercise my duty to make a temporary appointment to ensure the people of New Jersey have the representation they deserve.
Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington president Noah Bookbinder, a former federal corruption prosecutor, similarly released a statement calling on the Senate to act if Menendez refuses to leave voluntarily.
"After years of ducking accountability for corruption, Sen. Bob Menendez has finally been convicted by a jury of his peers," he said. "There is no room in the Senate for a convicted felon, especially not one convicted of taking bribes. He must resign today or be immediately expelled."
Common Cause president and CEO Virginia Kase Solomón said that "after a guilty verdict from a jury of his peers who heard all the facts of the case, Sen. Menendez has broken the trust of New Jersey voters. When we see our leaders sell their influence, we lose faith that democracy is worth participating and believing in."
"It is foundational to our representative democracy that our leaders in Washington put their own personal interests aside in favor of the public interest," she added. "Rather than serve the voters, Sen. Menendez sold them out for his own personal profit. He must resign."
Menendez was initially indicted in September for allegedly taking bribes in the form of "cash, gold, payments toward a home mortgage, compensation for a low-or-no-show job, a luxury vehicle, and other things of value." He swiftly stepped down as chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee but remained in the chamber, despite calls for his resignation as the charges mounted.
The verdict was delivered at a federal courthouse in New York City on Tuesday. The Associated Pressreported that "as the verdict was read in court, Menendez, 70, looked toward the jury at times as he appeared to mark a document in front of him. Afterward, he sat resting his chin against his closed hands, elbows on the table."
Menendez did not testify at the trial—the conclusion of which comes as he is running for another Senate term as an Independent against Democratic Congressman Andy Kim and Curtis Bashaw, a Republican real estate developer.
"I'm deeply disappointed by the jury's decision," Menendez told reporters outside the courthouse, adding that he plans to appeal. "I have never violated my public oath. I've never been anything but a patriot of my country and for my country."
The senator previously faced unrelated corruption charges in 2017, but that trial ended with a deadlocked jury. In this case, his wife, Nadine Menendez, was also charged. She has pleaded not guilty. Her trial was postponed so she could recover from breast cancer surgery.
This post has been updated with comment from Common Cause.
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'I Am Not a Terrorist': Letters From Gaza Children Decry Daily Horrors of Israeli Assault
"We live in a constant state of fear and anxiety, with shells accompanying us around the clock, reaping lives, sparing only those fortunate enough to survive," one Palestinian girl wrote to U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
Jul 16, 2024
A U.K.-based humanitarian group on Tuesday delivered "heartbreaking" letters from two Palestinian girls—including one who lost her arm in an Israeli attack—imploring new Labour Prime Minister Keir Starmer to "intervene and help bring about a permanent cease-fire" in Gaza.
"We write to you with hearts full of sorrow and spirits crushed by the daily suffering inflicted upon us by the brutal war," wrote 15-year-old Mais Abdel Hadi, president of the youth-led Palestinian Children's Council, in a letter presented to Starmer's office in London by the charity Christian Aid. Palestinian Children's Council is a partner of the Palestinian Center for Human Rights.
"We live in a constant state of fear and anxiety, with shells accompanying us around the clock, reaping lives, sparing only those fortunate enough to survive," said Hadi, whose family is forcibly displaced due to the destruction of their home. "Destruction and devastation surround us on all sides. Our question is: Why must we children pay such a horrendous price?"
"Our question is: Why must we children pay such a horrendous price?"
According to the Gaza Health Ministry, an average of 58 children have been killed each day—approximately 16,000 in total—since Israel launched its retaliatory assault and siege of Gaza after the Hamas-led attacks last October 7.
The ministry—whose figures have been deemed reliable by Israeli intelligence—says that Israeli bombs and bullets have wounded more than 34,000 other Palestinian children, and that thousands more are missing and presumed dead and buried beneath the rubble of bombed-out homes and other buildings. Over 17,000 other Gazan children are orphaned.
"We wake up every day to the sound of bombs and rockets, with no safe place to seek refuge," Hadi stated. "This violent war has taken our homes, schools, families, relatives, friends, and classmates. It has forced us to sleep in poor tents and in the open air, our bodies scorched by the sun during the day and deprived of sleep at night due to constant airstrikes and random shelling."
"We need your support and urgent intervention to end this tragedy," she stressed to the newly-elected prime minister.
Hadi continued:
We demand an immediate cease-fire and the establishment of peace because we, the children of Palestine, deserve to live in safety and peace. We also urge you to work on rebuilding our schools and hospitals that have been destroyed and to provide the necessary psychological and educational support so we can regain our lives and futures.
Stop the death by starvation, the killing by denying medicine, and the destruction of health centers. Bring back life through songs, poems, and music. We are children who hope for a dignified life and do not wish for anyone to suffer.
Save our lives, dreams, and rights, and preserve our childhood. We are not just numbers or news in media reports; we are living souls, carrying hope in our hearts, awaiting your swift and effective action.
Sixteen-year-old Hala Abu Saleem, one of the thousands of child amputees in Gaza, asked: "Will my hand grow back? Or am I condemned to live without an arm?"
"I am not a terrorist to be exterminated," asserted Saleem, whose family is also forcibly displaced after their home was bombed. "I am not a terrorist for my house to be destroyed and my family killed. I am not a terrorist to live in a tent that is scorching during the day and freezing at night, unfit even for animals!"
"It's time for you to bear the consequences of your mistakes from over a century ago," Saleem added. The British Empire ruled Palestine in the early 20th century and facilitated Zionist colonization before reversing the policy amid resistance from the existing Arab population.
"End the occupation," she begged. "Stop the genocide!"
Starmer, who became prime minister on July 5, has given no indication that his administration will depart from the previous Conservative government's nearly unconditional support for Israel. As opposition leader, he sparked widespread outrage in Britain—a country that has seen massive pro-Palestine demonstrations over the past nine months—and beyond by initially supporting Israel's "right" to cut off water and electricity in Gaza, acts cited as evidence of genocide. He later retracted his statement.
The United Nations Children's Fund has described Gaza as "the most dangerous place in the world to be a child." More children were killed in the first four months of Israel's Gaza onslaught than in all the world's wars over the past four years, according to the U.N.'s Palestine relief agency. Israeli forces have allegedly deliberately targeted and executed children. Israeli warplanes are dropping shrapnel-packed fragmentation bombs that doctors say are eviscerating children's bodies and causing a "constant flow of amputations."
Israel also stands accused of using starvation as a weapon of war, killing dozens of children by malnutrition, dehydration, and lack of medical care.
In addition to killing, maiming, starving, and orphaning children, Israel's war has wrought what one Gaza mother described as "the complete psychological destruction" of youth living in the enclave.
Last month, U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres added Israel to the so-called "List of Shame" of countries that kill and injure children during wars and other armed conflicts.
Israel's conduct in the 283-day war—which has left more than 137,500 Palestinians in Gaza dead, maimed, or missing—is under investigation by the International Court of Justice in a South Africa-led genocide case.
International Criminal Court Prosecutor Karim Khan is also seeking to arrest Israeli Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for alleged crimes including extermination and forced starvation. Khan also applied for warrants to arrest three senior leaders of Hamas, which has governed the Gaza Strip since 2006.
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