Rotophonic

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Archive for category Ted Stevens

Dear Sarah Palin

Sep 27

Posted by rotophonic in John McCain, Politics, Sarah Palin, Ted Stevens, Troopergate | No Comments

Dear Sarah,

I bet you’re scratching your head right now trying to figure out why all this is happening to you. That Tina Fey is mocking you every week on SNL. Reporters continue their demands that you answer questions and dream of a day when they’ll be peppering you with questions at a press conference. McCain staffers are wringing their hands during your mock debates. I’d imagine it’s all pretty frustrating and painful, so I wanted to drop you a little note that might help you understand all this a little better.
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“Tube” Bites Man Trying to Toss His Plate of Pork

Aug 30

Posted by rotophonic in Net Neutrality, Politics, Ted Stevens | No Comments

Senator Ted StevensEven though Ted Stevens (“Tube”) (R-AK) got his $233 milliion dollar “bridge to nowhere” (see nowhere here), he’s still holding a grudge against Tom Coburn (R-OK) for challenging him about it. Tube took a break from trying to sell-out the Internet and placed an indefinite hold on Coburn’s bill, the Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act (S2590), which would publish a public database of every company who has received federal funding–an effort to expose pork barrel earmarks. The Tube is probably just a bit worried about how many bogus earmarks might get exposed if such a database existed.

Just to give you a sense of how snarky Tubey really is, during the debate over the bridge, according to a Washington Post article, Tube threw a fit and whined,

I will put the Senate on notice — and I don’t kid people — if the Senate decides to discriminate against our state and take money only from our state, I will resign from this body.”

Alas, Senate members got a little misty-eyed at the idea of the Senate without the Tube and gave him his bridge, contributing even more to the greedy state of Alaska, which receives $1.89 in federal help for every tax dollar they sent to Washington.

[UPDATE] Now why did Tube hold up that bill? Wait, I think I better put this in the comedy section. Ted Stevens is concerned about the cost (which is $15 million over the next 4 years (PDF).

Stevens “wanted to make sure that this wasn’t going to be a huge cost to the taxpayer and that it achieves the goal which the bill is meant to achieve” – spokesperson for Tube Stevens

I’m sure Stevens could barely get the words out without laughing and choking on all the pork in his craw. The guy who got over $200 million to build a Golden Gate sized bridge over a little canal of a waterway to an island with 50 people on it is concerned about cost. Perhaps politicians lie so much because they actually think they can get away with stuff like this.

A little story about Net Neutrality

Aug 22

Posted by rotophonic in Net Neutrality, Politics, Technology, Ted Stevens | No Comments

It almost seems like Deborah Platt Majoras, the FTC’s Republican chairman, is joining the millions of people in the United States who aren’t happy that Bell South, Comcast, Time-Warner Cable, AT&T, SBC and Verizon are continuing their neverending quest to wall off their gardens.

I ask myself whether consumers will stand for an Internet that suddenly imposes restrictions on their ability to freely explore the Internet or does not provide for the choices they want,” Deborah Platt Majoras, the FTC’s Republican chairman, told a luncheon audience.

Unfortunately, like Ted Stevens, Majoras believes that Telcos should be able to do whatever they want. She believes Net Neutrality provisions would regulate an industry that should be able to operate within a free market. Naively, she believes that Big Telecom will actually provide the choices we want.

We are not standing for it

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False Alarm? Ted Stevens thinks *I’m* the idiot

Aug 2

Posted by rotophonic in Net Neutrality, Politics, Technology, Ted Stevens | No Comments

According to Anne Broache, reporting in the C-Net politics blog this morning, Ted Stevens laughed off the idea that he planned to bring his telecom bill (S.2686) to the floor this week during the brief lame-duck session before the August recess.

Senator Ted StevensI’ve seen some of these blogs. They don’t know what they’re talking about.” – Sen. Ted Stevens via an aide’s transcript

Senator Stevens, just because you think we’re morons doesn’t mean that you would not have brought the measure before the Senate this week if you had been able to get your 60 cloture votes.

Stevens’ Anti-Net Neutrality Bill Unlikely To Get A Vote Until September

Aug 1

Posted by rotophonic in Net Neutrality, Politics, Technology, Ted Stevens | No Comments

It appears that Senator Ted Stevens’ telecommunications bill (S.2686) — opposed by most senators who favor an unfettered Internet, due to its lack of true Net Neutrality protections — will not see a floor vote in this session (before Friday). With Senator Wyden’s threatened filibuster, Broadcasting & Cable Magazine reports this morning that Senator Bill Frist is unlikely to schedule a vote on this controversial bill until at least September.

Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Ted Stevens is still lining up the 60 he needs to defeat a threatened filibuster of the bill over its absence of strong network neutrality provisions. Frist has made it clear that he won’t schedule a vote until he can be assured it won’t take up floor time only to be mooted by a filibuster.” – Broadcasting & Cable

Given that it has been suggested that Stevens is working craftily to avoid a filibuster of his bill, I won’t believe we have escaped any procedural trickery until the Senate recesses on Friday, but this is a positive development.

Any calls and emails to senators on the fence on this bill will still be productive in assuring that Stevens does not get the 60 votes he needs to force this bill through in the lame duck session before the August recess begins.

Senator Ted “Mr. Tubes” Stevens trying dirty tricks on Net Neutrality

Jul 31

Posted by rotophonic in Net Neutrality, Politics, Technology, Ted Stevens | 42 Comments

Senator Ted StevensIf you believe in true Net Neutrality, it’s time to get on the phones and try to prevent Senator Ted Stevens from calling a vote on his Net Neutrality bill (S.2686) as the Senate goes into recess. Basically, no one is going to be there after Thursday and yet Stevens is going to try and get a cloture vote through so a filibuster can be prevented and the bill can be considered in the lame duck session after November elections before the Senate leaves for the August recess.

Stevens is shooting for a cloture vote on Thursday and has plans to keep everyone in a lame duck session to force a vote on net neutrality after Congress is supposed to be in recess. If you can’t win fair and square, you try the smarmy tactics…please hit the phones.” – FireDogLake

Email or call these swing voters on the committee with your concerns. Remember, be polite but insistent that these senators appear and vote against cloture to assure that Stevens’ bill does not pass:

Blanche Lincoln (D-Arkansas) – Email - Phone: (202) 224-4843

Ben Nelson (D-Nebraska) – Email - Phone: (202) 224-6551

Joe Lieberman (D-Connecticut) – Email - Phone: (202) 224-4041

[UPDATE 8-1-2006]

Here are Senator Ron Wyden’s June 28th (D-Oregon) remarks objecting to Stevens’ bill, made on the floor of the senate–for some background.
[via Daily KOS via Firedoglake]