Protesting: A waste of time

Joshua of Aasgaard (aasgaard@TWEB.COM)
Wed, 13 Dec 1995 13:07:59 -0600

Alan,
You say red-baiting like it's a bad thing. What decade are we in?
Your comment re-homophobes and ultranationists really hurt. The point is
that any communication via email with those who don't get it with regard to
the Net is a waste of time. If you want a Congressperson's aid to tally
your opinion, make a phone call. If you want your Congressperson's aid to
write you a letter, write a letter asking specific questions. If you want
to make a difference, go to D.C. and work with lobbyists or with the
Congresscritters themselves. Otherwise, your opinions with regard to
making a difference in a policy area are meaningless and waste of your
time. On close votes, which this is not, the tally makes a difference in
seats that aren't "safe." Most Congresspeople are immune from individual
decisions on specific votes. Most constituents lack much choice and have
to vote one way or the other. If you are really interested in the doings
of congress, check out Congressional Quarterly. Watch what goes on
day-to-day. You'll find almost every individual's opinion is meaningless
when it comes to policy decisions.

If you think signing petitions has an effect. Go for it. But don't
think everyone agrees with it as a method of influencing policy. The way
to influence policy is to make large donations, work within campaigns, work
as a lobbyist, work with a Congresscritter, or work within the federal
bureaucracy.

In the end, free expression is protected by the First Amendment,
and the way the web works, the expression is closer to that of books than
broadcast, which has been heavily censored over the years. The worse thing
that will happen is that filters for children will be required.

The market is too big for real censorship to take place. And those
with financial interests are the ones who will make the decisions in the
end. Now, the "decency" wording is merely a red herring. On the other
side, there are real oppenents to the current Telecommunications Bill
(which favors cable companies and screws the baby bells), but at any moment
in the final reconciliation of the bill, this balance could change. But
the "decency" arguments are a smoke screen for how the public will be
screwed as we give away bandwidth to the corps who have successfully
corrupted the pols, including Teddy Kennedy, who wrote me that he supports
the bill.

I wrote 4 letters. One to Senator John Breaux (my senator in LA),
one to the scumbag from MO, Sen. Chris Bond, one to Newt, and one to Teddy
Kennedy. I got pretty much form letters from each, but Kennedy made a
direct and specific reply supporting the bill, saying it would lower
consumer rates and improve service much as deregulation of the Bell system
did. He didn't think the decency provisions would survive.

And for the record, I'm a libertarian socialist. Meaning maximized
individual freedom and maximized social security.

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Joshua Aasgaard, M.A. Get Started Today
TWEB St. Louis. (314) 773-7860 www.tweb.com
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