Texas Longhorns with newborn calf in Bluebonnets

Texas Longhorns with newborn calf in Bluebonnets

Please note I have a new phone number...

512-517-2708

Alan Maki

Alan Maki
Doing research at the LBJ Library in Austin, Texas

It's time to claim our Peace Dividend

It's time to claim our Peace Dividend

We need to beat swords into plowshares.

We need to beat swords into plowshares.

A program for real change...

http://peaceandsocialjustice.blogspot.com/2013/03/a-progressive-program-for-real-change.html


What we need is a "21st Century Full Employment Act for Peace and Prosperity" which would make it a mandatory requirement that the president and Congress attain and maintain full employment.


"Voting is easy and marginally useful, but it is a poor substitute for democracy, which requires direct action by concerned citizens"

- Ben Franklin

Let's talk...

Let's talk...

Friday, December 15, 2017

The FCC ruling repeals Net Neutrality

New York Times:

F.C.C. Repeals Net Neutrality Rules



https://mobile.nytimes.com/2017/12/14/technology/net-neutrality-repeal-vote.html?referer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2F

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Democracy is too big a hindrance to corporate profits... we are in for a very rude awakening.


There is only one way to defend democracy in light of this attack by Republicans and acquiescence of the Democrats on net neutrality and that is to bring the Internet under full public ownership and control; taking corporate interests completely out of the picture.


Obviously we can’t depend on the Democrats to mobilize the American people in defense of democracy any more than we can rely on the Democrats for peace or to solve this health care mess.
We need to mobilize millions of people behind the demand for public ownership and democratic control of the Internet.


Perhaps the real solution to the problems of privatization and monopoly ownership, domination and control of the Internet would be to place it under the control of UNESCO... the United Nation’s Scientific, Education and Cultural Organization?


There really is no reason why everyone shouldn’t have free access to the Internet other than Wall Street monopolies consider it their right to profit from a publicly funded and financed operation... the epitome of what neo-liberalism is all about... the government giving corporations the right to profit from a publicly funded and financed enterprise which the Internet is.

In one way or another, what the public has paid to create and maintain, the Internet, should be publicly owned, controlled and operated as a public democratic enterprise and institution.


For some reason, no one is talking about when we could get free access to the Internet through local co-operative ventures usually through networks operating through our public libraries.


Public funds created the Internet and the Internet must be brought back under public control as a democratic institution and enterprise... just like the U.S. Postal Service and public education.



The two Democrats on the FCC have done a fine job of explaining why corporations should not control the Internet, but they have done a very poor job when it comes to articulating the solution:


Public ownership which is the only alternative to handing the Internet over to profit-gouging monopolies.


The reality is we will either have monopoly corporate ownership and control over the Internet or the Internet will be a public institution and enterprise.


Which do you want? Take your pick.


Once again it seems socialists and Communists are far too timid when it comes to bringing forward the response required to the FCC ruling which places Wall Street monopolies in complete control of the Internet by destroying this so-called “net neutrality” which really hasn’t been any kind of neutrality at all in that it has enabled the corporations instead of the people to become dominant over most aspects of the Internet and setting the stage for overturning “net neutrality” in favor of the monopoly corporations.

The Internet was, and should have remained, a public entity with its construction continued as part of a public works project.


In fact, our entire communications network should be a public entity, a public enterprise creating a public institution instead of allowing Google, Verizon, AT&T and Microsoft to become dominant over the Internet in quest of profits rather than the public good.


Some now suggest the way to oppose this recent FCC ruling is to stop using the Internet.


This would only further concede control of the Internet to the Wall Street monopolies who seek to profit from it just like they do with telephones, television, radio, newspapers.


The whole idea behind the Internet was supposed to be to democratize all of this and the way we interact and communicate with one another.


We need to use our access to Internet to struggle against these monopolies.


Do we fear raising the solution of public ownership under democratic control for fear of being red-baited? Is it easier to advocate withdrawing from a struggle?


We must begin to think in terms of public solutions to our problems rather than the capitalist Wall Street centered market oriented for-profit approach with these parasites always feeding off of us at the public trough.


The Internet was created and financed by the public sector as such it should be publicly owned and democratically controlled free from the Wall Street monopolies which already control and dominate far too much in our country.


Check out what the Democrats on the FCC had to say:


youtube.com




STANDING OVATION I didn't get a chance to watch Mignon Clyburn's speech, but from what I heard it was also pretty good.
youtube.com