June 2006 Archives
Understanding Net Neutrality
We are about to lose the only opportunity we may have to free ourselves from long distance bills, even the ones for overseas. I know I would like to call my pal Brian J. Dooley in New Zealand for a chat without imagining my money flying out of my pocket, free to speak until I’m well spoken. I bet you would, too. You’ve probably heard all about net neutrality; how the IPs want to have a two-tiered service, saying they want to charge more for premium content like movies. Well, that’s not what they’re really after. If they told you what they really wanted, they would never get it past Congress. Here's the skinny on Net Neutrality from the mouth of a fellow artist.
Creativity, as almost everybody knows, encourages thinking outside the box. Sometimes, this can get you into deep, deep trouble; other times, it can allow you to pursue your goal instead of supporting someone else’s without flagrantly appearing to break the rules. Politicians do it everyday on behalf of big donors to political campaigns. They call it access. People with access who need something from their politician don’t write a letter; they go to lunch with him at the country club. The politician isn’t breaking the law; silly, he’s just having lunch. The lobbyist isn’t buying influence; he’s courting access—wink, wink.
I think it's about time we voted for senators with breasts. After all, we've been voting for boobs long enough. —Clarie Sargent, Arizona Senatorial Candidate
