Net Neutrality Explodes into a 'Bipartisian Thing' : Perfect Example of Our Flawed Two-Party System

Un-fucking-Believable, Incorporated

My oh my, where to even begin? Now that the president has taken a stance on the Net Neutrality issue, and issued a statement to the people, I am sure that you are all well aware of this problem by now. If not, see my previous blogs to fill yourself in. In a nutshell, Verizon, Comcast, Time-Warner, and At&t have gotten in bed with the FCC and have been trying to destroy the open internet as we know it.

The History of Deliberate Confusion in American Politics

We've all seen this before, over and over again; corporations taking over our country, one piece of government infrastructure at a time. For my generation, perhaps it started with the "Exporting of America" during the 90's, when many corporations outsourced their manufacturing jobs to countries like China and Hong Kong, to avoid paying U.S. taxes and exploit cheap labour. The result of that particular scandal was Americans being robbed of employment opportunities, because for every 20 year old American employment seeker, there are 10 more Chinese workers willing to do the same thing for 1/10 the wage. Call it 'capitalism', 'the way the world turns', or tell me 'tough luck, kid' if you want, but then ask yourself this:

Why do these  corporations (that don't even pay taxes at home) still have the same more rights, protections, and freedoms then private American citizens do? (Remember, corporations are now people too). But wait: How do they get away with paying lower taxes to Uncle Sam because they are 'officially' based in a foreign country, yet are allowed to claim American citizenship?

For example, I have a friend with dual citizenship; Canadian & American. When he works in Canada, he ends up having to pay taxes to both countries, and it ends up costing him more money in the end, than it does when he works in the U.S.A. However, this friend works for a company that exported to Hong Kong a couple years ago, and now that corporation is getting away with paying almost no taxes to Uncle Sam. How can that be? Are corporations not people after all?

While it depends on how to want to define a "person", it also depends on whether you consider the bribery that our politicians and leaders have taken from these companies. After all, it should be abundantly clear to everybody by now that our political system is a system of bribery, nothing less, nothing more. Foreign aid? Nope. It's foreign bribery. Campaign donations of undisclosed amounts from ultra-rich corporations? No, that's not called a donation, that is called a bribe. 

You may be thinking: "Chev, we already know all this. So what is the point you're trying to make, and how does this relate to net neutrality, Republicans, and Democrats?"

Alright, let's talk about Net Neutrality

Recently, and finally, after millions of Americans called, emailed, wrote, protested, and even occupied the FCC in opposition to destroying Net Neutrality laws, (and with those laws the open internet a we know it), Obama finally took a stance and urged the FCC to "Adopt the strongest possible rules for net neutrality." This was big news, and appeared to be reason to celebrate our efforts. After a year of endless, seemingly futile political outreach, we finally got the president on our side! There is no way FCC chairman Tom Wheeler can ignore us now! At least, that is what I thought at the time. This happened because on November 6th, there were protests all over the country urging the president to do something (as he promised he would protect the internet during his campaign), and the FCC to honour the will of the American people. Prior to Obama's announcement, it seemed as if only one in ten Americans even knew what was going on with the internet, and why it mattered. Suffice to say, we had a sweet, but short lived moment of victory, until...

Ted Cruz Joins the Debate : Never Underestimate Stupid...

As if there wasn't already enough reason to despise the TEA party, after Obama made his statement, Ted Cruz issued perhaps the most ignorant statement of his life:

"...net neutrality is just ObamaCare for the internet..."

As soon as the words left his mouth, net neutrality blew up into a bipartisan issue, with ultra right wingers comparing it to 'Obamacare' simply because it was Obama that raised the desperately needed public awareness of this issue. Nice one Ted! Perfect timing... Now that the majority of America is actually somewhat aware of the net-neutrality issue, you have successfully twisted it into another ridiculous "Obama_X" debate. And we all know that there are many, many people who will, and do hate Obama simply because he is Obama, and they are Republicans. (Divide and conquer, remember?)

But I say no, not this time. I believe that this time the public will see through the bullshit and realize this is nothing more than a desperate attempt by the corporations that own the Tea Party (Koch brothers, anyone..?) to push their agendas in the midst of a serious threat; that threat being our president actually standing up for his people. God knows the TEA party will never allow that to happen without a fight.

Why Does Every Problem in American Become a "Party" Thing?

...because the political parties are responsible for all of the problems, every single time. This is probably the best example of bi-partisan manipulation I've ever witnessed. Take this into consideration:

Whether you consider yourself to be on the right, left, or independent, there's a good chance that until a couple days ago, you didn't even know that there was a heating debate over net neutrality laws. That's because the media has completely failed at doing its job (not to mention the mainstream media corporations also happen to be the same guys that want the authority to rape your wallet if you want to use Netflix or Youtube.) Now that you do know, I'm willing to bet that those of you who consider yourself members of the Republican party are already second-guessing the entire idea of net neutrality, simply because that's what you're party is doing. While that is probably not the case (because you're still reading this post) for you, it's pathetic when you consider that prior  to Ted Cruz (stupid)'s remarks, you didn't even know what net neutrality was to begin with!

The Corporate/Bi-Partisan Link

Now ask yourself why the Republicans are taking this stance. The conclusion that I hope you arrive at it is because they are owned by these corporations. With that in mind, I urge each and every one of you to do your homework before taking a stance in the net neutrality debate. Please do not get suckered into working against your own best interests. Because after all, that is the sole agenda of the TEA party.

The Point

Keeping the internet open and free, while preserving equal access and opportunity for all is not an 'Obama thing', or a 'Democrat thing', it is a human rights thing. It's the single reason for the dot com booms we enjoyed in the 90's. It's the reason Google has had such success with it's open source Android operating system. It's freedom of choice, freedom of speech, freedom of information, and freedom for entraprenours to innovate without a liscense from the rich. That's all I have to say. The ball is in your court.

Update: Net Neutrality Protests will also take place in Boston & other cities

This is a quick update on the situation regarding the national emergency protest to save net neutrality on November 6th. I've just been informed that there will be demonstrations not only in Washington DC, but also in many major cities around the country, including Boston, Massachusetts. To find a city near you to participate, click here. Starting 6:00 PM EST on November 6th, all across the country, citizens will unite, bring their cell phones, candles, and flash lights and shine the light upon the corruption going on inside the government buildings (mainly statehouses, I believe). Find an event near you and help. This is our last shot at saving our digital futures. This is one of the most important things that will ever happen in our lifetimes.

URGENT: Last Chance to Save the Net: We the People have been IGNORED, so..

Why This Matters

In case you have either been living under a rock of not paying attention, net neutrality is the concept that nobody's data on the internet gets priority over anyone else's data. In other words, the internet that we have enjoyed since its' inception has been operating on an even playing field. Sure, you can pay for faster or slower internet lines, but no matter what your connection speed is, your traffic has equal access and the same priority as anyone else's traffic once it is travelling through the data lines that connect us all together (the internet, or the world wide web).

Net Neutrality prevents ISP's (internet service providers) from discriminating against and blocking certain content, or throttling down your connection speed, or making you pay more money to access certain services (like video streaming, which uses a lot of bandwidth), or even putting data caps on your land-line cable internet, like the limits you have on your cell phone (usually 2 GB on average, depending on your phone plan). Imagine if Comcast could start charging you on a per gigabyte basis, like Verizon, ATT, and other cell phone providers do already on your phones. Wouldn't that suck? Or imagine if you suddenly had to start paying more money to access the same sites you have been using for years, like YouTube, Netflix, or Pandora. Basically, without net neutrality, the internet could turn into something like Cable TV, where you have to pay more to access certain content. That is something that nobody wants or needs, and only benefits corporate interests:

The FCC might as well be a subsidiary of Comcast

They Have Completely Ignored The Will of the People

This is really happening, despite the fact that millions of people have written the FCC and told them that we, the people, are very opposed. So many people have complained that the FCC's website has crashed not once, but twice due to so many people telling them to save net neutrality. Yet despite this, we have been completely ignored, and now our window is opportunity to fix this problem has gotten much, much smaller, as last week it was announced that FCC chairman Tom Wheeler plans to seal the deal much sooner than we anticipated. His proposal is terrible, and would only attempt to appear to appease public outcry, while failing to address any of our concerns. We have spoken, and they are not getting the message. So, as a last resort, on November 6th, we will peacefully assemble and protest against killing the internet, in Washington,DC as a last resort to save the internet as we know it.

Our Last Chance

The FCC has the power to put a stop to all of this! So, there will be an Emergency Protest on November 6th, in the nation's capitol, Washington, DC:

"The WSJ just reported that, after receiving nearly 4 million public comments calling for strong net neutrality, the FCC is still hurtling toward a FAKE proposal that leaves the door wide open for Cable company censorship and abuse of the Internet. We need a massive response RIGHT NOW to show President Obama, the FCC, and the world that the Internet will accept nothing less than lasting net neutrality through Title II reclassification.

On November 6th, we'll gather at the White House and government buildings nationwide and hold our cell phones, candles, and flashlights up to shine light on the corruption that is unfolding in Washington, DC, and demand a free and uncensored Internet for all."

If this does not get their attention, I'm afraid I don't know what will. Perhaps now that this situation has blown up so terribly, more people will start to take it seriously. Even if you personally cannot be in Washington, DC on November the 6th, tell your friends, family, and anyone you know who may be able to make it to show up. The fate of our digital future now rests on the turnout of this demonstration.

And what kind of future will that be? There are only two possibilities: Will it be a future full of freedom to innovate, and friendly to entrepreneurs and small businesses? A future that continues to allow the limitless flow of information and truth to the people, via the internet, like we have taken for granted all along?

Or will it be a darker future, full of censorship and media/news blind spots, and inaccessibility of information because only the rich can afford to access it? One where you have to pay $100 a month to use YouTube or Netflix, or $25 a month strictly for web browsing and email, and with data caps? The fate of the future of the internet rests in all of our hands. Will you do your part? Will you say, "No, I will not accept this."? Or will you stick your head in the sand, go on with your daily lives, and pretend this does not matter? The choice is yours. America-- it's time to unite and say "enough is enough."

What Else Can I do?

• You can call the FCC and tell them you do not support Tom Wheeler's proposal, and that you are angry that the people have been heard and ignored.
• Or you can email the FCC and tell them not to accept these monstrous new proposals. Tell them to use the Title II laws to reclassify internet service providers as 'common carriers'. This would allow the FCC to prevent all the terrible things that the Big Internet companies want to do to us. It's not perfect, but its' the best solution we have on hand.
• And as always, you can simple share this information on social media. Make people aware, spread the word, and be vigilant in general. 

The future is in your hands as much as mine. Good luck to us all, we're going to need it, and God bless.