February 29, 2008

Government Control of the Internet / Related Stories

Phil Kerpen is the Director of Policy for Americans for Prosperity. He is a contributing editor for National Review Online" and Senior Fellow for the Internet Freedom Coalition.

Attempts are being made to regulate the Internet in ways we have not observed before. HR 5353, the Internet Freedom Preservation Act of 2008, is a bill being touted by its supporters as a way to have a national dialog about whether the Internet should be regulated and how that would be accomplished. According to Phil, the problem with this bill is that it also includes language that predetermines the outcome of that dialog because it puts very strict neutrality mandates into the law, which could then be used as the statutory authority for FCC regulation, or there could be litigation to force regulation.

In short, Phil outlined the three mandates of the Internet Freedom Coalition as follows:
--Oppose all Internet taxation
--No regulation of the Internet
--No United Nations Control of the Internet.

Jim Schneider then shared the following news stories for listeners:

-Senator Barack Obama says he regrets voting with the senate to help save Terri Schiavo.

-Senator Barack Obama tells of his support for same-sex couples in recent letter.

-Presidential candidate Mike Huckabee issues his support for a personhood amendment in Colorado.

-UCLA student magazine releases phone recordings of Planned Parenthood staffers approving a donor's racist agenda prompting students to begin a petition to request that UCLA administrators cut programs and affiliations with the abortion provider.

-Wisconsin congresswoman Tammy Baldwin challenged Secretary of State Condaleeza Rice about reported inequities in employment practices concerning gay and lesbian employees in the Department of State.

-Family Video store in Auburn, NY, being sued by the city for selling X-rated videos.

-Tennessee House Committee kills a state amendment to limit abortions.

-Senate Bill 3412/House Bill 2795 in Tennessee would mandate testing non public school students, including home schoolers.

-A surgeon in California was accused of prescribing excessive drugs to a disabled and brain damaged man to hasten his death in order to harvest his organs.

-Alliance Defense Fund defending prayer warriors in Elmira, NY trial.

-The federal government admits that a vaccine has aggravated autism.

More Information

http://internetfreedomcoalition.org
http://americansforprosperity.org

State Department
202-647-4000

Public Commnication Division
202-647-6575

Action Points

To oppose SB-3412/HB-2795, a state bill which would mandate testing non public school students, including home schoolers, contact Tennessee Representative Hardaway at: 615-741-5625

For more information, contact:

Home School Legal Defense Association
540-338-5600