Just Old Fashioned Censorship, Net Neutrality R.I.P.

ecp: Censorship is suppression of speech or other communication which may be considered objectionable, harmful, sensitive, or inconvenient to the general body of people as determined by a government, media outlet, or other controlling body.

►“Federal Court backs Internet Censorship”
A federal appeals court just sided with Verizon and against you, against us, against the Internet.

►Judges approve censorship. Net neutrality is dead.
Today, 3 judges sided with Verizon and struck down net neutrality. Starting right now, your Internet service provider can censor, throttle, and block content however they want, while corporate websites that can pay more will be blazing fast. The FCC can stop this, but they need to hear from you.

Internet for Sale: Federal Court Guts Net Neutrality



►1) Wired, Federal Court Guts Net Neutrality Rules

►2) CNET, Appeals Court Strikes Down FCC’s Net Neutrality Rules

The Feds Lost Net Neutrality, But Won Control of the Internet
By Berin Szoka and Geoffrey Manne



►Diane Feinstein – the best argument for term limits

If U.S. Senators Orrin Hatch and Dianne Feinstein have their way...

Here's the censorship language of the Hatch/Feinstein bill (S.486): "It shall be unlawful for any person-- (A) to teach or demonstrate the manufacture of a controlled substance, or to distribute by any means information pertaining to, in whole or in part, the manufacture or use of a controlled substance, with the intent that the teaching, demonstration, or information be used for, or in furtherance of, an activity that constitutes a Federal crime."

My opening statements "teach" people how to "use" criminalized drugs in a way that reduces potential harmfulness. They are nonetheless information that, if heeded at all, would be used "for ... an activity that constitutes a Federal crime," namely the use of marijuana or heroin. (Don't believe for a minute that the "intent" aspect clarifies anything: the "intent" of suspects in federal crimes is exactly what the prosecutor says it is. Period.)

The penalty for my heinous utterances: 10 years in federal prison.



►Now They're Coming For The 1st?

►Internet Free Speech Goes on Trial - 07/14/01

►Students for Sensible Drug Policy (SSDP)
Free Speech 4 Students Rally
The following activities could be banned:
• Writing a paper on the history of drug prohibition.
• Debating marijuana legalization on a debate team.
• Questioning the school’s drug testing policy.
• Anything that could be construed as promoting illegal drugs.
On March 19, 2007, the Supreme Court heard a case in which they were asked to outlaw ALL SPEECH in high schools concerning drugs or drug policy!

►Bong Hits 4 Jesus

►Meth Bill/Free Speech by Richard Lake - 06/11/00
Making War On Free Speech! S. 486/H.R. 2987 Passes
The Anti-Meth Bill - Washington Post

►Closing Ranks on MAPA/Secret Searches Bill Passes

►Legislation Introduced to Overturn DC Initiative

►Cannabis Shrinks Tumors: Government Knew in 74

 

►Political and Propaganda spending by Dirty Energy reaching mind blowing heights$$$!
Check out our blog at PriceOfOil.org and find out how much oil and coal money your Representatives take at DirtyEnergyMoney.com

For years we’ve been fighting this dirty energy money in the halls of the US Congress and that fight continues. Now, we’re excited to introduce you to a new tool designed to help all of us hold our leaders at the state level accountable as well.

So, if you're as fed up with big oil buying off politicians as we are, take a look at our new tool, share it, and help us shine a light on this political corruption.

(If you aren't in one of the 7 states, you can still check out our national dirty energy money database that tracks all federal representatives.)

►Pulling back the veil on corporate contributions
Interactive database illuminates company giving to politically active nonprofits

Top U.S. corporations funneled $185 million to political nonprofits



Al Capone and Watergate

 

Marijuana Ads Under Attack in Denver
Free joints! Cheap weed! Come on down! Marijuana advertising in Denver can be shockingly aggressive, with psychedelic billboards and sign wavers promoting potent weed and an affordable high. But in-your-face advertising messages in Colorado's largest city look like they're on their way out after the city council voted 13-0 to ban outdoor advertising for medical marijuana.continued

Proposed Denver MMJ Ad Ban Set for Public Hearing
A proposal to ban billboard, bus-bench and sidewalk sign-twirler advertising by Denver medical-marijuana dispensaries has pitted the state's two most prominent cannabis trade groups against each other. On one side is the Cannabis Business Alliance, which denounces the proposal by saying it creates too many uncertainties for the industry. On the other is the Medical Marijuana Industry Group, which supports the proposed ban by arguing that it is a show of neighborliness for an industry that is not always embraced.continued

MJ Ballot Measure Favored By Colorado Voters

Marijuana Reform Facebook Ads Restored
Facebook turned over a new leaf Monday, unblocking advertisements promoting a marijuana legalization campaign involving a set of November ballot initiatives across the country. The social media giant conceded to Internet freedom advocates over the past week that it had erred in yanking a pro-legalization group's ads from its network because of pot leaf images. Parties involved in the controversy confirmed the Facebook decision to The Huffington Post on Monday.continued

Pat Robertson's Pot Billboard
The Campaign to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol has launched a new billboard promoting Colorado's marijuana legalization initiative, Amendment 64 -- this time featuring conservative evangelist icon Pat Robertson. The digital billboard, located on the I-70 Business Loop just west of Main Street in Grand Junction, Colo., features an image of Robertson and reads: "Pat Robertson would vote YES on 64. Will you?" continued

Not the first time...

Boston Trial Fireworks 2/06/02
On Friday, February 1 our trial in Federal District Court against the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) began in Boston. Our case is simple: the MBTA refuses to place our marijuana reform ads because they don't like our point of view.

First Amendment Trial Starts in Boston
Trial is scheduled to begin on Friday morning, February 1, 2002 in Change the Climate v. MBTA. Change the Climate is a nonprofit group that promotes public discussion about marijuana policies and laws. CTC sued the Mass. Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) after the transit authority refused to display the groups ads.

The three ads rejected by the MBTA seek to stimulate debate about
1) whether arresting people for marijuana makes sense from a public safety point of view;
2) whether sending kids to jail is more dangerous than smoking pot; and
3) whether the typical anti-drug message that marijuana is as dangerous as cocaine or heroin is counterproductive with young people. The lawsuit charges the MBTA rejected the ads because of their point of view, a direct violation of the First Amendment.

Bong Hits 4 Jesus August 30, 2006
When it comes to Bong Hits 4 Jesus, here's some Advice 4 Dummies: If the phrase poses such a threat to the health and future of any teenager exposed to it, then stop making a federal case out of it. If the Juneau School Board, in its infinite stubbornness, is so worried that the message waved on a banner four years ago at a nonschool event will lead high school kids down the path to illegal drug use, why does it insist on giving the message such tremendous exposure?

Former Whitewater special counsel Kenneth Starr petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court to take up Alaska’s “Bong Hits 4 Jesus” case, a dispute involving a high school student, a banner and a tough school policy.

"They that start by burning books will end by burning men."
(German) "Dort, wo man BŸcher verbrennt,
verbrennt man am Ende auch Menschen."
--Heinrich Heine (1797-1856),
from his play Almansor (1821)