zeddy.

Well, I’ll be…

The cranky ND girl gets a zed.

Well said, as always dear PW!

One of the things which is most unfair, is the so called “bulk rates” postal charges which are so evidently slanted in favor of business. This is a perfect example of large enterprises getting an unfair advantage.

I remember this when it came thru. Lobbied against it then. Will send in some more…

In a similar vein — Internet press freedom threat exposed:

Comcast’s Internet ‘Throttling’ Exposes Tip of the Iceberg

Sooner or later one of them was going to get caught. Indeed, Associated Press’ recent Comcast exposé reveals just the tip of the iceberg. Comcast isn’t the only company seeking to cripple your ability to share information with others. Other service providers are deploying related technology in their own bid to become the gatekeepers to what we do online.

Tick-tock goes the freedom clock…

And it’s not just Sandvine. Earlier this year, AT&T joined forces with Hollywood in a plan to sift Internet traffic for alleged violations of copyright. To do this AT&T would likely use technology offered by Sandvine competitor Cisco, which sells its very own “deep packet inspection” services to any ISP that cay pay the price.

Kinda sounds like the packet sniffers are doing cavity searches…

To do this we have to ensure that companies aren’t left to stifle our basic freedoms at their whim. Free and open communications must be guaranteed, right now, before content blocking technology becomes the Internet norm.

Amen.

And what of Congresional ‘franking privileges’? If we can allow this, why not public financing of elections?

I wonder if five years from now we will look back in horror at what we DIDN’T see coming.

Dang, antoher email from DiFi. I wrote to her expressing my displeasure at her vote to censure Moveon.org; got a form letter piously thanking me for my communication and affirming what a nasty, dastardly thing it was to *gasp* impugn on petrayus’ honor (wrings hanky).

******sigh********

ReneND @ 9

I wonder if five years from now we will look back in horror at what we DIDN’T see coming.

Beyond the shadow of a doubt.

ReneND @ 9

I wonder if five years from now we will look back in horror at what we DIDN’T see coming.

I’m doing that now and I saw it coming.

fyi, from this week’s list of congressional hearings:

tuesday, 10 am – House Oversight and Government Reform
Subcommittee Hearing: “Will Increased Postal Rates put Mailers out of Business?”
Subcommittee on Federal Workforce, Postal Service, and the District of Columbia

Oooh. Conservatives doing a hatchet job on Huckabee on Tucker. Raised taxes. All for himself. Schafly said he destroyed conservatives in Arkansas.

I deeply thank FDL and other sites, for presenting me with an easy way to contact reps about what is important.

FDL is a great leader, and I appreciate all the work you do here to give us pleebs the heads-up and info to hit the *ssholes time and time again with the fact that we are watching every move, and that WE VOTE.

I’ve spent more money, signed more petitions, made more calls, sent more faxes, attended more political meeting this past couple of years than I have in my whole life, and I considered myself an informed and engaged voter before that.

THANKS FDL MODS COMMENTERS! If this Republic is to be saved, it will be done right here.

(Sorry, I just welled up with emotion and had to let it out someplace)

“Free press”? Is ‘free’ a matter of degree anymore? When was last time you read a truly objective MSM article?

I agree, itwasntme. It’s been a real education!

eCAHNomics @ 14

Oooh. Conservatives doing a hatchet job on Huckabee on Tucker. Raised taxes. All for himself. Schafly said he destroyed conservatives in Arkansas.

Mike Huckabee’s “Willie Horton” problem.

Loo Hoo. @ 17

I agree, itwasntme. It’s been a real education!

ME Too!

Sorry, I’m just so outraged about the Blackwater immunity…I just came across this interesting tidbit of info I had never realized before, and it stinks:

“Howard J. “Cookie” Krongard was sworn in May 2, 2005, as Inspector General for the U.S. Department of State and the Broadcasting Board of Governors.[1] Krongard has been accused of “repeatedly interfer[ing] with investigations into fraud and abuse in Iraq and Afghanistan, including security defects at the new United States Embassy in Baghdad.”……….

“Krongard’s brother, A.B. “Buzzy” Krongard, was formerly the executive director at the Central Intelligence Agency “(its number three position–he was replaced with the infamous Dusty Foggo).” Buzzy Krongard “worked alongside Cofer Black, now Blackwater’s vice chairman, who was director of the CIA’s Counterterrorist Center until 2002. After his tenure at the CIA, Cofer Black worked at the State Department as its Ambassador-at-Large — a roving ambassador — for counterterrorism, before going to work at Blackwater in February 2005.”

http://www.sourcewatch.org/ind……_Krongard

Freedom seems to correlate with money these days. I will never stop hammering away in favor of public financing of elections.

OKK @ 5

Tell me about it. I get a couple of pounds a week of junk mail, all of it wanting me to buy something. My real mail is almost lost in the stack of 4-color flyers.

they’re definately trying to put small publications out of bussiness, they want the media to be corporate controlled

today. listening to rachael maddow I had an thought

she said there were 100,000 anti war demonstrators and the demonstrations were around the country…I know we’re not gonna see that on the TEE vee

anyway, I think we’d even get more of a turnout if instead of a ’stop the war” demonstration we had an “impeach bush” demonstration

Postal hike is part of the on-going effort to silence independent voices and control the message. And our ever-vigilant Dems don’t even notice. Heads in the sand…

The Postal Service is billed as a quasi governmental agency. How does that work?

“Cookie and Buzzy”??

I can just hear Rudy now… We don’t need socialized mail.

perris @ 23

they’re definately trying to put small publications out of bussiness, they want the media to be corporate controlled

today. listening to rachael maddow I had an thought

she said there were 100,000 anti war demonstrators and the demonstrations were around the country…I know we’re not gonna see that on the TEE vee

anyway, I think we’d even get more of a turnout if instead of a ’stop the war” demonstration we had an “impeach bush” demonstration

Impeach Cheney & Bush in that order seems to have wider appeal in my little corner of the CA coast.

TeddySanFran @ 18

eCAHNomics @ 14

Oooh. Conservatives doing a hatchet job on Huckabee on Tucker. Raised taxes. All for himself. Schafly said he destroyed conservatives in Arkansas.

Mike Huckabee’s “Willie Horton” problem.

Reports on this guy seem to differ. This one (http://www.crimelibrary.com/criminal_mind/sexual_assault/severed_penis/7.html) says that Lt Gov reduced his sentence, Huckabee didn’t pardon, but he was subseuently paroled, courtesy of reduced sentence. I think we don’t need to find out the truth, though, as Huckabee’s not likely to be the R nominee.

Two things that Americans appear to be conditioned to tolerate. Increased gasoline costs and postal increases.

Thanks, LS, and of course PW.

Perhaps what we really need is for Blackwater or Halliburton to sort and deliver the mail.

I think we should have no junk mail lists similar to the no call lists. Save the wasted paper.

Oklahoma kiddo @ 30

Two things that Americans appear to be conditioned to tolerate. Increased gasoline costs and postal increases.

I don’t own a car and I can’t remember the last time I mailed anything, except for the occassional package.

Eureka Springs @ 32

I think we should have no junk mail lists similar to the no call lists. Save the wasted paper.

check out Green Dimes, for a fee. it works.

eCAHNomics @ 33

Oklahoma kiddo @ 30

Two things that Americans appear to be conditioned to tolerate. Increased gasoline costs and postal increases.

I don’t own a car and I can’t remember the last time I mailed anything, except for the occassional package.

That’s great. I like it. But I would venture that’s unusual. ;0)

punaise @ 34

Eureka Springs @ 32

I think we should have no junk mail lists similar to the no call lists. Save the wasted paper.

check out Green Dimes, for a fee. it works.

Oh Thank you. I’m going to do this. Worth the fee just for the trees. Win-win.

punaise @ 34

Eureka Springs @ 32

I think we should have no junk mail lists similar to the no call lists. Save the wasted paper.

check out Green Dimes, for a fee. it works.

Thanks

ReneND @ 36

punaise @ 34

check out Green Dimes, for a fee. it works.

Oh Thank you. I’m going to do this. Worth the fee just for the trees. Win-win.

speaking of greenhouse gases, I wish the DLC would reduce its Carville footprint.

Junk mail rates are a form of subsidies for a select group. And others pick up the tab for that.

punaise @ 34

Eureka Springs @ 32

I think we should have no junk mail lists similar to the no call lists. Save the wasted paper.

check out Green Dimes, for a fee. it works.

(((((punaise))))) Woo hoo, just signed up and thanks so much for the link. Can’t wait to share it with my favorite postal worker. In our community it is all post office boxes – no home delivery. Our recycle bins throughout the actual post office seem to be overflowing at the end of every week day. Simply absurd.

Oklahoma kiddo @ 36

eCAHNomics @ 33

I don’t own a car and I can’t remember the last time I mailed anything, except for the occassional package.

That’s great. I like it. But I would venture that’s unusual. ;0)

Yep. Anyone who lives a normal life couldn’t do what I do.

Junk mail has undesirable ripple effects.

newspaperbrat @ 28

perris @ 23

they’re definately trying to put small publications out of bussiness, they want the media to be corporate controlled

today. listening to rachael maddow I had an thought

she said there were 100,000 anti war demonstrators and the demonstrations were around the country…I know we’re not gonna see that on the TEE vee

anyway, I think we’d even get more of a turnout if instead of a ’stop the war” demonstration we had an “impeach bush” demonstration

Impeach Cheney & Bush in that order seems to have wider appeal in my little corner of the CA coast.

how bout;

“impeach the war criminals”

I wonder if Green Dimes will get rid of political advertising? Just think what that will be worth in the next year.

I like to get postcards

ReneND @ 45

I wonder if Green Dimes will get rid of political advertising? Just think what that will be worth in the next year.

If it’s anything like the “do not call” list, the politicians will have exempted themselves from its stipulations.

TeddySanFran @ 46

ReneND @ 45

I wonder if Green Dimes will get rid of political advertising? Just think what that will be worth in the next year.

If it’s anything like the “do not call” list, the politicians will have exempted themselves from its stipulations.

why not, we’re not the boss of them

I wish the DLC would disappear. But as my old Auntie says; “if wishes were horses we’d all be riding.”

On average I visit the post office less than once a year.

TeddySanFran @ 46

ReneND @ 45

I wonder if Green Dimes will get rid of political advertising? Just think what that will be worth in the next year.

If it’s anything like the “do not call” list, the politicians will have exempted themselves from its stipulations.

I just had to re-up on that call list today. In the last month my phone has been flooded. I guess it must have worked last time though.

npb – Green Dimes was brought to my attention by a good “green” client who also chided us – rightly so, perhaps – for having paper towels in the office restroom instead of using laundered hand towels.

I believe my Father was thinking of the DLC when he told me “There are a lot more horse’s asses than there are horses.”

How does one get to become a member of the DLC?

Eureka Springs @ 49

On average I visit the post office less than once a year.

I was just there this afternoon mailing my brother a package.

Tweetie just had a good precis of what Obama should say if he wanted the D nomination.

Happy Birthday, eCHAN!

I find my self in a terrible situation. I don’t like Hillary or Obama.

OT, but The Newshour with Jim Lehrer is going to have Rudy’s Foreign Policy Advisor Norman “I’m crazy, so sue me” Podoretz debating Fareed Zacarias on the topic of “Bombing Iran?”

BYOP – Bring your own popcorn.

That would be eCAHN!

Oklahoma kiddo @ 58

I find my self in a terrible situation. I don’t like Hillary or Obama.

you are not alone, amigo

Loo Hoo. @ 56

Happy Birthday, eCHAN!

eCHAN

yeah Happy Birthday some more!

punaise @ 60

Oklahoma kiddo @ 58

I find my self in a terrible situation. I don’t like Hillary or Obama.

you are not alone, amigo

no solo ‘migo

Loo Hoo. @ 57

Happy Birthday, eCHAN!

Thanks. Just opened my good bottle of wine.

Oh, yeah…remember the Put Options right before 9/11?

“Further details of the futures trades that netted such huge gains in the wake of the hijackings have been disclosed. To the embarrassment of investigators, it has also emerged that the firm used to buy many of the “put” options – where a trader, in effect, bets on a share price fall – on United Airlines stock was headed until 1998 by “Buzzy” Krongard, now executive director of the CIA.

Until 1997, Mr Krongard was chairman of Alex Brown Inc, America’s oldest investment banking firm. Alex Brown was acquired by Bankers Trust, which in turn was bought by Deutsche Bank. His last post before resigning to take his senior role in the CIA was to head Bankers Trust – Alex Brown’s private client business, dealing with the accounts and investments of wealthy customers around the world.”

http://news.independent.co.uk/…..161862.ece

Guess I’ll have to get a glass so I can say happy b-day cheers!

eCAHNomics @ 64

Loo Hoo. @ 57

Happy Birthday, eCHAN!

Thanks. Just opened my good bottle of wine.

Happy Birthday to you!!! Cheers!

LS @ 65

Oh, yeah…remember the Put Options right before 9/11?

“Further details of the futures trades that netted such huge gains in the wake of the hijackings have been disclosed. To the embarrassment of investigators, it has also emerged that the firm used to buy many of the “put” options – where a trader, in effect, bets on a share price fall – on United Airlines stock was headed until 1998 by “Buzzy” Krongard, now executive director of the CIA.

Until 1997, Mr Krongard was chairman of Alex Brown Inc, America’s oldest investment banking firm. Alex Brown was acquired by Bankers Trust, which in turn was bought by Deutsche Bank. His last post before resigning to take his senior role in the CIA was to head Bankers Trust – Alex Brown’s private client business, dealing with the accounts and investments of wealthy customers around the world.”

http://news.independent.co.uk/…..161862.ece

Thanks so much for this. I’ve been wondering about this ever since 9/12.

Elliott @ 63

punaise @ 60

you are not alone, amigo

no solo ‘migo

is it even possivble to mention Chianti without the fava bean association?

LS @ 64

Oh, yeah…remember the Put Options right before 9/11?

“Further details of the futures trades that netted such huge gains in the wake of the hijackings have been disclosed. To the embarrassment of investigators, it has also emerged that the firm used to buy many of the “put” options – where a trader, in effect, bets on a share price fall – on United Airlines stock was headed until 1998 by “Buzzy” Krongard, now executive director of the CIA.

Until 1997, Mr Krongard was chairman of Alex Brown Inc, America’s oldest investment banking firm. Alex Brown was acquired by Bankers Trust, which in turn was bought by Deutsche Bank. His last post before resigning to take his senior role in the CIA was to head Bankers Trust – Alex Brown’s private client business, dealing with the accounts and investments of wealthy customers around the world.”

http://news.independent.co.uk/…..161862.ece

oh my..

Tell Congress to Roll Back the Postage Hike

…rather than hike up their (ad)dresses like members of the world’s oldest profession.

LS @ 65

Oh, yeah…remember the Put Options right before 9/11?

“Further details of the futures trades that netted such huge gains in the wake of the hijackings have been disclosed. To the embarrassment of investigators, it has also emerged that the firm used to buy many of the “put” options – where a trader, in effect, bets on a share price fall – on United Airlines stock was headed until 1998 by “Buzzy” Krongard, now executive director of the CIA.

Until 1997, Mr Krongard was chairman of Alex Brown Inc, America’s oldest investment banking firm. Alex Brown was acquired by Bankers Trust, which in turn was bought by Deutsche Bank. His last post before resigning to take his senior role in the CIA was to head Bankers Trust – Alex Brown’s private client business, dealing with the accounts and investments of wealthy customers around the world.”

http://news.independent.co.uk/…..161862.ece

Also — follow the Zakheim

punaise @ 69

Elliott @ 63

no solo ‘migo

is it even possivble to mention Chianti without the fava bean association?

I knew yet I still clicked on that link! *screaming*

my niece and I watched that movie on the small screen with frequent interruptions, thankfully. But just at the most intense moment the phone rang. What a start!

Podhoretz (sp?) on the News Hour this evening is bat **** insane.

Those of us in the weekly newspaper business have taken a big hit, too. As rates have gone up, service has gone down.

I had to send some stuff to another publisher last week and he directed it be sent any other than the U.S. Snail because their office was having so much trouble getting mail delivered.

Way back when, weeklies were delivered free in-county because it was felt important that folks got local news and public notices. Not any more. In fact, God only knows how much we’ll have to pay to mail out the edition with tax assessment changes in it.

What a mess…

Elliott @ 46

I like to get postcards

Sounds a bit Chauncy Gardnerish.

LS @ 65
Guess there was no new news. Your article seems to have been a reprint from 01. So I am still wondering.

punaise @ 35

Eureka Springs @ 32

I think we should have no junk mail lists similar to the no call lists. Save the wasted paper.

check out Green Dimes, for a fee. it works.

Punaise! Thanks for that great link. Junk mail drives me crazy.

And, btw, when is YOUR birthday?

Oklahoma kiddo @ 58

I find my self in a terrible situation. I don’t like Hillary or Obama.

Me neither.

Eureka Springs @ 74

Podhoretz (sp?) on the News Hour this evening is bat **** insane.

Indeed! The man was quite literally raving…

Eureka Springs @ 74

Podhoretz (sp?) on the News Hour this evening is bat **** insane.

Did they point out that there is no such thing as Islamofascism. No, I don’t suppose so. It is News Hour, for heavens sake, where t h e y t h i n k s o s l o w l y i t m a k e s y o u w a n t t o s c r e a m.

eCAHN, cheers. And many happy returns.

VG: all I May tell you is: only the shadow knows, …

Eureka Springs @ 74

Podhoretz (sp?) on the News Hour this evening is bat **** insane.

And not only is he Rudy’s Foreign Policy advisor, but Junya recently spent a couple of hours with him if I remember correctly (might’ve been just 45 minutes, but to Junya time has no meaning).

Though I “think” I’m glad The Newshour had the cojones to front page this debate, I wish they’d for once stand up and say what everybody sane is thinking: “Podhoretz belongs in a mental institution.”

carolyn urban @ 82

eCAHN, cheers. And many happy returns.

just not via the post office!

(joyeux anniversaire, too)

New post upstairs

punaise @ 85

carolyn urban @ 82

eCAHN, cheers. And many happy returns.

just not via the post office!

(joyeux anniversaire, too)

Keep those ecards and emails coming. Bah humbug on paper.

Of course, we must make sure to maintain net neutrality, otherwise these great good wishes of yours would be too expensive to send.

Thanks all.

OT but…

Punaise, did you see Siun’s thread last eve? About Rumsfeld and the French?

I mentioned your name.

Oklahoma kiddo @ 58

I find my self in a terrible situation. I don’t like Hillary or Obama.

After you said you supported her, I started taking a hard look at her record. *g*

Valley Girl @ 88

OT but…

Punaise, did you see Siun’s thread last eve? About Rumsfeld and the French?

I mentioned your name.

missed that, will go back and check it out. thanks.

eCAHNomics @ 77

LS @ 65
Guess there was no new news. Your article seems to have been a reprint from 01. So I am still wondering.

The news is that it “is” from 01, and no one has ever supposedly claimed the money…Krongard’s been around all this time…

Last spring I had an eye-opener in the US Post Office when I tried, unsuccessfully for several minutes, to locate the ‘change of address cards’ that the postal clerk insisted were on the counter.

It turned out the change of address ‘kits’ were camouflaged in envelopes covered in colorful ads by Home Depot, Belmont Springs water and … national magazines. I thought the enveolopes were junk mail taking up space on the counter and so I was actively ignoring them while searching for a government form.

The cozy relationship of the U.S. Post Office to corporations was disturbing then, but I just assumed the Post Office was hurting for money after Bush raided the mailcarriers’ pensions to pay for his war in Iraq.

or was it ‘Poland Springs’ water ads?

AS usual Lou Dobbs pounding the immigration issue but then he does a hard right turn on Iran. He had Professor Fouad Ajami on to discuss Iran. Ajami is a pure war hawk at heart. Dobbs showed the clip of El Bardei on Cnn’s late edition last night talking about the “inflammatory rhetoric” in regard to Iran being repeated. After the clip Ajami referred to Iaea’s El Baradei as a “congenital anti-American man”.

Dobbs actually challenged him on his slander of El Baradei and said “El Baradei was right about Iraq”

No I haven’t heard about the corporate-mag-inspired postal rate hike that went into effect earlier this year. How does this rate hike benefit the big corporate mag publishers and drive everyone else out of business?

So this will affect all small mags? How bout ones less overtly political like Mothering Magazine or Adoptive Families? Will subscribing to digital versions help?

I hate these frickin’ corporatists and their govt tools.

RAM @ 75

Those of us in the weekly newspaper business have taken a big hit, too. As rates have gone up, service has gone down.

I had to send some stuff to another publisher last week and he directed it be sent any other than the U.S. Snail because their office was having so much trouble getting mail delivered.

Way back when, weeklies were delivered free in-county because it was felt important that folks got local news and public notices. Not any more. In fact, God only knows how much we’ll have to pay to mail out the edition with tax assessment changes in it.

What a mess…

Any thoughts on how the internet has changed the way people get their news? Newspapers are a dying business and magazines arn’t far behind.