Cyber Monday!
Cyber Monday! Email, text and call now for Net Neutrality
Whether you participated in the somewhat dubious tradition of Black Friday sales this past week or created some new traditions in your home, you cannot afford to miss this Cyber Monday. Cyber Monday takes on a whole new meaning this year. Today we should be making it a point to flood every Congress member’s email and voicemail with messages, demanding that the United States Congress stand up to the horrendous agenda being promoted by the worst president in U.S. history. Really, we have no choice.
You may have thought you understood what Net Neutrality means, but many are sounding an alarm now that if internet providers are allowed to control how we use the most pervasive communication tool of the 21st Century, the consequences will be much more serious than we imagine. For example, on Sunday, CNN reported that Time, Inc. was sold to Meredith, a media company. The sale was supported by a $650 million investment by the Koch brothers. Unbiased, uncompromised reporting could become a thing of the past, especially with companies like Verizon and AT&T in position to control the internet.
FCC Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel recently wrote an Op-Ed in the LA Times that explains the situation. She states:
“Wiping out net neutrality would have big consequences. Without it, your broadband provider could carve internet access into fast and slow lanes, favoring the traffic of online platforms that have made special payments and consigning all others to a bumpy road. Your provider would have the power to choose which voices online to amplify and which to censor. The move could affect everything online, including the connections we make and the communities we create.
Commissioner Rosenworcel suggests that we contact the FCC directly with our concerns. The FCC will vote on the proposal on December 14th. You can call the FCC, toll free, at 1-888-CALL FCC (225-5322). You can also email the FCC leadership directly at the following addresses:
- Ajit Pai, Chairman Ajit.Pai@fcc.gov
- Mignon Clyburn, Commissioner Mignon.Clyburn@fcc.gov
- Michael O’Rielly, Commissioner Mike.O’Rielly@fcc.gov
- Brendan Carr, Commissioner Brendan.Carr@fcc.gov
- Jessica Rosenworcel, Commissioner Jessica.Rosenworcel@fcc.gov
With Net Neutrality in serious jeopardy, a tax plan that would be catastrophic for women, working class and middle class Americans, no news in the move to pass a clean DREAM Act, and Republicans supporting pedophiles for seats in the Senate, we must all continue to stand up and shout at the top of our lungs for what is just and democratic. We simply cannot afford to get tired now. With Mueller continuing to investigate the administration, we must increase the pressure on legislators at every level to respond to the actual needs and interests of their constituents.
Sometimes resisting can be tiring, and you just want to stay home and bake some cookies. Well now you can do that AND resist. Join individuals like these women in Los Angeles who are holding bake sales to raise money for Doug Jones to defeat the unremorseful Roy Moore in Alabama. Called Dough for Doug or Pastries for Progressives, anybody can do it. See their facebook post for an event on December 3rd.
Keep up the Resistance!
Take Action
- Demand that our elected representatives not give in to corporate profits at the expense of Net Neutrality. Go to Battle for the Net here.
- Help get Doug Jones elected to the Senate and show young girls everywhere that we have their backs.
- Contact your members of Congress and tell them to vote no on the GOP Tax Scam and that you support common sense gun control. https://www.contactingcongress.org/
- Join organizations such as The Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, Everytown for Gun Safety, Americans for Responsible Solutions and Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense.
- Subscribe to Rogan’s List for important information on current issues: http://roganslist.blogspot.com/
- Subscribe to Jennifer Hofman’s Action Checklist for Americans of Conscience: https://jenniferhofmann.com/home/weekly-action-checklist-democrats-independents-republicans-conscience/
- Get involved with the Equal Justice Initiative. This nonprofit is committed to ending mass incarceration and excessive punishment in the United States, to challenging racial and economic injustice, and to protecting basic human rights for the most vulnerable people in American society.
Jacqui Viale is an educator and activist living in Long Beach, California with her husband, two teenagers, two cats, a dog and a lizard. Jacqui holds a masters in Educational Administration from California State University, Long Beach.