#use resistbot and the 5calls app

[the-moon-loves-the-sea]

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This is it.

(Short version: the separation of powers is what keeps us self-governed and self-balanced. Rump is doing his best to consolidate as much power as he can, and let Muskrat destroy as much of what he can’t consolidate as possible, before someone stops them.

We must stop them.)

[electricate]

Worried about Net Neutrality but not American? There are things we can do.

(First, I’ll apologize to my followers who follow me for gaming and art content and not politics, but this is something that will affect everyone on earth.)

If you don’t live in the USA you may or may not have heard about FCC Chairman Ajit Pai’s plan to repeal the net neutrality regulations put in place by the government in 2015 (then an Obama-run administration). This plan will charge Americans more money in order to have access to the internet by adding additional “plans” to be paid for monthly in order to access different websites and resources. New Zealand and Portugal are two examples of where this is already happening. 

On December 14th, 2017, the FCC will be holding a vote to either follow through with Pai’s plan, or reject it and keep the current rules in place (we want the latter to happen.) A majority vote is needed to make either decision.

Now why is this bad, you may ask? Well, many popular social media sites that cater to people on a global scale (including Facebook, Tumblr, Youtube, Twitter, etc.) have their headquarters and servers based in the United States, and will be affected by these changes. This means it will be very likely that we will no longer have access to these platforms, our access to them will be slowed down/censored/throttled, or we will have to pay extra in order to do so. There is also the risk that if this does pass, many other countries will begin to follow suit, and we don’t want that. This will kill thousands of small businesses, restrict educational resources, eliminate innovation, and hurt the economy like hell if it passes.

If you’re like how I was before I looked into this, you feel like there is nothing you can do to help stop this from happening.

But there is!

International visitors to the FCC website are allowed to leave comments and complaints about any of their filings (there should be a little checkbox to indicate that you’re not in the US), you can leave your comments about the net neutrality case in particular here.

You can email the FCC at this address and tell them your thoughts: openinternet@fcc.gov  *edit* This email is no longer operational.

You can also email Ajit Pai himself and the commissioners who currently support his plan. Pai is another story, but you can email the other two commissioners and convince them to vote NO to the repeal (I know you may be seething with hatred like me but try to keep it as professional as you can):

Ajit Pai ajit.pai@fcc.gov

Michael O’Reilly mike.o'rielly@fcc.gov

Brendan Carr brendan.carr@fcc.gov

These are the 2 of 5 FCC commissioners who oppose Pai’s plan; give them all your support and thanks for standing with their people:

Mignon Clyburn mignon.clyburn@fcc.gov

Jessica Rosenworcel jessica.rosenworcel@fcc.gov

If you’ve already done that or would like to do more, https://www.battleforthenet.com/ has a ton of information on the subject and ways to help you spread the word and participate in the fight. If you have friends, family, or people you know that live in the United States--inform them, educate them, tell them to call or visit their congressmen and senators. If any of the people you know in the States also run their own business, this will be even more impactful.

If you need resources to give to your American friends (or you happen to be an American reading this), here are some things that you can link them to:

Resistbot is an application that will send your letters and thoughts to your congressmen for you. You can text RESIST to 50409 and follow the steps from there or you can use the app online at https://resistbot.io/

5Calls will take your location and direct you to your congressmen and representatives for your area. This is the link to their net neutrality topic in specific https://5calls.org/issue/defend-fcc-net-neutrality

Here are links to the Senate and the House of Representatives.

On December 7th, 2017, protests will be held across the United States at Verizon’s various offices as Ajit Pai used to work for them and is receiving support from them (since his plan would benefit them). These protests are being held by various organizations and net neutrality advocates such as Fight for the Future, Demand Progress, Internet Association, and many others. For more information on the protests, or if you would like to participate in or host a protest, visit this page.

The way the world is these days, we rely on an open and affordable internet far too much for it to become a monopolized asset for ISPs. That’s why it’s not just on the Americans to stop this from happening; we all need to play our part. The United States holds too much sway over other countries’ economies and societies that this isn’t just something that we can ignore. The internet is one of our most important utilities for communication, self-expression, business, and education that we have and we cannot afford to lose it.

To all non-Americans from me (another non-American): please help me--help win the fight for our online freedom.

Protect Net Neutrality.

(written November 22, 2017)

EDIT November 23, 2017:

The vote will be held for the FCC chairman and commissioners only. The Senate and House of Representatives have the ability to block the vote from happening, which is why it’s incredibly important to spread the word and tell Americans to call their congressmen, NOW.

Updated to accurately depict the commissioners’ stances on the repeal. A majority vote of 3/5 is needed in order to keep the current net neutrality rules. Get out there and light up their inboxes! (You may want to keep the message short and sweet, though.)

EDIT November 24, 2017:

Several advocacy groups and organizations have international-friendly petitions that you can sign to help support them and their fight. I will list them here.

Freepress’ petition is directed at Ajit Pai; sign here. They have helped send ISPs and Government officials to court in the past.

Change.org’s petition will be sent to the FCC, the Senate, and the House of representatives; sign here. They currently have 300,000+ signatures and counting--let’s give them millions. (Congressmen have also publicly supported this petition.)

We The People’s petition calls for the government to fire Ajit Pai from his position as FCC chairman, sign here. The American government is obligated to reply to petitions on this site should they reach the 100,000 signature marker.

WTP also has another petition you can sign (a little wordier title but with the same goal in mind).

WTP has another petition that has already met the 100k goal. But more signatures = more attention.

Save the Internet (presented by Freepress) has a petition directed at the Trump administration’s policymakers; sign here. Americans may also use their services to call their congressmen.

Battle for the Net (powered by Fight for the Future) has updated their page so that Americans can not only write to their congressmen, but has also added a search & call feature so that people will waste less time trying to figure out how to call their congressmen. Direct them to (or visit) the updated Battle for the Net page.

Sign those petitions and take action!

[sweetladyjess]

#Repost @teaching_with_gusto with @get_repost ・・・ Today is World Refugee Day. Did you know that 50% of refugees are under the age of 18 and that more than 2,000 have been separated from their families since April? Let us come from a place of understanding, self-reflection, and activism. It is imperative that we as teachers rise up. We need to call our representatives and demand immigration reform. Use the apps @5calls or @resistbot to make it super simple for you. What is happening is just not right, regardless of your political stance. If you’re not angry, you’re not paying attention. You can celebrate World Refugee Day today by donating to incredible organizations such as @raicestexas, a nonprofit in Texas that is paying the bond for parents currently being held in detention centers and providing legal services for them. There’s also the Young Center for Immigrant Children’s Rights, which champions the rights of unaccompanied immigrant children and ActBlue, which divides your donation evenly between 14 organizations (including the ACLU and some of the organizations listed above) working to protect migrant children from being separated from their families at the border. Thank you @biliteracynow for sharing this image and spreading awareness. #allarewelcomeinmyclassroom #allkidsarewelcomed #worldrefugeeday #immigrantsmatter #familiesbelongtogether