@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@ Date: Mon, 26 Feb 1996 Sender: Mark Stahlman (via RadioMail) <•••@••.•••> Subject: Was The "Indecency" Controversy Staged? Folks: On Friday at the TED Conference in Monterey, Nicholas Negroponte of MIT's Media Lab, dropped a significant fact on the stage in front of the audience of 500 -- the decision to switch votes at the last minute by two liberal Democrats (Schroeder and Conyers) was reached at an as yet unreported Democrat "caucus" with the intent of embarassing legislating moralists and throwing the issue into the courts for eventual positive resolution. He said, "They wanted to pass something that was as absurd as possible and that was clearly unconstitutional." According to sources reached over the weekend, there was little doubt by many involved in the conference committee that the otherwise oddly reversed votes on the bill's First Amendment language was not spontaneous and not explained by the statements which flowed from the Congresspeople's offices. They stressed the relevance of the Presidential election and the prominence being achieved by Newt Gingrich late in 1995 -- stealing thunder from rival cyber-pol Al Gore. They focussed on the desire to force the Republicans to be tarred-and-feathered with the Christian Right brush is a priority tactic in an increasingly hot campaign season. The feeling is that without Ralph Reed's support, no Republican can be nominated. Then in the election the association with the Christian Coalition -- especially in the crucial electoral state of California -- could be turned against the Republicans on the Net. They hypothesize that the severe reaction against the CDA online was completely predictable as would be the resulting anti-Republican voting bias on the Net in November. This is simply another in a series of moves to manipulate public opinion by harnessing the Internet's general naivete about the political process, they concluded. Reached after his speech and asked if reviving the fortunes of flagging cyber civil-rights organizations with fresh volunteers and righteous contributions might also figure in here, Negroponte said, grinning, "Gee, that's even more cynical than I would have thought." On an chillingly related note, according to Antony Lewis' column in today's New York Times, Buchanan's "platform" includes the provision that Supreme Court decisions become subject to binding nation referenda. Interpreting the Constitution would become a majoritarian circus. Stay tuned; more madness to follow. Mark Stahlman New Media Associates New York City @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@ Date: Mon, 26 Feb 1996 Sender: Arthur Richard Brodsky <•••@••.•••> Subject: Re: Was The "Indecency" Controversy Staged? I heard you mention this "secret" caucus on the radio. I covered this bill very closely for Communications Daily. While it's possible I didn't get everything, I never heard about such a meeting. I know why Schroeder voted why she did in the conference, and it wasn't to embarrass anyone. And Conyers people later told me he regretted his vote in the closed conference meeting where the vote took place -- not something that someone intent on a cynical manipulation of the system would do. @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@ ~=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=~=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=~--~=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=~=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=~ Posted by Richard K. Moore - •••@••.••• - Wexford, Ireland Cyber-Rights: http://www.cpsr.org/cpsr/nii/cyber-rights/ ftp://www.cpsr.org/cpsr/nii/cyber-rights/library/ CyberJournal: (WWW or FTP) --> ftp://ftp.iol.ie/users/rkmoore/cyberlib Materials may be reposted in their _entirety_ for non-commercial use. ~=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=~=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=~--~=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=~=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=~
