Tuesday, July 1, 2003

Michael Powell Sucks July is Anti-Boredom Month QUOTE  OF THE DAY "While I cannot take sides in the Democratic primary, I believe Wes, (Retired Army General & Former Supreme NATO Commander Wesley Clark), if he runs, would make a valuable contribution because he understands America's security challenges and domestic priorities. I believe he would make a good president." - - Bill Clinton http://truthout.org/docs_03/063003G.shtml JULY 1st IN HISTORY: 1968 -- Treaty on Nuclear Non-Proliferation signed. 1972 -- Publication of first issue of mainstream feminism's Ms. Magazine. 1977 -- Native American activist Leonard Peltier sentenced to 2 life sentences. http://www.freepeltier.org RHINO HERE: The FCC (Federal Communications Commission) led by General Powell's son will issue the full text of its recently adopted media ownership rules this week, a key step in lifting regulatory barriers to more media merger mania. Details of the FCC's report due 2 weeks ago were delayed by an abundance of written comments by agency commissioners "sources close to the FCC said". Good cop of the FCC Commissioner Michael Copps requested of Michael Powell that the commission wait to implement the rules till Congress concluded their meetings on the issue, but no way. Powell didn't listen to the historic numbers of American citizens that weighed in against the new rules so he obviously figures he doesn't have to listen to anyone, oh, except Daddy & the shrub puppeteers. FCC to Detail New Media Rules by Ron Orol, Yahoo News, 6/24/03 New Media Rules Does Rhino sound pissed  off at Chairman Powell? Wait till you read today's RHINO'S BOTTOM LINE, entitled, "The FCC's Strange Non-Profit" and me thinks you'll be pissed at him too, if you aren't already. Seems Michael Powell also runs The Telecommunications Development Fund which is so entangled in conflicts of interest that if he was the son of a Democrat, the mouthpieces of the vast right wing conspiracy would have their undies so twisted in a bunch they wouldn't be able to breathe. Then there's Bill Clinton writing in the NY Daily News suggesting all good Americans write their representatives telling them to do everything they can to stop the implementation of the new FCC rules. Well, okay! That's a good idea, Bill! But wasn't it Slick Willy Clinton that pushed for & signed the original Telecommunications Act of 1996 that put us in the fix we're in? He doesn't mention that in his article. Is Rhino just in a mood today? Okay. Big Breath. I join ol' Bill in encouraging you to contact your reps. It'll only take a few minutes since you have all your Senators & Congress people on your speed dial buttons. You do don't you?  No long distance charges on your mobile, right? Out of control BY BILL CLINTON, NY Daily News, 6/28/03 http://www.nydailynews.com/news/ideas_opinions/story/96447p-87382c.html Here's a news bit that helped the Rhino calm down. Speak Easy - BLOGGERS GAIN LIBEL PROTECTION Wired News, 6/30/03 The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled last Tuesday that Web loggers, website operators and e-mail list editors can't be held responsible for libel for information they republish, extending crucial First Amendment protections to do-it-yourself online publishers. Online free speech advocates praised the decision as a victory. The ruling effectively differentiates conventional news media which can be sued relatively easily for libel, from certain forms of online communication such as moderated e-mail lists. One implication is that DIY publishers like bloggers cannot be sued as easily. http://www.wired.com/news/politics/0,1283,59424,00.html Read The Opinion (Batzel v. Smith) [PDF] http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/data2/circs/9th/0156380p.pdf 6:53:04 AM    comment

RHINO'S BOTTOM LINE - The FCC's Strange Non-Profit The FCC's Strange Non-Profit FCC Chairman Michael Powell runs venture capital firm that claims it's private By Bob Williams A quasi-governmental corporation set up to fund telecommunications company start-ups is spending nearly as much on executive salaries and overhead as it is investing in companies, a Center for Public Integrity investigation has found. The Telecommunications Development Fund was created by Congress in 1996 to kick-start small communications firms in hopes of spurring innovation and competition. Instead, the six-year-old fund has paid more than $7 million in executive salaries and other expenses while investing only $9.4 million of seed money in start-ups. "It may be totally legal, but it smells to high heaven," says Stuart Gilman, president of the Ethics Resource Center, a Washington group that advises businesses and non-profits on ethics issues. Gilman was a top official at the federal government's Office of Government Ethics (http://www.usoge.gov) from 1988 to 2001. The fund itself is the bizarre offspring of government and industry. There's even dispute among government officials as to whether it is a government entity subject to public scrutiny or a private company. The fund gets its money from interest on deposits paid by large telecommunications companies that bid for licenses in spectrum auctions. There are a number of reasons why the fund is the subject of some concern: FCC (http://www.fcc.gov)  Chairman Michael Powell appointed himself to the board, raising questions as to whether it is a good idea to put the top FCC regulator in charge of a venture capital fund in the same industry he regulates. The fund's CEO, who earned $245,000 in 2001, was involved in theJohn Huang China-gate campaign finance scandal during the Clintonadministration. The fund, which considers itself a private entity, activelylobbies Congress for money. Despite owing its existence to federal legislation and auctions on the publicly owned spectrum, there is virtually no public oversight of its activities... SEE THE ENTIRE ARTICLE AT: http://www.openairwaves.org/telecom/printer-friendly.aspx?aid=31 "RHINO'S BLOG" is the responsibility of Gary Rhine. (rhino@kifaru.com) Feedback, and requests to be added or deleted from the list are encouraged. SEARCH BLOG ARCHIVES / SURF RHINO'S LINKS, AT: http://www.rhinosblog.info RHINO'S OTHER WEB SITES: http://www.dreamcatchers.org (INDIGENOUS ASSISTANCE & INTERCULTURAL DIALOG) http://www.kifaru.com (NATIVE AMERICAN RELATIONS VIDEO DOCUMENTARIES) Articles are reprinted under Fair Use Doctrine of international copyright law. http://www4.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.html All copyrights belong to original publisher. 6:05:26 AM    comment

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