🚀 go-pugleaf

>Date: Mon, 20 Nov 1995 13:47:45 -0500 (EST)
>From: Coalition to stop net censorship <shabbir@VTW.ORG>
>To: vtw-announce@VTW.ORG
>Subject:  ALERT:Call Congress for Thanksgiving to stop net censorship bills!
>Sender: owner-vtw-announce@VTW.ORG
>Precedence: bulk
>Reply-To: vtw-announce@VTW.ORG
>
>========================================================================
>     CAMPAIGN TO STOP THE NET CENSORSHIP LEGISLATION IN CONGRESS
>     (INCLUDING THE COMMUNICATIONS DECENCY ACT AND THE MGRS AMDT)
>
>	Short Update: Negotiations continue; we're still in danger.
>
>	What You Can Do Now: Call Telecomm conferees at their home offices
>				over Thanksgiving recess!
>
>        CAMPAIGN TO STOP THE UNCONSTITUTIONAL NET CENSORSHIP LEGISLATION
>			   Nov 20, 1995
>
>      PLEASE WIDELY REDISTRIBUTE THIS DOCUMENT WITH THIS BANNER INTACT
>		REDISTRIBUTE ONLY UNTIL December 1, 1995
>	       REPRODUCE THIS ALERT ONLY IN RELEVANT FORUMS
>
>________________________________________________________________________
>CONTENTS
>	The Latest News
>	What You Can Do Now
>	Legislative History
>	List of Participating Organizations
>
>________________________________________________________________________
>THE LATEST NEWS
>
>Calls are coming into the offices of Gingrich and Dole at a good clip.
>However we believe the conferees are now debating the fate of the net.
>As the Conference Committee goes home for Thanksgiving recess, we need
>to keep the pressure on.
>
>Call Congress now and tell them that parental empowerment not government
>censorship is the only effective means to addressing childrens' access
>to objectionable content on the Internet.  Don't wait.  The stakes here
>are too high.
>
>Please look below at the list of legislators and call the home offices
>of the legislators in your state.  Please do not call legislators at
>home.  Please do not send email to them (it will not be effective).
>
>________________________________________________________________________
>WHAT YOU CAN DO NOW
>
>1. Most of the proposals available to the conference committee will
>   fundamentally restrict your speech on the Internet and other public
>   networks.  Look at the list below and call the legislators in your
>   state and ask them not to censor the net.  If none of them are in
>   your state, call Gingrich and Dole at their home offices.
>
>   If we cannot convince the conference committee to make the right
>   choices at this juncture, we will have lost this campaign.
>
>   To see which legislator is yours, consult the free ZIPPER service
>   that matches Zip Codes to Congressional districts with about 85%
>   accuracy at:
>
>	URL:http://www.stardot.com/~lukeseem/zip.html
>
>   Or simply look at the list below organized by states.
>
>					Home Office	
>   Name, Address, and Party     	Phone          
>   ========================     	==============
>   Arkansas
>   Rep. B. Lambert-Lincoln (D-AR)	501-972-4600
>
>   Alaska
>   Sen. Ted Stevens (R-AK)		907-456-0261
>
>   Arizona
>   Sen. John McCain (R-AZ)		602-952-2410
>
>   California
>   Rep. Carlos Moorhead (R-CA)		818-247-8445
>   Rep. Elton Gallegly (R-CA)		805-485-2300
>   Rep. Howard Berman (D-CA)		818-891-0543
>   Rep. Anna Eshoo (D-CA)		415-323-2984
>
>   Colorado
>   Rep. Pat. Schroeder (D-CO)		303-866-1230
>   Rep. Daniel Schaefer (R-CO)		303-762-8890
>
>   Florida
>   Rep. Cliff Stearns (R-FL)		904-351-8011
>
>   Georgia
>   Rep. Bob Barr (R-GA)			404-429-1776
>   Rep. Newt Gingrich (R-GA)		404-565-6398
>
>   Hawaii
>   Sen. Daniel Inouye (D-HI)		808-541-2542
>
>   Illinois
>   Rep. Bobby Rush (D-IL)		312-224-6500
>   Rep. Dennis Hastert (R-IL)		708-406-1114
>   Rep. Henry Hyde (R-IL)		708-832-5950
>   Rep. Michael Flanagan (R-IL)		312-276-6000
>
>   Indiana
>   Rep. Steve Buyer (R-IN)		219-583-9819
>
>   Kansas
>   Sen. Bob Dole (R-KS)			913-295-2745
>
>   Kentucky
>   Sen. Wendell Ford (D-KY)		502-685-5158
>
>   Massachusetts
>   Rep. Edward Markey (D-MA)		617-396-2900
>
>   Michigan
>   Rep. John Dingell (D-MI)		313-846-1276
>   Rep. John Conyers (D-MI)		313-961-5670
>
>   Mississippi
>   Sen. Trent Lott (R-MS)		601-762-5400
>
>   Montana
>   Sen. Conrad Burns (R-MT)		406-252-0550
>
>   Nebraska
>   Sen. Jim Exon (D-NE)			402-437-5591
>
>   New York
>   Rep. Bill Paxon (R-NY)		716-634-2324
>   Rep. Daniel Frisa (R-NY)		516-872-9550
>
>   Ohio
>   Rep. Michael Oxley (R-OH)		419-423-3210
>   Rep. Martin Hoke (R-OH)		216-356-2010
>   Rep. Sherrod Brown (D-OH)		216-934-5100
>
>   South Carolina
>   Sen. Ernest Hollings (D-SC)		803-727-4525
>
>   South Dakota
>   Sen. Larry Pressler (R-SD)		605-226-7471
>
>   Tennessee
>   Rep. Bart Gordon (D-TN)		615-896-1986
>
>   Texas
>   Rep. Jack Fields (R-TX)		713-540-8000
>   Rep. Joe Barton (R-TX)		817-543-1000
>   Rep. John Bryant (D-TX)		901-382-5811
>   Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX)	713-655-0050
>
>   Virginia
>   Rep. Thomas Bliley (R-VA)		804-771-2809
>   Rep. Rick Boucher (D-VA)		703-628-1145
>   Rep. Robert Scott (D-VA)		804-380-1000
>   Rep. Robert Goodlatte (R-VA)		703-857-2672
>
>   Washington
>   Rep. Rick White (R-WA)		206-640-0233
>   Sen. Slade Gorton (R-WA)		206-553-0350
>
>   Wisconsin
>   Rep. Scott Klug (R-WI)		608-257-9200
>
>   West Virginia
>   Sen. J.D. Rockefeller (D-WV)		303-347-5372
>
>   If you're at a loss for words, try one of the following:
>
>	Please oppose the unconstitutional proposals in the Telecomm
>	Deregulation bill that would censor the Internet.  The only
>	effective way to address children's access to objectionable
>	material on the Internet is through parental control tools
>	not government censorship outlined by the Cox/White/Wyden
>	approach.
>
>	May I please have an appointment to come and talk with the legislator
> 	or someone on staff about these issues?
>
>   or
>	As a religious person and a parent, I oppose the unconstitutional
>  	Internet censorship language currently attached to the Telecomm
>	Deregulation bill.  I am the best person to monitor my
>	child's access to the Internet using parental control tools
>	as outlined in the Cox/White/Wyden approach.
>
>	May I please have an appointment to come and talk with the legislator
> 	or someone on staff about these issues?
>   or
>	Although there is information on the Internet that I wouldn't
>	allow my children to see, I don't agree with the proposals
>	in the Telecomm Deregulation bill that would censor the Internet.
>	As a parent, I have parental control tools, such as those
>	encouraged in the Cox/White/Wyden approach available to me that
>	are far more effective at controlling my children's access to the
>	Internet than censorship laws will be.
>
>	May I please have an appointment to come and talk with the legislator
> 	or someone on staff about these issues?
>
>   Send mail to vtw@vtw.org and let us know how it went.
>
>   	$ Mail vtw@vtw.org
>   	Subject: phoned Congressman XXX
>	
>   	They thanked me for my opinion and I'll be meeting with a staff
>   	member on Friday morning, and the legislator may drop in too!
>
>   	^D
>   	Mail sent!
>
>2. If one of the legislators above is yours, please make an appointment
>   to see them or one of their staff in the home office as soon as possible
>   to express your concerns about this legislation.
>
>   As background information, you should ensure that you read the
>   Internet Parental Control FAQ and the Communications Decency Act
>   FAQ found at URL:http://www.vtw.org/.  Also, send mail to
>   volunteer@vtw.org and a coordinator will phone you before the
>   meeting to give you some tips on running an effective meeting with
>   a legislator or staff member.
>
>3. If you run any sort of system that allows a welcome message for all
>   users, please add the following:
>
>       The Religious Right is attempting to shut down the net by passing
>       legislation that would make services like this one liable
>       for what you say and read on the Internet.  Please call Congress
>       now; for more info URL:http://www.vtw.org/ or send mail to
>       files@vtw.org with "send alert" in the subject line. (11/20/95)
> 
>   If you have a Web page that gets a lot of traffic, please add the
>   following link:
>
>        <a href="http://www.vtw.org/">
>	Stop the Religious Right from shutting down online free
>	speech! (11/8/95)</a>
>  
>4. Join the online fight by becoming a volunteer for your district!
>
>   If your legislator is in the list above, please send mail to
>   volunteer@vtw.org to volunteer to be a representative for your
>   district.
>
>5. We can't suggest relaxing at this point.  The stakes are too high, and
>   the risk is too great.  Everything now hangs in the balance.
>
>________________________________________________________________________
>LEGISLATIVE HISTORY
>
>We are near the end of this year's campaign.  Congress has passed four
>different bills, all aimed at regulating your communications on the
>Internet.  They range from deregulation proposals that empower parents
>to control their children's access to the net (HR1978 "Cox/Wyden/White")
>to overly-regulatory proposals that "dumb down" the level of all Internet 
>content to that which is acceptable to children. (the HR1555 Managers
>Amendment).  You can see a synopsis of each of these in VTW's BillWatch
>#13 at URL:http://www.vtw.org/billwatch/issue.13.html
>
>Were the conference committee to simply throw this all into the kettle
>and pass it all, it would be terrible.  However, several groups considered
>to be part of the "Religious Right" urged the conference committee to pass
>an even more restrictive proposal which would:
>
>-Make internet providers, online services, and libraries criminally liable
> for expression online.
>-Create a standard for criminalizing "indecency" online, dumbing down
> every Web page, newsgroups, discussion forum, and chat system.
>-Give the FCC jurisdiction over speech in cyberspace and software that
> might be used to filter children's access to the net.
> 
>This proposal was signed by representatives from the Christian Coalition,
>the Concerned Women of America, the American Family Association, Eagle
>Forum, the Traditional Values Coalition, and Morality in Media.
>
>For a full analysis of the Religious Right's proposal, and a copy of their
>proposed legislation and their letter to the Conference Committee, see
>the alert at URL:http://www.vtw.org/alerts/
>
>Alternatively, representatives from large and small businesses and public
>interest organizations recently sent letters to Congress asking them not
>censor the Internet.  In addition, a collection of conservative groups
>that advocate restricting childrens' access to the Internet through
>parental control instead of government censorship recently sent a letter
>to Congress as well.  Here's where to find them:
>
>The letter from large industry businesses can be found at:
>URL:http://www.cdt.org/policy/freespeech/1109_iwg_ltr.html
>The letter from small businesses can be found at:
>URL:http://www.vtw.org/cdaletter/
>The letter from the conservative groups can be found at:
>URL:http://www.cdt.org/policy/freespeech/cons_110795_ltr.html
>The letter from the advocacy organizations can be obtained by
>sending mail to infoaclu@aclu.org with "organizations opposed
>to online censorship" in the subject line of your message.
>
>At this time, the conference committee is still debating the issue. 
>Advocates of business and free speech are contacting Congress.
>
>________________________________________________________________________
>LIST OF PARTICIPATING ORGANIZATIONS
>
>In order to use the net more effectively, several organizations have
>joined forces on a single Congressional net campaign to stop the
>Communications Decency Act.
>
>
>American Civil Liberties Union * American Communication Association *
>American Council for the Arts * Arts & Technology Society * Association
>of Alternative Newsweeklies * biancaTroll productions * Boston
>Coalition for Freedom of Expression * Californians Against Censorship
>Together * Center For Democracy And Technology * Centre for Democratic
>Communications * Center for Public Representation * Citizen's Voice -
>New Zealand * Cloud 9 Internet *Computer Communicators Association *
>Computel Network Services * Computer Professionals for Social
>Responsibility * Cross Connection * Cyber-Rights Campaign * CyberQueer
>Lounge * Dutch Digital Citizens' Movement * ECHO Communications Group,
>Inc. * Electronic Frontier Canada * Electronic Frontier Foundation *
>Electronic Frontier Foundation - Austin * Electronic Frontiers
>Australia * Electronic Frontiers Houston * Electronic Frontiers New
>Hampshire * Electronic Privacy Information Center * Feminists For Free
>Expression * First Amendment Teach-In * Florida Coalition Against
>Censorship * FranceCom, Inc. Web Advertising Services * Friendly
>Anti-Censorship Taskforce for Students * Hands Off!  The Net * Inland
>Book Company * Inner Circle Technologies, Inc. * Inst. for Global
>Communications * Internet On-Ramp, Inc. * Internet Users Consortium *
>Joint Artists' and Music Promotions Political Action Committee * The
>Libertarian Party * Marijuana Policy Project * Metropolitan Data
>Networks Ltd. * MindVox * MN Grassroots Party * National Bicycle
>Greenway * National Campaign for Freedom of Expression * National
>Coalition Against Censorship * National Gay and Lesbian Task Force *
>National Public Telecomputing Network * National Writers Union * Oregon
>Coast RISC * Panix Public Access Internet * People for the American Way
>* Republican Liberty Caucus * Rock Out Censorship * Society for
>Electronic Access * The Thing International BBS Network * The WELL *
>Voters Telecommunications Watch
>
>(Note: All 'Electronic Frontier' organizations are independent entities,
> not EFF chapters or divisions.)
>
>________________________________________________________________________
>	End Alert
>========================================================================
>
David Smith               * "We truly believe that even though we live in an
evil 
bladex@bga.com            *  world, if you can stand up with a stronger
will, then you
President, EFF-Austin     *  can't be beaten down. This is the true spirit
of the
Board of Directors, CTCLU *  EFF-Austin member"  -- John Woo