joeklein

Every contract, combination in the form of trust or otherwise, or conspiracy, in restraint of trade or commerce is illegal. Every person who makes any contract or engages in any combination or conspiracy in restraint of trade or commerce is guilty of a Class H felony, except that, notwithstanding the maximum fine specified in s.939.50 (3) (h), the person may be fined not more than $100,000 if a corporation, or, if any other person, may be fined not more than $50,000. -- Wisconsin State Statues 133.03 You be the judge. SBC is spending millions to limit competition. SBC, its lobbyists and the politicians who work with SBC are guilty of a felony. Former Bells Dial Up Big Numbers in Statehouses Telecoms Spend Millions to Influence Government Cashing in on candidates Communication Breakdown

Qwest is charging SBC with anti-competitive practices, including strong arming carrier business partners not to entertain acquisition offers from SBC competitors, such as Qwest.

Support S 1294: Community Broadband Act of 2005 This bill would amend the Telecommunications Act of 1996 to preserve and protect the ability of local governments to provide broadband capability and services. SBC has been a corrupting influence in Madison. BadgerNet II, 2003 Senate Bill 272, obstruction of efforts to interconnect public schools and colleges on municipal fiber, the effort to dismantal WiscNet, obstruction of community network projects across the state, all have been the result of SBC money flowing into the campaign coffers of state and local politicians. The SBC PAC has given more to state candidates than any other PAC. http://www.wisdc.org/WEB_PAC_Amt2005.php Elected officials get large contributions from SBC and ex-government employees get high paying consulting jobs from SBC. The quid pro quo for the money is to create laws that insure the preservation of SBC's local loop monopoly and the continued government purchase of large SBC contracts. The corrupting influen

If Thomas Paine where alive today, perhaps he would view Hurricane Katrina is a reminder, sent by natures God, of the fragility of our petroleum dependent culture. Some Europeans are pointing to Katrina’s strength as a natural consequence the United States’ disregard of global warming issues. While the contribution of global warming to the strength of Katrina’s fury may never be scientifically correlated, a preponderance of data prior to Katrina was supporting the conclusion that global oceanic surface temperatures are on the rise as a result of increased carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. The strength of Hurricanes is driven by oceanic water temperatures. Drawing the line of logic based on current science a Deist such as Paine may view Katrina as a natural consequence of our disregard of a natural God’s natural order. As Thomas Paine wrote in his still controversial “Age of Reason” : “We can know God only through his works. We cannot have a conception of any one attribute but by follow