Subject: FWD: Protest the Telecommunications Bill

From: [email-masked] (Pieter Stouten)
Date: Sun, 11 Feb 1996 00:04:38 -0500

|Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.comm
|From: [email-masked] (Adam Goldstein)
|Subject: Protest the Telecommunications Bill
|Organization: Long Island Information Inc.
|X-Newsreader: Yet Another NewsWatcher 2.1.7
|Date: Mon, 5 Feb 1996 22:57:19 GMT

========================================================================

        JOIN HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF OTHER INTERNET USERS IN

                     * 48 HOURS OF PROTEST *

   AFTER PRESIDENT CLINTON SIGNS THE BILL THAT WILL CENSOR THE INTERNET

        Update: -Latest News: Congress passed the net censorship language
                              on 2/1/96.

                -What You Can Do Now: Help demonstrate the extent of the
                        impact of the Internet Censorship legislation. Join
                        Hundreds of thousands of Internet Users in an
                        International protest for 48 hours after Clinton
                        Signs the bill.

        CAMPAIGN TO STOP THE UNCONSTITUTIONAL COMMUNICATIONS DECENCY ACT
                  Feb 3, 1996 (expires Feb 29, 1996)

      PLEASE WIDELY REDISTRIBUTE THIS DOCUMENT WITH THIS BANNER INTACT

                This alert and coalition coordinated by the
               Voters Telecommunications Watch ([email-masked])

________________________________________________________________________
CONTENTS
        The Latest News
        What You Can Do Now
        Chronology of the CDA
        For More Information
        List Of Participating Organizations

________________________________________________________________________
THE LATEST NEWS

Last week Congress approved sweeping restrictions on online speech and
conduct, imposing fines of $250,000 and jail sentences of 2 years for
anyone who makes "indecent" material available in a public forum online.

This legislation threatens the very existence of the Internet as a viable
means of free expression, education, and political discourse.

Despite loud objections from civil liberties groups and the public,
the measure is part of a massive telecommunications bill that President
Clinton has already pledged to sign.  Although you should feel free to
continue to express your objections directly to the President, there are
other ways to express our outrage for this legislation.  The President
is expected to sign this bill into law during the week of Feb 5-9, 1996.

For 48 hours after Clinton signs the Telecommunications Reform bill into law,
join hundreds of thousands of Internet users everywhere to show the far
reaching impact this bill will have on all Internet users.  TURN YOUR
WORLD WIDE WEB PAGES BLACK with white lettering to demonstrate that the
Internet will not accept this kind of second class treatment from the
United States Government.

________________________________________________________________________
WHAT YOU CAN DO NOW

1. For 48 hours after Clinton signs the net censorship language in the
   Telecomm bill into law, TURN YOUR WORLD WIDE WEB PAGES BLACK with
   white lettering.  To know when the bill is signed, check these
   sources:

        Newsgroups: alt.society.civil-disob
        Email:[email-masked] (watch for mail on this list)
        WWW:http://www.vtw.org/
        Finger:[email-masked]

   You can also just watch CNN; they'll announce the signing of the bill.

   To turn your pages black with white lettering, simply add the following
   tag to your World Wide Web pages:

        <body>
        <BODY BGCOLOR="#000000" TEXT="#FFFFFF">

   Put this right after your <head></head> tags, and before any </body> tags.
   To explain to people who may be confused by the color change, temporarily
   add the following link to your page:

        <a href="http://www.vtw.org/speech/">My World Wide Web Pages are
                black for 48 hours to protest second-class treatment from the
                US Government for free speech.  Read about it at this WWW
                page.</a>

   The Center for Democracy and Technology has also agreed to mirror a
   similar page at URL:http://www.cdt.org/speech.html

   If your pages get lots of hits from services that cache their pages like
   America  Online, you may wish to start turning your pages black early.
   Please try and wait though until Clinton signs the bill, for maximum
   effect.

   Also, urge your Internet Provider and any Internet WWW pages you
   frequent to turn their pages black.  Send us interesting sites that
   comply to [email-masked].

        $ Mail [email-masked]
        Subject: ZTV.COM is turning their pages black!

        I'm the head of the ZTV Website and I've decided to turn our
        pages black.  Thought you'd like to know.

        ^D
        Mail sent!

2. Don't forget to send Clinton a message, contact him at:

        Email:[email-masked]
        Telephone:202-456-1111
        Fax:202-456-2461

   Sample communique:

        <ring ring>
        You're about to sign a bill into law that imposes a terrible
        set of speech restrictions on the Internet that belong in the
        broadcast medium, not the interactive one.

        I'm turning my World Wide Web pages BLACK for 48 hours after you
        sign the bill as a symbol of protest to show how many people will
        be affected by this bill.

   It is unlikely that he will veto the bill.

3. Make a commitment become involved!  There will be several court cases
   coming up to challenge the Internet censorship legislation, as well as
   an election that will put every single member of the House, and 1/3rd
   of the Senate (most of whom voted for this legislation) onto the ballot.

   Don't let them get away with this.  Make this a campaign issue, and
   keep an eye out for legal defense funds for those challenging these
   laws in court.

--
Bill Kearney <[email-masked]>
Adam Goldstein <[email-masked]>