Tech Day for Socially [Media] Challenged

Tech Day at the Richland Library

Last Sunday dawned bright and sunny and instead of taking a walk in the park, I headed over to the Richland Library for a “Tech Day” designed to help bring the IT-challenged into the age of social media mania. The BCDCC Communications Committee organized the event; DeNomy Dage, Kendall Miller, Micki McKinley, Bonnie, Andy, Jenni, Jessica, Heidi, plus assorted volunteers. We are gratful to them all.

The exercise was meant to help the “resistance” use the power of social media to concentrate forces, and aid in focusing issue activism. Of particular importance was teaching trainees how to set up a Facebook account and follow event planning on sites such as:
Democrats of the Mid-Columbia
Democrats of the 8th Legislative District Washington
Indivisible Washington State 4th Congressional District
Love Not Hate Tri-Cities
March for Science Tri-Cities
Tri-Cities Citizens Climate Lobby

There was also a discussion of how to use Facebook and Twitter to “share” meaningful articles and dialogue, whether in our local Tri-City Herald, in the New York Times, or on the Daily Kos, etc. Any digital site worth reading will provide sharing logos for Facebook and Twitter, as well as Google+ and email. Click on the logo and the article is shared. Check the very bottom of this post and you’ll find those symbols and a few others.

Jessica Gonzales showing how to use Google Docs, with an assist from Kennedy

Jessica did a presentation on Goggle Docs, showing how to create and share documents, as well as how to create Goggle forms, which is useful for a number of things, including collecting information for volunteer organizations and/or events.

Bonnie Kendall, a recent devotee, did a presentation on Twitter and discussed how simple and straightforward it is to craft a quick, but meaningful 140-character message using hashtags (#) and the ‘at’ [@] symbol to share and direct a ‘tweet.’ She suggested “following” at least 20 people/sites, and “lurking” a bit once a Twitter account is set up in order to learn the ropes. You can start by following Bonnie (@BonnieKendall6).

After the presentations and general discussion, help stations were set up, with Mickey McKinley pushing tables all over the room, and one-on-one help was provided to those seeking additional instruction.

It was a great occasion. We should do it again.

Ann Fraser trying to talk her dad, Steve into actually using the Facebook account he set up.

I Called Rep Dan Newhouse & Urged Him to Support an Independent Investigation

This is his response. What do you think of it?

Dear Dr. Badalamente,

          Thank you for contacting my office with concerns about Russia’s influence over the Trump Administration.  It is important to hear from constituents as I work in Congress representing the people of Washington’s 4th District.  I sincerely appreciate you reaching out and sharing your views on this important issue.          

As you may be aware, prior to leaving office, the Obama Administration cited evidence that during the election Russia was involved with cyber-attacks on the Democratic National Committee, Republican National Committee, and other individuals and entities.  Some information that was obtained in these hacks was made public.  There is no evidence that voting machines were tampered with, but it is unacceptable to have any foreign government involved in our elections.  I believe we must do all we can to get to address these cyberattacks, and continue to investigate.       

You may be pleased to know that the FBI is investigating Russia’s potential role in last year’s elections and any potential ties between Trump officials and Russia.  Additionally, the Senate and House Intelligence Committee have promised to thoroughly investigate any contacts between Trump aides and the Kremlin.  In fact, the House Intelligence Committee has been conducting a long ongoing investigation into Russian activities since last year. It started before the election with concerns about Russia’s cyber activities and since the election the committee has broadened the scope of the investigation to include any involvement by Russia into our election, and any ties of Russian officials to any U.S. government official at any level.

In fact, the Intelligence Committee wants to know about any American citizens coordinating with the Russians.  Chairman Nunes and Ranking Member Schiff have, in a bipartisan manner, announced the parameters of their investigation, which you may learn more about by going to http://intelligence.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=767.  Despite the leaks, we must be careful to ensure this classified investigation can continue.

While it is premature to prejudge the investigation, if our intelligence professionals uncover serious crimes, we must consider the appointment of a special prosecutor.  I believe that Congress has an obligation to protect our country from any foreign threats, and I will be sure to monitor these investigations as they are conducted.

 I hope you will continue to be in contact as Congress debates the many issues of importance to the country. I also encourage you to connect with me on Facebook and Twitter and to sign up for my e-newsletter for the latest updates on my work to represent Central Washington’s views in our nation’s capital. 

Thank you again for taking the time to share your concerns with me—I am always glad to hear from constituents of the 4^th District. It is an honor and privilege to serve you in Congress.
Sincerely,

Dan Newhouse
Member of Congress

8th LD Priorities -- Quick Survey

Dan Newhouse and Cathy McMorris Rogers Sold You to Charter

From Tech Crunch's Taylor Hatmaker 5 hours ago:

Today in a 215-205 vote on Senate Joint Resolution 34 (H. Res. 230), the House voted to repeal broadband privacy regulations that the Obama administration’s FCC introduced in 2016. In a narrower vote than some expected, 15 Republicans broke rank to join the 190 Democrats who voted against the repeal. The FCC rules, designed to protect consumers, required ISPs to seek consent from their customers in order to share their sensitive private data (it’s worth noting that ISPs can collect it, either way).

Today’s vote is a blow to anyone who’d prefer not to put their browsing history on blast, and a major victory for advertisers hungry for all of the de-anonymized personal data that they can vacuum up and dole out. With Congress and the FCC squarely in the latter’s camp, consumers who value privacy — and really, we all should — are in for a rough ride.

The language of the joint resolution is as follows:

This joint resolution nullifies the rule submitted by the Federal Communications Commission entitled “Protecting the Privacy of Customers of Broadband and Other Telecommunications Services.” The rule published on December 2, 2016: (1) applies the customer privacy requirements of the Communications Act of 1934 to broadband Internet access service and other telecommunications services, (2) requires telecommunications carriers to inform customers about rights to opt in or opt out of the use or the sharing of their confidential information, (3) adopts data security and breach notification requirements, (4) prohibits broadband service offerings that are contingent on surrendering privacy rights, and (5) requires disclosures and affirmative consent when a broadband provider offers customers financial incentives in exchange for the provider’s right to use a customer’s confidential information.

The vote among Washington representatives looked like this:

Nay       D       DelBene, Suzan (WA 1st)
Nay       D       Larsen, Rick (WA 2nd)
Nay       R       Herrera Beutler, Jaime (WA 3rd)
Yea       R       Newhouse, Dan (WA 4th)
Yea       R       McMorris Rodgers, Cathy (WA 5th)
Nay       D       Kilmer, Derek (WA 6th)
Nay       D       Jayapal, Pramila (WA 7th)
Nay       R       Reichert, David (WA 8th)
Nay       D       Smith, Adam (WA 9th)
Nay       D       Heck, Denny (WA 10th)

"Hello, Charter? This is Dan. I voted 'Yea'. You're welcome.

I will call Dan Newhouse's office again tomorrow and tell him how disappointed I am in his vote. I'll also send him a postcard illustrating how I feel. What will you do?

Are you on line right now?

If you are on line, better check back over your shoulder. Charter is watching!

Last year the FCC passed a set of rules for how Internet Service Providers (ISPs) handle their customers’ data. The commonsense rules updated longstanding federal protections for Internet users. Under the rules, ISPs would be required to protect your data and wouldn’t be allowed to do a host of creepy things, including sell your Internet browsing records without your consent.

Those rules were a huge victory for consumers. Of course, the ISPs that stand to make money off of violating your privacy have been lobbying Congress to repeal those rules. Unfortunately, their anti-consumer push has been working.

The Senate voted last week 50-48 on a Congressional Review Act (CRA) resolution to repeal the FCC’s privacy rules.

The House votes on it TODAY.

If the House passes it, you’ll be even more at the mercy of your ISP. Because Congress is using a CRA resolution, the FCC will be prohibited from writing similar rules in the future. And thanks to the current legal landscape, no other federal agency has the authority to protect you against privacy invasions by your ISP.

Call Rep. Dan Newhouse today and urge him to oppose S.J. Res. 34, which would repeal the FCC’s broadband privacy rules.

Rep. Dan Newhouse contact information:
Washington, DC
adr: 1641 Longworth House Office Building, Washington, DC 20515
ph: (202) 225-5816
fax: (202) 225-3251
Yakima, WA
adr: 402 East Yakima Avenue, Suite 445, Yakima, WA 98902
ph: (509) 452-3243
fax: (509) 452-3438

Writing Your Members of Congress

Postcard Writers at Ethos Bakery Sunday Afternoon

Several Progressives gathered at Ethos Bakery last Sunday afternoon to participate in another Sunday postcard writing session. Postcards, postage, and address labels were provided. Coffee, tea, and pastries were avaiable to keep the activist fires burning.

The group that does this is Tri-Cities Postcard-Writing Sundays. Go to their page and get on their mailing list to be notified of future gatherings.

The Power of Citizens

Richard,

Today was a reminder of the power of citizens. Thousands of you voiced your opposition to the Trump Administration's healthcare bill. And today, the bill was pulled from the House floor due to lack of support. Your calls, letters, and emails made a difference. 

This was people power in action. We were able to stop a bad bill that would have negatively affected thousands of Washingtonians from moving forward. Thank you for standing up and making your voice heard. People power works!

We have more fights ahead but I'm encouraged by today's good news. Thanks again for all you do. It's an honor to represent you.  

Derek Kilmer