============================================================================ __ _________ __ \ \ / /_ _\ \ / / HELP EDUCATE SENATOR KERRY ONLINE! \ \ / / | | \ \ /\ / / AT THE DEMOCRATIC CONVENTION ONLINE CHAT \ V / | | \ V V / ON AUGUST 28, 1996 -- 4PM CDT/5PM EST \_/ |_| \_/\_/ SENATOR KERRY, WHO VOTED FOR THE COMMUNICATIONS DECENCY ACT, WILL BE ONLINE! PLEASE ATTEND AND EDUCATE HIM ABOUT SMART NET POLICY! DO NOT DISTRIBUTE AFTER SEPTEMBER 1, 1996 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Table of contents What's New Why you should join these chats Chat schedule Getting chat software ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- WHAT'S NEW Senator John Kerry, who voted in favor of the Communications Decency Act and who has been dragging his feet on the encryption issue in the Senate Commerce Committee, is on the Democratic Convention Chat schedule for this Wednesday, 4pm CDT (5pm EST). Like many Senators, John Kerry's views are a combination of his personal opinions, plus his perception of his constituencies' opinion. When he voted IN FAVOR OF THE COMMUNICATIONS DECENCY ACT, he was not listening to his constituency very well. The high tech community of Cambridge must make him understand that bad Internet policy, like the Communications Decency Act, can kill this industry, causing us to lose our jobs and the state to lose a valuable industry. Although Sen. Kerry shouldn't be let off the hook for voting of the CDA, he needs to be shown that in hindsight, this was a terrible vote. Hostility will not change his mind though, so please don't ask questions like, "Senator, what the heck were you thinking when you voted for this stupid bill which everyone knew was unconstitutional?" Questions like these will just cause him to wrap himself in a "protecting children" speech. Instead, why not try questions like, "Senator, don't you think that enough has changed in the past several months that would suggest that parents are really the best ones to control their kids access to the net? Would you still vote for the CDA today?" "Senator, don't you agree laws such as the CDA are really a poor second to a little bit of plain old parenting? If more parents were to learn about the net, would there still be a need for the CDA?" "Senator, I surf the net with my 10-year-old. I think that's a far better cry than the CDA. What could we do to encourage more parents to take this approach, rather than passing laws that harm Massachusetts businesses and freedom of speech?" Know that the urge to flame him for his vote on the CDA will be strong. It should be, it was a terrible position for someone from such an incredibly net-savvy state. No matter how you view politics, it was a poor move. It angers both the business and public. Please do not flame him, instead try to change his mind. It is imperative that the net community come out and show him this is a very serious issue for us, and that we won't forget his position on this. Remember, the chat is at 4pm CDT, which is 5PM EST. Please show up early, as this is likely to be a very full chat. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- WHY YOU SHOULD JOIN THESE CHATS The Democratic convention's online chat program has begun! It's crucial that Netizens make net concerns a high profile issue in the online chats this year. You can do this by showing up and simply asking the right questions. Does the candidate think the Communications Decency Act is an effective method of shielding kids from material online, or parental control? Does the candidate support the use of privacy-enhancing encryption technology? Does the candidate support program such as THOMAS, that put government info in the hands of the people? If you don't ask these questions, they'll never know we care. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- CHAT SCHEDULE [Notably missing from this schedule are Senators Patrick J. Leahy (D-VT) and Russell Feingold (D-WI) and House member Jerrold Nadler (D-NY). All three have impeccable cyberspace credentials and we look forward to seeing them online.] All chats take place at http://ichat.dncc96.org:4080/ Monday 08/26/96 - 4:20pm CDT Governor Lawton Chiles 08/26/96 - 7:15pm CDT House Candidate Michela Alioto 08/26/96 - 10:30pm CDT Congressman Bill Richardson Tuesday 08/27/96 - 9:00am CDT Senate Candidate Houston Gordon 08/27/96 - 5:00pm CDT Congresswoman Nita Lowey Wednesday 08/28/96 - 9:00am CDT - Senate Candidate Houston Gordon 08/28/96 - 10:00am CDT - Governor Gaston Caperton 08/28/96 - 3:00pm CDT - Senator John D Rockefeller IV ----> 08/28/96 - 4:00pm CDT - Senator John Kerry 08/28/96 - 4:30pm CDT - Senator Harry Reid 08/28/96 - 9:30pm CDT - Representative Corrine Brown Thursday 08/29/96 - 10:30am CDT - Senate Candidate Houston Gordon 08/29/96 - 2:30pm CDT - Senator Kent Conrad 08/29/96 - 3:30pm CDT - Representative Eliot Engel 08/29/96 - 6:00pm CDT - Representative Barney Frank 08/29/96 - 7:00pm CDT - Senators Boxer & Murray Don't miss this opportunity to question the newsmakers on net issues such as free speech and privacy! We have to ensure that they feel appreciated for standing up for Net issues. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- GETTING CHAT SOFTWARE The Democratic Convention has chosen iChat's chat software for their interface. To obtain a copy, simply follow the links from the main convention homepage at http://www.dncc96.org/ to the software section. ### ============================================================================