21st century

I really wish our country would make such bold moves:

Finland has become the first country in the world to make broadband a legal right for every citizen.

From 1 July every Finn will have the right to access to a 1Mbps (megabit per second) broadband connection.

Finland has vowed to connect everyone to a 100Mbps connection by 2015.

In the UK the government has promised a minimum connection of at least 2Mbps to all homes by 2012 but has stopped short of enshrining this as a right in law.

The Finnish deal means that from 1 July all telecommunications companies will be obliged to provide all residents with broadband lines that can run at a minimum 1Mbps speed.

And yet where I live (20 miles north of Cincinnati), you can go 1 mile from my house and be in an area that does not have broadband.

I’ve said it before and I’ll keep saying it until someone listens; unless America embraces the cornerstone of the 21st century economy, our economic future will remain bleak. The problem is that we have to many dinosaurs making our laws and they don’t realize that their inability to adapt is killing us. We really need to follow what the Finns have done and embrace the technology that will continue to mold our future.

This morning on MSNBC Erin Burnett was talking about the FCC releasing their plan this week to increase the nation’s broadband speeds and penetration. During the segment she pointed to a new report stating that we are #18 when it comes to internet speed. Romania even beats us out.

Is it any wonder that we are struggling in the 21st century economy when we are still stuck with 20th century technology? To exemplify this, take a look at the U.K.:

The Tory party has once again pledged super-fast broadband, and has gone a step further by stating that if the party wins the general election it will provide Britain with the fastest broadband in Europe.

Broadband speeds have become a big part of the promises that the various political parties have been making in a bid to win votes in the up and coming general election. The Labour government has already put its own plans in place to improve broadband access and speeds, and recently the Conservative party also promised to ensure that Britain would get faster broadband speeds and better access.

When do we hear our politicians campaign on increasing internet speeds? Even during the 2008 campaign it was never really that big of an issue. True a lot of that had to do with a Republican candidate who didn’t even know how to open an email, but still.

If the U.S. wants to really compete we have to bring the backbone of the 21st century economy up to par in our nation. The U.S. was instrumental in bringing the world into the technological age. Now we seem to be ignoring it.

I was just reading the following blog post:

The days of building your precious DVD collection may be coming to an end sooner than you think. If Netflix CEO Reed Hastings' comments are any guide, the DVD era may be set to come to a rather abrupt halt.

Specifically, Hastings said in an interview with The Motley Fool website (digested here) that DVD will only be the "primary delivery format" at the company for the next two years, though he did add that it would stick around in some fashion for the next decade or two. That's a huge pull back from Hastings' previous prognostication; the Netflix boss had formerly predicted DVD would remain the company's primary format until as late as 2018.

Basically Hastings is saying that people will go to their set top boxes, which require high speed internet. The problem is this country is way behind countless others when it comes to broadband coverage. I live 30 miles north of Cincinnati and a mile up the road they have no broadband coverage. Until this country gets its act together and starts welcoming the 21st century then predictions like Hastings are way too premature.

Here's John McCain yesterday saying that "in the 21st century, nations don't invade other nations".

Interesting comment. I thought we invaded Iraq and Afghanistan in the 21st century. I guess it could be another senior moment.

Speaking of senior moments, here's a pop quiz. Who is President of the United States? Apparently McCain thinks he is. What the hell is with him sending a "delegation" to Georgia? He does not chair any committees in the Senate, so he is acting on his own. If Obama did this, the Republicans would be screaming that he is trying to undermine the duties of the President.

I agree with Howie, if the Republicans were smart they would dump McCain in St. Paul. This guy has no concept of the world, or even the duties (or lack there of) of being a candidate. He's a danger to this country, a danger that makes Dick Cheney look sane.

 Today's New York Times has a very interesting article that requires a thorough reading. It details how an American contractor was held in an American military prison in Iraq for more than 90 days without access to a lawyer. Furthermore, this person was wrongly jailed. He was an informant for the FBI into possible contractor fraud, and the military detained him. To add insult to injury, this man was subject to many of the same treatments as the prisoners at Gitmo.

Two very important issues come to mind from this story.

Why would American citizens subject themselves to this? I am not talking about the actual treatment, but the risk of being subject to that treatment. I know the pay is phenomenal for American contactors in Iraq, but in essence you are putting a price on your life, and in the end your life is not worth that price.

Now I know many are thinking that "this will never happen to me or my loved one working over there", and if that is the case, then you must read this story again. This is a man, who was doing the right thing. He was reporting possible illegal activities, something any citizen of the United States, with a conscience would do. He ended up being subject to 3 months of total hell, because the military screwed up, and remember - he was denied access to attorneys (because of Bush's idea of Democracy), so he had no way to plea his case. Sounds more like times prior to the 17th century than the 21st century.

The other issue that comes to mind deals with the people who constantly support this type of technique. I am talking about the wingnuts (the Malkins and Drudges in the world).

Now I can understand that these people also suffer from the proverbial "this couldn't happen to me" mind set. This just shows how disconnected from reality they really are.