Thuggery?

“In October, AT&T announced that they would start throttling data usage amongst mobile Unlimited Data Plan users. While AT&T no longer offers an Unlimited Data plan to new customers, many of the original iPhone purchasers are still grandfathered into that plan. Those iPhone users have been able to retain these Unlimited plans, even though AT&T has since moved to a tiered data plan structure.

When AT&T announced their plan to start throttling users, the company said that they would only be throttling the top 5% of users. Early reports of affected users had pointed to 10GB-12GB per month users as the initially affected.

It seems that ceiling has decreased significantly over the past few months, at least for some regions. John Cozen reports that he received his top 5% data usage warning after reaching only 2.1GB of data for January.

I received a message during my last billing cycle, warning I was in the top 5% of my region and would experience reduced data speeds next time I reach that level of data use. I immediately checked my data usage on the AT&T iOS app.

2.1 GB. Less than I expected considering AT&T offers a 3GB plan for $30 a month. The same amount I’ve paid for the unlimited data plan since signing up with them many years ago. AT&T no longer offers an unlimited data plan, anyone still on it has been grandfathered in.

Cozen contacted AT&T to make sure it wasn’t a mistake, and after several back and forth exchanges, it seems clear that it wasn’t a mistake. The AT&T representatives seemed to confirm that 2.1GB did fall in the 5% range and the only option to avoid throttling was to move to a tiered plan.

Cozen was understandably upset since AT&T even offers an unthrottled 3GB plan for the same price he is paying at $30 month.

AT&T’s top 5% measurement seems to be region-specific, as some users are continuing to see higher than 2GB usage without throttling.”

I’ve heard from Verizon users who are on old unlimited plans that they too have been throttled and when they called in they too were “pushed” to change to metered plans.

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If you watched Newt Gingrich’s press conference last night you might have been struck with amazement. Amazement at just how freaking weird it was.

“Newt Gingrich’s post–Nevada caucus speech included about three minutes of inspired moments about issues and ideas in his usual imaginative and intellectually robust style. So why does he not just stay with that — given that he often seems more dynamic and glib than Romney in his attacks on Obama, and not long ago gained ground despite the attacks against him? Instead, he now turns ad nauseam to the tired reasons why he loses — yes, including lots of Mormons in Nevada — and ends up as Richard Nixon not going to get kicked around any more.

But whether he knows it or not, Gingrich is becoming a caricature of petulance: no concession in Nevada, no call to Romney, no awareness that his inability to raise money at levels of a political rival or to match a competing campaign organization is not necessarily unfair. That’s politics, and Gingrich knows it. I don’t understand why he thinks now losing to Romney in 2012 is solely due to Romney’s innate deviousness in a way McCain beating Romney in 2008 was not — given that Romney was about the same in both 2008 and 2012. Gingrich seems oblivious to the fact that McCain’s style and history gave him advantages over Romney’s money and hardball in ways Gingrich’s own proven liabilities apparently do not.

Gingrich should carefully play a tape of his post–Nevada caucus performance, and then he would quickly grasp that it was little more than a litany of excuses, whining, and accusations — characterized by stream-of-conscious confessionals and rambling repetitions. And, I think, will hurt him more than anything yet in the campaign.

Verdict? Gingrich is going to have to stop the accusations now, turn attention away from himself, stop complaining about the mechanics of the race, stick with critiquing Obama, and at least seem a good sport when he loses. Romney is wise to focus on Obama, ignore his rivals, and get prepped every day by staff who press him on his wealth, in efforts to inoculate him from self-inflicted, offhand remarks about the poor, money, class, etc. Gingrich’s stabs about a supposedly out-of-touch aristocrat are kid’s play compared to what will come from Obama’s $1 billion dollar Chicago hit team.”

I agree. Gingrich needs to stop blaming the media, the Romney campaign and whoever because he keeps losing. The fact is that he’s not selling and frankly that’s because he’s been in the spotlight for so many years he simply doesn’t inspire enough of a following and the whining is getting old.

However I was reminded of a movie character that kind of sums up Gingrich at this point.

Newt Gingrich Election 2012 Nevada Primary

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Doug Douthat:

“IN the most recent Gallup poll on abortion, as many Americans described themselves as pro-life as called themselves pro-choice. A combined 58 percent of Americans stated that abortion should either be “illegal in all circumstances” or “legal in only a few circumstances.” These results do not vary appreciably by gender: in the first Gallup poll to show a slight pro-life majority, conducted in May 2009, half of American women described themselves as pro-life.

But if you’ve followed the media frenzy surrounding the Susan G. Komen for the Cure foundation’s decision — which it backpedaled from, with an apology, after a wave of frankly brutal coverage — to discontinue about $700,000 in funding for Planned Parenthood, you would think all these millions of anti-abortion Americans simply do not exist.

From the nightly news shows to print and online media, the coverage’s tone alternated between wonder and outrage — wonder that anyone could possibly find Planned Parenthood even remotely controversial and outrage that the Komen foundation had “politicized” the cause of women’s health.

“That ubiquitous pink ribbon … is sporting a black eye today,” Claire Shipman announced on ABC News Thursday, while Diane Sawyer nodded along. On MSNBC, Andrea Mitchell dressed down the Komen foundation’s founder, Nancy Brinker: “I have to tell you,” Mitchell said, “this is shocking to a lot of your longtime supporters. … How could this have taken place?” In story after story, journalists explicitly passed judgment on Komen for creating a controversy where none need ever have existed.

Conservative complaints about media bias are sometimes overdrawn. But on the abortion issue, the press’s prejudices are often absolute, its biases blatant and its blinders impenetrable. In many newsrooms and television studios across the country, Planned Parenthood is regarded as the equivalent of, well, the Komen foundation: an apolitical, high-minded and humanitarian institution whose work no rational person — and certainly no self-respecting woman — could possibly question or oppose.

But of course millions of Americans — including, yes, millions of American women — do oppose Planned Parenthood. They oppose the 300,000-plus abortions it performs every year (making it the largest abortion provider in the country), and they oppose its tireless opposition to even modest limits on abortion.

Which means if the mission to stop Planned Parenthood is to succeed the attack cannot come from a abortion supporting media but through pressure on all those who support Planned Parenthood. I posted the list of those organizations – many of them merchants and companies that provide services and products – and simply say that if you don’t support Planned Parenthood’s mission then don’t support those organizations. Unless they choose to defund Planned Parenthood Americans who don’t support abortion should defund or stop buying their products.

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An anonymous quote from team Romney member when asked if he’s elected president will he continue the move within Republican ranks to cease government funding of Planned Parenthood.

“It’s entirely inappropriate for the the government to fund a non-profit 501(3)(c) organization with taxpayers dollars, no less one that is as polarizing as Planned Parenthood”.

Asked if that would apply to all non-profits which derive funding from the Government, the answer, “In light of the waste in Washington everything is on the table and eligible to see cutbacks or elimination.

Romney has said this himself on many occasions, but I like the up to date confirmation. The House passed a measure to defund Planned Parenthood in January of 2011, and other states have followed suit. If this proves accurate (I have my suspicions given Romney’s support of pro-choice in the past), and providing we win the Senate as well it could deal a serious blow to PP.

We’ll see.

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Yeah like we didn’t expect this.

“Las Vegas (CNN) — CNN projects that Mitt Romney will win the Nevada Republican presidential caucuses based on results and entrance polling.
With 10% of the results in, Romney had about 48% of the vote while Rep. Ron Paul and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich were in a tight race for second with 21% and 20% of the vote, respectively. Former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum, who had largely bypassed the state, had 11% of the vote. Those numbers were gathered from vote counters at caucus sites across the state.

With a win in Nevada, Romney will be the first GOP candidate in this cycle to score back-to-back wins. The former Massachusetts governor appeared to win in the Iowa caucuses but the contest was later awarded to Santorum when the vote was certified. Romney scored a big win in New Hampshire but was then stunned in South Carolina by Gingrich. Romney scored a 14-point victory over Gingrich and the rest of the field in Tuesday’s Florida primary and entered Saturday’s contest with a sizable lead in polls.

Most of the caucuses were completed at 5 p.m. (8 p.m. ET), except for one site in Las Vegas, which was to start after sundown to accommodate Orthodox Jews, Seventh-day Adventists, and others who can’t vote until after their Sabbath is over.

The caucuses are open only to the state’s more than 470,000 registered Republicans. Nevada’s 28 delegates will be awarded proportionately based on the statewide vote.

Gingrich and Paul vow to fight on but the fix is in. Romney is cruising to the nomination which means once again the GOP establishment will nominate a Rockefeller republican to try to win the White House.

Visit Hot Air for more on the results. I’m too sick to my stomach right now.

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