Politico has the story Net neutrality emails raise suspicions.

The flood of traffic seemed to raise some lawmakers’ eyebrows, including Democratic Rep. Jackie Speier of California, whose office soon determined some of the messages had come from constituents who didn’t recall sending them. Her aides pointed to a memo sent to members’ staff last week by Lockheed Martin, which manages the technology behind some lawmakers’ “contact me” Web pages. Lockheed initially said it had “some concerns regarding the messages,” including the fact that “a vast majority of the emails do not appear to have a valid in-district address.” In some cases, Lockheed also questioned the “legitimacy of the email address contact associated with the incoming message[s].”

“The idea that an outside group could use consumer data to impersonate constituents suggests an attempt to hijack the important feedback members of Congress need to truly represent their districts,” Speier said in a statement, without naming a culprit.
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“This is identity theft, but instead of impersonating for financial gain, the originators of this theft are striking at the heart of our representative democracy,” Speier said.

My ass, it’s not for financial gain.  There is tremendous financial gain to be made by stopping the FCC from regulating internet companies as utilities.  If those gainers succeed, then the rest of us lose.

If this isn’t a violation of the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act as it is now being applied, then I can’t imagine what is. The law is even being applied to teachers who help their students cheat on tests when the cheating is organized.  See The LA Times article Atlanta schools cheating scandal: 11 educators convicted of racketeering.

One of the largest school cheating trials in U.S. history drew to a dramatic close Wednesday with a jury finding 11 Atlanta elementary school teachers and administrators guilty of taking part in a racketeering conspiracy to illegally boost students’ test scores. Some of the educators face up to 35 years in prison.

Doesn’t 35 years seem a bit excessive for teachers, especially when the Koch brothers associated organizations can defraud Congress and get away with it?

The Rachel Maddow show has the video Religious right puts GOP at odds with public opinion.

Rachel Maddow shows how conservative politics can often put Republican politicians at odds with public opinion while trying to satisfy the religious right. Tom Lobianco of the Indianapolis Star Tribune joins to discuss Indiana’s new discrimination law.

Rachel Maddow sure can go on and on without ever seemingly getting to the point. As much of this as you can bear to watch, she does make a point. I don’t want to spoil her punchline by commenting further in the open.

The Rachel Maddow show had a great interview with Elizabeth Warren, Senator Elizabeth Warren pushes Democrats to compete on issues.

Senator Elizabeth Warren talks with Rachel Maddow about the differences between Democrats and Republicans on popular issues like student loans and the minimum wage, and why she thinks emphasizing those distinctions is key to Democratic political success.

Besides what is summarized above by MSNBC, Warren also made important comments about the powers of a Senator besides just creating legislation. She also described what she says Democrats can do to demonstrate their faith in the democratic process.