Defense of the Marriage Act

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The Marriage Act was put into place on September 21, 1996 by former president Bill Clinton which the federal government defined marriage as a legal union between one man and one woman. Under the law, no state may be required to recognize as a marriage a same- sex relationship considered a marriage in another state. The law passed both houses of Congress by large majorities. Lawmakers in Maryland failed to gather enough votes to pass a bill that would have allowed same-sex couples to marry, withdrawing it from consideration after hours of emotional debate and effectively killing the bill’s chances for passage this year.

The withdrawal capped a tumultuous few weeks, which began with the bill’s sponsors saying that its passage was all but assured and that Maryland would soon become the sixth state to legalize same-sex marriage.
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Two national groups that oppose same-sex marriage, the National Organization for Marriage and the Family Research Council, both highlighted African-American and religious opponents of the bill as central to its defeat. Democrats hold 98 of the House’s 141 seats, more than enough to overcome near-total Republican opposition, but ultimately about a third of all Democrats opposed it. The National Organization for Marriage said that it would spend part of the $1 million it had pledged to spend in Maryland to support Democrats who went against the bill, and to oppose the lone Republican who voted for it. The bill’s supporters would settle for no less than full marriage rights, as are legal in Connecticut, Iowa, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont and the District of Columbia. A Democrat’s proposal to make the bill about civil unions instead of marriage failed. This somehow connects to class because we were discussing certain powers that the president has while in office. We discussed how he can veto bills, call on treaties, start war, etc. This is a great example of the president vetoing bills.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/24/us/24marriage.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Defense_of_Marriage_Act


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AT&T-mobile???

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AT&T inc. announced that they have entered into a definitive agreement under which AT&T will acquire T-Mobile USA from Deutsche Telekom in a cash-and-stock transaction currently valued at approximately $39 billion. The agreement has been approved by the Boards of Directors of both companies.

AT&T’s acquisition of T-Mobile USA provides an optimal combination of network assets to add capacity sooner than any alternative, and it provides an opportunity to improve network quality in the near term for both companies’ customer. In addition, it provides a fast, efficient and certain solution to the impending exhaustion of wireless spectrum in some markets, which limits both companies’ ability to meet the ongoing explosive demand for mobile broadband.

With this transaction, AT&T commits to a significant expansion of robust 4G LTE (Long Term Evolution) deployment to 95 percent of the U.S. population to reach an additional 46.5 million Americans beyond current plans – including rural communities and small towns. This helps achieve the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and President Obama’s goals to connect every part of America to the digital age. T-Mobile USA does not have a clear path to delivering LTE.

“This transaction represents a major commitment to strengthen and expand critical infrastructure for our nation’s future,” said Randall Stephenson, AT&T Chairman and CEO. It will improve network quality, and it will bring advanced LTE capabilities to more than 294 million people. Mobile broadband networks drive economic opportunity everywhere, and they enable the expanding high-tech ecosystem that includes device makers, cloud and content providers, app developers, customers, and more. During the past few years, America’s high-tech industry has delivered innovation at unprecedented speed, and this combination will accelerate its continued growth.

 This transaction delivers significant customer, shareowner and public benefits that are available at this level only from the combination of these two companies with complementary network technologies, spectrum positions and operations.Deutsche Telekom Chairman and CEO Rene Obermann said, After evaluating strategic options for T-Mobile USA, they are confident that AT&T is the best partner for their customers, shareholders and the mobile broadband ecosystem. Their common network technology makes this a logical combination and provides an efficient path to gaining the spectrum and network assets needed to provide T-Mobile customers with 4G LTE and the best devices. Also, the transaction returns significant value to Deutsche Telekom shareholders and allows us to retain exposure to the U.S. market.

As part of the transaction, Deutsche Telekom will receive an equity stake in AT&T that, based on the terms of the agreement, would give Deutsche Telekom an ownership interest in AT&T of approximately 8 percent. A Deutsche Telekom representative will join the AT&T Board of Directors.

http://www.zdnet.com/blog/btl/at-t-buys-t-mobile-to-create-the-new-top-dog-in-us-wireless/46262

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