Archive for category Blogging
The Coming End of the Freedom of Speech – Thanks to Congress
- Image via Wikipedia
Because in this country, it will take both parties to destroy our freedoms…
Republicans and Democrats alike — have signed onto a bill that would vastly expand the government’s power to censor the Internet.
The Combating Online Infringement and Counterfeits Act (COICA) was introduced just one week ago, but it’s greased and ready to move, with a hearing in front of the Judiciary Committee this Thursday. If people don’t speak out, US citizens could soon find themselves joining Iranians and Chinese in being blocked from accessing broad chunks of the public Internet.
Help us stop this bill in its tracks! Click here to sign our petition.
COICA creates two blacklists of Internet domain names. Courts could add sites to the first list; the Attorney General would have control over the second. Internet service providers and others (everyone from Comcast to PayPal to Google AdSense) would be required to block any domains on the first list. They would also receive immunity (and presumably the good favor of the government) if they block domains on the second list.
David Segal: Stop the Internet Blacklist.
You do realize where this might lead us right?
Related articles
- Congress Has Plans for an Internet Blacklist in the Works — Let’s Stop This Now (alternet.org)
- U.S. Senate Poised to Vote on Internet Blacklist (demandprogress.org)
- S. 3804, the Internet Blacklist bill (americablog.com)
The Coming End to the Freedom of Speech?
Posted by Joel in Blogging, Religion and Politics on October 18, 2010
- Image via Wikipedia
Political candidates blocking certain reporters from attending their rallies is nothing new and is done on both sides, but I do believe that this is something to concern bloggers and other ‘new media’ types as well as those concerned with the political situation in the United States.
The Anchorage Daily News reports that Tony Hopfinger, who founded and edits “Alaska Dispatch,” was arrested by Miller’s private guards at an Anchorage school. The senate hopeful was on hand as part of a town hall event.
Why would a political candidate in Alaska have a security team given arrest powers… oh wait. I’m pretty sure that to illegal detain someone is against the law, and that much more so when it is a private citizen who is doing the detaining.
Hopfinger had been trying to ask Miller questions when two or three guards told him to leave or risk being charged with trespassing.
When Hopfinger continued to try to ask questions, one of the guards put the reporter in an arm-bar and then handcuffed him.
Hopfinger was released after police arrived.
The reporter was on public property where a public event was being held at the time of the incident.
Joe Miller Security Guards Handcuff & Detain ‘Alaska Dispatch’ Editor.
And while we may look at this through the lens of politics, I would urge you to step back and wonder where we are going when things like start to happen and we simply subjectively defend them?
Related articles
- Alaskan reporter detained by security at Joe Miller event (cnn.com)
- Joe Miller’s Guards Handcuff Editor at Meeting (abcnews.go.com)
- Don’t Try to Ask Alaska Republican Joe Miller Any Questions [Detention] (gawker.com)
- “Election 2010: Alaska Candidate Joe Miller’s Private Security Guards “Arrest” Reporter at Public Event” and related posts (rhrealitycheck.org)
Free Blogger Ali Abdulemam
Richard Bartholomew via Global Voices reports:
Ali Abdulemam, a leading Bahraini blogger and Global Voices Advocacy author, was arrested earlier today by the Bahraini authorities for allegedly spreading “false news” on BahrainOnline.org portal, one of the most popular pro-democracy outlets in Bahrain, amidst the worst sectarian crackdown by the government in years, and accusations of a supposed “terror network” involving several political and human rights activists. The BahrainOnline portal is censored in Bahrain. He sent an email earlier today mentioning that he got a call from the Bahraini national security just before his arrest, then arrested him and alleged that he was trying to flee.
Reportedly the Bahrani government has a long track record of using torture against dissidents and their TV has been broadcasting hateful sectarian messages to justify its crackdown
Ali was arrested before also for content published on his portal, and he contributes occasionally to Global Voices Advocacy and Global Voices Arabic Lingua.
There are further details at the Huffington Post, and an overview of the crackdown in Bahrain in Foreign Policy. The Campaign to Free Ali Abdulemam has a website which can be found here.
If only I had started blogging on Geocities…
Thanks to Dr. Cargill…
It would have looked like this:
Jeremy’s actually looks better… but not Christian‘s.
CNN: Limit Free Speech, Limit the Blogosphere
For for the life of me, I thought that they were talking about Foxnews for the first half of the program…
And you might want to not see this…
Thinking of a (blog) name change
When I first started this blog, it was supposed to be as a denominational outreach for my congregation. I was criticized early on, especially for not sticking ONLY to the KJV-1611, although no one else in the congregation really did either. The purpose of the blog changed, of course, and I have as well. Since I have long departed that congregation due to ethical concerns and seeing that we are going somewhere else, I have begun to question whether or not I need a new blog name…
The one that has really stuck with me lately, is Unsettled Christianity.
Why? First, Christianity has become too passive because it is often shielded from questioning and attacks. The Church grew and thrived when it wasn’t settled in this world. Second, I believe that we must constantly engage the culture around us, unsettling those things around us, even other Christians. Further, I believe that we have to engage in modern philosophy, science and scholarship which at times undermines and unsettles traditional understandings and interpretations of Christianity.
Further, in my own personal experience, my faith has been rocked during this past year or so, and is often times unsettled from that of my childhood.
If I decide to go this route, I will change, I hope, without interruption.
But, in the mean time, what say ye?
A word on the purpose of this blog
Or rather, a reminder. Recently, on another, um, yellow-blog, comments were made lies were told which aren’t repeating. I’m sure it was all completely civil… Because if there is one thing that defines civil, it is that blogger.
Anyway, it got me to thinking about the changing nature of this blog and this blogger. My original intent was to establish a blog for my congregation. That changed, of course, and went from attempting to set the world straight to, well, interacting with a variety of people and belief systems which, as a result, helped to straighten me out.
Original posting is sporadic, but you know what, I pay for the domain and the hosting, and as far as I know, there are no rules on blogging content. Further, I actually have a day job and a family, so sometimes, providing interaction into culture is well, my thing, because that is all I have time for. And you know, it has worked. This comes up from time to time, this issue of what should be on a blog, but until laws are passed… I have found that those bloggers who scream the loudest about it are those who are generally agenda driven.
As I think about the my future educational path, I wonder about the future of my blogging. Perhaps that’s why I have brought in contributors. We live in a community, don’t we? And a community has different voices, faces, views, and they should be heard. For me? I’ll start post-grad work soon and see how that changes my blogging. Maybe I will return to a few posts per week. Who knows, but the thing is, is that I have found that blogging has been not just an out-reach or an extension, but a connection to the wider world that is out there. Each blog is a Hyde Park, and each blogger the loudest voice. I rather enjoy it, myself, and will continue to blog as I see fit. It is a growing process, you know.
Just some late night thoughts. And a ping. Because I care.
