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China Forces Websites To Register
Rodrigo Strauss writes "The Inquirer has the story that individual owners of websites and blogs must register with the government or face a shut-down. Apparently they will begin monitoring of all sites, both commercial and personal, beginning this month. Site owners have until the end of the month to register. The BBC has the story as well." From the BBC article: "'The internet has profited many people but it also has brought many problems, such as sex, violence and feudal superstitions and other harmful information that has seriously poisoned people's spirits,' said a statement on the MII website, explaining why the new rules were necessary."
Thats a good point. Why would China want to immitate American culture? What is so good about our profit/consumption driven culture?
If China wants to have its own internet thats fine with me as long as I can access that internet.
As long as we can connect to Chinas internet none of this matters. Cultures are not all equal and it should be simple to understand why China wants to avoid the mistakes of our culture. At the same time, I want to be able to access Chinese culture, so as long as their internet is not a closed system I don't really care if they use the American internet or Chinese internet, it makes no difference to me just like it makes no difference to most American consumers if their Walmart products are made in China or America, they just don't care.
The USA is not the most free country on earth. Europe is more free, there are places like the netherlands which have more freedom than we will ever have. China is not bad with human rights, in fact China's human rights history is far better than Americas history of slavery, slaughtering native Americans, exploiting illegal immigration, and outsourcing. America has the worst human rights track record in the developed world, so China with its censorship isnt really anything new from the point of view of an American. Right now the American internet is censored to protect corporations, freedom of speech is being restricted, and while we are losing our freedoms we focus on China? Iraq? Who the hell cares? We have to fight for freedom at home.
Is it paranoid to point out how our government operates? I can remember back in the mid 70s when everybody said that the papers were being paranoid about our upper government being in collusion on a break-in. In fact, so many republicans ran around denouncing anybody who spoke out against the admin, while ignoring all the evidence. In light of Nixon, Reagan, and GWB, Somethings remain the same.
I prefer the "u" in honour as it seems to be missing these days.
I would imagine you would say that 'true Communism' failed because it was never tried - and would encourage further attempts despite the death toll of hundreds of millions if it's own when it was tried (Mao, Stalin, etc.)
Capitalism means one thing - property rights. You own your property and can do what you please with it in voluntary co-operation with others. You may go bankrupt and wind up in the sewers, you may create a monopoly - but at the end of the day your property is yours to do with as you choose.
I wish Ayn Rand were here so she could slap you hard.