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Lawmakers Support U.S. Control Of The Internet
TechScam writes "A new resolution was introduced in Congress that aims to backup the Bush administration over retaining U.S. control of the Internet's core infrastructure. From the article: 'The resolution, introduced by two Republicans and one Democrat, aims to line up Congress firmly behind the Bush administration as it heads for a showdown with much of the rest of the world over control of the global computer network.'"
Considering the history of US tech lawmaking I'm kinda suprised they dident screw this up too and give it away thinking that "oh boy this will make everbody like us again whoo hoo!". Get over it the rest of the world has -never- liked us unless we were giving them foreign aid.
"It's so convenient to have a system where everyone is a criminal" - A. Hitler
It is interesting to see that U.S. says that it is defendding free spech, while U.N. says exactly the same, that it is defending freedom of expression (check here)...
Very interesting, because freedom of speech for U.N. seems to be: "We want a rich public domain and no government looking into our conversation.", and for U.S., it seems to be: "If they make racism illegal, the next one will be porn.". I can see why U.S. government is concerned by the U.N. idea of free speech, but I can't see how U.S. people can't realize that the second argument is a non sequitur.
Also, I loved that phrase:
"Turning the Internet over to countries with problematic human-rights records, muted free-speech laws, and questionable taxation practices will prevent the Internet from remaining the thriving medium it has become today"
Let's forget that the U.S. viewed today as exaclty a country with problematic human-rights records and questionable taxation practices! Let's blame the rest of the World for those thigs.
Rethinking email
How will we ever do without the US's vaunted, impeccable integrity running the Internet? You know, the vaunted US integrity displayed by their invasion of a sovereign country under false pretences? Or the great work they've done in helping combating racial poverty in their communities? Or the work of their high ranking politicians? Or their work in preventing the spread of fatal disease in Africa?
How can we possibly be safe without the US controlling the Internet?
Yep, good thing americans weren't involved in that, um like this guy or maybe ... ,and don't forget about the guy who pardoned him.
this guy
And last, but not least, his lawyer
-k
Your mind moves quicker than a nun's first curry. - A. Rimmer
Obligatory rabid anti-american comment about how the US is the root of all evil.
Fuck it, let them have it.
Then the US can wall off their own little Internet, and pretend the rest of the world isn't out there. We'll let them keep using HTTP, and the general concepts of the World Wide Web (a European invention). It will stop all the spam from mouthbreathing Comcast users, for the rest of us. I don't really see a downside.
The US will wall itself off more and more, making it harder to get in and out of the country. Eventually it will make itself entirely irrelevant to the rest of the world. There will be occasional showy displays of power that it can't affort, until its own economy collapses in on itself and it breaks up into lots of unstable little countries and the UN has to come in and sort it out.
Now I come to write it down, that sounds a bit familiar...
Please, read up on what you're criticizing. For example:
"the OFFP enabled the importation of enough food to feed all 27 million Iraqis. During its existence, the average daily caloric intake of the people of Iraq increased 83 percent, from 1,200 kilocalories to 2,200 kilocalories per person per day. In addition, malnutrition rates in 2002 in the central and southern part of the country were half those in 1996 among children under the age of five; in the three northern governorates, chronic malnutrition decreased 56 percent."
www.oilforfoodfacts.org
The World Food programme is one of the most effective international organizations.
The UNHCR helps millions and millions of refugees each year.
UNICEF - nuff said.
Peacekeeping. Without the UN, nobody would be in the world's trouble spots, definitely not the US.
Running elections, like in Iraq.
Reproductive Health and Population Management, the one the US put a global gag rule on.
War crime persecution, like in Rwanda, former Yugoslavia, Sierra Leone and Cambodia.
Fighting disease like AIDS, tbc and malaria through WHO and UNAIDS
And just by being there, the UN makes us aware of otherwise invisible issues that few would care about - landmines, disease, child soldiers.
Etc, etc
Due to its questionable foreign policy history the US's refusal to relinquish control over a planetwide communications structure should be viewed with suspicion. The argument that the US started it is irrelavent. There is no logical or technical explanation as to why the US will not allow the internet to be governed by a worldwide body and no one here has posted a decent argument either!!! Why exactly are they so adamant that they want to retain control, it makes you wonder?