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The Letter That Won US Internet Control
K-boy writes "Pushing my own scoop, but I think it's a valuable piece of Net history, I have come into possession of the vital letter sent by Condoleezza Rice to the EU over Internet governance. And posted it on the Web.
The letter is pretty stern but you should also read it bearing in mind that letters of this type are not only very rare but they are always written in very, very soft diplomatic language. This was not.
The result of the letter was that the EU dropped its plan for an inter-governmental oversight body for the Internet and we have ended up with the status quo (ICANN, US government control).
The letter was never meant for publication."
Rice's message was brought to you by Echelon. Monitoring the internet whoever controls it.
i will call you cynical.
//liberterian
i would much rather have the united states in control than some beurocratic UN organization that's been proven it has members that can be bought.
granted, the US can be bought, too, but usually the less people there are involved in controlling/managing something, the better off everything is.
why did you have to qualify that with the word "black" I don't care if Condi, is black, white, blue or beige, nor should it matter to you or anyone else. SO you should have just said "....is one of the most intelligent people in the USA"
Glad I don't live in the USA though, it strikes me as the most racist country in the Western World.
I suppose this guy is referring to Germany or Austria where it is against the law even joke about their former heir... a very easy example of lack of free speech __ agree or go to jail is a simply tp put it. Or maybe this guy is refering to France where you Muslims are told they must change their religion if the want to attend school (no headdress, etc) and their own people are burning down Paris. What a joke.
The plain and simple fact of the matter is that the US Department of Defense (through DARPA) created the internet. We invested millions and built the infrastructure that makes it possible for people like Tim Berners-Lee to create worthwhile applications (WWW) that ride on top of it. You don't like it? Tough. Create your own root and use it instead
Oh. You wanna play that game? The computer was designed by Alan Turing, so without Europeans, DARPA wouldn't have invented Internet. And mathematics were largely invented by Greeks and Arabs.
And America was discovered by Europeans! And we all evolved from apes!
I say, the Internet should be run by apes.
Hail to the conservatists.
I fear that US bullying is driving the French into the arms of the Chinese. The French will have the largest state in the EU, helping define its policy and culture much as does California in the US. If we can't retain our alliance while maintaining our leadership, we'll create unbeatable competition abroad. Short-term tactical victories at the expense of longterm strategic catastrophes is the hallmark of the society represented by the current administration. The juggernaut of American military growth (bigger than the rest of the planet combined) is testimony to the comensurate weakening of our powers of persuasion. Poorly written tough letters from heads of state demonstrate how much of our influence is derived from our force, rather than our draw. That way lies destruction.
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make install -not war
ok, a "free speech zone" means you can't hold up a hippie sign in the middle of the street where bush's caravan is driving down. ono, bush won't see clever slogans like BUSHITLER LOL, NO WAR FOR OIL
Example 1) Free Speech zone = citizens restrained from protesting the government in a specific place. No attempts made to curtail actual speech.
Example 2) ""We've heard," they told him "that you've been discussing President Bush, oil, Osama bin Laden" and other political matters. Barry was dumbfounded. "A lot of people have," he pointed out, and as far as he knew that was still allowed."You do, of course, have freedom of speech," one of the agents reassured him. "Thank you for reminding me," Barry replied. "This discussion is over." Intimidation maybe, but no attempts made to curtail actual speech. And the whole story sounds completely fishy to me anyway.
Example 3) "250 demonstrators had gathered to try and prevent conscripts from entering the building when the arrests were made." No attempts made to curtail actual speech.
Example 4) "Local deputies arrested 12 anti-war protesters for violating a new ban on roadside parking and camping near President Bush's ranch." No attempts made to curtail actual speech.
Example 5) "16,000 people picketed the White House and marched on the Capitol... only four arrests were made." "More than 250,000 protesters -- some estimates went as high as 500,000 -- poured down Pennsylvania Avenue..." "...more than 200,000 people attending rallies under the auspices of the National Peace Action Coalition." "The day would end with more than 7,000 arrests... thwarting an attempt to tie up key bridges into the city."
See, here's the problem. When you use worthless examples like this to prove that "there's no free speech in AmeriKKKA!" then it makes it a lot harder to get people to pay attention when the government really *is* up to some shenanigans. Trespassing and demonstrating and exposing the hypocrisy of the man via street theatre, big puppets, and not bathing might be a lot of things, but they're not *speech*.
I call bullshit. Built the infrastructure? Laid all the cable globally did they? Came up with every innovation associated with it did they? Attitudes like that sicken me. If thats how you feel, go fuck off and be isolationist. But give back all the foreign stuff you rely on. I suggest you start with linux, you arrogant motherfucker.
The internet is a global resource. Why should ANY government have control of it? Why not hand control of it over to a non-profit global charity of some sort...
Regardless of the ridiculous jive you're spewing, Anonymous retard Coward, the fact is that the US backs up even arguments in which it is correct with force - military, economic and otherwise - rather than persuasion much of the time. As illustrated in this example, as I clearly described. You, Anonymous moron Coward, have nothing but luck to go on: the bad luck to come to a battle of wits unarmed.
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make install -not war
Rice has been on the road, insisting on her "diplomatic" message that the EU shut up on resistance to Rice's cabal's torture flights out of their covert EU hub.
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make install -not war
Perhaps they're supporting free speech?
/. *do* support free speech in a very wide variety of contexts.
I don't know what Al-Jazeera is, as I don't read arabic, but I've heard it's a political rap-sheet, and widely read. (You could say the same thing about the National Enquirer...I'm not implying any quality.)
It doesn't seem unreasonable to me that those who support free speech in the US should also support it elsewhere. Perhaps the *individuals* who made the comments that you are objecting to also support free speech in other contexts? I don't know, but it seems plausible, and many who frequent
I think we've pushed this "anyone can grow up to be president" thing too far.
Your post makes sense in the realm of diplomacy, and truly deserves +5 insightful.
That being said, if the nature of international diplomacy is such simpering pussy-footing, it's no wonder the UN is so useless and corrupt.
Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms should be the name of a store, not a government agency.