Slashdot Mirror
How the U.S. Became Switchboard to the World
slugo sent in this Wired story which opens, "A lucky coincidence of economics is responsible for routing much of the world's internet and telephone traffic through switching points in the United States, where, under legislation introduced this week, the U.S. National Security Agency will be free to continue tapping it. ...International phone and internet traffic flows through the United States largely because of pricing models established more than 100 years ago... The United States, where the internet was invented, was also home to the first internet backbone. Combine that architectural advantage with the pricing disparity inherited from the phone networks, and the United States quickly became the center of cyberspace as the internet gained international penetration in the 1990s."
I feel so unlucky the US hasn't brougth Belgium real democracy yet :(
oh help us, you hero americans.
How much oil does Belgium have?
Seven puppies were harmed during the making of this post.
I agree. Ever since Bush has taken office, the US has been a shinning example of democracy, human rights, and... hahahahaha!!!! Ok, I couldn't quite say that with a straight face :-)
Beer is proof that God loves us, and wants us to be happy.
How much oil does Belgium have?
not enough to have democracy bestowed upon them by messers bush, chaney, rumsfeld & co i'll wager.
I hear the second amendment brought up in every single thread of this kind. Nuts! What are you going to do, start shooting at US government officials? When ae you going to start?
I imagine once Hillary is elected. If she really does implement some sort of national id as recommended by the homeland security commission, or expand federal surveillance powers, then, you'll see passive resistance by an unusual mix of far right and far left citizens both. And, you'll probably see some far right guy or two go too far and blow something up. But, if they blow up a symbol of federal power, rather than an innocent person, they might actually get lionized to some degree by both ends of the political spectrum. Americans are pecular about their freedom, and the one thing that politicians of neither party gets or doesn't have the balls to say, is that this country would rather have another 9/11 than it would a more powerful police.
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