Slashdot Mirror
Thailand Shuts Down 43,000 More Websites
An anonymous reader writes "Bangkok Post reports that the Thai government has now shut down over 43,000 websites deemed defamatory to the royal institution. Thai ISPs are warned to cooperate 'voluntarily' or lose their license. This is in addition to 17,000+ that were recently blocked for 'national security,' including both Facebook and Twitter accounts."
When I was young, I used to find the whole British Monarchy obsession ridiculous. Who would wait on the street in long lines for another human, no matter what she symbolises? On one typical day twenty five years later, I saw people winding long queues outside an Apple store for the latest ephemeral plastic toy, and walked home past three nationalised banks, a row of high street shops converted into charity outlets because no-one can afford the rent, and one bursting Jobcentre. My only comfort that evening was hearing that the House of Lords had sent another piece of New Labour orwellian legislation back to Parliament. That evening the papers vilified Prince Charles for an anti-egalitarian speech implying that lowering university standards so everyone gets a place helps neither the academically bright nor those with other talents.
Then I recalled what a system of Constitutional Monarchy (including the Lords system) excels at doing: cutting through bullshit without feeling threatened that they'd lose their position of power. "But why should they get privilege because of the hole they came out of?" I hear you cry. Well, yes, and why should you be better rewardeed because you were born more healthy, or with greater IQ, than your neighbour? Life's not fair, but when you get on your hobby horse just because one particular aspect of society gets your goat, you might just make it less fair.