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Iranian Players Blocked From World of Warcraft Due To Trade Sanctions
cold fjord writes "Is this the end of the world . . . of Warcraft? Maybe for Iranian gamers who are undergoing a forced morale check due to tightening sanctions cutting access to their game of choice. From the article: 'Iranian players of "World of Warcraft" ... have found themselves frozen out by Blizzard Activision Inc., the American company behind the game. Iranian role playing enthusiasts have spent much of the past week peppering Blizzard's message board with complaints about how they weren't able to log on to the service — only to be told recently that U.S. law was to blame. "United States trade restrictions and economic sanction laws prohibit Blizzard from doing business with residents of certain nations, including Iran," the company said in an email sent to players last week...'"
Thanks to the sanctions, they can't get refunds either.
>>>I recently crossed several state borders without being stopped by police for papers. So no, we are not the USSR.
It all depends WHICH states and of course timing. A few years ago I was sightseeing the perimeter of this country. I had no problems in the north, no problems along the west coast, and no problems along the southern border until I decided to go see the Gulf of Mexico. On my way back the DHS pulled me over and demanded to search my car. No warrant. Just a demand. I refused. So they detained me for an hour in the hot summer sun, giving me a nice sunburn, and then finally said, "The judge refused to give us a warrant. You can go." And I'm not the only one..... there are lots of similar incidents documented, with video, on youtube. Including cases where people were drug from their car and beaten. There's no reason for the police to detain a tourist for an hour w/o cause. The Supreme Court has already ruled, again and again, that such detainments are a violation of the 4th amendment but the DHS and Executive Branch doesn't give a shit. ("The justices made their ruling. Now let's see them try to enforce it.")
My AC stalker: " I personally agree with your posts most of the time, but that won't keep me from modding you troll"
yeah, i remember hearing all that bullshit about russians having to wait in line for food, paying outlandish prices for western goods like jeans and vcr's b/c they weren't available there, being afraid to speak out b/c the police would throw them in jail and afraid their neighbors would turn them in as dissidents if they weren't seen vocally espousing their true loyalty.. I always assumed it was completely biased propaganda in a cold war US vs THEM style.
Fast forward 20 years. I married a Russian woman and learned that what was happening was generally much _worse_ than what I had been taught. Just recently read Archipelago Gulag which again confirmed this for me. What I was hearing about russia wasn't nearly as bad as Russia really was.
Now, I don;t like the direction American laws and politics are heading one bit, and I will continue to fight against the tide. But false equivalences like the parent post show nothing so much as a lack of perspective...