(CNET) “The operators of the Bay Area Rapid Transit subway system temporarily shut down cell service last night in four downtown San Francisco stations to interfere with a protest over a shooting by a BART police officer, a spokesman for the system said today.”
Really? What about blocking the broadcast of the nightly news covering the shooting? How about shutting down the newspapers for a few days so reporters can’t write about the incident? What if Wal-Mart had the ability to block social media platforms when a trucker wanted to complain about the wait to unload or a security guard that was rude?
Lot’s of truckers love the Military Channel. So do I. I have trouble sleeping, so at 3 AM, you might find me sitting in my living room chair watching “The Plot to Kill Hitler” or an hour about why, during World War 2, we did not need to retake the Philippines. A constant theme is how the Nazi’s and the Japanese manipulated and controlled the airwaves to lie about people and events. So did the Allies.
Years later, we read about how the Communist Chinese government wants to maneuver Google and the internet to make sure their people know only what those in power want them to know. The original purpose for Radio Free Europe was to spread the truth about what Russia and its puppet satellite governments were doing during the Cold War. Cuba, N. Korea, Iran and other third world corrupt dictatorships make it their priority to stop any and all freedom of the press.
They say Egypt overthrew their government because of Twitter and Facebook, despite Mubarak and his henchmen trying to shut down the internet. The same is occurring in Syria and Libya, the exception being that these governments are murdering their own people while stopping any and all uncensored communication among their citizens.
We saw the violence in London. Shut down and or censor social media to control the population? Forget about free speech? Stop the presses and stop the violence? What hogwash! Perhaps the parents ought to watch their kids and the government leaves the internet alone. Impose a curfew, but never stop people from talking whether it be via cell phone or texting.
Here in the U.S., an open and uncensored internet must be covered under the First Amendment. The government, “our” government, must not have the ability to shut it down for their own purposes. Law enforcement already possesses too much power. The DOT has too much power. What if the ATA could shut down all internet traffic when truckers criticize their members?
Think Michelle O-Bachmann is a loon? What if the Tea Party decided to censor all Facebook traffic about her unless it is positive. Don’t think it could happen? It can. But, Marshall, you say, NYC and San Francisco are doing it for safety reasons. Oh really? But what about the man who wants to text his wife to say that he is coming home and not to worry, but his cell phone service has been shut off by the local transit authority for some reason. What about his rights? Who the heck is the transit “authority” or anyone else to have the right to control cell or internet service?
(CNET) “Hackers were calling for action against BART in retaliation for the cell service disruption. The Anonymous group of online activists started promoting Operation BART on Twitter, with one profile saying: "We are going to show BART (@SFBART) how to prevent a riot #OpBART." It was unclear exactly what actions the group would take. Meanwhile, they also released a digital flyer with the headline "muBARTek," a reference to former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, who was ousted after demonstrations earlier this year. One Anonymous Twitter profile claimed that "Egyptians are showing solidarity with Americans in the BART cell shutdown."
Mark my words, the seeds are being planted here. All of us must insure that our freedom of speech is just that – free. As I get older, I not only get wiser, but more and more distrustful of “our” government. That’s because it appears less and less “ours” than something else. “Our” government should not have the ability control, manipulate, maneuver or censor our press, our internet, our phone service, any social media, under the guise of public safety or for any other reason.
Do you know what a “slippery slope” is? (Wikipedia) “In debate or rhetoric, a slippery slope (also known as thin edge of the wedge, or the camel’s nose) is a classic form of argument, arguably an informal fallacy. A slippery slope argument states that a relatively small first step leads to a chain of related events culminating in some significant effect, much like an object given a small push over the edge of a slope sliding all the way to the bottom.”
No fallacy here folks. There is an expression, give ‘em an inch, and they’ll take a mile. That’s what WILL happen if we the people do not stop any and all government control of the internet. Truckers, there’s a reason your CB is only good for less than a mile or so without a kicker. Think about it.
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