"Okay, it's the summer: why the hell am I using the internet so much? Because they're taking it. Now."

MAdGE (Mothers Against Genetic Engineering) launched a controversial billboard campaign against genetic engineering in New Zealand. Photo: Courtesy MAdGE


(...)


For the first time ever I just now saw a permanent "flag" message on the top right hand corner of my blog (all bloggger.com blogs), saying:

Notify blogger of objectionable content


And when you click on "What does this mean?", it says:


What is the "Flag" button?

The Flag button is not censorship and it cannot be manipulated by angry mobs. Political dissent? Incendiary opinions? Just plain crazy? Bring it on.

This feature is called "Flag As Objectionable" and it's accessible via the Blogger Navbar. The "Flag?" button allows the blogging community to easily note questionable content, which in turn helps us take action when needed. So we're relying on you, the users, to be our eyes on the web, and to let us know of potential issues that are important to you.

SOURCE - http://help.blogger.com/bin/answer.py?answer=1200


(...)


I Googled to investigate - ironically Google owns Blogger, and Blogger first explained the deal they signed as a perfect "hands-off relationship". Now, I don't want to hate on their naivete or rationales, and I have no idea if I would've done the deal since I didn't see the paperwork, but I found a great little article with some follow-up discussion on the ramifications:


Censorship at Blogger.com?

SOURCE - http://blogcritics.org/archives/2005/08/22/015144.php


The articles's great, praising Google for taking on established giants, and warning that they could be corrupted by their own growth. Unlike myself, their high "blog" profile and desire to appeal to all is an acceptable means to the end of getting the most people involved in the discussion, I commend them.

However, having little or no idea who's reading this keeps it as raw and pure an intellectual and artistic pursuit as possible, and that means...


(...)


Wouldn't it be ironic if this post is "flagged"?

I hope every blogger in the world posts their objections post-haste, and all those in favor of crazy schemes for controlling the internet, or "they", don't destroy the internet by turning us all into snitches.

I mean, if they turn us into snitches, we can't even blame them for censorship.

We're doing it. We're endorsing it. We're active participants.

They'll probably tell us what we decide without giving us raw data due to "privacy" concerns, and most people will stay ignorant anyway because the media won't want to mess with their own Google "search results". So, we'll happily chip away at our freedom with a perfectly democratic process of mob rule based on fear, as snitching comes back in style.

People accidentally finding crap on the internet hasn't resulted in any cited societal harm, and much like anything that shocks you for a second, it has little impact: people have survived "the holocaust", and parallel events going on today. They haven't cited any evidence - anecdotal or otherwise.

If you choose to continue checking the "sex-with-a-horse" blog then you are responsible your own actions. Having accidentally seen pics of the same, I can say that while it's "gross", it's certainly not scarring. Shutting down the window and opening up a new one hasn't left me with the shakes, and we shouldn't accomodate those who are sensitive with anything more than personal filters, like Google's "SafeSearch is On".

Illegal material is "illegal": prosecute it.

As for the rest: leave it alone.

We've seen the power of power to mobilize masses to attack Cindy Sheehan among others speaking truth to power, and anyone with a lower profile could easily get "flagged" through a coordinated effort and kicked out. People represent consumers, and corporations will respond to their complaints like boycott threats - plus they want to avoid controversy. Losing our first principles and "First Amendment Rights" is a classically dangerous slippery slope, and even their flag explanation says: "potentially offensive or illegal.

Add "Internet 2" to the mix (again, just Google it), and it just shows "they" are taking it.

I guess we've had too much fun...


Peace, (NOW!!!)
BK

_________________

...

Black Krishna Brand

Philosophy - blackkrishna.blogspot.com/

Music - www.soundclick.com/bands/0/blackkrishna.htm

...



BONUS: Where are we going?


"I've just reached a place
Where the willow don't bend.
There's not much more to be said
It's the top of the end.
I'm going,
I'm going,
I'm gone.

I'm closin' the book
On the pages and the text
And I don't really care
What happens next.
I'm just going,
I'm going,
I'm gone.

I been hangin' on threads,
I been playin' it straight,
Now, I've just got to cut loose
Before it gets late.
So I'm going,
I'm going,
I'm gone.

Grandma said, "Boy, go and follow your heart
And you'll be fine at the end of the line.
All that's gold isn't meant to shine.
Don't you and your one true love ever part."

I been walkin' the road,
I been livin' on the edge,
Now, I've just got to go
Before I get to the ledge.
So I'm going,
I'm just going,
I'm gone...."

- Bob Dylan, "Going, Going, Gone"


Chiggidy-check yo'self...




Martial Law 9/11: Rise of the Police State (2005)

Evil has spread across the land. Martial Law: 9/11 Rise of the Police State exposes the high-tech control grid that is being set up across America.

Out of the ashes of the September 11th tragedy, a dark empire of war and tyranny has risen. The Constitution has been shredded and America is now a Police State. This film exposes not just who was behind the 9-11 attacks, but the roots and history of its orchestrators.

Downloaded: 4,742 times

SOURCE - http://www.archive.org/details/MartialLaw911


MARTIAL LAW 911: RISE OF THE POLICE STATE Information Resource Companion Web Site.

SOURCE - http://www.martiallaw911.info/index.htm

P.S. Here's an example of documentation from the Martial Law website...


SOURCE - http://martiallaw911.info/policestate.htm


TIME ARTICLES / DOCUMENTS / WEB SITES GOOGLE SEARCH

0:05:25 Master Blaster: A New Noisemaker - MSNBC (From Newsweek July 12, 2004 issue)
0:09:32 NYC police arrest two in bomb plot - The Washington Times/UPI, August 28, 2004
0:09:33 Terror Threat Info May Be Dated - CBS News/AP, August 3, 2004
0:10:07 Blimp to provide convention coverage for police - CNN August 26, 2004
0:10:08 Fuji Blimp Plays Role in GOP Convention Security - 1010 WINS, August 30, 2004
0:10:11 Hi-tech blimp is new spy in the sky - The Times, September 13, 2003
0:10:31 Security blimp tested in Washington skies - CNN, September 29, 2004
0:10:33 COPS HAVE EYES ON X-RAY VISION - APBnews.com, June 4, 1999
0:11:15 Fuji Police Bicycles - circlecitybicycles.com
0:11:23 Eye in the Sky—and Everywhere Else: Do Biometric Technologies Violate Our Rights? - The Cato Institute, January 24, 2002
0:12:24 Helmet cams will eye GOP confab - NY Newsday.com, August 26, 2004

Please report any corrections or broken links