One day, the net will bring our world together enough to redistribute power and usher in a new era of peace and prosperity. Until then, we must vehemently protect our free Internet from forces conspiring to restrict the flow of information.
Being vocal is one of the best ways to safeguard our precious Internet, as confirmed by a recently leaked cable which notes how Canada’s Conservative government delayed introducing copyright legislation in early 2008 due to public opposition.
The document states how then-Industry Minister Jim Prentice told U.S. Ambassador David Wilkins that cabinet colleagues and Conservative MPs were worried about getting public scorn by chasing copyright reform:
Our contacts downplayed the small – but increasingly vocal – public opposition to copyright reform led by University of Ottawa law professor Dr. Michael Geist. On February 25, however, Industry Minister Prentice (please protect) admitted to the Ambassador that some Cabinet members and Conservative Members of Parliament – including MPs who won their ridings by slim margins – opposed tabling the copyright bill now because it might be used against them in the next federal election. Prentice said the copyright bill had become a “political” issue.
See… this is what democracy looks like! Making noise, and lots of it. It’s about large groups of people, united and motivated by the same issue, rousing enough rabble to draw our politicians’ attention away from their high-paying special interests long enough to effect change.
We need to stay eternally vigilant in our struggle to keep the ugly stench of bureaucracy and corporate greed from destroying our beautiful Internet.
