Posts Tagged ‘fascist’

Canadian Gov: Give Police Sweeping Powers Or Else You Support Child Porn

Tuesday, February 14th, 2012

Last week they condoned torture. This week, Canada’s Conservatives are saying protecting privacy is tantamount to promoting child pornography.

What an absurd remark! It shows just how desperate the pro-censorship side has become if they need to rely on this kind of polarizing rhetoric.

Thankfully, Canadians will not likely stand for these ludicrous and inaccurate blanket statements. Opposition is already mounting and petitions are being signed. If you want to contact your MP, it’s really easy find out how.

To learn more about these ‘Lawful Access’ bills, Law professor Michael Geist does a nice breakdown on his blog. As well, another of Geist’s posts worth reading shows how the government’s own documents do not support mandatory disclosure of subscriber information without a court order.

Not that the Conservatives care to listen to reason. If they do end up getting away with these bullying tactics, just be prepared for the day when we can either extend the Harper government’s term indefinitely or get accused of supporting Nazi terrorists.

File-Sharing Countermeasures are Counterproductive

Friday, February 10th, 2012

Last month saw the battle for Internet freedom reach new heights as millions of people and thousands of businesses came together to protest SOPA, the overreaching anti-file sharing bill creeping its way through US legislature.

One day after the Jan. 17th SOPA blackout protest, prominent file-hosting site MegaUpload was shut down. MegaUpload owner Kim Dotcom was extradited to the US and millions of his assets have now been seized.

So what impact did the US Government’s global exercise have on unauthorized file-sharing around the world? Close to zero, according to networking gurus Deepfield, who write “File sharing has not gone away. It did not even decrease much in North America.”

In fact, the brutish take down of Megaupload caused “file sharing to become staggeringly less efficient.” Now, instead of terabytes of North American MegaUpload traffic going to US servers, “most file sharing traffic now comes from Europe over far more expensive transatlantic links.”

By all accounts, this would seem like a failure. Yet, sadly, this kind of Internet censorship has all the makings of a lasting American policy.

Take the war on drugs, as an example. Despite dumping tens of billions of dollars annually chasing illegal substances, America has yet to create even the slightest dent in the flow of drugs.

But that hasn’t stopped them from manufacturing an entire industry around drug prohibition, with task forces and mega-jails to reap in huge profits. This, along with a propaganda machine to keep enough of the public misinformed, is all it takes to keep the whole racket ongoing.

Now, with file-sharing, the US has a new enemy to wage war on. Another target to demonize in the media, more culprits to fill of the jails, and more power handed over to any government agency promising to protect the public from this scourge.

Of course these agencies will not have any lasting impact, but that’s not the goal. Instead, the file-sharing ‘pigs’ will be allowed to grow. Then, when plump and juicy, some well-funded government goons will swoop in and slaughter the swine, leaving the door open for the next one, and the next, and the next.

It’s Prohibition 101, and without enough public uproar, they’ll have no problem running the same tired play ad nauseum. Either speak out now or get your sick bags ready, people.

Stop ACTA – It’s like SOPA on Steroids

Sunday, January 22nd, 2012

Something extraordinary happened this week: droves of freedom fighters coordinated an online protest which successfully stalled the notoriously flawed censorship bills, SOPA and PIPA. It was a glorious victory for the people, exemplifying what can happen when millions of us work together.

But this is no time to get complacent. A greater threat has been looming. An international treaty – in development for a few years now – has the potential to go beyond simply crushing Internet freedom.

The Anti Counterfeiting Trade Agreement – ACTA – is the product of background, closed door negotiations by appointed (not democratically elected) representatives. Whose interests do these people represent? Why, the biggest corporations on earth, of course.

Here’s some information to get you up to speed about this growing danger to the future of a free human race:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Po8UI6ujvY

Redditor justicia311 also shares a concise analysis of the latest version of ACTA and what it could mean for our world. Scary stuff!

If and when ACTA gets shot down, there will still be more liberty-stripping bills coming down the pipe. The price of freedom is eternal vigilance, and this holds true for the digital realm as well.

Internet Going Black Tomorrow

Tuesday, January 17th, 2012

Stock up on your memes while you still can: wide swaths of the Internet will be unavailable for at least 12 hours, starting tomorrow January 18th!

The outage is part of a coordinated protest against Internet-destroying legislation, like SOPA and PIPA, which have been creeping their way into American law books.

Major players, including Wikipedia, Google and Reddit will remove normal content in lieu of a simple message of protest, along with informative materials explaining the importance of a free internet and why we need to protect it.

Awesome!  No doubt Washington will notice, and hopefully they will learn a valuable lesson: do not piss off the Internet.

They Want to Take Over the Internet!

Tuesday, January 10th, 2012

Stop SOPA! Prevent PIPA! The Internet community has spoken – we do not want the government to destroy our beautiful, free Internet.

Yet, just as vigilant Netizens have been rallying the troops, the mainstream media has – GASP! – once again failed to offer any significant coverage of these seriously flawed bills. The folks at Media Matters confirmed this, showing how the big TV news players have almost entirely ignored the issue.

No matter. It’s the Internet we are trying to save, and it will take Internet people to save it.

Take, as an example, Rep. Paul Ryan’s decision to suddenly drop support for SOPA after being inundated with pressure from constituents. The majority of this criticism came from social powerhouse Reddit, whose members coordinated the attack on the former SOPA supporter.

Rob Zerban, Paul Ryan’s 2012 Democratic challenger, extols Ryan’s flip-flop as a prime example of social networking power, saying “This is an extraordinary victory. Reddit was able to force the House Budget chair to reverse course — shock waves will be felt throughout the establishment in Washington today — other lawmakers will take notice.”

Ryan’s about face parallels last month’s change-of-position by GoDaddy, whose support of SOPA prompted a mass-migration as clients shifted their business elsewhere. GoDaddy did eventually drop SOPA backing, but not before doing irreparable damage to their brand.

Even the Internet’s biggest players – Google, Facebook, Twitter and others – are throwing their hat into the ring. The online giants have stated that they will take drastic measures, blocking access to their highly popular sites as a means of protesting the proposed censorship legislation.

With so much at stake, we must fight tooth and nail just to keep from sliding down the slippery slope being laid out under our feet. The future of a free human species could very well depend on what transpires in the next few weeks, so let us carpe this diem while we still can.

No Way NDAA!

Wednesday, January 4th, 2012

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rrga8m-V9lI

Dec 31, 2011: While most Americans were preparing champagne and party favors for their big New Years shindig, President Obama coyly signed the 2012 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) into US Law.

This civil rights shredding bill gives the US military the option to detain US citizens suspected of participating or aiding in terrorist activities without a trial, indefinitely.

As you are probably aware, it doesn’t take much to be labelled a terrorist these days. Members of the Occupy Wall Street are now considered terrorists. Trying to expose atrocious animal farming conditions may soon be considered an act of terror. Even creating provocative art might get you locked up in a cell without a trial.

Like I’ve said before, this dangerous legislation takes the US population one step closer to being imprisoned by a fascist state. Seeing as most Americans will be unwilling or unable to move out of the country, the only options left are to become enslaved or to grow empowered.

Which path will you take? Will you just passively observe as your government turns the system of laws into a jail around you? Or will you start taking action right now?

The clock is ticking. Don’t wait any longer.

Obama to Sign NDAA: Time to Move!

Sunday, December 18th, 2011

Enlightened and free thinking Americans everywhere should abandon their beloved nation like rats fleeing a sinking ship which also happens to be on fire.

The shockingly authoritarian piece of legislation known as the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) has cleared Congress and now awaits final approval by the greatest disappointment to change-lovers everywhere: President Barack Obama.

Under this new bill, the Pentagon can wage cyberwar on anyone labelled domestic enemies of the state, opening the door to hinder social uprisings like the Occupy Wall Street or Tea Party movements, as well as quash attempts by whistleblowers to expose corruption within the government.

On top of this, the new law will authorize indefinite detention of U.S. citizens on U.S. soil without a trial or hearing purely on the suspicion on being anti-government, meaning anyone willing to openly express dissent could end up in a military prison forever.

Amnesty International’s Tom Parker calls the act ‘a betrayal of the most fundamental principles of justice and equality’  saying “The NDAA enshrines the war paradigm that has eroded the United States human rights record and served it so poorly over the past decade as the country’s primary counter-terrorism tool.

“By signing this defense spending bill,” says Kenneth Roth, executive director of Human Rights Watch “President Obama will go down in history as the president who enshrined indefinite detention without trial in US law.” This shouldn’t be too surprising, coming from the only Nobel Peace Laureate to openly escalate armed conflict and prolong torture.

So that’s it then. If you thought the PATRIOT act was ripe for abuse, just wait and see what happens when these new powers get stretched to their full extent. Just be sure to pick a non-American vantage point for watching the impending depravity.

American Freedom Under Attack: Nationwide Strike Called

Friday, December 16th, 2011

 

A state of emergency has been declared for all freedom loving Americans across the nation. The republic is under attack!

Contrary to popular belief, the most pressing threat lies not with foreign extremists, but rather, from an equally radical homegrown form of tyranny. Like a disease, this danger has been quietly spreading within the very heart of the democratic system which entire armies have fought valiantly to protect.

What is it that stands to destroy the personal liberties and civil rights of every single US citizen? Fascist new legislation – SOPA and NDAA – which gives the US military the right to detain and torture American civilians on American soil without any trial, as well as permitting the US government to shutdown entire segments of the Internet at will.

Scary stuff. These are the kinds of laws power-hungry dictators dream about.

Why are US legislators working to pass such ludicrous bills? Here’s one reason: half of all Americans – that’s one in every two US citizens – are officially living in poverty. Stats like that will not go unanswered for long.

George Carlin says ‘they call it the American dream because you have to be asleep to believe it’. Well, it seems the people are starting to wake up. And what they are seeing is making them mad enough to stir up a revolution.

Certain powers that be already know this, which is precisely why they are preparing the US government for a war against its own people.

This means the opportunity for delay has now ended. Standing on the precipice of a slippery slope, Americans must act quickly or risk losing the opportunity to ever speak out again.

Today’s Trip Towards Totalitarianism: Google Caves to the likes of RIAA

Friday, December 3rd, 2010

Google has catered to the likes of RIAA and other DMCA douchebags by removing terms that relate to copyright infringement from the auto-complete feature.  They also expedited the process to issue DMCA takedown notices.

Not really a big deal, feature-wise. Now you just have to type in the whole phrase yourself instead of having Google do it for you. Pirates will still be able to find what the same content, but it makes it less likely that non-pirates will stumble upon copyrighted material.

But this change is a big deal when it comes to precedent. Google already has a tarnished record when it comes to cowing down to pressure from influential institutions, like when they catered somewhat to China’s dictatorial demands.

Now, here we see Google capitulating to the whole anti-p2p movement – a litigious movement which critics say protect obsolete views of intellectual property in order to maximize profits for the big corporations (and their shareholders) that sit atop the mainstream entertainment industries.

Yes, Google has taken just taken a minor step. But it is still ONE MORE STEP!  Everyday, more and more rights are being stripped from us. Everyday, this big beast called totalitarianism clamps down on our world.

German citizens, recollecting Germany after the rise of the Nazi’s, would speak to how fascism set in. A small step here, a new restriction there. Never enough to really cause a riot. Just more each day for a few years,  until the government’s power crossed a threshold – the tipping point – and then it was too late. Out of nowhere, fascism came crashing down on them like a bear trap.

The establishment had all the means in place to easily quash any rebellion. The people were under complete control and they had no choice but to comply. An entire population was at the whim of the system and those who sat atop.

This is what can happen to our entire world if we aren’t careful. Forces are working diligently to make totalitarianism happen. It’s not even just the the Illuminati or the Bilderberg group or whatever secret society you want to name.

Totalitarianism can breed from within any of us.

Any mother who thinks more safety precautions are a good thing because they will make us safer. Any father who caters to irrational fears and mindlessly trusts a system to protect his family and keep them safe. Any one of us who doesn’t want to accept responsibility and accountability for our own lives and would rather just let someone else do it for us.

Fortunately, not all forces are working to instill Big Brother’s police state. One force that can (and will) counterbalance totalitarianism is the power that comes from humans uniting. We are coming together as a species, like never before, and the forces we are unleashing will keep totalitarianism at bay.

Humans are capable of remarkable things. We are starting to come together, and we will rise up against oppression to make world peace and a brighter future a reality.