Work Boxers

Haven’t I Seen You Before?

by Mark on March 4th, 2008

There’s a common thread… one that has the opportunity to link at least two current topics together like super glue. And it is the biggest thief in all of humanity.

FEAR

It’s being used on us by not only the terrorists across the globe, by not only our administration, by the telcos also. Unless you don’t believe that it is terroristic to rape, pillage and plunder our very existence.

See if you see the common thread, it isn’t really hard to find;

Crooks and Liars - “Keith Olbermann’s Special Comment on today’s Countdown was a scathing rebuke of President Bush for continuing to play the fear card, trying to scare the hell out of the American people and vowing to veto any FISA legislation that does not contain telecom amnesty.”

“This Saturday at midnight,” you [Mr. Bush] said today, “legislation authorizing intelligence professionals to quickly and effectively monitor terrorist communications will expire. If Congress does not act by that time, our ability to find out who the terrorists are talking to, what they are saying, and what they are planning, will be compromised…You said that “the lives of countless Americans depend” on you getting your way.

Then, a voice of reason - Richard Clarke wrote in the Philadelphia Inquirer:

“Let me be clear: Our ability to track and monitor terrorists overseas would not cease should the Protect America Act expire. If this were true, the president would not threaten to terminate any temporary extension with his veto pen. All surveillance currently occurring would continue even after legislative provisions lapsed because authorizations issued under the act are in effect up to a full year.”

Another voice of reason - Senator Kennedy reminded us in December:

“The President has said that American lives will be sacrificed if Congress does not change FISA. But he has also said that he will veto any FISA bill that does not grant retroactive immunity.

No immunity, no FISA bill. So if we take the President at his word, he’s willing to let Americans die to protect the phone companies.”

There are literally another hundred or so examples of this obsession but I won’t reference them all because I’m going to show the “coincidence” regarding Net Neutrality.

Referencing an Andy Kessler piece, Save The Internet quotes Kessler who says: “With Net Neutrality, there will be no new competition and no incentives for build-outs. Bandwidth speeds will stagnate, and new services will wither from bandwidth starvation.”

Sound familiar?

John Dvorak responds to Kessler by saying a few things, most notably;

“It looks as if we’re about to go another round with yet another idiot taking on net neutrality.”

Then;

“Using Kessler’s logic, we should still be using 300-baud modems since there’s no incentive to do anything different. How does he — or anyone else, for that matter — explain the progress from 300-baud modems to fiber to the home during this period of genuine net neutrality?”

And -

“Personally, I’m sick of these deregulation absolutists who throw out specious arguments that do not make any sense. For example, Kessler says, “The Internet will only expand based on competitive principles, not socialist diktat.”

I love the way these guys throw in the ugly term “socialist” when they want to trigger a 1950’s-style knee-jerk reaction from the American public. And in case you didn’t notice, he also throws in a Communist term “diktat” so you dummies will be totally repulsed and imagine Stalin lurking.”

That’s right - Kessler tossed Stalinistic rhetoric into the fray. That’s pretty dam* bad.

Fear! And who benefits? In both cases!

Folks, I’ve said it before and I’d actually like to stop saying it, but we are truly acting like sheep in allowing these people to steal what took centuries and generations of good, honest folks to build. A way of life that is beyond dreams. Its free!

Stand up! Now…

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POSTED IN: Personal Thoughts