And the Band Played On ..
by peptide Friday, Jun 22 2007, 2:46pm
editorial /
social/political /
commentary
The title refers to the band on the ‘Titanic’ playing while the ship sank beneath the icy waters. Metaphor or allegory for the assault on free speech and democracy, judge for yourself but don’t forget to remain passive, servile and fearful in the face of all assaults on hard won freedoms and civil liberties – liberties your fathers died in wars to protect!
Deckchair from Titanic
Alerts and warnings (see link) that the powers would attempt to slowly implement the most draconian measures against free speech and the free flow of information by utilising the excuse of child abuse/pornography remained unheeded and so today the first stage of implementation has become reality. Tasmania, the smallest State in Australia has been chosen, for obvious reasons, to introduce internet information filtering at ‘backbone’ level, that is at ISP or PROVIDER level. That method effectively allows the powers to control the flow of ALL internet information to the end user. The installation of software by end users achieves exactly the same results and effectively manages information in any given environment, including the home! Citizens should rightly be alarmed and wary of any attempt to rob them of their RIGHTS and prerogatives to freely access information.
http://cleaves.zapto.org/clv/story-334.html
The following report from IDG.net confirms moves toward a totalitarian State.
ACMA issues content filtering tender for ISPs
Computerworld Australia staff
The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) has released a request for tender to conduct a trial of content filtering products in Tasmania at the Internet Service Provider (ISP) level.
ACMA is seeking submissions from suitably qualified and experienced organizations to test a range of ISP level commercial filtering products.
The tender is part of ACMA's trial of content filtering products at the ISP level.
The successful tenderer will be responsible for establishing a test environment and reporting on the effectiveness of the product in blocking illegal and inappropriate content.
Closing date for the tender is July 18, 2007.
Content filtering at the ISP level has been assessed on three previous occasions in Australia.
For example, a technical study was conducted by CSIRO in 2001, analyst firm Ovum did a study that was commissioned by the Department of Communications, Information, Technology and the Arts as well as a technical trial conducted by RMIT training on behalf of NetAlert in 2005.
http://www.infoworld.nl/idgns/bericht.phtml?id=002570DE00740E1800257302001E2968
Certain trends in the social test laboratory of the western world -- Australia -- have become apparent. The Australian lackey prime minister, John Howard, this week utilised indigenous child abuse as the excuse to justify the neutralisation of rights indigenous communities achieved half a century ago. Howard also took the opportunity to attack indigenous land rights, a most revealing manoeuvre. Howard’s inclusion of this unrelated ‘measure’ reveals much. The sordid nature of the Prime Minister’s tactics and the depths (utilising child abuse) to which he would sink to achieve his re-election ambitions and allow his masters, Transnational Mining Corporations, access to land previously unavailable due to land rights and sacred site restrictions, reveals the character of a truly evil, amoral, and sick personality – one perfectly suited to lead a former penal colony!
The politically savvy Howard hides his real intentions behind the highly emotive issue of child abuse hoping that no one would dare oppose his carefully structured strategy and expose the most despicable and disgusting leader Australia has ever known – his appalling record speaks/reeks for itself!
Whenever a convergence of related events occurs it is rarely coincidental. This week also saw the spectre of the international centralisation of power in the form of jailing (for 51 months) a British born Australian citizen, Hew Griffiths, extradited to the United States for software piracy offences not relating to either Britain or Australia! Seems the force for an international totalitarian State has a star-spangled character! “Our agents and prosecutors are working tirelessly to nab intellectual property thieves, even where their crimes transcend international borders," US Attorney Chuck Rosenberg said. Griffiths fought extradition for years prior to the Australian lackey government of Howard surrendering him to the U.S. -- a nation which has legalised torture (Guantanamo Bay); engages in illegal invasions, oil plunder and flouts international law and convention whenever it chooses. Allow me to express the true Oz sentiment for such blatant hypocrisy, g.. f….. or as the English would say, f... o..!
Related:
http://cleaves.zapto.org/clv/story-495
Editorial note:
Some imagine we write these articles and stories in the hope that people will act, not so, most contributors are specialists who hold postgraduate degrees, some earn up to three thousand dollars per hour as consultants; some I am sorry to say actually work for the powers, their contributions here seem to alleviate their feelings of guilt.
They write in the full knowledge that populations facing totalitarian pressures are unable to act and must see the process through to its usually catastrophic conclusions. They write for future generations; they write for the historical record. However, as an editor, I could scream and often do! [rainman]
Joseph Goebbels perfected modern information 'management' techniques
US Dept. Defense Info war paper!