First we had “Evil Joe” Lieberman with his “Internet kill switch” and now they are at it again, this time with a “Protect IP Act“. The thugs in Congress are always up to no good, usually some crafty way of making the rich richer, the poor poorer, to further reduce any civil liberty left and, last but not least, to do whatever the hell the Israel lobby demands from them. Censoring the Internet is a particularly “good” idea, from their point of view, as it would contribute to making US millionaires and billionaires richer, and it would also provide a terrific way of cracking down on anti-Israel, anti-Zionist or pro-Palestinian (i.e. “terrorist) websites.
What AIPAC’s minions in Congress do simply not understand is that the technology needed to defeat all their plans is already out there. For example, take a look at the following information about the FreedomBox:
or watch these two videos of Eben Moglen speaking on the topic “Freedom in the Cloud”
“Evil Joe” and his cohorts will fight freedom everywhere, on the Internet and in the real world, but at least on the Internet they are clearly out-gunned by the new technologies (software and hardware) which already exist and which shall be deployed in the near future.
This, at least, is a battle we already know we will win.
The Saker
Hi Saker,
Just like to say, I love the blog and like the topics you cover. I was a bit skeptical at first, since you did stay quiet on 9/11. That’s my personal litmus test to see if folks really ‘get it’ or are just know enough to be dangerous. It’s funny when folks connect the dots with the low level stuff… but fail to see the big picture. You did seem open-minded though, so I did not delete the bookmark to your site (You shed a lot of light on the Russian side of the NWO).
About this internet censorship business, as a web developer/computer geek, it really troubles me. Unlike TV, Radio, etc this was the first medium of exchange that was not completely centralized and dominated by big business (thus international) interests. And you can quite clearly see the feds trying to gain the power of Chinese style censorship by attacking sites that seem questionable to most ordinary folks. This is just their foot in the door.
My buddy was playing poker on one of the sites they seized in the latest string of ‘busts’. They also froze the company’s bank accounts as well (how nice of them). So poker players like my buddy, now have thousands of dollars tied up, with no guarantee that they will ever see it again. And at the same time the government does this, they introduce a bill to legalize online gambling sites (but only to select folks- their cronies). Everyone sees this for what it is, and for every move these thugs make, it just drives another nail into their coffin, because now the regular apathetic folks can see their governments true nature.
Now most of these folks won’t do anything about it. But in the future they sure as hell won’t side with big daddy government, and at least passively (agree in principal only) support anyone who resists them. The state is just sinking it’s own legitimacy.
I do think this Moglen guy is on to something. Open source software, I think, is well on it’s way to taking over…. it just has to be made more user friendly, and that’s really the key here.
I believe you could setup a mesh network of freedom boxes in a town. And I believe you encrypt your traffic to get around the NSA snoop boxes (they copy all internet traffic and are widely known about in the tech world) at the data hubs. I really think the solution is decentralization at every level. Each county should have their own data center connected to the backbone (without NSA boxes) ideally.
-AAA
@AAA: Howdi and thanks for your comments. Let me begin by telling you that it took me eight years to finally make sense of 9/11. It’s a long story, but if you want to see where I stand now, you can get a rather comprehensive overview of my conclusions here:
http://vineyardsaker.blogspot.com/2010/09/why-am-i-not-hearing-endless-rumble-of.html
I suggest that you not be too hard on those who don’t – or CAN’T – get it yet. I know several very good, 100% honest, people who have a real “mental block” about 9/11 and, frankly, I understand their feelings. For a normal, sane, human being, the sheer arrogance of doing 9/11 is quite unthinkable, quite unimaginable, literally. I can tell you that it took me some real effort to accept that if my gut says no, my logical COMPELS me to accept that 9/11 was an inside job, that somebody had the means and the infinite gall to actually do such thing.
As for the Internet censorship business, yes, I really do believe that Moglen is right and that there is a technological solution to the political threat over our freedoms. It’s not only free software, its free bandwidth, free networks, which will be developed and expanded completely outside of, and parallel to, the government and corporate structures which try to stifle our freedoms today.
One more thing: free software is already far easier to use than proprietary software. Have yo tried Ubuntu or Linux Mint recently? I personally find Windows so totally counter-intuitive and impossible to administer. When something goes wrong with Windows, all you can do is re-install it – how user friendly is that?
I have totally dumped Windows in 2000 and by now there is not enough money in the universe to ever make me go back to it (nevermind Mac).
YMMV of course.
Cheers!
I think most people are good, decent folks who would never seek to harm their neighbor… but they are ignorant with how evil works. They would like to believe the system is inherently good… but that is just not the case. So I can see why people refuse to believe it… but anyone who REALLY looks at the evidence just has to accept it… it is just overwhelming… and the folks accused have a history of this sordid behavior. I’ve spoken with some friends who I felt could handle this information, and even they know it is true… but refuse to really acknowledge it or think through the ramifications of it.
About the tech stuff, I mainly do web development (LAMP) and I run a windows small business server part time for a small office.
For my personal computing, I have been using Ubuntu since version 8…. I just had enough of Microsoft’s outrageously priced crappy software, with their ridiculous licensing. And like you said, after a while, you just need to backup your files and just re-install the OS, because it just slows down over time and gets worse and worse. The only thing I use windows for anymore these days is to use Photoshop… but I think I will have to eventually get a mac for that.
I like where Ubuntu is going with 11.04, but I still think it’s too buggy. I wasn’t a fan of the new user interface (and went back to classic), although once they work the bugs out, I think it is the way to go.
Where linux does not shine however, is all the software packages. For a small office environment, try setting up a mail server or file sharing server (it is hard enough to get someone competent enough to run a windows server, let alone a linux box). Or getting your print drivers working and the printer working as it should. It’s still way easier to get a windows server /workstation and just use that. A Small Business Server has a little administration program for those without an indepth knowledge of servers.
Also, any program you install can be done with a GUI and you do not have to even open command line. Also, if everyone is using MS Office, Open Office just isn’t going to cut it, unless you want to re do the formatting of every .docx that is sent to you.
I think the open source movement is making great strides though, and I think these minor problems will be corrected over time.
-AAA
@AAA: I wasn’t a fan of the new user interface (and went back to classic), although once they work the bugs out, I think it is the way to go.
Funny, I really hate Unity and I think that Ubuntu is going in the *wrong* direction. Suttleworth – who fancies himself the next Steve Jobs I believe – has openly admitted that Unity is a blend of a) MS Windows b)OSX’ GUI layer and, I am not kidding you, c) smart phones(!!).
I just decided to dump Ubuntu and go back to Debian which I probably should never have left in the first place. There are plenty of good x386 Debian choices out there, including Mint, CrunchBang and, of course, Debian itself. There is also cut of a Debian rolling distro called “Debian CUT” which might turn out to be a fantastic product.
Anyway, GNOME3 on Debian I might be willing to try. But Unity is just not for me. Too much a Apple/Mac wannabe IMHO.
The only thing I use windows for anymore these days is to use Photoshop
Could you use GIMP instead? Or GIMPshop (http://www.gimpshop.com/) if you really like the PS interface?
Where linux does not shine however, is all the software packages. For a small office environment, try setting up a mail server or file sharing server (it is hard enough to get someone competent enough to run a windows server, let alone a linux box).
LOL, I find that Windows has NO package manager to speak of. What can possibly be better and easier than APT?! Not to mention Aptitude or Synaptic for those really hating the CLI!
The drivers are already all in the kernel, no need to download drivers at all :-)
As for OpenOffice, what is happening is that MS is deliberately trying to make their docx incompatible and the community has to reverse-engineer it with each new version coming out. Yet most docx documents still import well. It’s worse with Excel files with macros, but then this just makes me MORE determined not to accept MS’ attempt at forcing everybody to submit and comply.