Wow, conspiracy dudes, the Huffington Post, and Perez Hilton agree on the "Internet Kill Switch!"

[Smoke]

I haven't read the bill, and I'm too tired to read it tonight, but from what I can gather from the articles linked in the OP, it's completely unacceptable. The government has no more right to shut down the internet than to seize all the printing presses.

Isn't it time Lieberman went? I was really disappointed in the people of Connecticut for re-electing him last time; it's just one damned thing after another with him. He's halfway through his term, and I hope it's his last one.

 

[Aquitaine]

Oh yes I heard about this Bill a few months back, something that would in the case of a national cyber-terrorist attack or disaster would grant the Federal government the power to shut down the US' internet.

People at the top hate the internet (like Rockfeller) 'cause y' know, it's basically free information.

 

[YmirGF]

People at the top hate the internet (like Rockfeller) 'cause y' know, it's basically free information.

Close, Paul. It isn't because it is free, it is because they cannot control it in its present form. That is what is given them night sweats.

 

[Kathryn]

Nonsense, one doesn't have to be old to advocate freedom. Just because you happen to say something correct every once in a while doesn't automatically make whatever you said wrong.

I find that the older I get, the LESS I tend to agree with you. Remember, when I first came here, I was much like you - a Christian, self-professed conservative. But I grew out of it.

We all go through stages - often swinging from one extreme like a pendulum before becoming more balanced in our approach. I think (hope) that's what you're going through.

By the way, I am fiscally conservative but socially libertarian.

And I keep re-reading your second sentence and it keeps making no sense - care to expand?

 

[Revoltingest]

I find that the older I get, the LESS I tend to agree with you. Remember, when I first came here, I was much like you - a Christian, self-professed conservative. But I grew out of it.

Cute! You aren't old enuf to talk about getting older yet. She was talking of decades spent working, voting & observing the effects of
your decisions. You'll know you're older when you need your own kids to show you how to use your new phone, you start wearing a hat
while driving & you often yell things like, "Hey, you kids! Get off my lawn!".

 

[YmirGF]

Cute! You aren't old enuf to talk about getting older yet. She was talking of decades spent working, voting & observing the effects of
your decisions. You'll know you're older when you need your own kids to show you how to use your new phone, you start wearing a hat
while driving & you often yell things like, "Hey, you kids! Get off my lawn!".

Hehe and other delights like, "When I was young, we walked to school!"
Wait until he starts echoing the quote about youth being wasted on the young, lol.

 

[*Anne*]

You'll know you're older when you need your own kids to show you how to use your new phone, you start wearing a hat
while driving & you often yell things like, "Hey, you kids! Get off my lawn!".

I needed my daughter's help with my MP3 player.

 

[Mister_T]

Talk about raping your first amendment rights. :cover:

Hopefully voters will put a kill switch on Lieberman's career: When he's not busy trying to put a kill switch on videogames and whoring himself out to Aetna, he's trying to destroy freedom of speech...but really if you look at his track record, he has never been a fan of freedom of speech. We need to get this clown out of his seat.

 

[Terrywoodenpic]

Is it even possible to shut down the internet in any meaningful way.
it is made up out of redundancies to the n'th degree.

 

[Kilgore Trout]

Uh-oh, if people didn't have access to Facebook and Twitter, they might actually have to get some work done.

 

[Aquitaine]

Close, Paul. It isn't because it is free, it is because they cannot control it in its present form. That is what is given them night sweats.

Yeah you know what I mean, as in it's "free" from censorship and for all to see

 

[Shadow Wolf]

I doubt it will happen. Other than for a number of reasons, but mainly because the internet is too difficult to police. Online gambling is illegal, and .com poker sites are not gambling. Now it's not big secret that .net poker sites are real gambling, and the sites themselves are hosted in a foreign nation. Actually, last I heard England loves getting our money because we can't legally gamble online here. And the anonymousness of the net makes it even harder to police. If I wanted, I could be using programs to mask all traces, and it would appear that I am posting from Belgium, Alaska, England, even Kenya with just the click of a button. And not too mention the ACLU has already been to supreme court over internet content (too bad that doesn't seem to matter much to some justices.).
And of course lets not forget, the net is run largely by geeks and nerds. It wouldn't be hard to create an underground internet. And the mass protest from businesses if the internet was turned off.

 

[Revoltingest]

I doubt it will happen. Other than for a number of reasons, but mainly because the internet is too difficult to police. Online gambling is illegal, and .com poker sites are not gambling. Now it's not big secret that .net poker sites are real gambling, and the sites themselves are hosted in a foreign nation. Actually, last I heard England loves getting our money because we can't legally gamble online here. And the anonymousness of the net makes it even harder to police. If I wanted, I could be using programs to mask all traces, and it would appear that I am posting from Belgium, Alaska, England, even Kenya with just the click of a button. And not too mention the ACLU has already been to supreme court over internet content (too bad that doesn't seem to matter much to some justices.).
And of course lets not forget, the net is run largely by geeks and nerds. It wouldn't be hard to create an underground internet. And the mass protest from businesses if the internet was turned off.

Woe unto the government which angers both geeks & business to act in concert.
That would be a crash on the scale of full blown revolution.

 

[Kathryn]

Cute! You aren't old enuf to talk about getting older yet. She was talking of decades spent working, voting & observing the effects of
your decisions. You'll know you're older when you need your own kids to show you how to use your new phone, you start wearing a hat
while driving & you often yell things like, "Hey, you kids! Get off my lawn!".

Here are some other favorite mantras around our house these days (with a 17 year old and the entire high school football team lounging around our house for weeks on end...):

"Can you guys keep it down in there - it's 2 am!"

"Didn't we just buy milk?"

"Where the hell is the remote control?"

"Who unhooked the VCR?"

 

[cynic2005]

The Chinese government has control over internet usage in China. This means that websites that they don't want their civilians to have access to, are blocked. For example, when Tiananmen Square is searched for in Google in China, nothing about the Tiananmen Square incident of 1989 comes up. However in America, you get over 1 million results. Provided that the American government gains such privileges, I assume we will see many "controversial" topics disappear.

BTW, I seriously question the credibility of the "Perez Hilton Website," given all the ads that promote Perez products as well as other products.
It seems to me that conspiracies sell, and under certain circumstances, can be used to draw attention and increase profits as part of a marketing strategy.

 

[Kathryn]

My point was that many liberals, conservatives, and independents by and large are united on this one particular point - that the internet is the epitome of free speech and that the government should not be allowed to shut it down at will, or have much control over it at all for that matter.

 

[Aquitaine]

My point was that many liberals, conservatives, and independents by and large are united on this one particular point - that the internet is the epitome of free speech and that the government should not be allowed to shut it down at will, or have much control over it at all for that matter.

My guess is that the people who want this bill to pass (let's face it, they won't be ordinary folk) will try to scare the population with over-hype about "Cyber Terrorism".

Bin Laden is using the internet to attack us OMG!

 

[Shadow Wolf]

The one reason I really doubt this will ever pass is the fact that Microsoft will loose money if people can't freely use the internet, or use it at all. Not too mention Apple would also have potential financial loses over this. I'm sure if it really came down to it, Microsoft alone could easily buy more than enough lobbyist and Senators to kill this bill off.

 

[Kathryn]

My guess is that the people who want this bill to pass (let's face it, they won't be ordinary folk) will try to scare the population with over-hype about "Cyber Terrorism".

Bin Laden is using the internet to attack us OMG!

I think you are absolutely right about this.

The government nearly always uses "It's for your own good" as an excuse for power grabbing.

 

[Aquitaine]

I think you are absolutely right about this.

The government nearly always uses "It's for your own good" as an excuse for power grabbing.

However, I am inclined to agree with Shadow Wolf and the other posters here who've highlighted how fruitless an attempt to control or police (or even shutdown) the internet will be.

So I am fairly confident that this Bill won't pass