Jason Mark Roehrig My Web Home

Activists are organizing protests in all major cities for December the 13th, I encourage my readers to join their local rally. This is too important of a subject to take lightly. If we don't show up in numbers, the current administration will get away with setting up the Great Firewall of Australia, curtailing freedom as we know it. Even the Libs see the plan as misguided, and that says something.

And don't forget to sign the GetUp online petition.

Dear friend,

Imagine a government proposing an internet censorship system that went further than any other democracy - one that made the internet up to 87% slower, more expensive, accidentally blocked up to one in 12 legitimate sites, and missed the vast majority of inappropriate content.

This is not China, Saudi Arabia or Iran - this is the vision of Senator Stephen Conroy for Australia. Testing has already begun. The community must now move to stop this plan. Click here to save the net:

www.getup.org.au/campaign/SaveTheNet

The system that Senator Conroy wants is a mandatory filter of all internet traffic, with the government of the day able to add any unwanted site to a secret blacklist. Already, the wrangling has begun for the inclusion of material relating to anorexia, euthanasia and gambling. It isn't difficult to see the scheme is open to abuse.

Even when it comes to preventing child p-rnography, the filter will not prevent peer-to-peer sharing and is very simple to sidestep. The protection of our children is vitally important - that's why we can't afford to waste funds on this deeply flawed system. We should be concentrating on solutions that are more effective and won't undermine our digital economy or our democratic freedoms.

This must rank as one of the most ill-thought decisions of the Rudd Government's first year in power. We need to act now to tell big brother the mandatory internet filter is incompatible with the principles of a modern democracy and modern economy:

www.getup.org.au/campaign/SaveTheNet

Our government should be doing all in its power to take Australia into the 21st century economy, and to protect our children. This proposed internet censorship does neither. Take action to save the net today.

Thanks for being a part of the solution,

The GetUp team

PS - The proposed scheme will pass all internet traffic through a government filter - it's like asking Australia Post to filter every letter sent in Australia. Click here to save the net.

There is something unsettling with campaigns focusing on being against something rather than for something. They seem to encourage polarization more than unity for a good and necessary cause. Beings against someone or something is trivially easy. Providing a solution to a problem, or a progressive vision for the future on the other hand, is something that requires skill and ingenuity. It is easier to encourages other to join your cause by explaining what you are for, rather than what you are against. The later rather encouraging groupthink and mindless mob behaviour. While the development of a civil society reigned by rational thought requires concentration on the individuals human potential in avoidance of reactionary animalistic behaviour patterns.

Unfortunately some of the most prominent Brights have fallen into the trap of mirroring their intellectual opponents, providing fertile ground for a morphing into the physical realm of discourse - violent conflict. While a superficial look at historic events might suggest otherwise, positive change is generally achieved by means of civil discourse, rather than by the inflictions of violence. In our current state of existence, it might still be a necessary pressure release valve. Though, if humans want to evolve not only biologically, but especially culturally, the only way to achieve their individual and collective dreams, we will need to adopt what to many will seem counterintuitive.

Last night I posted Anonymouses call to resistance, as I view its activities as an interesting phenomenon, from which there is much to learn, as life learns from mistakes.

Our biology tells us to punch the cunt, but we need to listen to our rational mind suggesting, there must be a better solution.