The government does it again
Tue, 25 Sept 2007, 01:49 pmNa26 posts in thread
The government does it again
Tue, 25 Sept 2007, 01:49 pmThe government is hoping to curtail our freedom of speech (and reading) even further, by not allowing us to access all of the internet. Apparently.
The following was posted on Mashable.com:
Several privacy advocates are in an uproar in response to a bill introduced by Australia’s Parliament, which would grant the country’s federal police the power to control which sites can be accessed by users of the Internet. Titled the Communications Legislation Amendment (Crime or Terrorism Related Internet Content) Bill 2007, the federal police would have the power to add onto (or remove from) the blacklist, naming sites that are currently banned from Australia , as determined by the Australian Communications and Media Authority.
This extends the rights of the ACMA onto the federal police, which appears to some as a way of limiting the rights of freedom of speech. The legislation is being promoted as a way to target phishing and terrorist sites, as well as those that publish information on other criminal activity. However, we’ve all been subjected to politicians taking action under the guise of protecting us from terrorism, and the result is several privacy groups that are wary of this bill being passed. Next thing we know, Australia will be blocking YouTube.
Read more about it here.
plue, the existing sedition
Fri, 28 Sept 2007, 04:04 pmplue, the existing sedition laws already make it possible for the government to censor material that criticises their anti terrorist or anti sedition laws. This means that not only could a play that criticises those laws be stopped but the playwright can be arrested. This is not what might happen these laws exist now today. People are already held in camps because of who they are not what they have done, how long will it be before people can be arrested on the street because their appearance is wrong or because they belong to the wrong religion.
Our rights are being eroded daily and we have no protection.
And Sean you are half right about the second amendment which is the one used to protect the right to bear arms. The amendment reads
"A well regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed."
The fledgling USA could not afford a standing army (or Navy) of any size so the right to form militia was enshrined as part of the bill of rights. In order to from militia it is necessary to have the right to bear arms. You also have to recognise that the founding fathers of the USA were libertarian in essence and believed that individual rights and responsibilties were above those of the state. This made this amendment very right and applicable at the time. It probably needs looking into now.
Is that all there is? Well if that's all there is my friend, then let's keep dancing.
www.tonymoore.id.au
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