tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7872819010848426693.post9044828082007920636..comments2024-03-28T02:46:03.227-04:00Comments on The Historical Society: Winston Churchill and the New Digital “Iron Curtain”Randallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16755286304057000048noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7872819010848426693.post-25743396254947275932012-02-23T13:22:50.769-05:002012-02-23T13:22:50.769-05:00Heather and Dan, thanks for the comments.
Heathe...Heather and Dan, thanks for the comments. <br /><br />Heather, I am interested to read that nook on the now imperiled postal service. I agree that the web is crucial for people to be heard, even when we don't agree with some of the content. As Churchill, FDR, Jefferson et al stated, freedom of expression is a pillar of liberal democracy.<br /><br />Dan, of course not everyone who limits web access is a Kim Jong-Il wannabe. I don't want my five year old getting on porn sites inadvertently, and if I download software to prevent that I don't believe that makes me a tyrant. However, the motivation of leaders in Syria, Iran and company is clear - try to maintain the lie that the grass isn't greener outside their high walls, keep records of atrocity smothered, ans prevent people from educating themselves about 'dangerous' principles such as free elections.pwnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7872819010848426693.post-80476110510489206692012-02-22T16:58:02.631-05:002012-02-22T16:58:02.631-05:00Amazing, Philip. A war crime to use a cell phone ...Amazing, Philip. A war crime to use a cell phone for a hundred days, and we can't even stop kids using them while driving. <br /><br />While I don't think I disagree with you, I am a bit uneasy about the idea that anybody who tries to limit people's access to western media is in the same camp as Kim Jong-Il. There are plenty of legitimate reasons why people in the non-English speaking world might feel ambivalent toward the internet, Facebook, twitter, .xxx sites and the culture they all promote. The question, I guess, is can the underlying technology be freed from the overlaid culture? Which I suppose is not too different from Heather's point about access -- and that's why we need anarchist hackers every bit as much as leaders who stand forthrightly against totalitarianism. (But I've just finished reading V for Vendetta, so take this with a grain...)dan allossohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10733670017382794923noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7872819010848426693.post-16170477994829910742012-02-22T11:17:03.923-05:002012-02-22T11:17:03.923-05:00Thanks for this. Someone once said to me that the ...Thanks for this. Someone once said to me that the issue in America is only exceedingly rarely about free speech, the issue is access. You can say anything, for the most part, without the state getting involved. But what you can't get is access to be heard, since the media tends to devolve into very limited channels to which only the wealthy have access.<br /><br />That's why the internet is such an important tool... and why it's so important to keep it accessible to all.<br /><br />Richard John deals with these issues in his book on the postal service, by the way.hcrhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07334093881332383848noreply@blogger.com