links for 2008-02-20

• Supreme Court rejects domestic wiretap appeal | Tech news blog - CNET News.com
  "The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday declined to intervene in an appeal of a lawsuit accusing the National Security Agency of illicit spying on millions of Americans communicating with foreigners."
  (tags: surveillance u.s.a. u.s.policy freespeech humanrights telecoms csr)
• Supreme Court rejects wiretap suit - Los Angeles Times
  "Since Congress is now fighting with the White House over new rules for wiretapping, the court may have chosen to stand aside from the controversy."
  (tags: privacy surveillance freespeech humanrights u.s.a. u.s.policy)
• The Daily Dish | By Andrew Sullivan - Rep. Lawrence Lessig (D-CA)
  "Lessig is most concerned with preserving the immune system, the organic intellectual defenses, of a free and open society, something conservatives and liberals alike ought to care about very much."
  (tags: freeculture government lessig politics u.s.a.)
• The Orwellian censorship of Wikileaks | Antony Loewenstein
  "Internet censorship is something we normally associate with countries such as Iran or China, but increasingly Western governmental and legal authorities are aggressively restricting the ability of users to view information unimpeded."
  (tags: internet censorship freespeech u.s.a. humanrights)
• China: Crackdown Violates Olympic Promises (Human Rights Watch, 6-2-2008)
  "With just six months to go before the Olympics open in Beijing on August 8, a systematic crackdown on dissent has significantly worsened respect for fundamental rights in China, Human Rights Watch said today."
  (tags: olympics china humanrights freespeech)
• Civil rights conversations with Zheng Yefu
  "Chongqing’s "nail house" incident: Is 2007 the year for civil liberty in China? ..."
  (tags: china freespeech government humanrights democracy internet chineseinternetresearch)
• Judge Orders Wikileaks Web Site Shut - New York Times
  Judge White’s order disabling the entire site “is clearly not constitutional,” said David Ardia, the director of the Citizen Media Law Project at Harvard Law School. “There is no justification under the First Amendment for shutting down an entire
  (tags: wikimedia wikileaks freespeech censorship internet u.s.a. law)
• Global Integrity Commons: Internet Censorship: A Comparative Study
  "While there is much diversity in the style of Internet censorship among the world's worst offenders, one common thread unites them: Internet censorship doesn't work."
  (tags: censorship internet politics u.s.a. china freespeech humanrights)
• RFA: China Tries Land Activist Who Opposed Olympics
  "Authorities in the northeastern Chinese city of Jiamusi have begun the trial of a land rights activist for “incitement to subvert state power” after he used a slogan calling for human rights instead of the Olympics."
  (tags: china olympics humanrights freespeech)
• Taking Obama seriously | openDemocracy
  "The United States presidential race is the most exciting and energising in years. Barack Obama has made it so, and in a way that opens a new era of political possibility, says openDemocracy's founder Anthony Barnett."
  (tags: vote2008 obama u.s.a.)

Comments

[Charles Liu]

R, my wife and I talked about Obama yesterday as WA held the meaningless primary.

She was questioning weither America is ready for a black man in the whitehouse. She even suggested that this is a conspiracy for the Republican to continue the Iraq war - put up Obama so all the white folk can vote him down.

Thou not conspiracy theorist, I too am not sure if America is ready, especially the red leaning states.

What's your take?

[Rebecca MacKinnon]

You're not a conspiracy theorist??
ROTFL.

[Charles Liu]

Not on the Obama thing. But I would hate to see all the good-old-boy evangelicals turn out just to vote down a black man, which is a distinct possibility.

Can't hardly get out of bed after 8 years of Bush already.

[Rebecca MacKinnon]

I think America is much more likely to elect Obama than Hillary. I don't see how multiple national opinion polls could be completely fabricated.

If the evangelicals were so powerful McCain would not be the Republican nominee.

[mahathir_Fan]

I never thought much about voting for Obama until I heard his speech "Its not about making a choice on me, its about making a choice on your aspirations...."

and repeated nearly word for word by another moron, and a Massachusetts governor!

JJust Words. Just Not Obama's. Part II
http://youtube.com/watch?v=FgctsioisJg

This video totally cracked me up today again:

Obama campaign rep STUMPED on legislative accomplishments

http://youtube.com/watch?v=SZTo0iGc_Dw

After watching the 2 above videos, does it not give you hope that he will do to America more than what Bush did? Well, I do! I fully support him now! :)

Remember, its not about making a choice on him, its about making a choice on YOUR aspirations! HA! HA! I can't believe he's actually going to win!

[mahathir_fan]

"She was questioning weither America is ready for a black man in the whitehouse. "

Don't be silly. He's good at giving speeches and that goes a long way in politics. Think Hitler, JFK, or Sukarno even Mahathir. All good speech givers. That's all.

[mahathir_fan]

"Can't hardly get out of bed after 8 years of Bush already."

Why do you hate Bush so much? Bush has been a great President. I never liked him until after what he did in Iraq.

I thought Iraq was a quick job, but when I see the quagmire he got himself into, I fell in love with his Presidency.

I actually wanted him for a 3rd term, but looks like there is someone better to take his place. It is about MY ASPIRATIONS, not any candidate.