Tuesday, June 29, 2010

A ‘Kill Switch’ for the State by Butler Shaffer

LewRockwell.com

A bill quickly being whisked through Congress – while the mainstream media distracts our attentions with updates on the death of a girl on Aruba, or "remembering Michael Jackson" – would give to the president a "kill switch" that would allow him to shut down the Internet on his whim. The supporters of this measure gurgle assurances that its purpose is only to protect the nation’s "security" in the face of a "terrorist" attack. Since 9/11, Boobus has been conditioned to accept any and every intrusion in the name of resisting "terrorism," not wanting to know that it is the American government that is the major promoter of terrorism in the world. As the late George Carlin might well have expressed it, our government must fight the terrorist activities of other groups as a way of keeping its monopoly on the use of violence. Terrorism "is our job," I could almost hear him declare.

The Internet is a destabilizing force to established interests in the world. It is premised on the free exchange of information which, in turn, is an expression of the liberty of individuals to act in furtherance of their particular interests. Government schools, the mainstream media, and other institutional voices, relentlessly work to condition the minds of people to think and to act within limits that are consistent with institutional purposes. Ideas or actions that do not challenge established interests may be welcomed (if supportive of such ends) or tolerated (perhaps as entertainment). But as the institutional order continues its decentralizing collapse into alternative social systems and practices, its domination of humanity continues to weaken. The struggle confronting mankind comes down to the question of whether human beings are to be the masters of their own lives, or whether they are to remain as resources to be exploited for institutional ends.


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