Venezuelan Gov't Seeks Internet Content Bill 248
Ah, none is more coward! writes "Several local and international news outlets report that the overwhelmingly pro-Chávez Venezuelan National Assembly is considering a reform of their Social Responsibility law to include Internet content. Besides regulations on mature content and mandatory airing of government messages, the existing bill includes broad prohibitions against 'destabilizing' and 'disquieting' content. The Assembly also has a proposal for a single national Internet access point, 'with a view to handling outgoing and incoming traffic in Venezuela.'"
From TFA (Score:2, Informative)
When you read the details on what is proposed by the Venezuelan government, it doesn't sound that unreasonable.
Makes you wonder why it's being spun as totalitarian and evil.
"The bill proposes applying limits on content in "electronic media" according to the time of day, with adult content reserved for programing after midnight.
Such limitations already are in place for TV and radio programing. It was not clear how they would be applied to the Internet
The bill also proposes allowing the government to restrict access to websites if they are found to be distributing messages or information that incite violence against the president. Chavez frequently accuses the opposition of plotting to kill him."
Re:The final step. (Score:4, Informative)
It's al bullshit (I'm venezuelan). He's just another bullshitter.
Re:not like other countries would do that (Score:3, Informative)
Where is Wikileaks being censored? The newspapers in the United States and abroad continue to publish the leaks they get, I've yet to see or hear about Federal agents going after the New York Times or anyone else.
Google - "Latest Wikileaks" and right now there are new headlines from 3 hours ago.
Is the US going after Wikileaks for distributing thousands of stolen documents? Yes but those documents were classified and stolen. Is the US going to put the guy who stole the documents, Bradley Manning, in a deep dark hole for a long time? Yes they are, he had a security clearance and knew what the rules were, he broke those rules.
As far as censoring and hunting Wikileaks down, the US Government is doing a pretty poor job of it.
Re:The final step. (Score:2, Informative)
The problem in the US is not the communists or socialists. The problem here is the corporatists.
Government is only following the corporate masters, moving us not in the direction of socialism but in the direction of fascism.
The "reset" that needs to happen is in the direction of a government that acts in the best interest of the people, and I'm not sure that's possible at this point. It's moving away from it almost everywhere else in the world, we're just doing it faster than most.
And we're getting so incredibly far from the ideal system at this point - a combination of individual freedom and guaranteed rights, and a socialized economic system with very tight government controls on big business is what we really should aspire to.
Re:The final step. (Score:5, Informative)
Government is only following the corporate masters, moving us not in the direction of socialism but in the direction of fascism.
That is not fascism. That is called mercantilism or reverse-mercantilism by some, which has many similarities to socialism as corporations and the government look like a larger colluding entity similar to what government is in regular socialism.
Americans often misunderstand fascism because it used the term corporatism, but what Mussolini called corporations have nothing to do with what Americans call corporations. Fascism was another form of socialism in the sense that it implied state control of the economy, but unlike traditional socialists it did not promote class struggle.