We return once more to Yahoo’s double standard. On the one hand Yahoo wants the net to be 1) private (which in fact it is not; it is the public internet; everything you post or write – also e-mails - leaves a trace and is public) and 2) to be a worldwide forum for free speech. But then, Yahoo (and to what extent the others - like Google – do the same, we don’t know) complies with China to suppress free speech.
The first contradiction cannot be held against Yahoo. But the second one certainly can! The World Organization for Human Rights is absolutely right in condemning Yahoo. It is despicable what Yahoo has done and they deserve the scorn of the whole free world. In a sense Yahoo is like George Bush. On the one hand he wants to be the champion of freedom and democracy. On the other hand he himself undermines our rights and freedoms.
This is a time for all good men to come to the rescue of freedom and democracy
We do agree with President Bush that freedom and democracy must prevail. To that extent we are totally with him. We also see that this is the time that every individual citizen in the world will have to make a choice. Are we going to globalize in a democratic or a totalitarian way? Will we create a Global Police State, or a Global Democratic Village? The choice is ours. A ‘two-state solution’, so to speak, is not possible. It is either suppression or justice.
We at ARCO have already made our choice. Many people still believe they will not have to make a choice. Things will happen anyway. And that is always true. But there are times in history when opportunities for choice are clearer than at other times. Under the German occupation during World War II, there were more opportunities for choice than during these times of affluence and freedom (if you happen to live in the richer countries).
Freedom or totalitarianism? The choice is ours.
So what we mean is that during these times the world population is going to have to make up its mind about what we want. Democracy or totalitarianism? The Yahoo-case demonstrates that you cannot shy away anymore. You cannot hide behind laws to commit injustice. To put it sharply: The German law to eradicate the Jews was there. You cannot hide behind the German law and say that you joined in the eradication because you had to comply with the law. God (or your conscience) won’t let you off the hook that easily, as Yahoo is experiencing now.
And it is quite logical that a court-case involving the internet illustrates this so clearly. Because the internet is the tool which is going to create the new planetary civilization. Will it be a free and democratic civilization? Or will it be one of fear and suppression? Bush saw all this and to that extent we can agree with him. The problem with Bush is not so much his goals. Some of his goals are good. It’s his methods that stink!
View today’s video twice! Let it sink in. We have to understand the truth. We are using weapons, simply because they are there. Because the profits made by the weapons industry is more important than people. Not because we need them for defense. We have overkill for defense. We have screwed up badly. Of course, it can be fixed. But, please think!