Sixty years of brain washing and information control have
pretty much sapped Americans of the desire to stand up and be heard. Almost as
important, they have lost the ability to be heard to communicate.
Joining any blogging outfit one usually can observe a remarkable absence of
debate. The participants often contribute cut and paste jobs from the mass
media. Hardly a town hall experience, the talking heads of television have
drummed the government's press releases into the minds of the populace.
To experience the freedom of speech potential of the Internet, the blogger can
surf overseas. If he lacks foreign language skills, he can get English
translations from the likes of Global Voices and Blogspot.
Attend the spirit of the young Egyptians who oppose Mubarek and the Arabs who
stand against the Israeli line. You may even learn that Muqtada al Sadr
embodies Iraq's
best chance for freedom.
In China, Russia, Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, Egypt and Palestine bloggers are in the front line for freedom of speech, liberty and justice. They remind me of what I was forty years ago.
Eventually, the governments may crush their youthful idealism, as they did in America.