Senator Conroy again.

Well done mate, very well done. Wikileaks is down, presumably because the ACMA blacklist (or something purporting to be it) is there and despite your threat of an $11,000 for anyone in Oz linking to it since most people know what search engines are for and how to use them so every bugger is trying to see what webshites are on the list.

Could you not see this coming? Your efforts to censor the net and keep what is being censored a secret is generating world wide interest. It's human fucking nature for Christ's sake. Tell people that this or that is not allowed and many will be curious and want to check it out to understand why it's not allowed. The supreme fucking irony is that many wouldn't have fucking bothered otherwise. How the fuck can't you be aware of this? Have you pricks in Canberra actually stopped to meet any real people or did your political careers not leave you the fucking time? Because normal people seem to have had enough contact with other normal people to be aware of it, or understand it instinctively.

I repeat, curiosity is part of our nature. Senator please try to grasp this simple point. It's part of what we are. Historically it's taken us up mountains, across oceans and into space. It's also one of the reasons why some people try dope - not because they want to get stoned or because they're warming up for heroin, it's because they're curious to see what's so bad about it that it had to be banned. Sometimes our curiosity does us harm but overall I'd argue that we've benefited from it so presumably it's a trait that's being maintained if not reinforced. This ridiculous attempt to legislate websites you're uncomfortable with, either because they don't fit with your morals (and probably not mine either to be honest, though that's not remotely the point) or because they might - might - breach Australian law, is just adding to the curiosity. What you're doing is like trying to put out last month's bushfires with petrol.

I know the footy season doesn't start till next weekend and this is a blatant rip off of Channel Ten's Before The Game show, but you have to be my vote for Tool Of The Week. And in this house it's only me and Mrs Angry who have a vote, so you're likely to be our Tool Of The Week for as long as your censorship lasts.


Edit: in case any Australians or people in Australia come along and read this, and I know a couple have, I've added a widget from GetUp!, a campaign against Australian web censorship. If you're unhappy with the idea of slower connections, higher costs, innocent websites being inaccessible through being censored in error and, worst of all, 'no holds barred' Government blocking of websites without scrutiny, then please add your name. If you're outside Australia I suggest you keep a real fucking close eye on what's going on here, and in the meantime pass it along to any Aussie's or Aussie residents you know. And if you're happy with censorship I have a movie recommendation for you - while it's still allowed. Maaaaahh!


UPDATE: I hate to say "they just don't get it", I really do. It usually sounds so weak, like someone can't be arsed to make a real argument for or against something. But since the arguments have been made I'm going to say it anyway - Senator Stephen Conroy just doesn't get it.

Conroy ridiculed suggestions that the trial is "the thin edge of the wedge" - the beginnings of a Government cracking down on political dissent.

Look fucknuts, I'm really not too concerned about you and what you want to ban. You may be in Opus Dei and* your religious beliefs may well be influencing you on this, but all the same I'm not desperately worried about you, Rudd or the ALP. I'm quite sure it is not your intention to censor sites with political content that disagrees with the ALP's position. Okay? That's not the fucking problem. The fucking problems are firstly the precedent you may set for future governments, one of which may be lead by a world class bastard who does like the idea of stifling political dissent, and secondly that since the fucking blacklist and what's on it is being kept from us we wouldn't find out if a world class bastard is stifling political dissent until it's too fucking late. See? The intention of the government is not in itself scary - it's the fucking ability you're putting in place for future governments. Any fucking chance of that getting through to you?

Did I say Tool Of The Week? Tool Of The Fucking Century more like.


*UPDATE June 09 - Or not in Opus Dei. I can't remember where I saw it apart from Wikipedia, but it's not there now and I can't be bothered to look further. It's really not that important when it's known that Conroy is both strongly religious and Catholic, and that his Catholic values, which he's quite entitled to hold as an individual, might be being imposed on the rest of us.