Should Obama Control the Internet?

[EV_Ares]

A new bill would give the President emergency authority to halt web traffic and access private data.
—By Steve Aquino - Mother Jones

Interesting article and arguments. I'll just post the link here where you can read the article and the comments on this and voice your own concerns or approval if you think there is a time when this would be needed.

http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2009/04/should-obama-control-internet

[Political Heretic]

1. Um.... holy hell no?

[Oregone]

2. Fuck no

[GReedDiamond]

3. Another NO.

[scarletwoman]

4. WTF? Of COURSE not!!! What is he, a dictator? (nt)

[annabanana]

5. jeez. .what an awful idea. I don't want ANYONE to have that

kind of power..for ANY reason.

[terisan]

6. Power Grab Alert! No.

[Time for change]

7. Hell no! Don't these people understand what a dictatorship is?

[FiveGoodMen]

8. No one should.

[LuvNewcastle]

9. Makes sense that Rockefeller is

behind this. He was all over tv the other day, warning about the dangers of the internet. I think we ought to work onn getting him unelected in WV.

[RoyGBiv]

10. Was just reading this ...

You should browse the language of the bill. It's even worse than it sounds.

I just *love* the preamble:

To ensure the continued free flow of commerce within the United States and with its global trading partners through secure cyber communications, to provide for the
continued development and exploitation of the Internet and intranet communications for such purposes, to provide for the development of a cadre of information technology specialists to improve and maintain effective cybersecurity defenses against disruption, and for other purposes.

Cybersecurity Act of 2009 - Working Draft (pdf)

To ensure the continued free flow of commerce . . . and for other purposes

:puke:

[Oldenuff]

23. and for other purposes...there ya go!

If you can control the free exchange of ideas between free thinking individuals...the battle is half won.

No F'ing way I would support this...Now I suppose we will hear about all the Tearists who use the internet for nefarious reasons...and I suppose if we stick up for our rights to a free exchange of ideas,we will be said to be aiding the Tearists?...whata crock!

[Double T]

11. Looks like the 'messiah thing' is going a bit too far.

No. No one should control the internet or be able at access private data.

Not even Jesus Christ and God himself should control the internet.

DEMAND SEPARATION OF GOVERNMENTS AND THE INTERNETS.

[ColbertWatcher]

12. No president should have that kind of authority. n/t

[lonestarnot]

13. HELL no!

[marketcrazy1]

14. if this President gets that authority

ALL Presidents will have that authority....................

[lonestarnot]

16. Nobody should ever have that authority, President or ant eater!

[SmileyRose]

15. he may and well run face first into a wood chipper instead.

Screwing around with people's interwebs will finally get them out on Pennsylvania avenue with pitchforks.

[New Dawn]

17. Hell no.

[spin]

18. How would you have felt if George Bush the junior...

would have proposed this idea?

Remember, there will come a day when will have have another Republican President to suffer through.

[napoleon_in_rags]

19. The critical issue here is putting restraints on the SHAPE of the network. That's dangerous.

Basically, a strong Internet CAN'T be shut down, not by terrorists, nor by viruses, inclement events, OR the government. In order to give one of these entities (The government) power to shut down the net, you've got a situation where ANY of them can shut it down. Cartoonishly, if every request on the Internet runs through a computer in Obama's bedroom, then you're 1 computer away from having the whole internet go down for any variety of reasons, only one of which is Obama pulling the plug.

[GodDamLiberal]

20. Just another excuse

for the government to use their power and keep tabs on people.

The gov can have their own network and access the internet via gateways
that can be shut down if needed.
That way they could still communicate.
I thought I read several years ago they were going to do that.
The same with things like financial services.

There is no need for crap laws like this.

[cliffordu]

21. I think he should END the innernet tonight.

[Djinn]

22. Check out our Prime Miniature's brave new world vision

in a sop to the absolutely miniscule Christian "wont somebody please think of the children" brigade in Australia, we're looking at a MANDATORY internet filter that screws with our already crappy internet speeds and places a WHOLE host of completely legal (and some utterly unrelated to porn/violence etc) sites on a banned list.

Our petulant Communications Minister (who's secrecy would do the Stasi proud) has accused those of opposing it as being "for peadophilia"

Anyone interested in freedom of speech/free flow of opinions - we could use your help down here

* Filtering will be mandatory in all homes and schools across the country
* The clean feed will censor material that is "harmful and inappropriate" for children.
* The filter will require a massive expansion of the ACMA's blacklist of prohibited content.
* The Government wants to use dynamic filters of questionable accuracy that slow the internet down by an average of 30%
* The filtering will target legal as well as illegal material
* $44m has been budgeted for the implementation of this scheme so far
* The clean-feed for children will be opt-out, but a second filter will be mandatory for all Internet users
* A live pilot deployment is going ahead in the near future.

http://nocleanfeed.com/

[empyreanisles]

24. No, and I trust Obama would veto any such bill if it came to his desk.

As the article states, he did not ask for such powers. This is just crazy idea being floated by a couple of senators.

[davidpdx]

25. Hell no he shouldn't have the control, nor should any president

I should :evilgrin:

[chrisa]

26. Yes! There's people out there who want to kill us.

Just kidding. Of course not!

[BlueDogMizzou]

27. Reminds me of someone I once knew...

Oh thats it; didn't another President want to use unwarranted wiretaps?

No just no, but HELL NO!

[MadHound]

28. Hey there, welcome aboard

From another fellow Missourian and Tiger fan

M I Z!

[BlueDogMizzou]

32. Thank you, thank you... anybody but the Jay Hacks fan

[Echo In Light]

29. Fuck no

[DemBones DemBones]

30. No way. No president should control

the internet.

[tkmorris]

31. No. Hell no.

The internet has value only as long as it remains free. NO one should control it, regulate it, tax it, suppress it, censor it, or accuse it of being a series of tubes. Leave the internet alone.

[Enthusiast]

33. No way!

We never know when bad guys like Bush and Cheney might occupy the white house.