As 2009 opens, I am encouraged to see that more and more people are waking up to the dangers to the growing trend of censorship of free speech – with the dangers this entails!
It really does not matter who it is that is attempting to impose censorship of free speech: it is the attempt itself that must be opposed, by every freely thinking human being, regardless of their particular world view, philosophy, religion, or whatever else they choose to call their outlook on life!
In Canada, we have seen the insultingly called ‘human rights commissions’ censoring any speech that seems to advance the Christian point of view. Ezra Levant higlighted this when he demonstrated that publishing the very same words which got a Christian pracher, father Boissoin, a lifetime ban (!!!) on conveying his opinions on marriage and homosexuality (he was, among other things, a marriage councellor, so this, in fact, deprived him of his livelihood). Yet, when Mr. Levant – a Jew – published the very same letter that father Boission had written, he was not persecuted….
Thus, Mr. Levant demostrated clearly that it was the speaker’s religious affiliation – not the words he spoke (or published) – which determined his ‘guilt’….
On the other hand, we have the ‘YouTube case’ where several radicalized Christian organizations had abused the Digiatal Millenium Copyright Act in an attempt to censor areligious and anti-rligious voices. It really is chilling! Please, join in the fight to stop DMC abuse to impose censorship on this particular forum or free thought:
All of this is not happening in a ‘vacuum’ or in some sort of ‘isolation’. During this time, the UN has, quietly, decided that it is reasonable to limit freedom of speech in order to suppress ANY SPEECH that would criticize any ‘religion’! This should strike the fear of censorship into every one of our hearts!
The great philosopher Hypatia had said:
“All forms of dogmatic religions are fallatious and should never be accepted by self-respecting persons as final!”
While I agree wholeheartedly with Hypatia’s sentiment, if it would not be too presumptuous of me, I would like to ‘update’ her statement to encompass the relalities of today:
“All forms of dogmatic doctorines (religious or secular) are fallatious and must never be accepted by self-respecting persons as final – and must never be allowed to form a basis for laws and policies!”
Hypatia’s martyrdom marked the end of the classical era and the onset of the ‘Dark Ages’: times where thought was replaced by blind obedience to dogmatic doctorine, learning was replaced by ignorance, respect for knowledge was replaced by book-burning and the destruction of all who entertained ‘opposing thought’.
Are we at similar crossroads now?
Much of what is happening in the world indicates that we just might be.
Yet, the dawn of 2009 is also bringing to us the beginning of the awareness of the danger of being at such a crossroads! And, whether it is ‘Christian thought’ which is being censored – or which is attempting to do the censoring – the ‘dogma-affiliation’ (religious or secular dogma, it really makes little difference) is much less important than the action it takes: censoring free speech and, by extention, free thought! I really do not care who it is that is the censor, or who is being censored.
Those are just the details of the larger precedent: the desire and ability to censor!
This is something we must all stand together to oppose. I just hope enough of us realize this and, setting aside our doctorinal differences, we lend our voices to the battle which would silence us all!
Xanthippa's Chamberpot 
January 5, 2009 at 19:06
[…] XANTHIPPA– DMCA’s a an instrument of censorship: “As 2009 opens, I am encouraged to see that […]
June 24, 2009 at 07:53
Yes eBay just got my site took down at eBuster,co,uk because it links back to scammer accounts on eBay so people can see the scams for themselves what these people are doing and it also contained copies of many pages I had preserved because eBay has a habit of trying to hide pages in an effort to prevent the course of justice.
The site also contains millions of eBay member names that can be searched but I’m not sure if that come under copyright law or not as it is possible to search member for member names from Google that gives you links directly into eBay accounts.
I think my best bet is to take a leaf out of eBays book which is to side step many laws here in the UK including the FSA by having eBays registered office in Luxemburg so maybe I need to look offshore myself for my service provider.
Maybe it’s becoming against the law to expose fraud on eBay as the only way I can see anyone making a case is by linking to eBay pages themselves or by taking static copied of pages but it seems both are prohibited under DMCA rules and eBay certainly seems to have their way with the law here in the UK when it comes to the Birmingham police and trading standards who point blank refuse to except concrete evidence linking a fraudster to no less than eight eBay accounts being used to sell death traps as cars.
What seems to have really have upset eBay was a fake login page hosted by about.ebay.com that I exposed on my site by taking a copy of the page and adding in big red text that not to used the page as it was a fake.
Any advise would be appreciated before I decide how I should go about hosting the site that is dedicated to exposing multiple frauds on eBay that eBay is turning a blind eye towards.