China to start watching texts

Let me know when the White House comes to your house for calling Obama a fascist or saying Bush should be tried for war crimes. -_-

Facebook and Twitter are both banned. As are YouTube and Wikipedia.

I admire the CCP's incredible effectiveness as a government of unparalleled competency, but its penchant for censorship annoys the hell out of me.

I was going to say the exact same thing...

People implying that China is no less free than Canada, the US, and the EU are clearly suffering from a severe case of the grass-is-greener-on-the-other-side delusion.

Let me know when the American government bans freakin' Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Wikipedia, and ALL pornography, not to mention Glenn Beck, Ron Paul, Rush Limbaugh, and pretty much all of Fox News and the conservative blogosphere.

Let me know when Teabaggers are thrown in jail for life.

And Alex Jones is sentenced to death for subversion against the state.

Until then:

Shut the fuck up.

I didn't realize that anyone had said or implied that China wasn't less free than Canada or the U.S.? I think what was said is that China at least is admitting that they are watching text messages, while the other governments just do it.

Anyone with a brain and a basic knowledge of American law/history knows that the American government is definitely trending towards less liberty and not more. Just because China is the worst-case scenario does not mean that people shouldn't be concerned simply because America isn't "as bad as the other guy". Wait around long enough and it just might happen.

"I didn't realize that anyone had said or implied that China was less free than Canada or the U.S.?"

Uh...they didn't, and that's the point.

I think you meant to say you didn't realize than anyone had said or implied that China *wasn't* less free than Canada or the U.S.

"I think what was said is that China at least is admitting that they are watching text messages, while the other governments just do it."

Pretty sure the Patriot Act is available for any American to read. It's not some "secret".

"Wait around long enough and it just might happen."

Uh, no. America will never get to that point—at least not within our generation (and I couldn't wait around longer than that anyway); we're much too busy screaming "1984!!!" at every opportune moment.

The government has its tentacles in nearly every facet of your life and wages war for profit and propaganda. Sometimes the best control is to let the peons think that they are free.

You have little to no privacy, increased "security", but not increased protection, and slowly, but surely your civil liberties are being stripped from you without so much as a whimper of protest. On the contrary, you say "thanks for protecting me, good sir, can I have another?"

As an American war veteran (who voluntarily enlisted in a time of war mind you) it shames me to say that America will indeed fall, under the weight of its own greed and corruption, maybe even before it gets to the point that China is at (that and China owns us already). This ultimate degradation and collapse may or may not be after our lifetimes, but it is silly to allow more to be piled onto an already sinking ship. I would prefer to leave something decent for my children if I decide to father any. People scream 1984 at every opportune moment, but only if they have a) read the book and b) are astute.

"The government has its tentacles in nearly every facet of your life"

Let's see. I wake up and eat breakfast while surfing the Internet. No government there. I finish up my homework. No government there. I ride my bike to class. No government there, other than the fact that it's a public university; I'm not fond of the tuition, but it's lower than that of private universities, and it's funded by the state government anyway, which apparently isn't as evil as the federal government. No complaints there. Then I bike to work. No government there, other than a minimum wage mandated by the state government, for which, as a minimum wage earner, I do not mind. So, no complaints there. Then I bike back to my apartment and take a nap. No government there. Then I bike to my weekly accounting association meeting. No government there. Then I bike to the university library to study. Funded by my state government with no complaints from me. Then I chat with some friends before biking back to my apartment to finish up some reading, and go to bed. Hm, no government there either.

Ever think you might just be a little *too* damn paranoid?

Nearly every facet of my life? Those must be some awfully sly tentacles.

"and wages war for profit and propaganda."

Doesn't affect me, other than tarnishing the reputation of my country. Them profiting doesn't make me poorer, and the "propaganda" doesn't seem to be particularly distinguished, considering the news I read from other countries doesn't differ much from what I read domestically. The notion of Iraq being a war for oil is hardly a "secret" to the American people.

"Sometimes the best control is to let the peons think that they are free."

Sometimes the wisest thing to do is recognize the difference between imagined oppression and *actual* oppression. Funny, because I don't think Burmese citizens would be buying your argument about American citizens not being "free". Free to do what, exactly? Blow up towers by hijacking planes? You're right, we're not free to do that—Jesus, what tyranny!

"You have little to no privacy"

Privacy to do what? Change my clothes? I have privacy to do that. Use the restroom? I have privacy to do that as well. Chat face-to-face with friends? I have privacy to do that as well. Plot the downfall of the American government through a massive militant campaign? Well, no. I probably don't have the privacy to do that. Is THAT your issue?

"increased "security", but not increased protection"

I feel perfectly safe. I don't worry about violence—neither from my fellow citizens, foreign terrorists, nor least of all my domestic governments.

"and slowly, but surely your civil liberties are being stripped from you without so much as a whimper of protest."

What civil liberties are being stripped from me? Let's see:

Religion? Free of it and free from it.

Right to bear arms? Free to bear them.

Freedom from quartering of troops? Yep, can't say I've been forced to keep any soldiers in my apartment.

Due process, double jeopardy, self-incrimination, eminent domain, speedy public trial, right to counsel, excessive bail, and cruel and unusual punishment? Haven't had to exercise my freedom of and from any of those, but I can't imagine any scenario in which I'd be denied of any of them. Maybe If I was—again—plotting to destroy the United States. Not likely, in my case.

"that and China owns us already"

Funny, because Japan owns nearly as much US debt as China, yet no one talks about how Japan "owns" the US—hm, maybe because it's not as cheaply sensationalistic and melodramatic? Could it be?!

"People scream 1984 at every opportune moment, but only if they have a) read the book"

Not sure how *that* legitimizes anything—it's not like Jihadists are suddenly exonerated from moral contempt just because they yelled a Qur'anic verse prior to detonating.

"and b) are astute."

More like b) are bored of their mundane lives and eager to spice things up via delusions of grandeur.

Thanks for recounting your mundane life for me. I felt like I was almost there. If I was a government agent, I probably could have been. Just because you do not notice the government does not mean it isn't watching you.

About the wars you said:
"Doesn't affect me, other than tarnishing the reputation of my country."

Really? Fat cats making deals with corrupt politicians to not only profit from war and kill people, but to privatize its fighting force doesn't affect you? The destruction of our country's reputation doesn't affect you?

You said: "Them profiting doesn't make me poorer"

Other than the fact that the income disparity in this country has grown by leaps and bounds since WWII? Glad you are happy making minimum wage, because you'll be lucky to find a better job when you graduate even with a college degree due to the wealthy you are so convinced don't make you poorer. Unless that is you have the connections to go to Yale and Harvard only to have a nice, cushy multi-million dollar job land on your lap not because of your intelligence or know-how, but rather because your daddy goes to the same country club as the board of directors. Whoops we over-leveraged and everyone, but us lost their money. Bail-outs and bonuses to all!

You said: "Privacy to do what? Change my clothes? I have privacy to do that. Use the restroom? I have privacy to do that as well. Chat face-to-face with friends?"

Actually there are cameras everywhere and you have no idea who is watching or what they are using the footage for. Not even the Chinese government kicks in doors for chatting with friends or taking a piss.

You said: "I feel perfectly safe. I don't worry about violence—neither from my fellow citizens, foreign terrorists, nor least of all my domestic governments."

Just walk through this body scanner here, so we can view and maybe or maybe not store and transmit images of your naked body. And don't forget about the illegal wiretapping and domestic spying. I suppose none of this counts as illegal search and seizure, though. And for what? To protect citizens from a manufactured threat that is about as rare as a lightning strike. "Those who sacrifice security for liberty deserve neither." - Benjamin Franklin

You said: "Due process, double jeopardy, self-incrimination, eminent domain, speedy public trial, right to counsel, excessive bail, and cruel and unusual punishment? Haven't had to exercise my freedom of and from any of those, but I can't imagine any scenario in which I'd be denied of any of them. Maybe If I was—again—plotting to destroy the United States. Not likely, in my case."

Let's just hope you don't get on the government's bad side by accident or by design or you will find that your counsel is often sub-standard if you are poor, water-boarding is no treat, and you do not need to self-incriminate when they have illegally wiretapped your phones and edited for time and content. And let's not forget about rendition and black site prisons.

You said: Funny, because Japan owns nearly as much US debt as China, yet no one talks about how Japan "owns" the US—hm, maybe because it's not as cheaply sensationalistic and melodramatic? Could it be?!"

Admitting that another country other than than the U.S. has a controlling share of our economic future is bad enough. This just further confirms our current state of incompetence, greed, and corruption.

People quote 1984 because it was a blistering and accurate portrait of where we are heading if we allow groupthink, technological oppression, and an unchecked shadow elite to do what they want. I am not paranoid, just realistic. Maybe if you took the time to peel back the sunny exterior of your own delusions, you would find that the people in power (even in the good ol' U.S. of A) aren't as benevolent as you would like to think.