Category Archives: Human rights

Free Speech as a Human Right

[Cross-posted from OR318] The two main arguments governments, and their supporters, make against free speech are these. First, that the outlawed speech is immoral. An example of this might be a blogger in Egypt who claims that Islam is a false religion or a blogger in the United States who maintains that killing people involvedContinue reading “Free Speech as a Human Right”

Need a Free Nonprofit Blog Host

Because I is a idiot, I was considering reawakening the beast that is, or rather was, the Committee to Protect Bloggers. To do this, I need a free blog host. OK, they’re common enough. But since my techno-eyes are always bigger than my techno-stomach, I need a host that would also be available for constantContinue reading “Need a Free Nonprofit Blog Host”

YouTube + Dictators = Tru Luv 4 Evr

YouTube is assisting the Thai government in censoring its product. (Via SplashCast blog.) Its corporate overlord, Google, is already doing the same for the Chinese government. It didn’t take long for YouTube cofounder Chad Hurley to trot out the Chamberlainesque excuse pioneered by Yahoo’s Jerry Yang, “At the end of the day we want toContinue reading “YouTube + Dictators = Tru Luv 4 Evr”

Open Letter to Loic

Parisian wigglers at a bar in the Bastille, by S. Dear Loic: We don’t know each other well, having done nothing more than exchange a few emails over the years. But one of the benefits of being a participant in the wide world of social media is a shamelessness and a willingness to dialogue publicly,Continue reading “Open Letter to Loic”

Ton of Bricks vs. Bloggers

Two awful stories prove that things are still bad for bloggers in oppressive countries. First, Yahoo. (And really, how could it not start with Yahoo?) Speaking with VOA’s Mandarin Service Wednesday after arriving in Washington, Yu Ling said Chinese police arrested her husband, Wang Xiaoning, partly because Yahoo’s Hong Kong office gave Chinese authorities informationContinue reading “Ton of Bricks vs. Bloggers”

Global Voices’ Israel Problem?

One of my favorite Arabic blogs used to be Haitham Sabbah’s Sabbah’s Blog. Haitham seemed to be a very passionate writer. He was not easily inclined to forgiveness and peacemaking, but he seemed nonetheless to try to see beyond his own horizon. I empathized with that because I think I’m a little like that myself.Continue reading “Global Voices’ Israel Problem?”

Sokwanele Missing in Action?

Update: The Ladies and Gentlement of Sokwanele’s “This is Zimbabwe” are back. *** I just found out from Sokari at Black Looks that Zimbabwe’s Sokwenle group has neither posted on their blog, This is Zimbabwe, nor on the Sokwanele site, for six weeks. Not only that, they do not answer their email. This in theContinue reading “Sokwanele Missing in Action?”

Nazanin Sentenced to Death for Defending Herself Against Rapist

I found out via [under construction] that an 18-year old Iranian woman named Nazanin Fatehi has been sentenced to death for defending herself and a 16-year old cousin against a rapist. She stabbed him and he died, so now, she’s been sentenced to die. Former Miss Canada, Nazanin Afshin-Jam has started a petition for NazaninContinue reading “Nazanin Sentenced to Death for Defending Herself Against Rapist”

A collective conscience for the wired world

Since the op-ed I was invited to write by Canada’s National Post is no longer accessible, I am republishing it here. This draft is not as tight as the published version, but it will have to do. A Collective Conscience for the Wired World On February 22, in a closed “revolutionary court” in Iran, ArashContinue reading “A collective conscience for the wired world”