Bill would give president emergency control of Internet

[E.J.]

read the story HERE

[DesDownunder]

If we accept the premise that the Internet is a public worldwide computer network system accessed by an estimated quarter of the Earth's population, and in the course of its connectivity, informs, entertains and distributes knowledge and opinion which is global in its effect, why on Earth would anyone propose that it be disabled for political purposes under the guise of security?

Such a suggestion could be considered to be the groundwork for a *coup d'?tat, unusually, at the instigation of the incumbent head of government, the US President, who is worryingly, under advisement by people who may be more than interested in conducting a coup d'?tat on the US government itself. The rest of the world wouldn't know about it because the net was shut down.

What a great plot for a film!

What a horror for the American people!

What a disaster for democracy.

The resource of the Internet does indeed inform the people of the countries in which it operates and by extension influences those people who do not have ready access. The argument that abuse of the Net is dangerous, or misinformation is also conveyed and therefore the Internet should be curtailed to match the perceived threats to national security, entirely misses, in fact it ignores, the point of free speech.

The proposed bill is a threat to world peace as much as it is a threat to the human right for freedom of information.

From Wiki:

*Guardian coup d??tat: the "musical chairs" coup d??tat. The stated aim of such a coup is usually improving public order, efficiency, and ending corruption. There usually is no fundamental change to the power structure. Generally, the leaders portray their actions as a temporary and unfortunate necessity.