[Promoted by Steven D]
I understand the need for military discipline, but this is ridiculous. The U.S. Marine Corps is blocking access to Internet sites that do not toe the Bush administration’s line, news sites, humor sites, and gossip sites, according to an email to Wonkette.
We’re talking about Marines, the lean, mean fighting machines. Is the Pentagon afraid of the truth?
Is this America or China?
From Wonkette:
Just to let you know, the US Marines have blocked access to “Wonkette” along with numerous other sites such as personal email (i.e. Yahoo, AT&T, Hotmail, etc), blogs that don’t agree with the government point of view, personal websites, and some news organizatons. This has taken effect as of the beginning of February. I have no problem with them blocking porn sites (after all it is a government network), but cutting off access to our email and possibly-not-toeing-the-government-line websites is a bit much.
Initially all web blocking was done locally at the hub sites in Iraq. If you wanted a site “unblocked” you just had to email the local administrator with a reason (like, “I’d like to read my email, please.”), and if it wasn’t porn or offensive, they’d allow it. Now, all blocking is done by desk-weenies at the USMC Network Operations Center in Quantico, VA, who really don’t care if we get our email (or gossip) out here, as they get to go to happy hour after working 9 to 5 and go home to a nice clean, warm home with a real bed! (Sorry, I’m a little peeved.)
I bet that Marine is peeved. The Marines are fighting for freedom from humor? From diverse view points?
What’s next for the administration? The Marines will only be able to access Pat Robertson’s web site and the GOP’s? That’s only partially tongue in cheek.
Shows how far they’ll go to control the message.
I wonder what they think will happen to the morale of their Marines when they can’t even access their e-mail.
The right wing are the biggest hypocrits when it comes to supporting the troops. It makes me furious.
No body armor,
paying for their own meals in hospitals,
no e-mail,
and cutting benefits to veterans.
Scum, all of them.
Can we say mutiny?
Next up: the Marines can only read books from the approved reading list.
I remember a couple of months ago that The Ed Schultz Show, of which I’m not a big fan, had a deal with Armed Forces Radio to add his show to their programming.
Remember that fake video conference Bush did with the soldier in Iraq where he was standing in front of a big screen talking to them?
It turned out the whole thing was scripted and when Schultz spoke out against it on his show it turns out that the woman seen coaching the soldiers on what to say to Bush, personally saw to it that Schultz’s show be removed from it’s line up.
The Senate actually held hearings over it and got the show re-instated.
Another twisted example of message management.
is it America or China
why it’s the pre-Glasnost Soviet Union.
it’s where we’ve been heading full speed for 5 straight years.
Blocking web sites does not work for anyone with enough know-how to type in a URL.
There has been a big discussion of this over at Boingboing, which has been blocked by some netnun software or another that seeks to limit views of nudity (including, apparently, a picture of Michelangelo’s David without the fig leaf, which was ultimately got Boingboing blocked). In retaliation they have published a guide to defeating censorware (link at the top of the home page) that should be invaluable information for Marines, Chinese dissidents, and anyone who wants to surf the net anonymously alike.
Some of the circumventions are as simple as going to Google and doing an English-to-English translation of the page. Others are more complicated, like using a VPN to a desktop outside the censor zone. None should be overly difficult for anyone who can follow directions well enough to disassemble, clean, and assemble a rifle.
This is the reason that music and video DRM and other forms of digital restriction are doomed to failure. It’s a lesson I learned over 20 years ago when I first figured out how to unlock programs on my Apple II that the manufacturers didn’t want me poking around in: anything man can implement, another man can circumvent. If you can think of a way to protect something, I (or someone smarter than me) can think of a way to get around it. It’s just a matter of time, inclination and importance.
Oh, and I seriously recommend that even if you’re not a gearhead, you take a look at Boingboing from time to time. It has all sorts of wonderful things on it, not restricted to tech. If one item doesn’t interest you, the next probably will, and they do plenty of coverage of electronic freedom issues and US government follies.
What’s your opinion of private companies using deceptive practices to redirect traffic to another site?
In words of one syllable or less, it sucks. I hate ending up someplace where I didn’t think I was supposed to be. This includes those “link farms” that will pick up a site like “bootrib.com” and if you type that rather than “boomantribune.com” you end up at some sleazy page with a bunch of links to stuff you didn’t want and a search engine that won’t take you where you’re supposed to go. Do you have a particular example in mind?
Nothing with a particular name but plenty of experiences of that happening. I started doind more traceroutes and lookups when that happened. Some of them were related to fixing scripts, worms or trojans that have been around for a while. Sometimes they resolved back to certain servers or businesses or even govt registered entities. I’ve been researching other legalities for the less discussed aspects of all of this internet surveillance and your previous comment fell into that line of thought.
Love boing boing
What I want to know is when are the parents, spouses and friends of these brave men and women going to invade DC and say enough is enough MoFo!? GD anyway. So much for fighting for freedom while your own liberties are going to hell. I am so pissed right now. That is there only link with the outside world right now. Do you think it has anything with that recent survey of the soldiers over there? Most said it was time to leave and it is unwinnable.
It’s that simple.
.
I would be inclined to agree with you but if that’s the case it seems to me that this move will only serve to further piss off and alienate the military rank and file.
Yeah, well, they ain’t geniuses!
😉
I bet they still get Rush.