Isn't this a sad reflection on our country?

Generally, when they talk about you in the same context as that of a handful of countries that have serious human rights issues, it's cause for concern. Nowadays, the fact that the US is talked about like this barely makes a ripple in our public discourse.

More bloggers than ever face arrest for exposing human rights abuses or criticising governments, says a report.

Since 2003, 64 people have been arrested for publishing their views on a blog, says the University of Washington annual report.

In 2007 three times as many people were arrested for blogging about political issues than in 2006, it revealed.

More than half of all the arrests since 2003 have been made in China, Egypt and Iran, said the report.

[SNIP]

The report pointed out that it is not just governments in the Middle East and East Asia that have taken steps against those publishing their opinions online. In the last four years, British, French, Canadian and American bloggers have also been arrested.

The report predicted that the number of blogger arrests in 2008 would exceed the 36 seen in 2007 thanks to greater popularity of blogging as a medium, greater enforcement of net restrictions, and elections in China, Pakistan, Iran and the US.

I think this means that speech isn't free anymore. The rule of law doesn't mean anything, so why should the idea of being able to speak freely mean anything?

--WS

We matter! We really, really matter!

"First they ignore you, then they ridicule you, then they fight you,
then you win." --Mahatma Gandhi

Bloggers are finally gaining a bit of recognition from the old media. Turns out that all that harping they did about us lowering the tone was misplaced - yeah, we can be a foul-mouthed and impatient lot - but haven't you been paying attention the last seven fucking years??? Those words we've been tossing around evolved in the language for a god-damned reason, and they are appropriate at this point in time.

If you can't use profanity to describe an obscenity, when the fuck can you use it?

Well, while we were "coarsening the tone," it turns out we were raising the bar. No we are not a particularly congenial crowd. But there is a reason for that...we are fed up. A whole bunch of us who grew up with Uncle Walter have never seen one minute of the CBS Evening News with Katie Couric. I am one of them. (Here's a bit of irony for you - I actively boycott their nightly news, but they have linked my analysis and my original reporting on white papers.)

Anyway - there are a lot of us doing some serious work and research. At least once a month I write something that pulls together multiple sources on a topic - not just the media reports but the documents the media reports are based on. I frequently write posts based on GAO reports or white papers. And gee - what blog was it that waded into the Libby case and got those pre-sentencing letters supporting that traitor released?

Christy Hardin Smith at Firedoglake (the blog that, by the way, did a kick-ass job of live-blogging the Libby trial and countering the two-minutes of spin it got on the evening news) summed it up nicely:

How about going out there and doing the jobs that the Fourth Estate used to do well — digging into the substance, the facts, the original sources on speeches and actions and legislation and such and doing some down and dirty real world comparisons on actions speaking louder than words? Now THAT would be something worth paying attention to — and it would be useful for all of us, wouldn’t it?

I could not agree more!

A hashmark in the “Win” column

Sometimes you win one. And when you do, damn it feels good.

The Libby pre-sentencing letters are going to be released.

When it comes right down to it, what bmaz and I did yesterday – filing that amicus brief – is going to matter far beyond 5 June 2007. (His thoughts on our win can be found here or by clicking on his name any place it appears in this post.)

The issue of bloggers-as-journalists will be revisited. And we are part of the precedent that will be referred to.

I am proud to be associated with the effort, and glad to be of service. But the credit is not really mine – the credit goes to bmaz for the excellent legal work, and to Some Perspective For You for taking part of his day and personally walking that brief into Judge Walton’s chambers. Around Blogtopia (y, sctp™) I have been getting more credit than I deserve.

Those two are the real heroes of this story – I signed on – they did the real work. And damned if we don't have something to show for it!

Yeah, yeah - it's all well and good to fight for the First Amendment - but when will snarky blogging resume?

My day in the sun is over – the headiness of yesterday and adding a punctuation mark to history has passed, for the most part. But let me say this – if the opportunity ever presents itself for you to take a stand for the First Amendment – do it. Not just because it is a gratifying feeling to fight for what one knows to be absolutely, unequivocally right – that’s just gravy – do it because it’s the right thing to do. Do it because nine-times-out-of-ten, when the situation calls for standing up, nine people out of ten will look for a seat in the corner. Or for a way to backpedal, spin and have it both ways.

Today dawned and I still need to get to the salon for a haircut, the floors still have to be swept, the laundry still needs to be done, Zoe still needs her oatmeal for breakfast and a proper raising, the chimperor still needs to be foiled, and this clusterfuck of a war still needs to be stopped.

So back to work with me already, right?