My Commentary -- or should I term it Get My Reading Perspective -- before you read?
If I have to choose between UN control of free speech with all that it entails -- or spam and business trying to get me to buy something, I'll choose the present set-up and ICANN. Freedom of expression -- even if it entails ads for penis enlargement for one who lacks one, I can DELETE. I cannot survive UN censorship -- in a UN run by tin-pot Third World and other dictatorships aided by our taxpayer-funded NGO's. Non-government organizations? You jest! Simply left-wing organs that help Liberal types do the dirty work they don't wish to to be seen doing themselves! NJC.
PS: I have updated this post with comments and emphasis.
'ICANN has to go': Developing countries say U.S. has too much influence on Internet
A rebellion is growing among developing countries against what they see as the undue influence of the United States on the Internet.
We can rely on the UN to be anti-American and this is simply the latest instalment in that on-going saga. At least, what the West--in this case, Anerica--sets up, works, which is more than can be said for anything set up by most UN organizations and those countries who hold sway over the UN at present. The US is simply the most successful at getting so much right that innovations like the Internet actually work at present. The big desire on the part of most of the UN's NGOs is that they be able to stop this success -- to curb the flow of information which is bypassing their government organs rather successfully. Do you hear that, CBC? NJC
The question of who should control the Net will be the major point of discussion at the United Nations' first conference on information technology, which opens in Geneva next month.
[. . . .]
Many developing countries and non-governmental organizations want the United Nations to manage the Internet, rather than the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), a private regulator in California. The five-year-old company, which works with the U.S. government, oversees how Web sites are named and how e-mail is sent for the world's more than 550-million Internet users.
Although the ICANN board of directors is made up of representatives from around the world, many critics worry the organization is too closely linked to the United States. They would prefer the Internet to be managed by a more inclusive intergovernmental body, such as the International Telecommunications Union, the UN agency that is organizing the Geneva summit from Dec. 10-12.
Note: it is a "union" which may or may not be something concerning which you hold strong views. I do -- and I do NOT like it. NJC
"ICANN has no real right to hold the power it has been given over the day-to-day operations of the Net," said Bill Thompson, a British technical consultant who writes a technology column for BBC Online. "Many people have come to the conclusion that ICANN has to go. It has never shown that it is able to represent the majority of interests of Net users."
But many Western countries support ICANN because of its commitment to minimal regulation and commercial principles. They believe the Internet should remain decentralized in the interests of promoting free speech and free commerce.
This is the point at which many people use "children's interests" and "our young people's safety and security" to demand CONTROL over what is on the Internet -- especially as regards pornography. I do not look at pornography but I have been asked to look at a couple of pictures and then write an article on it. I suspect pictures of naked ladies are the least of the filth that is out there. Nevertheless, I BELIEVE PROTECTION OF THEIR CHILDREN IS A PARENT'S DUTY, not that of those in control of the Internet's assigned names and addresses. Parents have a duty in this department to discuss/explain/protect and even forbid/cut off access and that whole panoply of parental sanctions available. There are other ways to address Internet pornography and assorted scams through law and the common sense of taxpayers/voters/MPs not controlled by a Prime Minister or courts--which have been known to split hairs over artistic merit in pornography -- means to curb and control more preferable to me than UN incompetent control. NJC
Furthermore, U.S. and European Union officials say UN organizations are hopelessly bureaucratic and could never manage the Internet, which moves at lightning speed. Indeed, the European Commission argues putting its management in the hands of the United Nations or individual governments could threaten the flow of information and ideas on the Internet.
But many non-governmental organizations worry about the flow of hate speech, child pornography and unwanted advertising, or spam. They argue a new structure needs to be put in place that would address ways of dealing with such issues.
The Internet Democracy Project, an umbrella group for non-governmental organizations bankrolled by the international financier and philanthropist George Soros, says it is seeking to "create Internet government structures that preserve and promote the principles of a civil society." It is pushing to make ICANN more accountable to the Internet community.
"Increasingly, ICANN has been setting policies on issues that will have a significant impact on the free expression and privacy rights of Internet users, for example, by crafting policies that favour commercial interests over those of non-commercial speakers."
As mentioned above, viewers can delete -- or refuse to view filth or buy junk and gamble -- or must people whose desires outstrip their common sense be protected from themselves by the UN? Of course, for those subject to "the malling of the mind", increasingly, it is everyone's fault but their own. I vote for personal choice every time -- and particularly, the choice to say NO all by myself! NJC -- getting carried away again.
[. . . .]
Mr. Twomey, an Australian, takes exception to the idea that ICANN is somehow an American institution, pointing out that it is, in fact, a non-governmental organization with wide international representation. Much of the opposition to ICANN, he believes, is really misplaced anti-Americanism.
[. . . . ]
"How can a bureaucratic organization like the UN manage the Internet? You need a nimble organization that can make quick decisions."
[. . . .]
Internet governance is only one of many issues the summit will tackle. Another is the creation of a "digital solidarity fund" that would address the technology gap between rich and poor countries.
The push for the fund is being led by a group of African countries, although many international lending agencies, such as the World Bank, fear much of the money earmarked for the proposed "digital solidarity fund" could end up funding more bureaucracy.
"People are not excited by the idea of creating a special fund that entails massive arrangements," said a spokesman for the World Bank. "The bank would never support something that would generate a few million dollars for African countries and cost the same amount to manage."
My problem with this is: does our government think Arar is a suspicious character? No-one has a right to come here and put Canadians at risk. If they think so, they should be willing to act on that suspicion and to say so. NJC
Washington and Ottawa - Solicitor-General Wayne Easter admitted Wednesday that Canada provided U.S. intelligence agencies with a dossier of information about Maher Arar, the Canadian who was subsequently arrested and deported to Syria where he was tortured for months.
After meeting yesterday in Washington with U.S. Attorney-General John Ashcroft, Mr. Easter made the admission when he insisted that Canada was not alone in giving information to the Americans.
The dossier on Mr. Arar "didn't just come from Canada alone," Mr. Easter said, without indicating which other nations had provided the Americans with information about Mr. Arar.
"I've always admitted that certainly we do exchange information with the security and law-enforcement agencies in the United States in order to protect out national security," Mr. Easter said.
Although he refused to explain what threat - if any - Mr. Arar posed to national security in either Canada or the United States, he emerged from the meeting with Mr. Ashcroft saying the United States remains certain that it did the right thing by deporting him to Syria.
[. . . .]
What remains unclear is whether senior Canadian officials were aware of, or even okayed, the high-level U.S. decision to deport Mr. Arar to Syria, a country known to torture prisoners.
Check this out Bob Runciman and Julian Fantino. For those of you who would like a change -- a change toward law and order, pick up on this, and write to both of them with your views. We need someone to stand up for law-abiding Canadians. These guys are good. Write to them if you are interested in this idea.
Another suggestion that my friend made concerned Julian Fantino. We all know that he has been banging his head against the wall trying to get the violence in Toronto under control. Her idea is that HE should consider this also. I agree with that because Julien can do far more to help the Toronto Police Service from a perch in a Tory federal government than he can where he is. I have no doubt that he would make a great MP and with his qualifications I am certain he would sit in Cabinet.
"...an education based solely upon one-sided condemnations of American policy will fail to be effective..."
. . . . Following September 11, 2001 and the war in Iraq, federal lawmakers have indicated their need for citizens who are thoroughly educated in and possess great knowledge of the Middle East by increasing funding for Middle Eastern education programs from $21.3 million in 2000 to $30 million in 2003.
Title VI of the Higher Education Act provides funding and support for Middle Eastern educational programs, which stress "the study by Americans of foreign languages, as well as area and other international studies critical to strengthening our ability to ensure the nation's security and economic competitiveness." This funding, according to the testimony of Hoover Institution research fellow Stanley Kurtz before a hearing of the House Subcommittee on Select Education on June 19, tends to benefit programs that "purvey extreme and one-sided criticisms of American foreign policy."
This statement appears to be correct when one considers that Edward Said, Columbia University's late revered theorist in Middle East area studies, once asserted that "the genocidal actions of…American leaders make Slobodan Milosevic himself look like a rank amateur in viciousness." It is given further credence through Professor Joel Beinin's belief that "it's unfair to expect students and teachers to set aside their moral commitments or the way they identify emotionally with a topic when they enter the classroom," coupled with his belief that, in the wake of September 11, 2001, Americans should realize, "The United States is not somehow uniquely protected from the consequences of its actions in the world."Maintaining support for Title VI has now become difficult since it benefits programs and professors who aim not to educate, but instead to make ideologically pointed jeremiads while stifling opposing opinions.
Naturally, talk of monitoring what professors are teaching students in these programs has scared the academics who are most vocal and virulent in condemning the U.S. . . . .The ‘restriction of academic freedom' charade is further proved incorrect when one realizes how little ‘academic freedom' exists at institutions which employ professors who do not foster an environment of academic diversity.
[. . . .]
Money for programs like Title VI originates from taxpayers who expect a return on their investment. In this situation, the return manifests itself not only in the education of those who wish to become professors, but also in those who wish to use their education to serve their country. Just as an education that is devoid of criticism of American foreign policy would provide students with an inaccurate view of world issues, an education based solely upon one-sided condemnations of American policy will fail to be effective while simultaneously hindering people from wanting to serve an "oppressive" American regime. This result violates the principles enunciated by the founding fathers, who saw the government's promise of education as vital to the continuity of a democratic republic.
As for how Turkey might respond, Jack has a fascinating post: The Infidel Turk which argues that al Qaeda may have awoken yet another sleeping giant.
Jack (and David Warren) make some very valid points, and factor in both geography and the Turkish army. The Turkish army considers itself to be the guardian of modern Turkey and is the most powerful army in the Mid-East.
In a Washington Times commentary, Claude Salhani, senior editor with UPI, gives a brief run down on how Turkey has dealt with terrorism in the past, and says the al Qaeda attacks in Turkey guarantee that the gloves will come off.
According to an AP dispatch, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan spoke to Israeli PM Sharon by phone and the two have pledged cooperation in fighting terrorism:
Erdogan spoke on Saturday with Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon by telephone, agreeing to cooperate in the fight on terrorism. The chief of Israel's Mossad secret service agency reportedly traveled to Turkey this week following the attacks in an apparent expansion of coordination between the allies.
Turkey and Israel have built up strong military and trade ties. Now Turkey is seeking Israel's expertise from more than 100 suicide bombings since September 2000 and knowledge on how to track Islamic militants.
Neither Syria nor Iran have been hit by al Qaeda, and implications are easy to draw yet hard to prove. I don't know if actual war could erupt, but Turkey is reviewing its list of terror cells, and a demonstration yesterday indicates the Turkish people are not going to allow terrorists to intimidate them or deter them from maintaining a secular government.
The devastating suicide bombings in Istanbul last weekwere planned in an internet café in the remote eastern Turkish town of Bingol and co-ordinated with al-Qa'eda.
Turkish police seized equipment from the Bingol internet Merkezi café owned by the family of Gokhan Elaltintas. He is thought to have been one of two suicide bombers who attacked synagogues in Istanbul nine days ago.
The four bombers - natives of a town that is connected to the rest of Turkey by one treacherous road - had travelled across the Middle East and South Asia before returning home to form a terrorist cell which was activated this month. They are believed to have received weapons training in Pakistan and at al-Qa'eda camps in Afghanistan.
Security officials told the Turkish National Security Council on Friday night that as many as 1,000 Turks have trained in Islamist terrorist camps in the past decade.
The Turkish foreign minister, Abdullah Gul, has said that the two suspects in the latest bombings had visited Afghanistan, while the Turkish media reported that one trained in Iran in 2001. US intelligence officials said that both men trained in al-Qa'eda camps in Afghanistan, and returned to Turkey in 2001.
Bingol's proximity to Iran and Syria, which have become havens for al-Qa'eda since the Taliban regime was overthrown in Afghanistan, made it attractive as a base for plotting the terror attacks.
Al-Qa'eda operatives are believed to have made their way to Turkey to help design the bombs and fuses, picking the targets and planning the missions. They also taught the Turkish cells how to communicate via encrypted messages posted on the internet.
[. . . .]
Police officials said that 18 people had been arrested in connection with the bombings, including printers who had sold the men false identity papers and car dealers who provided the vehicles used in the attacks.
My Commentary:
Sure, we need Al Jazeera and El Arabiya to help spread the Islamist/extremist word in Canada, don't we? Note that, Liberals. You too can aid the crazies with this, as well as with your lax immigration and refugee policies and practices. Of course, we need more Wahhabi schools and influence here to round out our diversity.
And we must bring in more students to study computer science without adequately monitoring them -- students from the territories of the crazies -- or is it considered racist to say that in politically correct Canada? Anyone who had travelled to these countries years ago would have questioned this policy based on their experiences. (I shall spare you the details; let it suffice to say many of us knew there would be no meeting of the minds if they came to the West.)
ASHINGTON, Nov. 21 — The Homeland Security Department has decided to stop a program that required thousands of Arab and Muslim men to register with immigration authorities after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, officials said on Friday.
Hoping to hunt down terrorists, immigration officials fingerprinted, photographed and interviewed 85,000 Muslim and Arab noncitizens from November 2002 to May 2003 under the program. The effort, the largest to register immigrants in decades, required annual reporting. Men from Iran, Iraq, Libya, Sudan and Syria began going to immigration offices for a second round of registrations this month.
Officials have acknowledged that most of the Arabs and Muslims who have complied with the requirements had no ties to terrorist groups. Of the 85,000 men who went to immigration offices early this year, as well as tens of thousands screened at airports and border crossings, 11 had links to terrorism, officials said.
The program was sharply criticized by civil liberties groups and advocates for immigrants. The critics said it did little to find terrorists and alienated the very communities that could help uncover terrorists. Advocates for immigrants have also complained that immigration officials have done little to publicize the second round, touching off waves of confusion and anxiety.
Government officials said questions had arisen about the effectiveness of the program. They said an announcement about ending it might be made as early as next week.
A spokesman for the Homeland Security Department, William Strassberger, would not confirm any decisions on program, but acknowledged that it was being reviewed to determine whether it should end. The decision to discontinue the program, known as special registration, was first reported in The Washington Post.
"We're continuing to evaluate the special registration program for its effectiveness and efficiency and whether this is the best use of resources," Mr. Strassberger said.
He said the program might be superseded by an effort in which immigration officials at 115 airports and 14 seaports will begin collecting digital fingerprints and photographs from foreign visitors who enter the United States with visas. That program, which is scheduled to begin in January, is not be specifically directed at Muslims and Arabs, he said.
Update: J from California:
Well, my globetrotting buddy, just in case you might be contemplating taking off into some wild yonder, be informed that soon you will have to wipe the smile off your Canadian passport photo, or the new biometric facial recognition cameras won't be able to recognize if you are a terrorist or just a plain old shmuck. But the technology is still being tested, so you may still be able to take a trip or two smiling.
Here in the blessed States though, airline passengers soon will be categorized by level of security risk by CAPPS II (not the cartoon artist). The Computer Assisted Passenger Prescreening System II will code each of us bold enough to take a flight based on our city of departure (room for a good joke here), destination (Peshawar? blinkblinkblink), traveling companion (no beards, please), date of ticket purchase (why the big hurry?) and whether the traveller paid with cash instead of a credit card (if you don't want your identity stolen and thus carry cash, we must keep an eye on you!) - and so forth.
If you're lucky enough to be coded green, you might pass through security easily; if you are yellow brace yourself for more screening. Red? Forget getting on the plane: off we are to a little police interview. . . . .
Have nice trip.
Thanks and I'm delighted to have American input. NJC
New York-bound Czech flight forced to land in Iceland
When a New York-bound Czech Airlines flight was diverted to land in Iceland after a bomb threat was e-mailed to the U.S. Embassy in Prague, no bomb was found – but, according to Joseph Farah's G2 Bulletin, two tons of machine-guns were discovered in the baggage hold.
The plane, which carried 174 passengers and crew, made an unscheduled landing Tuesday in Iceland, after the airline received a warning that a bomb was on board.
The threat was delivered in an e-mail to the U.S. Embassy in Prague, which passed it on to the airline in the late afternoon. The plane had just passed Iceland when it received the threat and had to turn around to land at a U.S. military airfield.
This is outrageous! It is enough to make me go back to church -- any Christian church. I support the existence of them for the good of society. I think churches are a force for good -- not least because children must be taught an ethical framework and they need fear of something beyond themselves -- until they develop into reasoning citizens who behave ethically because it is civilized. It makes sense -- even without a God. For those who can be helped by belief and a church, I have no problem, and this politically correct attitude is beyond the pale -- especially in the face of so much Muslim violence. Why are we respectful of their beliefs when they do not respect those of the West?
Christianity is what spurred much of Western civilization and certainly its tolerance. I am furious that this government operates against the good of society and against the wishes of many Canadians -- and must this be tolerated? It is time for the new Conservative Party to voice the feelings of those of us who see society being harmed by this so-called tolerance which really amounts to tolerance for all religious beliefs except Christianity. It must become part of our policy platform that we support Christianity in Canada and those who come here had better learn a bit of tolerance themselves.
SASKATOON -- Although told to keep religion out of it, a Saskatoon member of Parliament and onetime evangelical minister said he does not intend on altering his remarks for upcoming Citizenship and Immigration Canada welcome ceremonies.
Scheduled for Dec. 11 and 15 in Saskatoon, the two ceremonies will see more than 200 people from around the world officially presented Canadian citizenship.
While the ceremonies were being planned last week, a staff member of Maurice Vellacott (Saskatoon-Wanuskewin) was told by a CIC program support assistant in an e-mail "there cannot be any referral to God or the Bible in his speech."
[. . . .]
Mr. Vellacott e-mailed the CIC and asked them to produce the no-religion guideline in writing.
The CIC responded by referring him to the 65-page CIC Guide to Citizenship Ceremonies.
One of the pages reads "remarks, either formal or informal, that reflect on a particular culture, religious belief, or nationality are out of place at a citizenship ceremony."
Mr. Vellacott, who notes there are references to God in O Canada and the Charter of Rights, both of which are part of the ceremony, said mentioning God in his Titanic story is no worse.
"It's appropriate. It's tasteful on the occasion. It's normal and natural, as I relate the story, to remark in respect of the providence of God," he said. "I have no intent to be deleting or purging out references to God in those brief speeches."
CIC spokesman Jean-Pierre Morin said Canada has to be respectful when welcoming people from different cultural backgrounds.
