Whisky, Tango, Foxrot, Over
Mar. 6th, 2006 07:04 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
pecuniumI wish this weren't so believable.
A guy in Iraq has sent a couple of e-mails describing a pattern of what can only be called censorship on the network in Iraq.
This is the list of website he says are blocked, as well as some which aren't.
Unfortunately anonomizers don't work out here (never have). Anyway, I had a few minutes today and thought I'd look and see what else was banned on the Marine web here. I think the results speak for themselves:
* Wonkette – “Forbidden, this page (http://www.wonkette.com/) is categorized as: Forum/Bulletin Boards, Politics/Opinion.”
* Bill O’Reilly (www.billoreilly.com) – OK
* Air America (www.airamericaradio.com) – “Forbidden, this page (http://www.airamericaradio.com/) is categorized as: Internet Radio/TV, Politics/Opinion.”
* Rush Limbaugh (www.rushlimbaugh.com) – OK
* ABC News “The Note” – OK
* Website of the Al Franken Show (www.alfrankenshow.com) – “Forbidden, this page (http://www.airamericaradio.com/) is categorized as: Internet Radio/TV, Politics/Opinion.”
* G. Gordon Liddy Show (www.liddyshow.us) – OK
* Don & Mike Show (www.donandmikewebsite.com) – “Forbidden, this page (http://www.donandmikewebsite.com/) is categorized as: Profanity, Entertainment/Recreation/Hobbies.”
When we used our "mommy-note from hell" on the 1st BCT of the 101st to get a NIPRNet drop (real internet service, as oppose to just SIPRNet, which is secure, and so doesn't talk to the outside web. I could get EarlyBird, but nothing else. Thankfully the CIA thinks a wide variety of opinion and news is valuable in making decisions, so I was able to get a fairly rounded picture of the war, as well as things stateside) I discovered that I couldn't access Blogger, or Lj, or Blogspot, or any such site. Moveable Type pages were Ok so I could read Making Light and it's (now cojoined) Electorlite, and I could get e-mail. The explanation was that blogs used too much bandwidth. I thought it a tad specious, but as a class they were banned, it wasn't really censorship because no one was being preferentially allowed in.
The system was borked... they didn't know what other things, which were blogs (or so bloglike as to be undistinguishable) really were, and so I could (whimsically), shame poor![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
pnh into sending me a galley proof of Sethra Lavode by skzbrust which was a great comfort to me in hospital, as well as let people who were worried about me know I was doing all right.
But things changed, and before the year was out people were getting blogs. Some of the access was controlled by KBR (and some of that access had to be paid for) but the web was the web.
Look at that list.
Air America is forbidden because it is, "Internet Radio/TV Politics Opinion" but Rush Limbaugh (who those who say the left is worse than they right and Limbaigh is a fringe player, not a real representative of the Right) is allowed. So is Bill O'Reilly, and G. Gordon Liddy (who once said people needed good gun control {i.e. being able to hit the target} because federal agents wear body armor, so you have make headshots, under pressure).
What
The
Fuck?
Or, as a comedian used to say, "That's not riight!"
Because it isn't. Thats pandering, it's propagandizing the troops. And if they keep it up, it'll backfire (or should) Because the troops (according to a recent poll) think things are screwd up. A lot (most, according to some reads, but not seeing the internals I can't say) think we ought to pull out now. It's going to be tough (well, looking at how easily some of the "core conservative values, like small government, distrust of federal authority, balanced budgets, minimal entitlement programs, reduced spending, clear measures of victory; with a defined exit strategy, and absolute avoidance of nation building, personal responsibilty, ethics in government, slavish adoration of the rule of law, and the like, have been tossed out the window, it may not be so hard) to claim that the poor morale of the troops is because they are being stabbed in the back by a defeatist press.
A guy in Iraq has sent a couple of e-mails describing a pattern of what can only be called censorship on the network in Iraq.
This is the list of website he says are blocked, as well as some which aren't.
Unfortunately anonomizers don't work out here (never have). Anyway, I had a few minutes today and thought I'd look and see what else was banned on the Marine web here. I think the results speak for themselves:
* Wonkette – “Forbidden, this page (http://www.wonkette.com/) is categorized as: Forum/Bulletin Boards, Politics/Opinion.”
* Bill O’Reilly (www.billoreilly.com) – OK
* Air America (www.airamericaradio.com) – “Forbidden, this page (http://www.airamericaradio.com/) is categorized as: Internet Radio/TV, Politics/Opinion.”
* Rush Limbaugh (www.rushlimbaugh.com) – OK
* ABC News “The Note” – OK
* Website of the Al Franken Show (www.alfrankenshow.com) – “Forbidden, this page (http://www.airamericaradio.com/) is categorized as: Internet Radio/TV, Politics/Opinion.”
* G. Gordon Liddy Show (www.liddyshow.us) – OK
* Don & Mike Show (www.donandmikewebsite.com) – “Forbidden, this page (http://www.donandmikewebsite.com/) is categorized as: Profanity, Entertainment/Recreation/Hobbies.”
When we used our "mommy-note from hell" on the 1st BCT of the 101st to get a NIPRNet drop (real internet service, as oppose to just SIPRNet, which is secure, and so doesn't talk to the outside web. I could get EarlyBird, but nothing else. Thankfully the CIA thinks a wide variety of opinion and news is valuable in making decisions, so I was able to get a fairly rounded picture of the war, as well as things stateside) I discovered that I couldn't access Blogger, or Lj, or Blogspot, or any such site. Moveable Type pages were Ok so I could read Making Light and it's (now cojoined) Electorlite, and I could get e-mail. The explanation was that blogs used too much bandwidth. I thought it a tad specious, but as a class they were banned, it wasn't really censorship because no one was being preferentially allowed in.
The system was borked... they didn't know what other things, which were blogs (or so bloglike as to be undistinguishable) really were, and so I could (whimsically), shame poor
pnh into sending me a galley proof of Sethra Lavode by skzbrust which was a great comfort to me in hospital, as well as let people who were worried about me know I was doing all right.But things changed, and before the year was out people were getting blogs. Some of the access was controlled by KBR (and some of that access had to be paid for) but the web was the web.
Look at that list.
Air America is forbidden because it is, "Internet Radio/TV Politics Opinion" but Rush Limbaugh (who those who say the left is worse than they right and Limbaigh is a fringe player, not a real representative of the Right) is allowed. So is Bill O'Reilly, and G. Gordon Liddy (who once said people needed good gun control {i.e. being able to hit the target} because federal agents wear body armor, so you have make headshots, under pressure).
What
The
Fuck?
Or, as a comedian used to say, "That's not riight!"
Because it isn't. Thats pandering, it's propagandizing the troops. And if they keep it up, it'll backfire (or should) Because the troops (according to a recent poll) think things are screwd up. A lot (most, according to some reads, but not seeing the internals I can't say) think we ought to pull out now. It's going to be tough (well, looking at how easily some of the "core conservative values, like small government, distrust of federal authority, balanced budgets, minimal entitlement programs, reduced spending, clear measures of victory; with a defined exit strategy, and absolute avoidance of nation building, personal responsibilty, ethics in government, slavish adoration of the rule of law, and the like, have been tossed out the window, it may not be so hard) to claim that the poor morale of the troops is because they are being stabbed in the back by a defeatist press.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
Re: Excuse me, but may I ask?
Date: 2006-03-11 04:30 pm (UTC)The point was that all access is limited (all of it, right wing, left wing, fringe, porno, etc.)
You get a high ranking person asking for access, he gets it. You get a low level person asking for access he does not get it.
High ranking people tend to be more political (read: worried about their pension, read: right wing).
Lower ranking people tend to be less political (read: not worried about their pensions that much, less worried about the status quo).
Then, we get the internet access we now have. I wonder what job that marine has. Because when I was working over there, my internet access was not an issue. I was to busy to be compiling a list of "accessible" sites. I was more concerned with SIPERNET access and when I was going to get some sleep.
Net access is also usually regulated at Brigade and above levels. So some people get more access than others. Look at me right now. I get all the access I want and more. Granted that there were some sites I wanted to read that were blocked, but now they are not.
Should J6 and net control NCOs and Officers be more "politically balanced"? Should we now create a "politically sensitive training" class? We already waste time with "Sensitive to Others" training, the politically correct monster being force fed to us by regulation.
Common Terry. What you just answered ignores all the experience you have with the military and how the system works. For you to ignore your knowledge and leave the issue murky in order for it to be copacetic with your reading audience is just dishonest.
What I am also saying is that, in order for the access to be more balanced, people who are in charge of us that are more moderate or left leaning should voice out their opinion, ask for the access and then... guess what, we get it. The military is not a democracy, but it tends to work out in very democratic ways (sometimes).
Have fun in Hangul Land.
Mr. Jerry
P.S.: you better be bringing some awesome photos from Europe you mofo. I want one with you wearing a kilt. For some reason, I figure you are about the only person that can pull it off nicely. Me? Think fat bastard with a bad hair day.
Re: Excuse me, but may I ask?
Date: 2006-03-11 04:46 pm (UTC)I went to all the above mentioned sites. This is what I got:
http://www.wonkette.com Accessible
www.billoreilly.com Accessible
www.airamericaradio.com Accessible
www.rushlimbaugh.com Accessible
http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/TheNote/ Accessible
www.alfrankenshow.com This Page Cannot Be Displayed
but I went to the following Al Franken related pages:
http://www.alfrankenweb.com/forum/
http://www.ohthethingsiknow.com/ (official webpage)
http://www.lyingliar.com/ (official website)
you get the point
www.liddyshow.us Accessible
www.donandmikewebsite.com Accessible
If anybody has any questions, or would like to check the accessibility of websites from my military network, just ask.
Much love,
Mr. Jerry
P.S.: I get all the access I want. Would this be because I am based in the US? Maybe I am in California (more liberal state?), maybe the military is not trying to censor my access? I dunno. I am just a brainwashed low level soldier. LOL.