It used to be that the hope was that the push of information would be the force behind movements for freedom throughout the world (i.e. Voice of America).

The problem was, of course, oppressive regimes could effectively propagandize against such efforts - couching them as overt "cultural attacks" by we American Capitalist Pigs™.

The Internet is the mother of pull information (although the free market stimulates continual efforts to find ways to push information, of course). In the end, though, for the oppressed who happen to be intellectually curious, as Mulder used to say, "The truth is out there."

Naturally, it is also a venue for those trapped behind oppressive regimes to get their points of view published. It is their hope that the right people opt to, in turn, pull that information.

This cannot be easily contained by even the most oppressive regime.

Some brave people will die along the way, but that is, bizarrely enough, an overall positive. It is a sign that it is working. If positive change ever comes to be, martyrs for this cause will be appropriately revered.

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"Compassionate Conservatism"?!?! That is a stupid phrase. Conservatism is inherently compassionate. It is liberalism that is cruel for the sake of maintaining a constituency.