Governments that oppress their people will eventually be taken down by the internet and technology. This is an example of how the internet has exposed and embarrassed China to the point where they are at least pretending like they give a shit. They arrested a bunch of people. Had this not been a public incident, nobody in that country would even care. While tragic, this story reaffirms how important technology can be in improving human life and averting war.

China blogger beaten to death - CNN.com

Boy, and China thought 2008 would be a good year for them as far as press goes. Or at least I'm sure that's what they hoped after 2007. So much for trying to paint a more friendly side of China for the Olympics.

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I don't pretend to know everything, educate me, and I'll try to educate you. Shouting matches and insults aren't going to convince me.

While the outcome is bad and part of this is dealing with bad press, it is nice to see China continuing to taking steps on human rights. I hope that China comes to realize the value of a good reputation and continues to in a positive direction as time goes on.

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.

10 years ago we'd have never heard about it, so the internet is changing things in China albeit relatively slowly. It doesn't help when Google accedes to Chinese Government's demands to censor search results though.

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'They'd rather be alive than free, I guess. Poor dumb bastards.' Private Eightball - Full Metal Jacket

The art of war is of vital importance to the State. It is a matter of life and death, a road either to safety or to ruin. Hence it is a subject of inquiry which can on no account be neglected
- Sun Tzu, the Art of War