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May
25
Is there anything that some people won’t say needs to be done in the name of fighting terrorism?
Several months ago, I wrote about how, under a bill proposed last November (HR 1955, passed by the House but not yet by the Senate) called the Violent Radicalization and Homegrown Terrorism Prevention Act of 2007, naming a teddy bear Muhammed could be seen as an act leading to radicalization and therefore unlawful.
Sounds far-fetched? Yeah, maybe. But…
Today’s editorial in the New York Times decries US Senator Joe Lieberman of Connecticut demands that YouTube take down more videos, because he believes fosters terrorism, than they’ve already removed at his request. (I won’t get into how YouTube doesn’t take down girl fight videos; wonder why Lieberman isn’t getting behind that.)
Here’s the NYT’s argument:
Earlier this month, the Senate homeland security committee, which is led by Mr. Lieberman, issued a report titled “Violent Islamist Extremism, the Internet, and the Homegrown Terrorist Threat.” The report identified the Internet as “one of the primary drivers” of the terrorist threat to the United States.
All of this comes against the backdrop of a troubling Congressional antiterrorism bill that also focuses on the Internet. The Violent Radicalization and Homegrown Terrorism Prevention Act, which passed the House last year by a 404-to-6 vote, would establish a commission to study the terrorist threat and propose legislation. The bill, which the Senate has not acted on, has a finding that the Internet promotes radicalization and terrorism.
Although the report by the homeland security committee stopped short of making recommendations for reining in online speech, it did ask “what, if any, new laws” were needed. The answer is that no new laws are needed — or justifiable — any more than it would be tolerable to enact laws restricting speech over the telephone, in a newspaper or a book, on a street corner, or in a church, mosque or synagogue.
While it is fortunate that Mr. Lieberman does not have the power to tell YouTube that it must remove videos, it is profoundly disturbing that an influential senator would even consider telling a media company to shut down constitutionally protected speech. The American Civil Liberties Union has warned that the “Homegrown Terrorism” bill and related efforts “could be a precursor to proposals to censor and regulate speech on the Internet.”
Not only do these efforts contradict fundamental American values, it is not clear if they would help fight terrorism. Even if YouTube pulled down every video Mr. Lieberman did not like, radical groups could post the same videos on their own Web sites. Trying to restrain the Internet is a game of “whack-a-mole” that cannot be won, says John Morris of the Center for Democracy and Technology. Having the videos on YouTube may even be a good thing, because it makes it easier for law enforcement officials, the media and the public to monitor the groups and their messages.
Terrorism is a real concern. All Americans know that. They also know that if we give up our fundamental rights, the terrorists win. If people use speech to engage in criminal acts, they should be prosecuted. Cutting off free speech is never the right answer. [emphasis added]
Sounds like the advice Jeff Hess of Have Coffee Will Write would give and does give. Wisely.
By Jill Miller Zimon at 8:08 pm May 25th, 2008 in Blogging, Civil Rights, Congress, Crime, Foreign Affairs, Government, Media, Politics, Social Issues
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5 Responses to “Lieberman promotes expansion of online censorship in name of fighting terrorism”
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Shalom Jill,
Liberman has gone over to the Dark Side.
I seriously hope that he is defeated in 2010.
B’shalom,
Jeff
[...] [Update] The Tri-C Obama rally tow-truck man’s Kennedy reference strikes again 0810 Lieberman promotes expansion of online censorship in name of fighting terrorism Posted in [...]
No question that there is nothing of a Democrat left in him to be seen – if I find the time, I’d like to check out his voting record to see if he’s voted with the Dems at all, except when other GOP legislators are as well. It is very, very unfortunate.
Nothing Democrat left in Lieberman?! How about nothing remotely non-fascist?
Of course he could care less about the girl fight videos. Cultural debasement and encouraging violent behavior among children is very pro-American. Makes money (next to Godliness in America) and mentally conditions future soldiers. Worst case scenario – build more prisons – again, see: making money!
Thanks for keeping this in the forefront. Eventually the Internet will either look like the Chinese version or will be pretty much shut down completely except for discussion of kittens and knitting and the like.
My parents still vote in CT and I told my mother that they really ought to either recall him somehow or be sure that he gets kicked out and/or never elected again. There’s just no reasonable explanation for this changes.