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Free speech is one of the things that Americans cling to. It is considerd to be a basic right. Almost sacred. So is capitalism. Making money from good business decisions and investments. It is part of the American dream. So why would US lawmakers – who vote depending on which lobby pays more – blast Google, Yahoo, Microsoft and others for making a buck at the expense of free speech? Has the Patriot Act been repealed? Has eavesdropping on American citizens been stopped? It is probably just a slow news day . . . or maybe a ploy to divert attention from the fact that now there are two Vice Presidents that have shot someone while in office.

Anyway, InfoWorld has a pretty good article on the issue. I particularly like the opening line:

"Members of the U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday ripped into four U.S. technology companies, calling them a "disgrace" for allowing the Chinese government to censor some Web content."

Are these the same folks who want Google to turn over a host of info on US citizens to the government? Just which of these heinous crimes is more disgraceful? I am not saying that Google may not have veered from their original vision of doing no harm, but they have a foot in the door and maybe it will lead to it being opened a bit more. Maybe the lawmakers who are pooh-poohing the tech giants right now should instead see this as an opportunity to increase the effort to bring free speech to China.

I have soured on politics over the past couple of years and this latest governmental attempt at calling the kettle black is just one more reason to shake my head in disgust. Google, Yahoo, et al, are in the business of making money not saving the world from the Communist horde. They are in the business of communication. China’s population now has the ability to search the World Wide Web. They did not have that before in any form. George and company should be thanking these folks and coming up with some diplomatic means to allow them complete access.

My name is Harold Nelson and that’s my two-cents.

My opinions in no way reflect the opinions of Mobility Site, its sponsors or its administration.

Now, off to find some cool pocket pc news!  

Chris Leckness (3554 Posts) - Website | Twitter | Facebook

Chris Leckness is the Owner/Administrator of Mobilitysite. He is a Microsoft MVP, Mobile Devices and a member of the exclusive focus group, Mobius. Chris runs a Mobilitysite, GotZune, and a few other smaller sites and blogs. His personal blog is chris.leckness.com.