If criticism of the government was declared illegal, how would ATS respond?

Originally posted by scientist
that being said, you seem to be implying a much bigger impact than me.

And you seem to be misunderstanding the scenario I see (or I'm not explaining it well).

The 1-6 items are more or less a sequence of events that would very likely occur if there were Internet disruptions in this country. The filtering to sites and communications, while still difficult, is a much more simple proposition for a nation whose infrastructure is still under development. The US infrastructure is complex, with a myriad of connections deep into core economic systems.

An example of the odd connectivity of problems was experienced by my this past week... due to the Internet madness introduced by Pakistan's attempt to filter YouTube, the cash registers at my favorite (large) liquor store were offline... they could only take cash transactions and the cashiers were using hand calculators. Imagine the chaos let loose on the economy with more broad-based localized filtering. (I had enough cash for my scotch)

Maybe a clearer example is warranted: SO, are you familiar with the recent WikiLeaks debacle?

I'm on their insider's email list, and was more than six months before their site launched... I knew it was coming before it hit. But a court order for one website is rather small beans compared to the idea of a broad sanction against an entire topic.


I think the biggest issue we're going to face will be an increased attempt to ridicule our topic-mix in mainstream media. But we (ATS) will very soon have a very powerful weapon against that. Stay tuned for more.


As far as wide-reaching Internet filtering or shut-downs, I just don't see it happening. We (population) are too well controlled with our daily grind to mess with the delicate mix of brain-numbing input.

thanks for the detailed explanation, SO.

I guess I'm more concerned with the theoretical steps ATS would take in such an event, as opposed to how feasible such an event would be, and all of the logistics involved.

I believe you answered that by saying you would relocate to Canada (I assume that would also apply to Sealand if Canada were not an option).

Plainly: I was looking more for the practical changes, as opposed to the technical. You are correct, the chances are slim to none, but being a paranoid skeptic, it's not too far fetched for me to think about seriously.

[edit on 6-3-2008 by scientist]

I think it is a completely reasonable question and not at all a rhetorical exercise. There are several threads about the "Violent Radicalization" Bill that went before congress, the Pentagon contingency plan for dealing with the internet as a weapon and FOX News attempting to label internet dissent as Anarchy.

However, I appreciate the fact that ATS has a "Plan B".

good thread, Scientist, and a morally reassuring reply, SO.

in the event that such an egregious (and thankfully unlikely) violation of the founding principles of America were to take place, I do believe that for about twenty minutes before the feds had this place's ISP bring it down, ATS would witness the inception of the organized revolution.

I think before it gets to the point where criticism becomes illegal we will see a crackdown on the ridiculing of our govt. That means Leno, Lettermen, Stewart,... will probably all see themselves cancelled first.
I just wonder if the next Prez will have as good a sense of humor as the current. I know Hillary has already cried foul about the number of jokes she has been the subject of, yet the number is nowhere near that of Bush.
All I can say henceforth is we deserve whatever government we keep up getting because criticising it is a right, a right that has been abused at many different levels and like anything else..
if you abuse it, you're going to lose it
..and we are losing it, folks!

Why so surprised?

Originally posted by Alxandro
I think before it gets to the point where criticism becomes illegal we will see a crackdown on the ridiculing of our govt. That means Leno, Lettermen, Stewart,... will probably all see themselves cancelled first.

i don't think so. The topic of this thread is phrased to be very broad, but for discussion purposes, I mean more in terms of a specific topic.

For example, the "missing missiles" from a few months ago. Or perhaps any type of speculation regarding military involvement with school shootings. Or perhaps a lawsuit for slander slapped on ATS for discussions regarding prescription name brand drugs, I mean, take your pick. You know what I mean?

I would hope ATS already has mirrors located in various countries. Seriously, we are all sitting here shocked with censorship on the internet in foreign countries, but who do you think is next if the trend we are in continues?