A New Haven for Journalists

I'd always imagined that change in human society is conservative by default. That radical change can only happen under radical circumstances. Unfortunately, I've also seen that one should never underestimate human idiocy (see republican senators in the US).

In the middle of enormously counter-productive responses to the Financial Crisis that overwhelmed economies all over the world, we have Iceland. Iceland was probably the worst-hit in the chaos. Bankruptcy for the citizens, rioting in the streets; a little better than the worst that can happen.

These extreme circumstances, along with the role WikiLeaks played in uncovering the reasons for the hard fall the Iceland economy took have now led to the government proposing legislation which will make it a safe haven for free speech and journalism. Go ahead and read the articles linked in this blog post.

I'm no journalist, but I know the importance of keeping whistle-blowers safe.

EDIT: Pointed out by sid0; FAQ about the legislation. A must-read.

What The Bloody--

So I drive back home, open reddit, and what do I see?

US Supreme Court ruling comes down - Corporations are people with free speech and have the protected right to bribe politicians

The story currently has 5,200 upvotes, and 2,744 comments.

MSNBC says:

In a landmark ruling, the U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday struck down laws that banned corporations from using their own money to support or oppose candidates for public office.

Nice, let's go have some cake.

Folks, this is another example of a place where the concept of "Free Speech" is not applicable.

I love you guys

Creationists can't fail Earth Science: Oklahoma

That's the spirit lads! I'd love to see more bills like this passed in the US, it's excellent news for the rest of us. Who wouldn't want to see the Big Bully shoot itself repeatedly in the foot without even noticing it? Anyone not in the US who currently feels dismayed by news items such as these should instead whoop for joy! Remember, anything bad that happens to the US is good news for everyone else :-)

/me hosts a party in honour of this

Prof. Noam Chomsky

I think I might just start worshipping this guy...



Also, take a look at this cartoon taken from www.idrewthis.org