Today's World: Not Boring; Not Simple

I'm writing a serious of posts this evening - mostly about my take on what's been happening in Egypt, a little about events in Iran, and a lot about my take on freedom of speech. I'll be getting to all that in a bit.

First, a little about assumptions I make about the nature of reality. I haven't done this for a while in this blog. Please be patient: this shouldn't take long. (Famous last words?)

Nice is Nice, Real is Real

Essentially, I think it's a good idea to let folks express opinions - without fear of losing their jobs, freedoms, or lives. I even think that it'd be nice if we didn't need to have any secrets.

I could also think that it'd be nice if nobody every got sick, everybody was as handsome/beautiful as movie stars, and everybody had a satisfying, fulfilling career. Realistically, that's not gonna happen.

I'm not even sure that having a "career," in the contemporary American sense of the word, is all that desirable a goal. And that's another topic.

The point is, simple happens in some spy novels and political campaigns. The real world is - not-simple.

You Like Simple? Look Elsewhere

Things aren't simple. Not when human beings are involved. I've written that before. (September 18, 2009)

Information Gatekeepers

If you've been following this blog - thank you! And, more to the point of this post, you know what I mean by an information gatekeeper. I've written about that before too:

• "What is an Information Gatekeeper?"
  (August 14, 2009)

Briefly, information gatekeepers are the folks in a society who are in a position to decide what the rest get to learn. In America, that used to include news editors, media executives, teachers, librarians, and publishers.

Happily, many of those folks thought they believed in freedom of speech. Some followed through - and allowed those who didn't agree with them to get published. Others: well, I've discussed political correctness before, too. (January 7, 2010, November 10, 2009, February 19, 2008, for starters)

It's Not Always 'the Other Guy'

It's not always 'those liberals' who prefer to silence dissenting opinions. I remember the trailing edge of McCarthyism. I think that, instead of assuming that everybody who doesn't agree is bad - - - wait, I've written about that before, too.

• " 'Rush Limbaugh Shot Giffords!?' Opinion Polls, Tuscon, and Loughner's Mind"
  (January 12, 2011)
  Particularly
  • 'The Other Guy's' Opinions are Hate Speech?

Egypt, Iran, and dissent:

• "Egypt, Iran: It Can't Happen Here?"
  (February 10, 2011)
• "American Terrorists and Getting a Grip
  (February 10, 2011)
• "Saudi Arabia and Propping Up Mubarak"
  (February 10, 2011)
• "Iran, Dissent, and Threats to National Security"
  (February 10, 2011)
• "Shutting Down Egypt's Internet: A Responsible Act?!!"
  (February 10, 2011)

More:

• "Report: Egypt Shut Down Net With Big Switch, Not Phone Calls"
  Ryan Singel, Threat Level, Wired (February 10, 2011)
• "Report: Iran blocks reformist sites, detains opposition figures"
  Reza Sayah, CNN World (February 10, 2011)
• "Exclusive: Saudis told Obama to back Mubarak"
  Hugh Tomlinson, The Times (UK) (February 10, 2011)
• "3 People Reportedly Dead in Clashes in Southern Egypt"
  FoxNews (February 9, 2011)
• "Awlaki Tops Bin Laden as Top Terror Threat To U.S., Counterterrorism Official Says"
  Catherine Herridge, FoxNews (February 9, 2011)
• "Egypt on Day 16: Where are we now?"
  CNN World (February 9, 2011)