AstralPulse partially banned in UK for 2014

[Stillwater]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/07/29/uk-internet-filter-block-more-than-porn_n_3670771.html?ncid=edlinkusaolp00000003

I think this should be a pretty good indication of the dangers of state censorship because it hits pretty close to home here.

Cameron's recent move to "tidy up the internet" for Brits began with the default blocking of pornographic materials in the UK internet. Regardless of how you feel about that choice, I think it sets a dangerous precedent of state censorship and ethical dictation to any population; and not content to allow those implications to merely remain implications for long, the next phase has been introduced, where they state they have intentions to block anything the government thinks people can't handle: smoking advertisements, anorexia discussions, sucide discussions, all web forums, politically radical viewpoints, and esoteric materials such as this website (which also happens to be a forum). Brits will be able to possibly deactivate these filters by contacting their service providers, but you can bet you will end up on a "watched-list".

To me, not even a British citizen, the movement is reprehensible. Governments do not have a right to regulate what ideas a person is exposed to, and the attempt to do so is major progress towards yet more encroachment into the private dealings of "free" citizens. Perhaps this is a small matter to some of you, but to me any legislation of what people are allowed to know is extremely suspect.

[M4RT1N]

  Porn isn't blocked in the UK.

[Stillwater]

Porn isn't blocked in the UK.

Not currently, but the intention is to block it for all citizens by the end of 2013; people wanting access to that and other things will have to contact their service providers to unlock them.

[Volgerle]

we live in dangerous times.

governments and their puppet masters get more and more aggressive and intrusive to save their (puppet master's) power.

NSA was a wake-up call for some of the sleeping sheeple, although most facts were already known before, you just need to look for them.

this is dangerous, because "esoteric ideas" can be almost everything, it's the same as when they broadended the concept of terrorism or who is a terrorist in the first place (e.g. veterans who are not satisfied with gov. policy and what crimes they had to do abroad, see Manning case).

dangerous times, very dangerous.

[Szaxx]

Reading the report the word filters has been used. This means more than one. The fact that these are automatically selected to on, you still have a choice of switching them off.
Given time will this choice be removed?
I'm sure we understand the need to protect the innocent, not all are children by the way, at present there's a international shortage of being able to remove such content to my knowledge.
This aspect of it is a brilliant move, however being controlled means there's always the risk of a 'problem' developing where we all suffer due to ' a technical irregularity'.
We all like to have a choice in this free world. Lets hope that stays for all sensible users of this excellent information network.
The carrot before the donkey may come into play as already said. The worst part is carrots eventually rot and the donkey has been falsely led.

[Stillwater]

The fact that these are automatically selected to on, you still have a choice of switching them off.
Given time will this choice be removed?

This particular article also describes human psychology pretty well, in stating that people will tend to stick with the defaults. People will subconsciously ask themselves if they are radicals or some sort of social deviant if they want to turn off the filters, and I think that this is intentional.

Also, to paraphrase Samuel L. Jackson in "Pulp Fiction", "there are known knowns, and there are known unknowns; there are also unknown unknowns." What I mean by this is that not only are there things we don't know about, but also there are many things that we don't even know we don't know about. Why is this important? Well a lot of things we find when we are not looking for them. By blocking certain and sundry things by default, people won't accidently stumble into them. The realm of possible knowledge they could encounter is lessened by a degree. Put more concretely, I only found this website about 12 years ago by accident, having read some of Robert Bruce's work. If this website was blocked by default in my country, I would never have known it was here. It was an unknown unknown, and would have remained such, and to no ones benefit, and at the very least my own detriment.

[Szaxx]

I see your point. I too had a stuck in the wall outing into the RTZ. Something that hasn't occured since the late 60's.
Put a search in google and many hits appeared. This site juxtaposed from the rest by its 'as is' posts without all the mumbo jumbo on others, I signed up.
Best move as I had been on my own, family taken into consideration.
With filters on an the indoctrination on the occult, this would have not happened.
One look at the God channels on sky... Point made.
The big picture is being obscured isn't it?

[Astralzombie]

When there is nothing but a few articles and some public acknowledgement of dissent about the Us gov violating one of the most important ideological foundations of the Constitution, I can only come away with the conclusion that we have already lost our way and our country.

100 years ago the people would have stormed Congress and forcibly removed the traitors from office. But that type of thinking has been countered as well so anyone who thinks like that nowadays is a whacko conspiracy theorist.

I don't wear a foil hat but I don't laugh at those who do either. Nothing short of an armed revolution can restore this country but I am not an advocate of that since it would only fail. Elections have become a farce as we only have an illusion of choice.

With all the monitoring happening these days, I feel compelled to state a disclaimer: I am in no way advocating any type of violence against anyone or any institution. I feel that it would be a waste of lives and resources and would only serve to hasten the legislation that is already being sought to grant the feds more dictatorial powers.

[Stillwater]

It really does seem like Stalin and George Orwell are their hero's, doesn't it? And you have to think exactly how they want you to, when they want you to. You don't like what the troops are forced to do? What, aren't you a patriot? You don't like the feds' choices and you think you know better? What are you, some sort of radical patriot?

[CFTraveler]

They seem to have learned from them, that's for sure.

[Stillwater]

Good to see you back CFT 

[Lionheart]

 Off topic, but let me be the first to say WELCOME BACK to CFTraveller. It's been a long time coming!  

On topic, they are going to do what they are going to do. They just had a vote to continue the Phone tapping/Snooping, but that news was camouflaged by the birth of the new Royal child.

No one can stop them, but at least we are the "wiser"!  

The funny thing is, this has been happening for years, but to bring it up in a conversation got you accused of being a Conspiracy nut.

I find the worst part of this is that the majority of people don't care.  

Edit, LOL, you beat me by about a minute, Stillwater!  

[Thread Killer]

Ya, wow! CFT! Such a giving presence. Now: Enough with the dystopia. You get what you think about. I've just abandoned a 20+year relationship because of my "friend's" inability to see any other outcome than a reality where he can only protect his family with guns from a marauding mass. This is in Canada where the gun culture is nowhere near that of our southern friends. There is an intellectual backlash directed toward anyone who sees a positive future. These people, (myself included) have their head in their butt. The "evidence" is all around us. Someone with a "positive" attitude lack the analytic facility to properly interpret the data. There is no intellectual cachet in an optimistic attitude.
So, in conclusion, LOA doesn't apply or exist , and I'm some sort of deluded Uncle Remus. Zip-a-dee-do-dah.
                                                                                                                        I Have To Admit It's Getting Better,
                                                                                                                                               -JL-

[Bedeekin]

wow

Good name there Thread Killer. 

Monitoring... yes.

You know those stickers you get on the back of cars that says "If you can read this then you're too close" ?

Here's my version for the NSA...

"BOMB, MKULTRA, CONTRAILS, POTASSIUM CYANIDE, RICIN, SODIUM NITRATE, STATUE OF LIBERTY, DESTROY, FREEDOM, FEMA, MJ12, BACKPACK, PROJECT 57, ISLAM, URANIUM, 9/11, ILLUMINATI, BIGFOOT, TOOTHFAIRY, CHUPACABRAS, CHEESE and PLOUGHMAN'S PICKLE SANDWICH, ONION SOUP, HAIRY TESTICLES"

IF YOU CAN READ THIS THEN YOU NEED TO GET A LIFE

[Stillwater]

I don't really see the Mad Max future of a lawless, gunslinger wasteland coming to fruition. The trends that I see involve consolidation of control; power and influence is sort of like capital- the more a person or group has, the more easily it is to acquire more at an increasing rate. Right now we see a handful of banks and multinational corporations are sponging up all of the resources and contracts, and using their existing leverage to funnel legislation and leaders that make the environment even more lucrative to them, and take away yet more regulations which limit their growth. These things tend to go in cycles though; some force or event will eventually change the trends, be it a new technology like nano or AI, and we will see power level out again, and then start shifting into a new focal point. But that would be the healthy order- the danger that I see is the control becoming so invested in so few hands that it takes 200 years to change anything (and that is no exaggeration- think Imperial China dynasties or the European Monarchies, or the Bank of England- you can hold the chips for quite a long time if no one can bet in your league). Totalitarianism is very real to me.

Whether the "Law of Attraction" is true or not, I don't believe being critical and observant of trends is a bad thing. We all play a part in the theatre, sometimes of our own choosing. I don't think that faith that better principles will prevail means we need or should be passive.

----------------------

And LMAO Bedeekin. 800 Bots have now added you to their "list" 

Maybe everyone should add the 300 buzzwords to their signature... give them something to do.

[Astralzombie]

Just for the NSA record, I do not know this "Beedeekin" that you guys speak of.

[Bedeekin]

Just for the NSA record, I do not know this "Beedeekin" that you guys speak of.

All lies... he's the ring leader.

[CFTraveler]

That's funny, today I was at the movies, and in the trailers, there was yet another short for a 'future dystopia' movie, and I went on a rant about how come science fiction (books, not movies) were so great when I was a kid, and how I don't read it any more, because the last time I read any of it, every single story of the book (it was a 'best sf for 2000 collection') was some depressing postapocalyptic dystopia, and that's why I don't read it anymore.  Then my son rolled his eyes and made a 'here comes the conspiracy nut again' expression, which is funny when you consider how many 'anti conspiracy' posts I've written throughout the years in internet forums.
Go figure, etc.

[Astralzombie]

I want to believe that my interest in conspiracy theories is merely for entertainment purposes but the problem is that some of them seemingly make much more sense and are far less complex than the "official" accounts. I don't go looking for them nor do I usually come up with my own but in this day and age, there will always be a conspiracy theory for everything.

Now I know that some of them are so far out there that only a die-hard can believe them but one rotten apple doesn't necessarily spoil the whole bunch. It just means that some poor guy will be spitting out the bite of his apple unless, of course, he's John Lear.

Mr. Lear, IMO, knows a lot and tells a lot, but some of his stuff is so far out there that I can't help but believe him to be a disinformer.

So if you're like me and believe that there is a lot of truth to governmental conspiracies, both foreign and domestic, what can one really do about it? Well, with their concentrated powers and unbelievable technical capabilities, the answer is not much.

Sure, you can lose all your credibility in your respective fields and cry foul at every turn just to inform the masses but in reality, you are only ostracizing yourself just to be entertainment for poor schmucks like myself. The really "good" ones can even make a handsome living off of it but the only real difference they can ever make is a personal choice when the shizznit hits the fan. In other words, take "the mark", or die in protest. If your lucky, you will become a martyr to a few who will most likely not follow your example when their time comes and will accept "the mark". But hey, that refusal to bow down to which you morally oppose may pay off in spades in the hereafter. Then again, it may make no difference at all to the worms if that's all there truly is.

My use of "the mark" is just a metaphor for what will be the supposed endgame of the malignant powers that be.

[Lionheart]

 Check out this recent news story. Pay close attention to the comments following the story. They basically tell the mood of the people.


http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2013/08/senior-u-s-official-intercepted-al-qaeda-communications-indicate-planned-attack-big-strategically-significant/

[Volgerle]

Indeed, it's the comment sections is the only part that makes news reports on mainstream media sites bearable, it is like sanity gets at least a little restored there again 

In my country they've now closed down (or hidden better) some of the user's blog comment sections on some of the newspaper's online sites. Tells a lot if you ask me.

Al Qaeda on the attack? That's a joke. It's all about FEAR again, it controls the masses.

Look at Syria where groups of Al Qaeda (Al Nuzra is the syrian version of it) are slaughtering women and children on a daily basis now, and our Western "Democracies" (Democrazies?) back these criminals now up with weapons, just for strategical "regime change" policies. It's laughable. Al Qaeda is our ally elsewhere and still our enemy otherwhere.

(warning: graphic content)
http://www.infowars.com/al-nusra-mercenaries-in-syria-slaughter-kurdish-women-and-children/

I could puke every day more and more about his sh*itty f*cked up World we're forced (chose?) to live in.

[Bedeekin]

wow.

Do people not realise that the 'truther' and 'infowar' type culture is just that... a culture?

Do people not realise that all these conspiracies are 'allowed' to be generated and circulated freely and with impunity?

Do people not question WHY 'truther' information is allowed to circulate on what is effectively a government owned media?

Is it only me that can see this clearly? That the government need not employ anyone to spread a fear that they are omnipotent all seeing.. they can rely on paranoid 'truthers' to do this?

It's corporate business management 101. Get the gossip merchants in the company to spread the right rumours to keep the more scared employees in line.

[CFTraveler]

I just saw 'partially' banned.  What's the 'partial'?

[Stillwater]

The partial is that those in the UK are supposedly to be able to contact their service providers and ask them to grant a special permission to lift the filters, so it isn't absolute. But you would have to know things like this are here to miss them.

[Bedeekin]

Oh... I have just realised that I am completely ignored when I attack conspiracies.

I'll shut up in future. 

Put up and shut up as they say.