Senator Joe Lieberman Follows Up His 'Report Blog As Terrorist' Letter By Asking Twitter To Block Pro-Taliban Feeds
from the seems-it-would-be-simpler-to-just-revoke-the-Senator's-internet-access dept
Joe Lieberman is at it again. And by “it,” I mean throwing around the word “terrorist” as an excuse to further sanitize the web for our “protection.” Having already talked Google into allowing users to flag Youtube videos as “terrorist,” Lieberman went a step further, asking for the “Report as Terrorist” option to be applied to Blogger as well.
Having taken a swing at long-form blogging, Lieberman is now taking the fight to the other end of the “wordiness” spectrum: Twitter.
Senators want to stop feeds which boast of insurgent attacks on Nato forces in Afghanistan and the casualties they inflict. Aides for Joe Lieberman, chair of the Senate Homeland Security Committee, said the move was part of a wider attempt to eliminate violent Islamist extremist propaganda from the internet and social media. The Taliban movement has embraced the social network as part of its propaganda effort and regularly tweets about attacks or posts links to its statements.
Like everyone else in this digital age, the Taliban is using various social media to communicate with its fans. But why should our Senators be concerned about what the Taliban had for lunch? And more importantly, why do they feel so deeply that forcing Twitter to block these feeds will prevent future “violent Islamist extremist” action? If NATO forces are attacked and no one tweets about it, does it change the outcome?
The feeds named in the Telegraph article (@ABalkhi and @alemarahweb) are about as “threatening” as a Westboro Bapist Church Twitter account, with a few facts tucked away between tweet after tweet filled with jingoistic statements and “preaching to the converted.” The very idea that blocking feeds like this will deter or diminish future Taliban activity is laughable at best, and disingenuous grandstanding at worst. In fact, it makes Lieberman and his fellow Senators nothing more than “preaching to the converted” grandstanders, scoring easy points with voters who still somehow believe the only thing Twitter has to offer is lunch descriptions and terrorist propaganda.
As for Twitter, it won’t even confirm whether or not Lieberman has asked it to block the feeds.
Rachel Bremer, a spokesman for Twitter, said: “This isn’t something we’d comment on.”
Not only that, but Twitter won’t have to block these feeds no matter how nicely Lieberman asks because the Taliban is not registered as a terrorist organization by the State Department. Any censorship applied by Twitter would pretty much just be a personal favor to Joe, rather than a government-sanctioned shutdown.
Lieberman obviously believes that his success with Youtube filtering should be applied to every area of the internet. He’s already gone after the long (Blogger) and the short (Twitter) which means his next request for “Report as Terrorist” buttons will be sent to Tumblr, possibly resulting in the removal of f*ckyeahterrorism.tumblr.com and ryangoslingtaliban.tumblr.com.
One has to wonder why Lieberman is so persistent in his attempts to turn every form of social media into a scattershot weapon aimed at the angry words and hashtags of “Islamist extremists.” Possibly a core chunk of his key demographic responds well to blaming the internet for terrorism, but that seems unlikely. Maybe he just likes to see his name in print and, much like four-year-olds and Lindsay Lohan, firmly believes any “attention” is “good attention.”
[Press here to “Report Senator as Idiot.”]
Filed Under: blogs, joe lieberman, terrorism, twitter
Companies: twitter
Comments on “Senator Joe Lieberman Follows Up His 'Report Blog As Terrorist' Letter By Asking Twitter To Block Pro-Taliban Feeds”
Because he wants to put the terrorism genie back in the bottle? Hide it and nobody knows about it… therefore it doesn’t exist right???
Re: Re:
Almost ironically the best way to deal with terrorism would be to “hide” it. If you are blowing things up for attention and it is world news then your tactics are working. So they keep going with their actions. Now if you are blowing things up for attention and no one bothers to report it other than just local area who it affects. Well, that is not so affective. I really wonder how many of these groups are like the 2 year old throwing a tantrum in the grocery store. If you ignore them they will grow board and move on.
Granted this is a great oversimplification but I really do think we are just feeding the fire. Another thing that we have messed up on is this stupid security. The stupid TSA is worse than the terrorists. Terrorists are limited in numbers and scattered around the globe. TSA is there and ready to molest you every time you go near an airplane.
Basicly the terrorist are winning in that they have destroyed our way of life. They don’t even have to do anything any more. Every day we have to live with our rights being taken away and they no longer have to do any work. Terrorist just sit back and watch as we hurt ourselves in the name of feeling “safe”
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I think that Machin Shin has it right here.
We are already giving up freedoms to protect us from the bad guys.
I know the benefits of spying on each other. But I don’t feel safer…
Re: Re: Re: Re:
“I know the benefits of spying on each other. But I don’t feel safer…”
That I think is exactly the issue we are up against. Most people now are ok with loosing these right even though they don’t make you feel safer. The problem is that the government is slowly taking away one our rights a few at a time in the name of safety. They have to protect us from the “terrorist”. At this point I consider the government the terrorist. The government is much worse than any of these terrorist could ever hope to be.
The terrorist are very limited in what they are able to do. Half the time it seems they cant even blow themselves up properly. I mean really, we are afraid of a group that for one is made up of people crazy enough to blow themselves up. Then these people are so stupid they cant even make a bomb that works. Any kid who passed high school chemistry should can make something blow up!
So out of a fear of a small group of apparently suicidal uneducated people we are giving up our rights? How does this make any sense? You cannot honestly stand and argue to me that another even like 911 could happen today. If you stand up in a plane today and say you are taking it over you will not live long enough to make it 10 steps. The other people on the plane will no longer tolerate it. Only reason it worked that day was because the people on the plane thought they were going to be held for ransom or something. Now that it is clear a hijacker plans to kill everyone people will not just sit quietly.
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“Almost ironically the best way to deal with terrorism would be to “hide” it. If you are blowing things up for attention and it is world news then your tactics are working.”
Will never happen, far too many companies depend on the whole terrorism scare playing on a regular basis in the media so they can score those juicy government contracts.
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I wish I could grow board just like that. I could make my own bookshelf.
And after the “terrorist” will come our turn.
Shut up Lieberman and leave our freedoms alone.
Re: Re:
Terrorism -1. the use of violence and threats to intimidate or coerce, especially for political purposes.
Sounds exactly like Lieberman’s actions to me. Where can I go to report him as a terrorist?
I'm required to input an "issue"
[Press here to “Report Senator as Idiot.”]
Um, so what would this issue be defined as?
Identity theft (badly impersonating a person with a brain?)
Endangered Species (people with brains?)
Civil Liberties/Civil Rights (not discriminating against people without brains?)
Ethanol (sniffing it?)
Re: I'm required to input an "issue"
I put it under “terrorism” as I see the removal of constitutional protections by the government as such.
I also advised the esteemed senator to retake his college civics course.
Of course hiding the truth will change the truth & reality!
A few centuries ago remember how Galileo said that the Earth orbited the Sun? Well the Catholic Church saw the dangers of the Earth orbiting the sun! Imagine how dizzy we’d all get spinning in circles every day! So the church put Galileo on trial for being a Heretic, and their conviction successfully stopped the Earth from orbiting the Sun!
But then some more evil scientists came along years later to spread the lie that the Earth orbited the Sun! The poor Catholic Church wasn’t able to shut them all up, so then the Sun stopped orbiting the Earth and the Earth started spinning around and orbiting the Sun! Why else do you think we have more problems with strong wind gusts in the forms of hurricanes and tornado’s then we used to? It couldn’t be because we only started them one or two hundred years ago! It’s those evil scientists who created the wind by telling everyone the Earth orbits the Sun!
Re: Re:
You know every now and then, I feel the urge to write something so utterly offensive that I really ought to use Tor….
[Press here to “Report Joe Lieberman as Jew.”]
?
?
As others have noted, the overwhelming problem with the ?Godwin’s law? internet meme is that it instantly halts discussions about the nation’s move towards totalitarianism.
?
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stereotypes are wrong….but that does not mean there are not people that fit the bill.
joe is living proof of this.
Re: Re:
Heliocentric theory was around from Copernicus. Galileo wasn’t put on trial for heresy for that idea, which the Church didn’t really care about. He was put on trial because, as a preface to that idea, he would say that the Pope was wrong.
This was much more a petty and vindictive attack due to what was perceived as a personal slight than it was a dogmatic issue.
Re: Re: He was put on trial because, as a preface to that idea, he would say that the Pope was wrong.
Here is a translated version of Galileos?s Dialogue Concerning The Two Chief World Systems, the book that got him into the trouble with the Catholic Church. I looked in vain in his preface, and anywhere else, for any suggestion that the ?Pope? or ?Church? were ?wrong?, but found none.
So he said nothing that could be interpreted as casting aspersions on the Catholic Church, or on the Pope, at all. He was persecuted purely because he stated a scientific fact.
Revisionism seems to be quite popular among the religious apologists, even today…
Facebook to the rescue!
We just need “Like” buttons on everything, but instead it’d be a “Jihadist” button.
Facebook will make millions.
ignorance is bliss!
This failed in Northern Ireland
The British Government tried this type of censorship in Northern Ireland, from 1988 and 1994, to block “terrorist” speakers including members of Sinn Fein. It was a total fail, except to increase extremism and prolong the troubles. The policy became a laughing stock, due to the ease with which it was circumvented.
I thought that US politicians kept in touch with major historic events on the island of Ireland, given the number of US voters of Irish descent.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Censorship_in_the_Republic_of_Ireland
http://www.sinnfein.ie/contents/16335
Re: This failed in Northern Ireland
If things don’t happen within the time frame of their term or the next reelection they don’t think about it.
Re: Re: This failed in Northern Ireland
There was that fish on “Looking for Nemo”, what was her name again?
Her memory was inspired in the Americans.
Re: Re: Re: This failed in Northern Ireland
There was that fish on “Looking for Nemo”, what was her name again?
Dory.
Re: Re: Re: This failed in Northern Ireland
I see what you did there… 🙂
Re: This failed in Northern Ireland
Reminds me of this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UOUeauLWEaE
Scary
Terrorism is quickly becoming synonymous with Dissident. Before long anyone who disagrees with the Government will be considered a terrorist and locked away in Guantanamo.
Perhaps I’m taking it too far but between things like this, SOPA/PIPA, and NDAA make it clear that the powers that be want to stifle speech and demonize dissidents.
I can’t tell if they are just power grabbing or if they are really afraid that the people will one day wake up and try to revolt.
Re: Scary
In the words of Robert Heinlein, “You have attributed conditions to villainy that simply result from stupidity“
Re: Re: Scary
I hope you are right, though I dont know if stupidity is any easier to combat than villainy.
Re: Re: Scary
I have to agree with the OP. The number of freedoms we have given away (as United Statsians) is simply astounding. I’m not saying that there is a shadowy cabal of people pulling the strings, but selling fear is good for business and good for government. If that isn’t villainous I’m not sure what is.
Re: Scary
I really do fear that is exactly what they are doing. The nation is spiraling the drain and the government instead of trying to fix anything is bracing for the revolt that will come if things do not change. The government is addicted to spending money they don’t have on things that are just stupid and not needed. They can see the start of revolution and are starting to get scared. I mean really, a law to arrest anyone they feel like any time they like and hold them as long as they want, no trial needed. How is a law like that good for the general people? We don’t need a law like that to protect us. The government does need a law like that to protect themselves though.
Free speech? Fuck you, that’s why.
It have to wonder why those who follow communications from groups such as the Taliban were called “fans”.
Re: Re:
Because in this usage, the word “Fan” is a shortened version of the word “Fanatic”.
Senator Joe Lieberman the prick, should be throw in jail and have the keys to that cell misplaced for eternity.
What he wants apparently is to establish a beachhead to then further censorship and ingrain it in the public view, the man is a menace to freedom and democracy and should not be in office.
All Set to Go Ballistic but...
MAJikMARCer has put it neatly in a nutshell. Good job, mate!
Me thinks the Senator doth protest too much..
Can we?
Can we block retarded politicians from twitter if they threaten the very foundations of their countries (ie: the Constitution)?
make up your minds. you want to bribe them then you want to kill them then you want to be freinds with them….
yet again, this type of idiotic behaviour shows that getting older doesn’t always mean getting wiser. noticed the age of most of those in Congress?
Dear Mr Leiberman,
Why are you violating your oath of office by pursuing the censorship of anything? Do you realize that by advocating such you are suggesting a violation of the 1st amendment? While a corporation is not bound by the bill of rights in in the manner that the government is in most respects, a US Senator certainly is and should be ashamed of such a breech of their oath to protect the Constitution. In fact, I would go so far as to say such an event calls for the impeachment of any elected official who participates in such despicable behavior.
Finding Nemo and her name is Dori.
Finding Nemo and her name is Dori.
The best way to stop Lieberman would be to expose his israeli funding. He really should be registered as an “Agent of a Foreign Power” as much as he does for his true love, israel.
Does this mean we’ll get toi do the same to all Congresscritters and Senators?
Because I like that idea. A lot.
WELCOME BACK MCCARTHY
Red and communist have been replaced with liberal and terrorist.
Fuck them.
Everything Lieberman does only serves to reinforce my view that he’s more revolting than a puddle of cat vomit.
to block congress and all the trolls in it.
I’m gonna report Rebecca Black videos as terrorist mind control devices.
Does Lieberman NOT understand that censoring the Taliban will only bring more attention to them?
As noted by Pete Austin, the Brits tried this and failed.
Countries have made denying the holocaust a “Hate Crime” either by direct legislation or culturally and politically (which nicely draws the USA in and, Lieberman once again) which hasn’t stopped that either.
Being a neo-Nazi is straight out illegal in Germany but there do seem to be an awful lot of them around these days.
White supremacist sites are often prosecuted as hate crimes in countries that have them yet they still thrive. Proving, if nothing else, that tribalism is alive and well and still as dangerous as it’s always been.
(Something Lieberman, himself, proves over and over again in his unquestioning support of Israel.)
Censorship doesn’t help anything. Driving what you censor underground almost always makes it worse (anti-drug laws). And always makes it harder for law enforcement agencies to keep track of that the genuinely dangerous ones are doing.
To quote Bob Dylan “When will we ever learn”. (note: That’s fair use!)
The obvious
While there’s no doubt that the esteemed Senator has his head up his patootie on this, does anyone else find it odd that there’s no mention of his party affiliation?…
IF he were a member of the opposition, ie: not a Democrat, there would have been repeated flogging of the “R” word, and more than likely allegations about linkage to the “T” Party.
Might it be bias in someone’s reporting style?. Incomplete/partial truth, as usual, and what it’s trying to conceal just stinks even more.
Re: The obvious
Huh?
Re: The obvious
What are you talking about? Connecticut Democrats purged the ?useless sack of crap? from the party ranks back in 2006.
Maybe you wonder just exactly how he stayed on as senator after the Connecticut Stalinists ordered him into political gulag? A lot of people wonder about that.
Re: The obvious
Lolwut? You’ve not been paying attention. There have been tons of articles calling out the bipartisan support of SOPA & PIPA, whilst praising those who fight against such legislation.
Nice work ,but 0/10 for attention.
Sadness
As a veteran of the US Army all I can say is: These feel-good do-nothing measures sadden me. I strongly believe in the freedom of speech. I believe upholding our “American” ideals means applying them equally to everyone, even non-Americans. At a minimum, we should not be trying to take-away rights from other people while claiming these rights are fundamental. At best we should be encouraging others to adapt these ideals as their own. Using our influence to encourage greater freedom throughout the world. Our government is failing us; and making hypocrites of us all. These public servants no longer serve the public nor uphold the Constitution to both they are sworn to do. SOPA, PIPA, ACTA, PATRIOT Act, we are quickly sacrificing our liberties for the promise of greater security. In doing this, we deserve neither liberty, nor freedom.
I may not agree with what you say, but I will give my life to protect your right to say it.
Re: Sadness
From the New York Times, ?Secret U.S. Memo Made Legal Case to Kill a Citizen?, by Charlie Savage, October 8, 2011:
Contrast that presidential act carefully against not only the Fifth Amendment, which uses the phrase ?due process?, but also contrast that presidential act against the ancestral document, Magna Carta, done at Runnymede, 1215, which uses the phrase ?legem terre?:
?Secret U.S. Memo Made Legal Case to Kill a Citizen?, New York Times, October 8, 2011.
Terrorists are the excuse.... Control is the objective
The terrorists have already won, and are probably back at home smoking a goat or whatever they do in their caves when not planning mass suicide bombings.
The goal of terrorists is to instill fear in the populace, and I don’t know about the rest of you, but I’m a hell of a lot more afraid of our government now than before the terrorist ‘attack’ on the twin towers.
The other goal of terrorists is to destroy resources or cause them to be used for non productive purposes…. and again they have succeeded. How much money has been wasted in the ‘crusade’ to prevent the next ‘X’ attack? How much of that money could have gone to more productive and useful activities if not for our government?
If the terrorists didn’t exist, the government would invent someone else to be the new ‘boogeyman’ (now that Russia is no longer a threat, and China could just buy us if they wanted to). They have to have someone to point at when they proclaim, “SOMETHING MUST BE DONE ABOUT THEM….” (why do you think there are two major political parties….)
Now where did I leave that tinfoil, I think I feel one of those ‘men who smoke goats’ looking for me…
RE Analog
Has no one considered yet the the Senate and Congress are Obsolete yet? When we were founded communication took days, weeks and yes Months, now it’s seconds. why do I need someone in Washington to represent me, when I can find out for myself, faster than they can in most cases.
We should be directly voting on all these laws not our “alleged” representatives.
I clicked there to report Senator Lieberman as an idiot and sent him a polite message (basically saying that you don’t fix problems by censoring the Internet). I just got the response! I’m so excited.
Well, I did contact some of my Connecticut cousins as promised. No response. Of course, seeing as they’re sentient lifeforms, they may be voting against their fine senator already. Then again, I don’t actually know what their politics are like (though two of them did occupy Wall Street).
I clicked there to report Senator Lieberman as an idiot and sent him a polite message (basically saying that you don’t fix problems by censoring the Internet). I just got the response! I’m so excited.
Well, I did contact some of my Connecticut cousins as promised. No response. Of course, seeing as they’re sentient lifeforms, they may be voting against their fine senator already. Then again, I don’t actually know what their politics are like (though two of them did occupy Wall Street).
I clicked there to report Senator Lieberman as an idiot and sent him a polite message (basically saying that you don’t fix problems by censoring the Internet). I just got the response! I’m so excited.
Well, I did contact some of my Connecticut cousins as promised. No response. Of course, seeing as they’re sentient lifeforms, they may be voting against their fine senator already. Then again, I don’t actually know what their politics are like (though two of them did occupy Wall Street).
Re: Re:
Oops. Sorry for the double post. Perhaps we can thank Comcast?
Leiberman and blocking Taliban emails
Oh, sure! Ignorance is an excellent weapon against terrorism, or something.