Last September I checked out my former blogging site and they hit me with a virus that destroyed my computer. I salvaged enough parts to restore an old Pentium IV I had, but I remained off the Internet until after Obama's election.
To thwart another attack, I bought a new computer with the Vista operating system. While I was replacing it with the more comfortable XP system, the villains struck again disabling [but not destroying] my newest device.
No sooner than we were up and running again, my former nemesis the Jerusalem Post hit me again. An Iranian friend asked me to post his article in Israel. It was controversial concerning his arrest, torture and imprisonment in Iran. After his escape to the USA, he put together a lawsuit that centered on his torture. The Americans had helped him in many ways, but they did not dare to sue the Iranians. [I could never figure out why the Americans planned to nuke Iran, but were afraid to take her to court.]
When I submitted my friend's article to the Jerusalem Post, all the automatic alarm bells rang. Although I am sure no human being actually read the document, my ISP took down my site within a few hours.
If I were given to conjuring up conspiracy theories, I would suspect collusion among American, Israeli and Iranian authorities. They share a common need for Asian paper tiger villains, for military funding and for perpetual warfare. God forbid, if the hapless citizens began to think for a change, they might start a meaningful peace process.
I reject conspiracy theories out of hand. The leaders distrust everyone in their station. Co-operation and co-ordination among them are rare verging on the impossible. Anyway, the leaders are too dumb and too venal to do anything that smacks of cleverness.
Their recent moves have left them knee-deep in Middle Eastern oil muck and the Depression floods have increased the water level to chest high. They are running out of other people to blame. Some bloggers report the news, but a pitiful few take part in shaping the events. At most we provide background music in the manner of Muzak on the elevator. We can be annoying, but never decisive.
We are too much like Shakespeare, who scribbled about Kings, Queens and noblemen. However dramatic this is the stuff of gossip columns. To paraphrase Ed Murrow, if the Internet serves only to amuse, divert and delude the audience, it will never be anything more than pretty lights on a box.
The real story is yours and mine. Every day our individual struggles, hopes and fears shape our lives for good or ill. We fashion our destinies nobody else can unless we allow them to control us.
Since they can't torture or maim all of us, their threats are meaningless only a rear guard action. They haven't the manpower to monitor free speech. When they abuse target individuals, we become aware of their weakness.
This is why being hacked is a badge of honor.
It's all a matter of liberty.
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