The Department of Defense has a growing concern regarding our unclassified DoD Internet, known as the NIPRNET. The Commander of DoD's Joint Task Force, Global Network Operations has noted a significant increase in the use of DoD network resources tied up by individuals visiting certain recreational Internet sites.
The sites blocked include Myspace, Youtube, MTV, Blackplanet , photobucket, live365, hi5.com, pandora.com, 1.fm, and other sites.
The troops WILL be allowed to access the sites from home computers. But, since most troops on assignment in Iraq, Afghanistan, Korea, etc. are using DOD networks, they would not be allowed to use THEIR personal computers on DOD networks.
Rob Kall is executive editor and publisher of OpEdNews.com, President of Futurehealth, Inc, inventor . He is also published regularly on the Huffingtonpost.com. He is a frequent Speaker on Politics, Impeachment, The art, science and power of story, heroes and the hero's journey, Positive Psychology, Stress, Biofeedback and a wide range of subjects. He is a campaign consultant specializing in tapping the power of stories for issue positioning, stump speeches and debates. He recently retired as organizer of several conferences, including StoryCon, the Summit Meeting on the Art, Science and Application of Story and The Winter Brain Meeting on neurofeedback, biofeedback, Optimal Functioning and Positive Psychology. See more of his articles here and, older ones, here.
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-While I'm registered as a Democrat, I consider myself to be a dynamic critic of the Democratic party, just as, well, not quite as much, but almost as much as I am a critic of republicans.
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It is bad enough that our troups are sent to Iraq now they can't get information off the internet. Bush once said a dictatorshop is bad except if he was the dictator. People better start getting upset and demanding he be impeached. Read the Constitution and remember we are a Republic. We The People - Not Government.
by
Jeanine (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 2 comments)
on Saturday, May 12, 2007 at 9:15:15 AM
Armed Forces Radio has had Rush Limbaugh on for some time, but refused to carry Air America's "Al Franken show".
You can't keep an illegal, immoral, counter-productive occupation going forever if the troops know it's all BS.
But the majority of the troops understand from their day to day lives in Iraq that the war is not being fought for the reasons they were originally told.
JRM
by
John R Moffett (80 articles, 14 quicklinks, 2 diaries, 601 comments)
on Saturday, May 12, 2007 at 9:30:52 AM
Bob how does this differ from most commercial companies in the world. My first reaction was how dare they censor our brave troops. Then as an IT professional I realized most companies limit access to recreational sites using company computer resources. These recreational sites eat up a substantial amount of network resources. Frankly I have more important issues than this. Like impeachment and restoring everyones civil liberties and ending this stupid war. I was in the military and like it or not they are not full citizens when then join up. Thanks for this great site.
by
tginmn (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 46 comments)
on Saturday, May 12, 2007 at 10:02:56 AM
is the the military is not a commercial company. If you work for a company you can quit and go home. Also this is the government, not a for-profit business.
I hear all the talk about supporting the troops and then the government pulls this, denying a little bit of pleasure and escape of the very little they do have, while also censoring them so some embarrassing truth can't out to the citizens (most likely the real reason). Almost $2 billion a week going down the rat hole, a great deal of it to private contractors and corruption, and yet they can't manage some bandwidth to help the troops keep their sanity?
This is shameful and hypocritical.
by
Blue Pilgrim (0 articles, 3 quicklinks, 2 diaries, 998 comments)
on Saturday, May 12, 2007 at 10:57:01 AM
The good news is that the troops overseas will still be able to access the Christian Broadcast Network, Trinity Broadcast Network, and all reruns of The 700 Club to keep their morale high.
by
Michael Green (7 articles, 0 quicklinks, 2 diaries, 8 comments)
on Saturday, May 12, 2007 at 10:47:27 AM
Have you a clue as to how the neo-Christian Zionists lust for Armageddon?
God Bless America INDEED;
With eyes to see and ears to hear;
Big Brother is out of control and the neo-con empire is in the last throes
They cannot bear the truth, so they deny it and crucify it and spout they are spreading dermocracy while they erode it.
Big Brother is a big bully;
We must change course;
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.
Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed.
But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security. -July 4, 1776
by
Eileen Fleming (140 articles, 49 quicklinks, 264 diaries, 584 comments)
on Saturday, May 12, 2007 at 2:47:47 PM
That they are over there representing freedom,of which the most important is FREE SPEECH!, and they can't have it!!...Does anybody see the double standard going on here? The control they have over military personnel is what they are trying to get over us, that's the underlying message here.
by
mike wygant (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 287 comments)
on Saturday, May 12, 2007 at 11:16:51 AM
Back at the Barracks, the TV in the TV room was geared to receive AFN and nothing but AFN. Just for kicks and as a kind of reminder, we'd sit through a few commercials, well, it was pure propaganda, before we ran out trying to hold the vomit back. The US Military, having the best equipped propaganda machine around puts tends to put the butter on too thick, making it obvious to most. We didn't have internet or computers on base. The TV and radio were 100% propaganda outlets. Ah, the newspaper as well : Stars & Stripes i.e. The Base bookstore was locked down...no Chomsky in there ! But we were lucky in as much as we could leave the base on a regular basis and there was a whole new world to be discovered out there ! Heidelberg seemed to be a hotspot for the underground press which brought us GIs some of the most fascinating bits of information such as a "Turning the Regs Around", a book which outlined a soldiers rights despite his being a soldier / US property.
Folks in the military in Iraq don't have that and they're most probably being subjected to some very thick propaganda every second of each and every day. The can't escape it !
And then we have the free thinkers....who...just happen to be GIs. This is the kind of person who will produce cartoons or essays, poems, songs etc. which are anti-war, as a way of making up for the lack of the same by any other source 'on base' or in the green zone or what have you. And this is the kind of person I trust exists in today's military, just as they did in the cold war military, Vietnam etc.
Intelligence can't replace common sense and censorship won't stamp out dissent. Nope.
by
Tony Forest (4 articles, 14 quicklinks, 131 diaries, 1216 comments)
on Saturday, May 12, 2007 at 12:31:22 PM
...not the overuse of bandwidth. Remember, this is the US government we are talking about. If they are censoring military bloggers, why wouldn't the censor the other way around? Simply put, it is in their interest to censor what the troops see by way of these sites. Many of the listed sites carry information that is, to say the least, incredibly unflattering about what the government is up to both here and "over there". Some of what is carred there, such as snippets of Real Time with Bill Maher, and Countdown with Keith Olbermann is openly critical of DUBYA, his regime, and his pet war. What else would you expect?
The good news is that the troops overseas will still be able to access the Christian Broadcast Network, Trinity Broadcast Network, and all reruns of The 700 Club to keep their morale high.
Of course, I am sure that Faux Snewz, Flush Lintball, and Ann ReVoulter are still going to get to the ears of the troops as well. Isn't that comforting to hear? All the spin will make it to Iraq, but not a drop of counterpoint. Of course, we all know that nothing keeps the moral higher than being told that you are killing in the name of god, or that there is nothing wrong with the government that can't be fixed by sending the Democrats packing.
Oh well, we knew it had to happen sooner or later. Of course, the enterprising military internet geeks will find a way around this shit. I'm sure they'll be more than willing to share this information with their fellows.
Of course, the good thing is this might backfire. It's not like the war is really all that popular with those who are fighting it. This is just one more thing that will convince them they are "working" for a truly criminal enterprise.
Blessed be! Pappy
by
Pappy (61 articles, 0 quicklinks, 11 diaries, 863 comments)
on Saturday, May 12, 2007 at 1:16:31 PM
People, this is NOT a big deal -- sites like this have been blocked by DoD for YEARS here in state-side locations. The reason is simple: they don't want people viewing porn, hate sites, and time-wasting crap (videos) when they are supposed to be on duty! This is not really news at all.
by
davidmsc (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 1 comments)
on Saturday, May 12, 2007 at 1:48:42 PM
The amount of time spent on-line by those who have access over there is limited. It's not about porn. Hell, they can buy it roadside in Baghdad. But, waking up in the morning or getting back to base after a mission to find an inbox full of encouraging comments, links, and light-hearted or thought-provoking video links is not a waste of time.
by
Cheryl Biren-Wright (17 articles, 16 quicklinks, 8 diaries, 323 comments)
on Saturday, May 12, 2007 at 2:38:53 PM
i know several guys currently on the ground in iraq. myspace is a sort of lifeline for them. they can easily stay in touch with family and friends, make new friends, and are able to learn and provide information that cannot be found elsewhere. Bottom line, DoD doesn't want us showing them the level of dissent in the country and they don't want the servicemembers to have a voice. Any techies out there that can figure out another link that these guys can go to first and end up at myspace? is there such a thing?
by
Cheryl Biren-Wright (17 articles, 16 quicklinks, 8 diaries, 323 comments)
on Saturday, May 12, 2007 at 2:34:29 PM
To dare mess with FREEDOM OF SPEECH on the Eve of MOTHER'S DAY!!!
When our sons, daughters, brothers, husbands and wives;
Who have ALL put their ass on the line –and are stuck on base protecting THE OIL FIELDS, which are where ALL the bases are;
And Big Brother rewards their selflessness by denying them access to FREEDOM OF SPEECH?
"Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers." Article 19 UNIVERSAL DECLARATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS UNITED NATIONS HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR HUMAN RIGHTS
And this occurs just after England sentenced two brave souls for leaking Bush's plan to bomb Alja-zeerah because they were reporting what the imbedded media did NOT have access to;
WAKE UP America;
Big Brother is out of control,
Freedom of speech is in grave danger,
In a healthy democracy the government is afraid of the people!!!
Only in totalitarian regimes are the people afraid of the government,
While we still have freedom of speech;
USE IT!!!
This Mother's Day Honor Your's
By FAXING, Phoning President Bush and your congressional reps:
SUPPORT OUR TROOPS!!!
DO NOT MESS WITH FREEDOM OF SPEECH
HONOR OUR SOLDIER'S WITH RESPECT AND HUMAN RIGHTS,
AND DO NOT MESS WITH A MOTHER!!!
We Want Them Home and until they are, we must be allowed to communicate.
WHITE HOUSE COMMENTS LINE: 202-456-1111 WHITE HOUSE SWITCHBOARD: 202-456-1414 WHITE HOUSE FAX: 202-456-2461
Call the State Department Comments Line: 202-647-6575.
by
Eileen Fleming (140 articles, 49 quicklinks, 264 diaries, 584 comments)
on Saturday, May 12, 2007 at 2:37:34 PM
The 'good news' seems to be that the BushCo DoD is getting worried about soldiers comparing their misery, discovering they aren't the 'only one' who thinks he's being USED... and finding out this illegal war isn't at all what they're told it's about - that they are not killing and being killed "for our FREEDOM" - but for oil and World Dominence and all the profits Corporations make from war...
maybe the reason IS "security" :-) to keep BushCo 'safe' from a Military Uprising against this fascist bunch of thugs!
Soldiers are seeing a lot of stuff about impeachment on youtube and myspace..... DoD isn't happy about that!
...COULD BE it's a sort of practise run to work out the bugs for when they censor the whole internet NEXT.
//
"WHY" we need http://pledgetoimpeach.org To protest SAFELY, without risk of being beaten, dragged, pepper sprayed, tasered, or jailed by the gestapo-style 'crowd control' of any who dare oppose BushCo!
People, this is not a big deal. Things have always been like this.
In fact, Abe Lincoln purposely made the internet available to the southern troops to distract them.
Woody Wilson banned My Outhouse (modern indoor plumbing was in its infancy) so the sailors who were blocking The Kaiser's ships didn't know they were blocking the Kaiser's ships.
FDR provided jobs for people and he didn't want them to be distracted by the original YouTube (which, of course, referred to the tubes used in radio technology).
And you saw what happened when people had access to video of the troops during the Vietnam War. The liberls made us lose that war because they didn't like the number of stretchers that were passing in front of Dan Rather during his reports.
This has been going on for years. Besides we don't want the troops to take their minds off of (excuse the poor grammar) killing people that they shouldn't have ever even been shooting at in the first (WMD), second (Prague meeting), third (bringin' 'em democracy at the bequest of falling bombs) and fourth (they don't know where America is so they wouldn't be able to get here unless we left in which case they'll follow us) place.
We have to stop being bearers of bad news when there's so much good we're doing over there in Iraq and we have to keep supporting our troops by denying them stuff (body armor, now YouTube).
Besides, America's my country and I support it right or wrong and if you don't like it here go to China and see how much freedom you have and everything you say emboldens the enemy and you're not very patriotic if .....
by
Michael Bonanno (72 articles, 18 quicklinks, 24 diaries, 123 comments)
on Saturday, May 12, 2007 at 4:32:06 PM
Do they have access to other internet connector other than the DoD?
I don’t believe they do.If they don’t then it seems like censorship to me.
Although for those IT professionals who feel that the companies we work for limit access, at first I agreed, but I realized I go home from work and turn on my home PC and I can go where I want …
Can these soldiers go off base or a neutral cafe and access the internet?
by
chris ferry (0 articles, 5 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 12 comments)
on Saturday, May 12, 2007 at 5:19:42 PM
It can't be a bandwidth issue. DOD eats STM1s (155Mb/s) like popcorn and we taxpayers pay for them. Most Cct.s have a redundant Cct. from another carrier. Like I said, they eat these monsters like popcorn. If an STM1 is insufficient, all they have to do is demand (they never ask) an upgrade to STM4.
The censorship has two purposes ; to keep the one truth out and to keep the other truth from leaking out.
by
Tony Forest (4 articles, 14 quicklinks, 131 diaries, 1216 comments)
on Saturday, May 12, 2007 at 5:22:17 PM
