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U.S. muzzles dissent
The day after Bush's new "anti-terrorism" legislation was passed,
Vice
President Dick Cheney announced "the new normalcy." As he put it,
"Some of
these changes in American life are permanent."
This newness has been making itself felt since Sept. 11 in some insidious
ways. On Sept. 14, according to ROCK & RAP CONFIDENTIAL, the Secret Service
shut down the website for the band Rage Against the Machine. There have been
other instances of censorship by corporations (John Lennon's song
"Imagine," Aaron McGruder's comic strip "The Boondocks") but
this net censorship is especially chilling.
Under the new laws, it will be much easier for government agencies to spy
on citizens, including tracing one's use of the internet. Further, under an
executive order signed by Bush, the Office of Homeland Security can seize
the assets of any business which, by their definition, "supports
terror."
That includes internet servers. Sites associated with WBAI radio in New
York have been taken down under this threat, including that for Grandpa Al
Lewis, Green Party candidate for Senator of New York in 2000. The
possibilities for political repression and vendettas are endless.
-Thanks in part to Bill Weinberg's "World War III Report, #3"
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