American Hypocrisy: Is Love Worse than Violence?

Grant Theft Auto (GTA) is an extremely violent computer game. Its makers have earned millions of dollars through the game that allows the player to shoot bad guys and ordinary people alike and rewards other illegal behavior.

The LA government now is suing the game pulishers because of hidden sex scenes in the game. Los Angeles-based City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo "wants the company to surrender the approximately $10 million in profits, and is demanding a $2,500 fine for each untrue or misleading statement the company purportedly made about the game. The unkindest cut - Delgadillo wants the company to stop marketing the game to children." (Techtree.com) The game's rating was already changed from "Mature 17+" to "Adults Only 18+," after the sex scenes were revealed and a re-rated version without the explicit content was released.

So the sex scenes make this game "adult only"? Is violence less harmful to children than sex? Does normal sexual behavior (as shown here) really harm children more than the bloody violence?

Google's Hypocrisy

Why is Google fighting for privacy in the U.S. and filtering content for the Chinese government? Google's saying "Don't do evil" just sounds hollow. I am deeply disappointed at the company and believe it is no better than its competitors Yahoo or Microsoft.

Google's decision to filter sensitive topics from Web searches in China is a major triumph for the regime's campaign to have the Internet censor itself, observers said Thursday, amid mounting criticism of the move.

Read more at ABC.

Is only Google willing to fight for privacy?

John Shinal writes:

Even more troubling to Hendricks was that Google's search rivals, including Yahoo Inc. and Time Warner Inc.'s AOL unit, did provide the government with search result data. Microsoft Corp. declined to comment on whether it received a subpoena, but a lawyer for the American Civil Liberties Union, which sued to overturn the 1998 law, told MarketWatch the software giant did.

Is Google really the only one willing to fight such a dangerous subpeona?

Bush Versus Privacy

The Bush administration has proved once again that it is not a champion of American values, including that of privacy. Even if their goals seem good (namely fighting child pornography), they want data that could potentially be used against Americans for all kinds of reasons.

The Washington Post writes:

The Bush administration, seeking to revive an online pornography law struck down by the U.S. Supreme Court, has subpoenaed Google Inc. for details on what its users have been looking for through its popular search engine.

Google has refused to comply with the subpoena, issued last year, for a broad range of material from its databases, including a request for 1 million random Web addresses and records of all Google searches from any one-week period, lawyers for the U.S. Justice Department said in papers filed Wednesday in federal court in San Jose.

It is only ironic that Google fights for privacy rights in the US, while it seems to comply with censorship rules in China. (see for example this article)

New Reason to Boycott Microsoft!

Micrsoft is definetly not a guardian of free speech, they are a business organization with their only focus on profit! Moreover Micrsoft itself is a company whose products often puzzle the user and an ambition to monopolize the world of computers, it is not difficult to see why the software maker is killing free speech!

The Associated Press reports: "Microsoft Corp. has shut down the Internet journal of a Chinese blogger that discussed politically sensitive issues, including a recent strike at a Beijing newspaper."

Business Week online commented on the move:

The news that Microsoft shut down a Chinese blogger's site at the request of Beijing officials is bringing a renewed focus on the role U.S. companies play in helping China control the Internet.

Congressional Report: Bush Broke the Law

The Washington Post today reported:

A report by Congress's research arm concluded yesterday that the administration's justification for the warrantless eavesdropping authorized by President Bush conflicts with existing law and hinges on weak legal arguments.

If the program conflicts with the law, Bush apparently has broken the law. I believe this qualifies as a high crime and misdemeanor. The constitution clearly states that "The executive Power shall be vested in a President of the United States of America." The president does not have the right to initiate a program such as this without the consent of Congress or the Judiciary!

More Trouble for Palestinians

The Washington Post today writes: "Palestinian Campaigns Begin As Delay Looms". As if the Palestinians didn't already have so much trouble, but now Tom DeLay (R-Texas) might be entering Palestinian politics! I really feel sorry for them! Because of his indictment for violation of election laws, DeLay recently had to vacate his leadership position in the House of Representatives. Sources suggest that he may be probing different avenues for his political career.