Don't censor us, censor that!

The GOP keeps creating proof that they will oppose anything the Democrats believe in or support, including Freedom of Speech, particularly via the Internets. Obama has shown support for net neutrality and recently spoke to the Chinese leader about limiting their notorious Internet censorship, nicknamed the Great Firewall. From the very beginning of his presidency, even before he was sworn in, groups like the MPAA have tried to pressure Obama and the FCC to censor the Internet and the RIAA would love to turn it into a virtual police state where nothing is free or easily accessible.
Showing their love and consideration for big business ahead of the actual citizens of this country, Republicans in congress introduced legislation months ago to appease the big ISP's to stymie efforts by the FCC to enforce neutrality and ban restricting or slowing certain types of information sent over the Internet. More recently, AT&T got its shorts in a wad over comments the Obama admin has made concerning any regulations on Internet access. Basically, Republicans are taking sides with companies and media groups over the rights of its own constituents, since they must not pad their pockets as well as the corporations do.
Censoring or filtering the Internet in any way is another step toward limiting our right to freedom of speech and the press, as is done in countries like China, Iran and North Korea, you know, Communist and dictatorship countries. The ones we get along with so well. I guess it really doesn't surprise me much, since conservatives are more likely to ask books to be banned or burned since they don't agree with their set of values, the only ones that matter.

Musical Integrity - 1, WalMart - 0

One of my long-time favorite bands, Green Day, just raised themselves up a little higher in the pantheon of musical gods for me. Their new album, 21st Century Breakdown, will not be sold at WalMart. The company wanted them to edit (censor) their album so they could sell an edited (censored) version of the album, and GD said no. Billie Joe continued by saying. "We've never done it before. You feel like you're in 1953 or something." So kudos to the boys, I'm glad their sticking up for what they believe in while so many other bands cave and edit their albums just to appease the mega-corp. Are the few extra sales really worth the slow loss of your integrity and soul? It would seem so. What WalMart is doing is dumbing down music, making it safe and palatable for everyone, so your teenagers and tweens can have those new, top-ten albums without the bad words and messages and reality and all that terrible stuff.
When I was younger, dumber, and more naive about the world, I ended up with a few edited albums. I always felt something was missing, and got annoyed by the skips and reversed words in the middle of songs. It totally changed the mood of a song, pulling you out of a vibe and wrecking the continuity. I couldn't have said that then, but I still knew something was wrong. I turned completely against edited music within a few short years, got rid of my tainted albums, and started appreciating music. I still have a hard time listening to the radio because many songs, particularly good ones, end up edited. I cringe every time I hear an edited Pink Floyd or Alice in Chains song. But radio is a whole other problem.
The problem here isn't necessarily rooted in WalMart, it's the customers. WalMart is just trying to cover their asses while getting the maximum sales possible. I'm sure a team of lawyers concocted this to end the angry letters and phone calls because poor, innocent little Jimmy ended up with a CD that had a few swears on it. It's not right, it's just business.

F*ck you, sir.

A few weeks ago, I read this blurb on Consumerist about a Texas woman who was arrested last year, way back in August, for saying the f-word within the hearing range of a fire marshal, who apparently have the right to arrest people. I think someones briefs are a little too tight, particularly since the conversation in which the expletive was uttered was with another adult, and not directed at anyone in any nature. He handcuffed her after a brief altercation and took her out to his car to write her a citation. This was while people were trying to prepare for a tropical storm landing. The charges were dropped last month after a judge basically decided that where was no case.
Believe it or not, your right to free speech is being attacked constantly, from small incidents like this, to the thousands of book censorship requests every year, to seemingly arbitrary and cautious things like self-censorship. I've always had a problem with censorship, long before I ever read Fahrenheit 451. If left unchallenged, censorship leads to state-controlled media much like in Iran, North Korea, China and others. People love to have the ability to control others, it's one of the sinister sides of our nature.
Controlling how we act leads to controlling how we speak, which eventually leads to controlling how we think. Still haven't read 1984? Maybe you should. Censorship is all part of control, and it is rarely for purely altruistic reasons. They say you shouldn't read this because it's 'offensive,' but what they really mean is that it has ideas they don't like. You shouldn't say this word or that one, because it's offensive, but it's merely that they find it offensive.
I don't hear atheists walking around telling Christians that their beliefs are offensive (at least, not very often), but Christians don't mind one bit tell everyone else they don't agree with how they feel. Why? Because they're the majority, and feel they can. And they can say whatever they want, but I also have the right to disagree with them, just as loudly and obdurately as they do with me. And the next time someone gives be a dirty look or 'excuses me' because they are eavesdropping onto my conversation and overheard a swear, I will let them know exactly how I feel. "Hey, mind your your goddamn business."