Our Boys Need Gossip!
If we may do a brief update to a post of ours that got a substantial amount of attention last week:
We were originally going to say that we don't actually believe that we here at Wonkette are being “censored” by anyone just because military computers in Iraq are blocked from viewing our site. We were going to point out that, yes, we're blocked from more than one workplace (though, thankfully, not too many), often for non-human reasons such as automated filters that don't look too kindly on words like “assfucking.” The hyperbolic Call to Arms tone of the original post was just that — hyperbole. We even got emails from US Military spokespeople kindly explaining that soldiers and marines are allowed to check their email (though only through their .mil addresses, we think, and they all come out signed “Irving Washington”), and we were going to tell everyone to calm down, etc. etc.
But our embedded operative who sent us the initial heads-up sent an update.
Unfortunately anonomizers don't work out here (never have). Anyway, I had a few minutes today and thought I'd look and see what else was banned on the Marine web here. I think the results speak for themselves:
- Wonkette – “Forbidden, this page (http://www.wonkette.com/) is categorized as: Forum/Bulletin Boards, Politics/Opinion.”
- Bill O’Reilly (www.billoreilly.com) – OK
- Air America (www.airamericaradio.com) – “Forbidden, this page (http://www.airamericaradio.com/) is categorized as: Internet Radio/TV, Politics/Opinion.”
- Rush Limbaugh (www.rushlimbaugh.com) – OK
- ABC News “The Note” – OK
- Website of the Al Franken Show (www.alfrankenshow.com) – “Forbidden, this page (http://www.airamericaradio.com/) is categorized as: Internet Radio/TV, Politics/Opinion.”
- G. Gordon Liddy Show (www.liddyshow.us) – OK
- Don & Mike Show (www.donandmikewebsite.com) – “Forbidden, this page (http://www.donandmikewebsite.com/) is categorized as: Profanity, Entertainment/Recreation/Hobbies.”
And, uh, now we're just a wee bit suspicious. And even more upset than before, actually — they're making them read the goddam Note? No fucking wonder 72% of 'em want to get the hell out of there.
U.S. Troops in Iraq: 72% Say End War in 2006 [Zogby]
Earlier: We're Bringing the War Back Home
Wonkette: Blocked No More
READ MORE: censorship, iraq, marines, opinion, top, wonkette
Not to risk more censoring for words like "ass-fucking", but didn't G. Gordon Liddy spend time in the slammer, er, prison after Watergate?
Seriously, though, the military loves rules and regs (unless they're inconvenient, like at Gitmo). Couldn't somone FOIA them to see what consititutes "Internet Radio/TV, Politics/Opinion"?
by FishGuyDave on 03/06/06 06:30 PM
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