It’s gettin’ worse, don’t you feel it? Governments all over the world try to get instruments of repression in place. Sometimes they pretend it’s about terror, “Saving the Children” is an all-time best-seller, and sometimes we see how much it really is about money, for instance when the US government closes web sites.
It’s not only about money though. It’s about control as well. And it does not only happen in the Internet. You can also see it in real life. These locks tie together a set of metal fences that are used to keep demonstrations from approaching the parliament building in Vienna. I have first seen them in 2000, during the ongoing protests against Jörg Haider’s party, that had just entered a coalition with the conservatives. At that time the police began to regularly close all streets leading to the parliament. Think of that: We are a state that is purportedly ruled by its people, but the mighty don’t want to be approached by the people.
Whatever. They began to close streets in 2000 when there were one or two demonstrations per week, but they have not stopped. The fences are still there, tied to street lanterns while not in use, but they are there. So are all the “anti-terror” laws that were passed using the post-9/11 terror hysteria.
The Song of the Day is “None Of Us Are Free” from Solomon Burke’s 2002 album “Don’t Give Up On Me”. Good stuff, hear it on YouTube.