Waxing Poetically: Addressing Culture with a Twist of Poetry

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The BBC in conjunction with the World Information Access organization has reported today that arrests for blogging are on a fairly rapid rise around the world. While only 64 bloggers had been arrested worldwide from 2003-2006, that number has nearly tripled at present! Offenses mostly stem from either speaking out against various human rights issues or simply airing grievances with various government’s policies. Countries such as China, Egypt, and Iran are said to be the leaders of this trend.

Arrested bloggers exposed corruption in government, abuse of human rights or suppression of protests. They criticised public policies and took political figures to task.

The report said the rising number of arrests was testament to the “growing” political importance of blogging. It noted that arrests tended to increase during times of “political uncertainty”, such as around general elections or during large scale protests
(BBC News).

Jail time has varied greatly throughout with sentences ranging from 15 months to as many as eight years ! It may also be noted that there have also been arrests made in the US and within other parts of the West such as Canada and France. It is to be noted further that this is only what data has been already confirmed.

Does this mean today.com is in danger? I think anything is possible, but not very probable. Sure, it can happen, but who is to say that some people might not pose a legitimate danger now and again saying… whatever? Further, I’ve always believed that just as with individuals, no organization is perfect and without capability of doing wrong or being corrupt from Elliot Spitzer to Blackwater. Yet, we must remember that we have a constitution in place for reasons just like this one and we in the United Stated are still very, very, very free in comparison to some less than democratic places. We at the same time much realize the power of our words to move and influence countless lives. I say this is a tremendous responsibility and we must proceed with wisdom in everything we as writers write.

Until next time, this is Michael LaPenna waxing poetically for the sake of liberty, free speech, and free press!

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