"Sadie. How's it going. This is court airport Fudgesicle from dell computer, the following up on the closings at the OJ your last week see if you got the go ahead on those quotes yet. If you could please give us call back and give us update. We can be reached at (512) XXX-XXXX, once again, that number is (512) XXX-XXXX. We look forward to hear from you. Thanks for my safety. You will be, or you call them out another one or do you want me to work on this. The remote this."
I remember seeing my first graphical web page at that time – a friend of mine at college had put up a little page about his department and had scandalously included his photograph. I was horrified, and the first words out of my mouth were, “this will never catch on.” Boy was I wrong.
At that time 'my' internet was a world of safe, opaque text. I'd have never dreamed of putting my photograph up on a web page for potentially anyone in the world to see. That thought frightened me because sharing something so personal with people I did not know seemed fundamentally wrong. But these days not it's not unusual for people to share much more than that on social networking sites.
I lecture my daughter weekly about the dangers of sharing too much on the 'net. She thinks I'm an old fogey.
But the W3 has changed us forever in many ways, particularly in the way we view privacy. We have gone from a people who jealously guarded our privacy and defended confidentiality to a people that no longer really even seem to understand those concepts. I consider that from time to time, and I don't really like it. I guess I am the old fogey that my daughter thinks I am.
They were spying, in private homes!!! This should increase the blood pressure of every one of us who believes in the US Constitution and in our rights to fundamental freedoms.The family first learned of the embedded webcams on Nov. 11, when Harriton High's Assistant Principal Lindy Matsko reprimanded Blake Robbins for "improper behavior in his home," according to the lawsuit. Matsko cited as evidence a photograph from the webcam on the boy's school-issued laptop.
The lawsuit does not specify why the photograph was objectionable.
If you listen closely, I believe the curse words are there to be ironic. I rather wish they were not in there, but I won't start marching around and carrying signs to try and protest the song. Sadly I used to use the ‘f’ word every other sentence and it still slips from time to time.
Which brings me to point number 2 – I sin every day. I sure try not too. But I do. Therefore how in the world could I condemn anyone else for the same?
Do I think being gay is a sin? Ya it is but it’s not my job to judge. (At first I said it 'probably' was a sin, but I edited that out because it is. Very clearly) So is jealousy, cursing, and anger, just some of the things I'm guilty of. Besides I’m no bible scholar and I can’t know absolutely for certain what Jesus thinks about it anyway.
But no, Ben, I don’t think we need the controversy. What we do need is to shut our mouths about it and get on with the job Jesus gave us: Loving one another, and loving the Lord our God.
I leave you with the only Bible verse that I think applies in this case. Matthew 7:3 “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?”
Or this one: John 8:7 “Any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone.” But brother, that ain’t me.
Partial Freedom is an oxymoron - but that's just want some people would like the internet to be: "Partially Free". I am greatly disturbed by the censorship of the 'net that has been taking place in China, and is now in beginning in Germany. This censorship in Germany is being done under the guise of making the internet safe for children. In China the Government just admits that it wants to control the information being distributed to their citizens. While China's attitude is disturbing, at least their admonition is refreshing.
This subject took me back some years as I recalled the formation of the Electronic Frontier Foundation. I remember the first time I read the Declaration of the Independence of Cyberspace penned by the poet John Perry Barlow. Its inspiring words, shown in part below, brought tears to my eyes:
"Governments of the Industrial World, you weary giants of flesh and steel, I come from Cyberspace, the new home of Mind. On behalf of the future, I ask you of the past to leave us alone. You are not welcome among us. You have no sovereignty where we gather. ..."
"We are creating a world that all may enter without privilege or prejudice accorded by race, economic power, military force, or station of birth. ..."
"We are creating a world where anyone, anywhere may express his or her beliefs, no matter how singular, without fear of being coerced into silence or conformity. ..."
"We will create a civilization of the Mind in Cyberspace. May it be more humane and fair than the world your governments have made before."
---John Perry Barlow
Noble thoughts expressed over a sometimes ignoble medium. But the truth is that Cyberspace is no more evil than the world in which we live, although the anonymity of the internet allows that which resides in the hearts of men to surface freely. But we can not be afraid! Where freedom reigns the truth can always be found. Censorship does not eradicate evil. Wrongdoing is only further obfuscated by censorship.
Yes, there are nasty, and evil places on the internet. There are also places of goodness, justice and truth. I'm not willing to allow any Government to decide for me which is which. In China, for instance, some Christian Web Sites have been banned.
Our Lord gave us Free Will. I'm not willing to let any Government take that away from me.
I will walk about in freedom,
for I have sought out your precepts.I will speak of your statutes before kings
and will not be put to shame,--Psalm 119:45-46
Makeup your own mind about Cyberspace! Here is some software that can help:
