If <i><u>access to</u></i> the internet is NOT a human right, then governments can arbitrarily block access to the internet without due process of law of any kind.<br><br>I am confused as to why anyone on this list or elsewhere would deny that "access to" the internet is a human right OTHER THAN the acknowledged confusion of when "access to" is interpreted as meaning "government-paid access to." <br>
<br>But the key language in this debate in recent days has not, to the best of my memory, ever raised the question of whether :"<i>government-paid</i> access to the internet is a human right."<br><br>Also, the distinction between "enablers" of rights or "technologies" to facilitate rights can be one that utterly destroys the underlying right if it is conceptualized in the sense of "rights do not include tools to facilitate rights.." If that is indeed the case, then self-defense rights do not include the right to use hands or sticks or anything else, all of which the government could make illegal without due process to anyone. <br>
<br>The right to speak, if use of tools is not encompassed within it somehow, would not include the ability to make sounds above ten decibels, or the use of loudspeakers, or the use of the tool of paper (on the grounds that it increases littering, or what have you). Well, the "right" to speak would only include these tools, or any other tools, if the government specifically allowed it, because <u>"tools" would be wide open to regulation,</u> whereas the rights themselves would not be.<br>
<br>Anyone who is serious about rights on the internet might profitably rethink this proposed distinction between technologies and tools used to implement rights "vs" the rights themselves. It is a false distinction, as stated. <b>There are some distinctions to be made vis a vis the technologies of speech vs. speech itself, but the distinctions that are being made are so overbroad as to extinguish free speech in their practical application.</b><br>
<br>Paul Lehto, J.D.<br><br><div class="gmail_quote">On Mon, Jan 16, 2012 at 2:41 PM, Joy Liddicoat <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:joy@apc.org">joy@apc.org</a>></span> wrote:<br><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex">
<div link="blue" vlink="purple" lang="EN-NZ"><div><p class="MsoNormal">Hi all – sharing with you APC’s response to Vint’s recent New York Times column: <a href="http://bit.ly/zbp253" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/zbp253</a> <u></u><u></u></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">all the best for 2012<u></u><u></u></p><p class="MsoNormal"><u></u> <u></u></p><p class="MsoNormal"><u></u> <u></u></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span>Joy Liddicoat<u></u><u></u></span></p><p class="MsoNormal">
<span>Project Coordinator<u></u><u></u></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span>Internet Rights are Human Rights<u></u><u></u></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span><a href="http://www.apc.org" target="_blank">www.apc.org</a><u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><u></u> <u></u></p></div></div><br>____________________________________________________________<br>
You received this message as a subscriber on the list:<br>
<a href="mailto:governance@lists.cpsr.org">governance@lists.cpsr.org</a><br>
To be removed from the list, visit:<br>
<a href="http://www.igcaucus.org/unsubscribing" target="_blank">http://www.igcaucus.org/unsubscribing</a><br>
<br>
For all other list information and functions, see:<br>
<a href="http://lists.cpsr.org/lists/info/governance" target="_blank">http://lists.cpsr.org/lists/info/governance</a><br>
To edit your profile and to find the IGC's charter, see:<br>
<a href="http://www.igcaucus.org/" target="_blank">http://www.igcaucus.org/</a><br>
<br>
Translate this email: <a href="http://translate.google.com/translate_t" target="_blank">http://translate.google.com/translate_t</a><br>
<br>
<br></blockquote></div><br><br clear="all"><br>-- <br>Paul R Lehto, J.D.<br>P.O. Box 1 <br>Ishpeming, MI 49849 <br><a href="mailto:lehto.paul@gmail.com">lehto.paul@gmail.com</a><br>906-204-4026 (cell)<br><br><br><br><br>
<br><br>