Paul: I DO wear my banning as a Badge of Honor!

They didn't ban LGF?

Wow. Surprised they didn't go after LGF if that was their issue. Usually they accuse Charles of "Islamophobia" for pointing out jihadist elements.

As an Indian, I'm embarrassed. But I also know that a)we're not exactly the most organized people in the world. b)we're extremely noisy and opinionated. c)People in India are pissed.

There is not a chance in hell that this is going to last.

Freedom of speech is not guaranteed per the Indian constitution (I think). They banned The Satanic Verses in the 80s and that didn't turn out all that well.

Indians (Muslims, Hindus, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Jews are all mad). The only ones who want this are the communists.

But hey, India is the only place in the world where Communists are both elected and religious. So go figure.

Wow. Surprised they didn't go after LGF if that was their issue. Usually they accuse Charles of "Islamophobia" for pointing out jihadist elements.

You just don't understand the power of the Lizard Coalition.

mypetjava.mu.nu

What do they have against coffee?

Darn. Now i'll have to cancel my subscription to "India a nation in transition"

Darn. Now i'll have to cancel my subscription to "India a nation in transition"

A billion people who speak a thousand different languages and believe in every major (and a lot of minor) religions is always going to be in flux.

Outside of Israel, India is probably the most pro American country in the world.

It turns out there were 17 blogs banned, the MSM got it wrong.

It also turns out the urls were correct in the original document. Which, is kind of funny, because that means the Indian press mispelled our urls and then the US MSM picked up the Indian mistakes.

Think about it.

Shame on the Shamestream!

Rusty's upset because his site has nothing to do with coffee (..mypetjava??..)

I like this blog. You guys don't give a damn what people post here for the most part, and in my opinion that's good. Censorship doesn't get us anywhere. I think that conversation is good.

It's good for liberals and conservatives and libertarians to yell and scream at each other, as long as it doesn't come to blows, literally.

Jay Tea and the owners of this blog could easily ban Lee, Mantis, Mak (and me) if they liked. It's good that they don't. Talking about our differences is and being passionate about our political beliefs openly is what makes us different, and better.

I like to read what happens here, and I don't post too many things for the most part.

But since this thread is about India, and since I'm an Indian-American, I kinda feel like I have to say a couple of things.

1. I love this country. I love it despite George Bush. And I love it because of him.

2. I love the fact that people in this country have a voice, as opposed to, say, Saudi Arabia. Our disagreements are what make us great.

3. When India got independence from the British, the founding fathers (Gandhi, Nehru etc) looked to Jefferson, Washington and Madison as exemplars on which to build a nation.

4. These two countries, unfortunately estranged for a long time (mostly because of India's misguided socialist domestic policy) have finally come to a mutual understanding.

5. Democracies work. Democracies in combination with free markets are the best way to unshackle the oppression of poverty.

India has more Muslims than any other country in the world except for Indonesia. And it still works somehow. It is certainly possible for Hindus and Muslims and Christians and Sikhs and Jews to co-exist. If it can happen in a dirt-poor country like India, it sure as hell should be possible in other places.

You should comment more often, Lint.

Lint -

You're making the possibly invalid assumption that co-existance is even desired by some sects of the Muslim faith. This is something which is not born out by the fratricidal actions of certain offshoots of Islam.

A willingness to co-exist and respect other religions seems to lead to growth and prosperity - but it also seems like the ones who want to grab the whole ball'o'wax don't give a damn about anything but what they can grab, and if they've got to destroy 9/10ths of it and the infrastructure to make more to carry off a handful of trinkets, they'll not hesitate.

Good post, btw...

If we do start the banning, mantis is on the short list. ;-)

Actually Lint, I take your comments to heart...

(as an example) I could ban Lee with about 3 clicks of the mouse. And I've banned people for being idiots before so life on the planet would go on.

But I haven't.

What I HAVE done is delete the crap out of him when he was an idiot. (and believe me that's often) AND I've gone to great lengths to explain to him WHY I've deleted him and how to not get deleted.

Of course, he's not smart enough to realize, I'm spending a whole bunch of time on him and helping him out when I could just nuke his ass and go on.

I like open deabte and I like to think I'm working hard to allow him to participate. I'm not so fond of morons.

I hope one day he adds to the conversation. So far my effort has been wasted... But I'm an optimist.

If the day comes I convince myself he is a lost cause, so be it. But he will be banned for his behavior not his beliefs.

My view on life.

How'd they miss Little Green Footballs? If they're banning sites offensive to Muslims, LGF should be on the top the list. Charles must be so disappointed...

To pick up where Paul left off, I think the last person I banned was this "bird-brained" idiot who agreed with us, but was such a gibbering, sub-literate, idiotic moron whose every comment gave me headaches. Multiple headaches. At the same time.

Like Paul said: it isn't beliefs, it's behavior.

J.

Paul/Jay:

If you are looking for a "good" lefty, go find Paul Hooson (used to post at Poli, but probably gone like a lot of us). His writing is well thought out, and never contains personal abuse.

BREAK

If Mary(ad infinitum) ever shows up, ban her/him immediately, and do us all a favor. Actual, I keep thinking that LEE could be MARY.

OT:

Censorship always backfires. It just makes people more interested in looking into what they have been denied. Kind of like telling a child not to do something. It's not working in China, and won't in India.

To pick up where Paul left off, I think the last person I banned was this "bird-brained" idiot who agreed with us, but was such a gibbering, sub-literate, idiotic moron whose every comment gave me headaches.

lol I had forgotten about him.

Who, the plover? He was a good one. Makes me miss minnie as well. Where have all the good trolls gone?

Spurwing Plover comments at Ace of Spades these days. Interesting guy... girl... dog/cat/robot/whatever.

Latest word is that the Indian government is backing down. I am waiting to see if they admit they made a mistake or spin it as "the government order was misunderstood," or "we did not really order that, we wuz misquoted."

I am not basing that cynical view on my beliefs about the Indian government. I am basing it on my belief that the weasely bureaucrat is a universal constant, regardless of race, creed, gender, condition of birth, or national origin. It is one of those things that demonstrates that whether you come from Delhi, Cairo, Moscow, Beiking, London, or Washington, bureaucrats are brothers and sisters under the skin.

The wisdom, the Zen, that is, Spurwing Plover

Spoetry:

http://madfishwillies.mu.nu/archives/Spoetry.php