[GRLUG] new Comcast mail blocking?

[John-Thomas Richards]

On Fri, Dec 12, 2008 at 01:30:18PM -0500, Collin Kidder wrote:
> Don Wood wrote:
> > Packet arrives at Comcast gateway.
> >
> > Comcast: Welcome to Comcast! Are your papers in order?
> > Comcast: Are you here on business? Or for pleasure?
> >
> > Packet: I'm not sure sir. I was only told where to go.
> >
> > Comcast: Halt! (Comcast pulls out pistol wildly!)
> > Comcast: Up against the wall for inspection!
> >
> > (Comcast looks packet over very closely and though no contraband is found, packet is found to be suspicious and herded onto a cattle car headed for dreaded camp /dev/null
> >
> > _______________________________________________
> >   
> You know what they say: "The internet treats censorship as damage and 
> routes around it." But, in this case, what will happen is that people 
> will start to use other non-standard ports for things and/or they'll 
> just tunnel packets through other channels (such as VPN.) Of course, 
> this is already occurring. Eventually comcast will probably totally 
> block encrypted traffic. The war will just continue to escalate until 
> someone talks some sense into these people.
> 
> Port blocking is just plain stupid. It's the same thing as the draconian 
> new laws we're seeing in response to terror. Oh, we got bombed, time to 
> take away personal liberty! Except this is "Oh, we got spammed, time to 
> block legitimate ports!" Where is Benjamin Franklin when you need him?

I agree it's stupid, but it's not the same thing as draconian new laws.
Censorship is what *governments* do, not businesses.  If I own a radio
station and I don't want to play any songs about drunken brawls in bars,
that ain't censorship.  It's my business and I choose which products to
offer and in what manner to offer them.  If the government tells me I
cannot play songs about drunken brawls in bars, that is censorship and
completely unacceptable.  As much as I dislike what Comcast is doing,
it's their business.  I could always get DSL or U-Verse.
-- 
john-thomas
------
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Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826)