[ssf] Iran: bloggers arrested and beaten

[Dan]

Hey up,

Being one of them ummy arry liberal types, I never like to miss a chance 
to qualify and compare.

This story:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/4283231.stm

On Iranian bloggers being arrested, beaten and tortured, for example.  
Which is to say, however much things are going in the wrong direction, 
we're a long way from this. (And it's a million miles from saying that 
our thoughts are controlled by the corporate press.  Maybe - but we have 
Indymedia, blogs, freedom of speech, printing presses not owned by the 
state all over the place...)

The other really interesting thing about all this - e.g. with the 
Indymedia servers, and more recently as regards Iraq's assets being sold 
off the highest bidder, is how much you get to hear folk who usually 
talk of breaking the state / how much law is just an extension of 
capitalism start to cite various international and national laws in 
their defence.

And why not?  It's one reason why we're not going to end up like Iran 
any time soon - coz of the checks and balances of our judicial system.  
It may not be perfect, but it ain't a police state.  Yet.

Hope that gets someone riled enough to argue with me.

love

Dan