Yes, we know. The Rudd government is awful, but less awful than the alternative and immeasurably preferable to those who came before. They’re like the prissy, nerdy swot that the teacher made class captain after the school bully got expelled. It’s hard to watch [tag]Kevin Rudd[/tag] jerking his thumb at the [tag]Sydney Opera House[/tag] without wanting to slap him for his bad manners; listening to [tag]Julia Gillard[/tag] evade [tag]Fran Kelly[/tag]‘s questions is like having your skull ground by a giant dentist’s drill, and what a sold-out, timorous waste of space [tag]Peter Garrett[/tag] is! There are two thoughtful, strong, articulate exceptions: [tag]Lindsay Tanner[/tag] and [tag]Penny Wong[/tag], who has my vote for Australia’s first [tag]female PM[/tag].

Anyway, one of the government’s unbearably moralistic excrescences is [tag]Stephen Conroy[/tag] who wants to save us all from ourselves with disastrous, unworkable laws that won’t protect our children and will make us an international laughingstock.

We received this email from [tag]GetUp[/tag] today. We have had our issues with GetUp but mostly we support them and this issue is both urgent and important. We have signed this [tag]petition[/tag]. We urge you to. In your own interest.

Our campaign to ‘[tag]Save the Net[/tag]‘ is gaining momentum faster than all expectations, as the Government’s ill-considered plans to slow down and censor the internet is “facing a major backlash”, according to media reports.

Only a massive public outcry will make the [tag]Government[/tag] see sense on this issue. That’s why we’re taking a moment to ask you help build an unprecedented [tag]community[/tag] movement to save the [tag]internet[/tag] from being slowed and censored.

Please take a moment to tell all anyone you know who uses the internet to add their signature to yours on our petition:

www.getup.org.au/campaign/SaveTheNet&id=463

More than 55,000 fellow Australians have already signed the petition to [tag]Communications Minister[/tag] Senator Conroy. His plan has even been slammed by [tag]children’s welfare[/tag] groups, who say the filter is “fundamentally flawed” and simply will not work.

Without an immense reaction from the community, the Government will claim they have the green light to begin limiting our freedoms – and who knows where that slippery slope will end? Already [tag]euthanasia[/tag], [tag]gambling[/tag], [tag]anorexia[/tag] and legal [tag]adult content[/tag] are being discussed.

Be part of the solution by letting your friends know about this campaign, and ask them to join you, children’s welfare groups, [tag]internet providers[/tag], consumers, engineers, [tag]network administrators[/tag], and 55,000 everyday Australians in defense of our freedom and in defence of our internet:

www.getup.org.au/campaign/SaveTheNet&id=463

Help build a movement today in defence of our rights, to prevent [tag]Australia[/tag] joining [tag]Iran[/tag], [tag]China[/tag], [tag]Saudi Arabia[/tag] and [tag]Burma[/tag] in an [tag]undemocratic[/tag] club of governments who view the internet as a threat.

Thanks for being part of the solution,
The GetUp team

[tags]values, Australian values, politics, Australian politics, principles, standards, choice, ISP, freedom, censorship, internet, blog, computer, computing, network[/tags]