Why a Free and Public Worldwide Internet Matters - A History Lesson

From the Antikythera mechanism to the Dead Sea Scrolls, it takes only a passing knowledge of history to realize that ideas=power, and the powerful often try to destroy or suppress ideas.  From the original discovery of pi to the glassmaking secrets of ancient Rome, we have historical proof that time and again, knowledge is destroyed or sharply restricted by the ruling elite.

Only the invention of moveable type allowed the 'common man' to rise out of the ashes of the Dark Ages, because in the centuries prior to Gutenberg's bible the printed word and the thoughts that could be transmitted in books were held hostage by Kings and Popes.

This infographic tells only part of the story.  "Read it and weep" is a trite phrase, but it applies here.  Click on the underlined link to see full size:

CLICK HERE:  INFOGRAPHIC: Information Destruction through History

Now we watch in horror as corporation after corporation tries to pry open the gates and destroy the free and open internet.  From hundreds of millions of DMCA takedown notices without trial or appeal to the most recent assault called 'Pay for Play', the rich corporations and wealthy individuals who run this world are fighting and fighting hard to burn the library and shutter the doors.

People talk about Genghis Khan, Hitler's holocaust or the blood-drenched streets of the Inquisition as mankind's darkest hours.  I disagree.  It is my belief that the darkest hour in human history was the burning of the great library in Alexadria 40 years before the birth of Christ.

Will future generations ask, "Why did they not act?" (To protect the free, open and fair internet).

Two days ago, the governing body in the United States that controls regulations relating to internet access, repealed rules that prevented Internet Service Providers (the access points for all of us) from metering, restricting, censoring and outright blocking websites - without oversight, without standards, without limitations.

This is not a United States issue - this grotesque, profit-driven and political-control driven change has the potential to harm all people around the globe, stifle political discourse, isolate the poor from information and opportunity, and destroy this magnificent "library of man" called the internet.

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I'm fairly confident that no human being alive right now wants that to be the historical legacy of this period in human history - the problem is that corporations are soulless beasts who give not a damn for human needs or cultural heritage.

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