The Internet is Shut Off in Syria
Some on Twitter are reporting that it's simply shut down. Others aren't Tweeting anymore--which would confirm this. And it's Friday, after prayers. So I am assuming this means that right now, as you read this, at this very second, Assad's forces are killing people.
I know that the world is suffering from Arab Spring fatigue. But there's a certain moral truth to this:
acarvin When you've seen pics of dozens of dead kids over the last 6 months, they begin to blur. They should *never* blur. #Yemen #Syria #Libya
Something about ignoring this--whether or not you can do anything about it--is obscene.
Surely, quite close to me, and right now, people are being tortured and shot to death as I sit comfortably in my apartment typing this, contemplating my Baltic cruise. Does it help them at all for me to reflect on it? Is there anything I could usefully do that I'm overlooking?
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May '11
Re: The Internet is Shut Off in Syria
We can ALWAYS pray.
Jun '10
Re: The Internet is Shut Off in Syria
Syria = Iran = let's change the subject.
Mar '11
Re: The Internet is Shut Off in Syria
Well, no one saw this coming.
Mar '11
Re: The Internet is Shut Off in Syria
Calling attention to precisely this sort of barbarism is itself a service and doing something.
Reminding the world what terror and tyranny actually look like (as opposed to the Code Pink morons or Dick Durbin's comparing Americas to Nazis) helps people remember that what they have is worth fighting for.
As for Assad, justice does has a long memory. It may take its time in coming to him, but I suspect that between the Arab Spring and Pilli's preferred approach, it will come to him in the end. Douglas is right too: aw, shucks, who would have thought Syria could be so violent!
Oh, and Ms. Berlinski, your post is a downer after the Baltic cruise post. As an American serving abroad in an area not far from the Baltics: cheer up, enjoy your cruise! You're coming at a fantastic time of year, and should definitely enjoy Tallinn and St. Petersburg. Moreover, almost all of Estonia has free wireless (the benefit of having wealth and a tiny population) so staying in touch with the Ricochetoise shouldn't be a problem!
Re: The Internet is Shut Off in Syria
Crow's Nest:
Oh, and Ms. Berlinski, your post is a downer after the Baltic cruise post. As an American serving abroad in an area not far from the Baltics: cheer up, enjoy your cruise! You're coming at a fantastic time of year, and should definitely enjoy Tallinn and St. Petersburg. Moreover, almost all of Estonia has free wireless (the benefit of having wealth and a tiny population) so staying in touch with the Ricochetoise shouldn't be a problem! · Jun 3 at 7:38am
I'm sorry. I know it's a downer, and am actually going through a parallel mental calculation--My life is exciting! I'm going on a cruise!--coupled with, I want to put this out of my head, but that's actually really happening, to real people.
I'm delighted to hear about the wireless situation in Tallinn. Apparently there's wireless on the ship but it's expensive (and no, I'm not going to push my luck by complaining about that). This may actually force me to do something besides follow the Turkish electoral developments online, and is probably excellent for me, but I confess I'm slightly anxious about that.
Apr '11
Re: The Internet is Shut Off in Syria
"Something about ignoring this--whether or not you can do anything about it--is obscene."
It is not obscene to go about our daily lives taking full advantage of the limited liberties left to us. To assert that, as individuals, we have a moral obligation to spend our limited time and limited energy focusing on the senseless brutality inflicted on each single individual who number in the millions, is itself immoral. We cannot do the impossible and therefore, are not morally culpable.
The only way we can help the future millions of potential victims is to fight for liberty.
May '10
Re: The Internet is Shut Off in Syria
With a US administration that cared, I wonder if it would be possible to have internet access "dropped into" Syria (or other places); some kind of WiMax or other technology; perhaps along the Syrian borders, or something; certainly Israelis could figure something out?
But me think that the current administration doesn't really care that much.
Re: The Internet is Shut Off in Syria
Melin: "Something about ignoring this--whether or not you can do anything about it--is obscene."
It is not obscene to go about our daily lives taking full advantage of the limited liberties left to us. ... The only way we can help the future millions of potential victims is to fight for liberty. · Jun 3 at 8:28am
I go back and forth--at times I can convince myself that it is wrong and ungrateful to fail fully to enjoy one's own blessings, and neurotic (not to mention grandiose) to worry about all the world's ills, given one's lack of control over the universe. At other times, I think this is a glib justification for apathy and a deliberate deadening of one's own natural human empathy--that it's never okay to say, "Too bad, nothing I can do" and look the other way. I've too many times seen people say "Too bad, nothing I can do" when in fact there's a lot they could do; they'd just rather not.
And I've also seen people pointlessly drive themselves nuts with masochistic pleasure in dwelling on the evils of the world. Fine line.