Watch and Control...

...Bradley Manning, SOPA and the Food Bill

Bradley Manning, the key leaker of Wikileaks and a US soldier, is still in prison for supplying Top-Secret US files “to the enemy”. The treatment he has received has been termed torturous by the UN's rapporteur on torture, Juan Mendez- who was at first denied permission to visit him. Manning's crime, namely providing his citizens and the world with information of the US' actions abroad, demonstrates the on-going degradation of freedoms and human rights in the West.

A top US official was recently forced to resign after siding with Manning. The soldier is being made an example of; but the right to protest, internet freedoms and food rights are also getting a prison sentence.  The US Occupy movement supports Bradley Manning's release, but an updated version of the National Defence Authorization Act passed by a majority in December could see any potential “terrorist” being detained as well.

The meaning of the word “terrorist” is subject to interpretation, but if Manning can be thrown into solitary confinement for months on end for 'aiding the enemy', there is no reason why protesters who want to change the status quo, even if by nonviolent means, cannot be seen as enemies too. The bill grants power to the military to arrest U.S. citizens on American soil and detain them in military prisons forever without offering them the right to legal counsel or even a trial.

Recently we have also witnessed the US Senate attempting to pass through legislation that could severely affect our internet-based lifestyles. Even sites like Wikipedia, YouTube, BoingBoing and Facebook could have been affected by the legislation as they rely on referenced sources in a public domain- without these sources receiving a profit.

The two bills, SOPA and PIPA were made to curb online piracy, with offenders legally being shut-off the internet, fined and/or imprisoned. Many sites across the net blacked-out their activity for a day in protest causing the senators and US officials to be flooded with public submissions against the bills.

The protesting sites say the bills would stifle creativity, innovation and internet freedoms: Wikipedia asked its users to imagine a world without knowledge. A spokeswoman for the intellectual property group Electronic Frontier Foundation said the bills would force providers to block access to infringing sites and calls the moves censorship. Soon after the internet black-out, senators began retracting their support from the bills.

Sadly SOPA and PIPA have spawned in new forms, such as the Open Act, and are facing the Senate again, backed by the Music and Film Industries. In New Zealand the recent Food Bill, being looked at by Parliament, could threaten local producers and community gardens. The bill is likely to push the costs up for local producers, despite the fact that big meat industry is the primary cause of food-borne illnesses.

The two bills, SOPA and PIPA were made to curb online piracy, with offenders legally being shut-off the internet, fined and/or imprisoned. Many sites across the net blacked-out their activity for a day in protest causing the senators and US officials to be flooded with public submissions against the bills.

The protesting sites say the bills would stifle creativity, innovation and internet freedoms: Wikipedia asked its users to imagine a world without knowledge. A spokeswoman for the intellectual property group Electronic Frontier Foundation said the bills would force providers to block access to infringing sites and calls the moves censorship. Soon after the internet black-out, senators began retracting their support from the bills.

Sadly SOPA and PIPA have spawned in new forms, such as the Open Act, and are facing the Senate again, backed by the Music and Film Industries. In New Zealand the recent Food Bill, being looked at by Parliament, could threaten local producers and community gardens. The bill is likely to push the costs up for local producers, despite the fact that big meat industry is the primary cause of food-borne illnesses.

The new piece of legislation will not just be an update of the old, it will give unprecedented rights to Food Safety Officers who will be able to confiscate food and personal information as “proof” if a company, or a producer, are thought to infringe the law. What's worse, these police-like FSOs could be contracted by private companies.

The Food Bill is dangerous because of what it allows, but it is also dangerous because the Minister in charge will have the right to give exemptions and even rewrite the bill without having to tell. Our society is becoming increasingly watched and controlled. The Food Bill is just the local version of trade regulations pushed by the International Monetary Fund. If it passes, we could lose the rights to grow our own food, share it and sell it.

The Food Bill is dangerous because of what it allows, but it is also dangerous because the Minister in charge will have the right to give exemptions and even rewrite the bill without having to tell. Our society is becoming increasingly watched and controlled. The Food Bill is just the local version of trade regulations pushed by the International Monetary Fund. If it passes, we could lose the rights to grow our own food, share it and sell it.

We will also be handing over our keys to contracted police officers. Meanwhile our right to protest is also in peril and our freedom to express it online will be scrutinised.