Google and China

[lsbets]

Last week Google seemed to be everyone's hero for standing up to our government and refusing to turn over searches for child porn. At the same time, they were putting the final touches on a deal to open their search engine for use in China. However, in order to do so, Google had to agree to censor searches through their Chinese portal, and users there will not be able to look anything up dealing with freedom, democracy, religion, and similar things that most of us would consider to be good. Google says they are not going to be required to turn records over to the Chinese government of people who try searching for those terms, but one has to wonder, after agreeing to censor (and they took down the statement on their FAQs that previous to today said they allow the democracy of the web to determine search outcomes), if the Chinese government comes to them and tells them to turn over the records or else they'll be out of China, will Google cave? Walmart gets blasted here pretty regularly for buying Chinese made goods, but I would think in the grand scheme of things that directly assisting in the censorship programs of a government that oppresses over a billion people is much, much worse. WTF is Google thinking? Seriously, at some point don't they have enough money? Wasn't their corporate motto "Don't be evil"?

But, I do like this mock search:

[rastajenk]

Follow the links in this blog post. (http://littlegreenfootballs.com/weblog/?entry=18972_Two_Versions_of_Google#comments) I don't know if it's real or contrived, but it's still worth the few seconds to view a couple different versions of Tiannamen Square. :eek:


Buncha good reading material here. (http://blogs.pajamasmedia.com/china_syndrome/)

[Tom]

Google the word "whore" and you get Google's homepage.

[kenwoodallpromos]

What do you get if you are Chinese and want to Google, with no porn, news, opinions, or fun?
Answer: Capitalism- .com websites!LOL!!

[lsbets]

Google put up a reply on their blog to the criticism they have received:

http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2006/01/google-in-china.html

I like this sentance:

"We aren't happy about what we had to do this week, and we hope that over time everyone in the world will come to enjoy full access to information. "

They aren't happy with what they had to do, but since they had to do it, they'll take boatloads of cash and find a way to grin and bear it.

Not that this will have any impact of meaning (and it will hurt me a lot more than Google), but as of today, my business is suspending all advertising on Google. Hopefully others will join me.

[Tom]

Good idea, ls...I am no longer using Google for searches.
Cannot support people of this LOW caliber.

[twindouble]

Good idea, ls...I am no longer using Google for searches.
Cannot support people of this LOW caliber.


Tom, I don't have a clue as to how all this crap is going wash out when it comes to the Internet. I know one thing for sure, we have many others to worry about when it comes to privacy and security than we do the government. Seems to me anyway.


T.D.

[shanta]

Google the word "whore" and you get Google's homepage.


I agree with you Tom. Deleted them out of my mix.

Screw em.

Richie

[twindouble]

I agree with you Tom. Deleted them out of my mix.

Screw em.

Richie

I don't see where they did anything wrong, we do a ton business with China, why not Google??


T.D.

[kenwoodallpromos]

My Google searches will be faster!

[Tom]

I don't see where they did anything wrong, we do a ton business with China, why not Google??


T.D.
Google, by agreeing to the terms of a communist dictatorship, is partnering in the supression of freedom for the chinnese people. They are lending suppoort and credence tothe communist manifesto. Google is assisting in the supression of human rights. For a buck.

[46zilzal]

like MOST, if not all businessmen, they made a deal with the devil for one thing and one thing only:$$$$$$$. Happens everyday in every country on the globe.

[twindouble]

Google, by agreeing to the terms of a communist dictatorship, is partnering in the supression of freedom for the chinnese people. They are lending suppoort and credence tothe communist manifesto. Google is assisting in the supression of human rights. For a buck.

Tom, I understand where your coming from but I take it you don't buy anything that's Chinese, right? Or buy anthing Oil related that comes from the middle east. Our government supports trade with all those countries you and I would like go bomb in the middle east so where do we draw the line. If I had my way, I'd tell that little Stalin wannabe in Russia to kiss our fanny on every front but that won't happen. :bang:


T.D.

[Tom]

I think Google has crossed the line by agreeing to censor information. It's bad enough we buy from china, and sllow them to steal from us daily, but Google is assisting the restriction of freedom. Google one bad apple.

[Secretariat]

Yet Nike, Walmart uses near slave labor in China to make windfall profits at the expense of American jobs.

Frankly, I agree Google should be ashamed of censoring the net for political reasons. I suppose their rationale is they function within the national laws of the country in which they do "business". Since China is a Communist country that Washington encourages doing business with they are not going to violate their business interests at the cost of another nations laws. Since they follow the laws here, and privacy concerns are a part of the 4th amendment, they are following the laws of the US by rejecting the unconstitutional subpoena of the Justice Department.

Frankly, the US has to make some serious decisions about this China issue within the next decade, and it far outweighs Google's decision to appease the Commies.

[kenwoodallpromos]

After 50 Commie years in China-
"The Party itself, meanwhile, has abandoned most communist doctrines, with the notable exception of the one-party political monopoly, the last bastion of communist power.


Culture and entertainment are high priorities for the middle classes

Few top politicians nowadays are genuinely interested in defending Marxism.

They are exercised more by specific polices than ideological purity.

Even avowed leftists, opposing economic reform and rapprochement with the West, now wear western suits and ties."

[Tom]

Frankly, the US has to make some serious decisions about this China issue within the next decade, and it far outweighs Google's decision to appease the Commies.

We need to have already made serious descions about china. It is one of our most urgent problems and we are not responding to the danger. Instead, we run around crying the sky is falling, it's getting warmer, but we need to sign treaties that hurt America and give byes to china and other third world countries. (Is it only getting warmer here????)
china is a major threat to the world and must be dealt with soon.

[Secretariat]

We need to have already made serious descions about china. It is one of our most urgent problems and we are not responding to the danger. Instead, we run around crying the sky is falling, it's getting warmer, but we need to sign treaties that hurt America and give byes to china and other third world countries. (Is it only getting warmer here????)
china is a major threat to the world and must be dealt with soon.

At last, a serious issue, which I agree with you on. OK, here's my question - how do we deal with commie China? We're in bed with them with our businesses. We're vastly in debt to them to pay for our skyrocketing deficits. And they're a nuclear power with a huge army and the largest population in the world. I saw a peice yesterday that kids in Chicago schools are now learning Mandarin Chinese. Maybe we all better start doing that the way its going. And maybe reading about Mao as well. The doctrine of Chinese Communism is more in the teachings of Mao than in Marx. They are patient, and will slowly and eventually control the bulk of manufacturing in the world. They're getting there. They pay their workforce peanuts, have no regulations of any kind, and are repressive in their civil liberties. Yet, we make deals with these guys just for the near slave labor. It is unbeleivable.

[Tom]

At last, a serious issue, which I agree with you on. OK, here's my question - how do we deal with commie China? We're in bed with them with our businesses. We're vastly in debt to them to pay for our skyrocketing deficits. And they're a nuclear power with a huge army and the largest population in the world. I saw a peice yesterday that kids in Chicago schools are now learning Mandarin Chinese. Maybe we all better start doing that the way its going. And maybe reading about Mao as well. The doctrine of Chinese Communism is more in the teachings of Mao than in Marx. They are patient, and will slowly and eventually control the bulk of manufacturing in the world. They're getting there. They pay their workforce peanuts, have no regulations of any kind, and are repressive in their civil liberties. Yet, we make deals with these guys just for the near slave labor. It is unbeleivable.

Here is my plan:

1. Bite the bullet and ask ourselves this question: "Are we willing to do whatever it takes to "walk the talk" and deal with china in a responsible manner?"
2. If so, then we need to halt ALL trade with chin immediately. NOTHING in or out.
3. Freeze all chinneses assets.
4. Strongly inform all nations who rely on us for trade, aid, protection, whatever, that we will no long be dealing anyone who continues to be assits the chinneses oppression by trading with them. Gaurrantee them that we will do whatever it takes to minimize the effects on them of this action.
5. Demand the UN / World Bank intervene and stop china from stealing copyright infringment on US businesses.
6. Slap Israel aside the head and tell them in no uncertain term that if they ever even think about selling war products to china they will be one sorry little country - and then be willing to stand up to that pledge - even if it means allowing the muslems to devour them.
7. Let Europe know they have to choose sides - us or china.
8. Let china know we will no longer accept their crap - no matter what. And then don't.
9. Immediately start back AMEICANS to gear up manufacturing to fill the china void - start investing in US instead of the rest of the damn world - creat jobs here, grow our economy - and let the rest of the world know it is time to stand on thier own feet.

Just off the top of my head.