Helen Lovejoy approves of the Internet filter

I never thought my country would resort to this. Under the guise of “won’t someone think of the children” the Australian Government, led by Communications Minister Stephen Conroy, have green-lighted the use of Internet filters:

The Federal Government will introduce compulsory internet filtering to block overseas sites which contain criminal content, including child sex abuse and sexual violence.

Communications Minister Stephen Conroy announced the changes today following a controversial trial* to filter the internet which was conducted earlier this year.

Senator Conroy says some internet content is simply not suitable in a civilised society.

Read that last sentence again. That should make one shudder. Individuals decide what is decent and right about a civil society, not an authoritative government.

For the record I am completely against child pornography. These filters will be easily circumvented by paedophiles and scum who get off looking at such stuff. We should be investing in better law enforcement and linking with international police agencies to catch these guys and throw them in jail. Having an Internet filter with rules set on the whim of a government bureaucrat simple impedes our freedom without making a substantial difference to stopping child pornography.

Let’s hope the Opposition, Greens and Independants put a stop to it in the senate.

*Results of the trial can be viewed here

Much of our political discourse focuses on the left/right divide in a simple one dimensional domain. If you’re not left, you’re right. If you’re not right, you’re left. There is a third way: Libertarian. As a way to describe where libertarianism fit I have created this two-dimensional chart to help explain:

The vertical axis describes the economy; on the horizontal, the civil society.

Free markets or “laissez faire” capitalism allows business and individuals to freely trade and undertake voluntary exchanges for good and services. State control occurs when the government or central authority is the primary decision maker on what good and services are traded amongst its people.

On the civil society side, puritanism is the support of a “morally correct” way of living and generally has it’s roots in religious fundamentalism. On the other side, we have civil freedom where an individual is free to choose how they live their life without interference from other groups.

It is not surprising then, that libertarianism, lovers of liberty, are in the top right quadrant.

UPDATE: I am not sure what to call the ??? quadrant  – but I would sure hate to live in that world.

Have a look at the opening film of Copenhagen Climate Summit:

All the elements for a good old fashioned scare mongerin’:

• Poverty. Check.
• Scared Children. Check.
• Polar bears threatened. Check.
• Floods. Check.
• Drought. Check.
• Earthquake. Check.
• Storms. Check.
• Tornadoes. Check.
• “Expert” Testimony*. Check.

These people have no shame.

* Includes the renowned scientists, Archbishop Desmond Tutu and UN Chief Ban Ki Moon.

I am participating in the 2010 Pier to Pub at Lorne on January 9, 2010. It is a 1.2 km open water course. I heard that the rule of thumb is that for every 1km of open water swimming is the equivalent of 2kms in the swimming pool. Thus my target is 2.4km in a swimming pool (48 laps of a 50m Olympic sized pool). My progress via Google spreadsheets (which is automatically updated) is below:

I love Easter Eggs. Type in “mario” in the ThinkGeek search form and…

It’s great to see entrepreneurs follow their dreams and start their own businesses. It is even better to see them succeed. I am proud to have been a part of the initial formation of Shock and Oar, founded by Brendon and Deirdre Westerhout. They have established their Nautical and Leisure Wear company a couple of years ago and has an excellent online store and a flagship store in Fremantle, Western Australia.

Here is their latest news release:

Shock & Oar, the Australian Nautical & Leisure Wear Brand, has celebrated six months of trading in its flagship store in Fremantle, Western Australia. Yet another milestone for the Aussie Brand as it establishes itself in the international clothing and lifestyle market.
Shock & Oar Managing Director Brendon Westerhout says the brand has touched-down in almost every continent in the world.
“So far our customer base has stemmed from six of the seven continents, with overseas visitors keen to take home a piece of Aussie nautical style,” he said. “We are yet to greet customers from Antarctica, but given our proximity to the southern-most continent, it’s just a matter of time!”
In spite of opening its door amid the global economic downturn, Shock & Oar has been well received by locals, national and international visitors alike.
“Our customers have likened our store’s look and feel to a Polo Ralph Lauren store,” said Brendon. “This is a great complement that captures our mix of classic style and casual elegance.”
“We consider Shock & Oar as the unique Australian equivalent of overseas brands such as Nautica, Crew Clothing Company and Paul & Shark. And where better to start than Fremantle, a beautiful and vibrant port city renowned world-wide as home of the successful 1983 America’s Cup team and ’97 Cup defense,” he said.
With an enthusiastic and loyal customer base, Shock & Oar is well on its way to becoming the iconic Australian Nautical & Leisure Wear Brand.
The Shock & Oar store is open 7 days at 9 William St Fremantle, Western Australia. International customers can see the range and purchase online at www.shockandoar.com or contact us at info@shockandoar.com