[hackerspaces] revspace and randomdata in the news re wikileaks ddos story

[Yves Quemener]

Why do you equal disobedience with violence and revolt ?

> Until you have rendered the application of law a functional
> impossibility, all that you are is either a worthless protestor or a
> criminal.

That I can agree on, but in democracies, retorting to violence and
secession is not the only mean to achieve that. Retorting to numbers is the
other way. If millions refuse to respect a law, it is likely to change. If
millions support one person that broke a law, it is likely to change.

If we say "keeping websites like wikileaks online is worth breaking some
bad laws" it is a political message that will have a strong impact on
policies if millions support it.

But you are right on something : I am personally too coward to go break
laws and risk jail time. I prefer to pursue the slower but safer legal way
of developing software that can help. However, I see no contradiction in
supporting publicly the persons that have the guts to stand up.

When a journalist or a human rights activist is arrested in an
authoritarian country, we have no problem supporting this person even when
it means supporting a "criminal" by local standards. Why can't we accept
that there might be similarly bad laws progressively coming in our
democracies and that peoplke breaking them might be ethical ?

On 12/11/2010 01:13 AM, Matt Joyce wrote:
> To the "revolutionaries" and "activists" of the world.   If you are going
> to revolt... bloody revolt already.  Stop threatening to do it and just get
> it over with already.
> 
> Standing around with a sign, and ddosing mastercard is not a revolt.  A
> revolt is a group of guys with assault weapons siezing territory and
> shooting otherwise would be authority figures.  Unless you are willing to
> go kill people, and probably yourself in the process.... by all means stop
> pretending anything done is somehow analogous to revolt.
> 
> It's not.  Until you have rendered the application of law a functional
> impossibility, all that you are is either a worthless protestor or a
> criminal.  That's reality.  Cold and hard.
> 
> Sorry if you delusional belief in your revolutionary hat is challenged by that.
> 
> /troll