Dianne Feinstein has made herself famous amongst gun owners by spouting entirely false claims. But she’s not satisfied with simply being ignorant about firearms. She also wants to prove to the world that she’s ignorant about how the Internet works. Her latest crusade is to remove the Anarchist Cookbook from the Internet:
“The arrests of two women in New York accused of plotting to carry out bombings remind us that the threat of terrorism inside the United States endures. We must remain vigilant against these types of attacks and place a high priority on tracking and interdicting such plots.
“I am particularly struck that the alleged bombers made use of online bombmaking guides like the Anarchist Cookbook and Inspire Magazine. These documents are not, in my view, protected by the First Amendment and should be removed from the Internet.
How does she propose to do that? The Internet is a decentralized system where no single government’s rule dictates jack shit. Even if she could declare the Anarchist Cookbook illegal in the United States, which would carry some serious free speech ramifications, it wouldn’t prevent servers in other countries from hosting the book. There is literally no way for the book to be remove from the Internet. The fact that Feinstein doesn’t understand this should be more proof that she has no business writing or voting for any legislation affecting the Internet (just as she has no business writing or voting for legislation affecting firearms).
As an interesting side note the book, despite the title, has nothing to do with the philosophy of anarchism. It was written by William Powell as a response to the fact that the government was trying to send him off to fight a war without his consent (also known as a draft). The book wasn’t about anarchism but about retaliating against a government that would make him act against his will. Unfortunately the title selection has been used as evidence that us anarchists are a bunch of violent psychopaths since its publication.
Obsessive grammar cop here. “…effecting the internet … effecting firearms.” The word “effect” can be a verb, but it means “to bring about”. The correct word here would be “affecting”.
Grammar cops are always welcome here. Effect and affect are still two words I get mixed up (but at least I no longer commit the crime of their, there, or they’re). Your correction is appreciated.