Total Control

Kevin in the comment(s) to the post below asked me if I've heard about the disgraced idea proposed by the Prodi government to create a register for blogs and personal websites.

Yes, I've heard about it and already treated the issue in Italian. I'm not surprised in the slightest that a bunch of statalist bureaucrats like Prodi and his acolytes would propose even more registers and regulations: for them, the government has not only the right but the duty to control and regulate everything it can reach; the private life of citizens is not excluded.

And if you've followed my writings, you will know that I'm strenuosly opposed to this law. I will not register, not ever; there are times when a man must do what is just and good regardless of the law. This may seem a small thing, but Liberty is made of small things - a concept that I'm trying to develop into an essay from some time.

Over at BoingBoing some folks think that the protests are overblown, and the proposed law will not involve blogs and personal websites. I cannot be so optimistic, because at the bottomline you trust a government at your peril. It is true that Beppe Grillo - the originator of the protest - is, shall we say, prone to exaggerations, but when it comes to restrictions to freedom of speech, it's better to be slightly paranoid than vaguely gullible.

However, the forceful reaction of Italian bloggers and others seems to have obtained some effect: a few ministers already backtracked, and there are good chances that the law won't pass at least without substantial modifications. The true proper response by The People would be to assemble several trees, ropes and politicians, but one can only dream...