Greensboro, NC - Ten years ago the internet was a wonderful place to visit and surf. Email could be sent to almost anyone. Listing on most search engines was free - - totally free. Most people encountered online were nice and accommodating. Even the webmasters (for the most part) were protective of this newly-launched "world of free exchange". Then something happened - - something very serious happened - - money, big money, emigrated to the internet and suddenly - - very suddenly --things began to change.

Money brought with it changes that were major. True, better technology and greater capacity as well as functionality came - - but those are the positives. Negatives came as well: The major negative which the internet seems totally unable to overcome is the loss of the ability to email others. That one stricture literally destroyed the newly-gained freedom of the big heart little money pioneers of the 1990s and gave rise to the big money little heart "landgrabbers" of the new millennium. How? It did it by making it a crime to email most people that you do not know - - yet, if you have enough money to contact them and get their permission - - or if you have money and are crafty enough to get them to "opt-in" you can still email them. If, on the otherhand, you have a big heart and little money, forget about it - - (generally) you cannot "legally" email them.

Was it coincidental that the "do not call" laws arose during the same general period? I think not. Something very sinister is happening in America (and in the world) right under our noses and eyes and most of us appear to be too mesmerized by the "bells and whistles" to notice the serious loss of communcation liberties. Big hearted, little monied people are shackled by the new rules; conversely, big money little hearted people are placed at advantage because money did not lose its liberty to create expensive systems that reach millions (eventually billions) and ask them to "opt in" What's more, by shackling the little money big heart "competition", the big money little hearts gain a market advantage. Additionally, if the big heart little money players want a piece of the action they will probably have to go to the big money little heart "merchants". Welcome to the "new and improved" internet.

Liberty thieves are covetous and, yes, hardhearted. What's next? Surface mail?

"Spam", you protest, "It's all because of spam". Spam is a major problem but the current state of the technology renders that argument null and void.

Is there anybody out there with big money who has a big enough heart to give the big heart little money guys (and girls) a fair chance?

"Give?", you respond. Why should we "give" anything away?" "Servers cost money". "Traffic capacity (bandwidth) is expensive - - we have to pay for it." "The internet is big business now".

That is just my point: The internet is big business. If it is such big business why can't the little guy at least be able to email people without having to fear the wrath of the internet police? Is man incapable of structuring a system that is not characterized by the classes of the "haves" and the "have nots"? Cannot cyberspace escape some of the ills of "developed" nations?
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WinAmerica
P. O. Box 302 Greensboro, NC 27407
cwmpage@yahoo.com

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