The rich and powerful are stealing the commons of the people. Comcast, Verizon and other telecom giants are the new Lairds of the Highlands, the Marie Antoinettes, the Robber Barons of the 1890s. The Commons are no longer large tracks of land or public grazing grounds or local self-governance - those have already been stolen. The Commons under assault is the internet. The theft of common land to privatized ownership is a major strand in human history - one that is often left unexamined in our history books. Long ago, the Earth spread out in all directions, equally accessible to humans, plants, forests, rivers, clouds and oceans. But now, the Earth has been snatched up by the human species under the concept of private ownership. Once owned by none, used by all; our globe is now controlled by human beings for the purpose of benefiting our species, above all others, and for the profit of a few members of our species above the well-being of all of the rest of creation.... The contemporary battle for Net Neutrality must be understood as the front line of a 10,000-year battle between avaricious elites and the average citizens struggle for equality. The efforts of the corporations to control the internet reflect ancient patterns of conquest and control. To the power-hungry, the internet is just a new world from which they can profit. But humanity has reached this crossroads before. We have encountered a so-called New World; we have learned through intense suffering that colonization, conquest, domination and genocide are immoral. We cannot pretend the internet is an empty land, free for the taking. Like the Americas at the time of European contact, the internet is a world populated by millions of people. The internet does not belong to Comcast or Verizon, or the FCC, or Silicon Valley or the United States, or even the whole of humanity. The internet belongs to all of the Earth, for all of Earth gave rise to it. Please enjoy, share and comment as this article takes the discussion of the nature of property and wealth to new levels for many of us. Winston Weeks Sarah van Gelder Stephan A. Schwartz Nancy Roof Joan Halifax Tangerine Bolen Joel LeveyLarry SheehyKevin GosztolaKen Butigan Marianne Fightingforhealthcarejustice Hoynes Charles Eisenstein Pancho Ramos Stierle Jeffrey St Clair Duane Elgin Nina SimonsThomas Baldwin
Posted on: Sun, 29 Jun 2014 18:40:59 +0000
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