YouTube responds to Lieberman's calls for censorship: Thanks, but no thanks
By SilentPatriot Tuesday May 20, 2008 8:45am
Free expression 1; Lieberman 0
Last week, Senator Joe Lieberman (I-CT) contacted us to voice his concerns about seeing videos from several Islamic terrorist organizations on YouTube. We appreciated our dialogue with Senator Lieberman and his staff and wanted to explain to the YouTube community how we responded to his concerns.
Senator Lieberman stated his belief, in a letter sent today, that all videos mentioning or featuring these groups should be removed from YouTube -- even legal nonviolent or non-hate speech videos. While we respect and understand his views, YouTube encourages free speech and defends everyone's right to express unpopular points of view. We believe that YouTube is a richer and more relevant platform for users precisely because it hosts a diverse range of views, and rather than stifle debate we allow our users to view all acceptable content and make up their own minds. Of course, users are always free to express their disagreement with a particular video on the site, by leaving comments or their own response video. That debate is healthy.
We appreciate Senator Lieberman alerting us to videos that violated our policies -- and encourage our users to continue to do the same through the flagging tool. And while we disagree with him about the details of our policies, we respect his views and thank him for giving us the chance to respond to his concerns.
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LieberCorn
Be careful, you know Joe Lieberman speaks with a forked tongue. The concerns he's voicing today, may well turn around and be against the blogs later on.
Fuck you, Joe.
Honestly, when are Politicians going to actually read the constitution?
When will they, for once, realize that the Internet is "by the people for the people?" So when they lay blame, they are blaming their very own voters?
When will they realize that they can't focus blame on some virtual world because they can't get any positive results from their job?
Politicians + Technology = stoopidity
*I would like to point out that Al Gore is one of the few politicians who made a good move in supporting the
implementation of the Internetsssss.
looks like holy joe's really picking up the essentials from the rethug orwellian mind control handbook pretty quickly now that he's figured out he's doomed himself to be declared persona non grata in the dem chairmanship post in the fall
Joe Lieberman sounds like Alexander Palmer. Radical Islam is about as serious a threat to the USA as the old radical leftism of the pre-1917 era is. And people are just as hysterical over it.
Admittedly, radical Muslims never killed anyone in office here, like that anarchist did to McKinley, but the comparison of the respective threats are real.
OMG so PWNT!
"...there ought to be limits to freedom..."
The Lieberman ideology, come to think of it, doesn't just resemble Alexander Palmer, he reminds me strongly of John C. Calhoun (minus Calhoun's brain for politics, of course.) Calhoun believed so strongly in free speech over slavery that he helped ram through a gag order.
Whatever political thing Lieberman has, it's not at all on the progressive side of history...
If you can't control it , ban it. Is that right Joe.
Someone should tell Lieberman....
The Constitution is well equipped to protect the rights of Americans as we monitor him and the most illegal unconstitutional criminal Administration in our Nation's History.
Here is a youtube I made to remind people like LIEberman
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HgHEq33HHOg
Our Founding Fathers Understood. This Union, our Contract with each other, is bigger than any Lying Politician, Lobbyist, Wall Street, Contractor or WHITE HOUSE
[Deleted. Bigotry-Sitemonitor]
Oh man...now YouTube is on the Liebernazi's shit list.
Let's hope his good buddy McSame makes a stink about this too.
This is good - I think this is a serious concern and we need LIE-berman to seriously get his panties in a wad over what's happening on youtube.
It'll need to be a full time job - he'll have to resign his senate seat to give him enough time to obsess over it properly -- but I think he's up to the sacrifice.
How about it LIE-berman?
*
Is he afraid McCain is going to be caught on camera blowing his top at someone and it will be on Youtube before he can say censorship?
I hope youtube sent a still photo of a middle finger when they responded.
Joe, you're an asshole!
Joe is a fscking tool, and we all know it.
But we also know, that if he'd turned his freedom-reducing constitution-ignoring gaze on some smaller internet company, (ie not Google) then they'd have been forced to cave.
He's turned Youtube in to Homeland Security?
LOL oh my god is this guy weak or what.
And when do we start the book burnings?
Caton Commercial likes to send these types of letters too.
Who would have thunk publishing the public court schedule would upset those on the schedule? ;)
What party is he in?
He sounds like the Chinese government trying to protect people from the evils of unfiltered internets.
Unfiltered cigarettes are cool though.
Wow this seems strangely similar to how he wanted music and video game censorship....
Oh wait it's the same fucking thing!
Nice to know that Joe McCarthy, er, Lieberman hasn't changed his stripes on at least one issue.
This is a bit off topic, [Deleted. No. It's TOTALLY off topic]
I'd like C&L to do an article on THIS little travesty, but I'm not going to hold my breath...
[Here's a thought, submit it through email. Either to John or the site team-Sitemonitor]
The sine qua non of Lieberman's position appears to be quite simple: "I'm in favor of the right to express speech with which I agree."
Of course, that is not freedom of speech. If you believe in the right of freedom of speech, then you believe in the right of others to express views you oppose. If not, then you don't believe in freedom of speech.
That a U.S. Senator fails to grasp such an elementary principle of the enlightenment is sad and ominous.
I cant believe he ran with Al Gore.
*shaking head* How the world has changed.
Need more proof that Lieberman is a republican? These creeps can't stand free speech. What an asshole he is to claim to be representing the public by stifling their speech. We need to purge these assholes from public service and then send them to Iraq to die in their wonderful mess.
I'm kind of surprised youtube didn't just concede. Google doesn't have any problem censoring themselves for other governments.
But honestly does the ignorant shmuck think he can just tell ALL media in the world not to run the videos of mcstain making a fool of himself over and over? Even if he managed to stop one he'd never stop every single web site and gawd knows there's already enough mcstain video to make three feature length films. It would be a comedy of course. Add a laugh track and a player piano soundtrack to mcstain stumbling and lying his way through every press conference and you can call it "Vaudeville Memories From Someone Who Was There".
They're trying awfully hard but they're just not going to pull off another shrub co. media coup where they made a chimp look like a man.
Someone please explain to the American republicans what WWW means.
The first 'W' stands for WORLD.
The USA has NO claim over the WORLD.
My prayer:
Dear God, please save me from your followers...
Also, please help me to win the lottery so I can move to my own island and get away from all the nut-job, religious wackos who want to kill each other in your name.
thank you.
It is increasingly obvious to me that joe is a racist. Enough of the bullshit that except for the war he votes democratic. He hates Arabs, hates the Islam religion, and is an undeclared but obvious agent for Zionist extremists. Reid needs to toss this prick now. It wont change anything anyway. He votes with the GOP already.
Is the next thing he is going to try to do is censor CSPAN videos too?
Video: Democrat threatens to remove GOP Rep. caught lying about
When he met with Bush and from hearing
http://rawstory.com/news/2008/Waxman_to_GOP_lawmaker_Ill_have_0520.html
If they're training their guns on youtube, we KNOW they're seriously worried about the election and the role youtube is going to play in the coming months. It's predictable that LIE-berman would be out front with this.
This is a baby step in the direction of censoring content generally. They're flexing their muscles to see what will happen. They certainly know that Obama has the youth vote locked up. Youtube is a critically important resource for the youth demographic. They want to see if there's a way for them to have an impact here.
Another tack to simply work to discredit youtube with charges that content is unreliable OR dangerous OR the devil's playground. BUT - to do this, they have to draw media attention to their complaints, which will certainly increase youtube viewership. That would effectively defeat their purpose.
Re-PIG-lics own most other media and can control the message - what the public hears and does not hear. It absolutely drives them crazy that they don't have this power over the internet.
They'll do what they can to stifle internet influence, because they know they can't compete there. On the internet they'd have to compete with truth and reality and they automatically lose in those arenas. And let's face it - they lose right off the bat because of their inherent lack of creative abilities as well.
*
It's all Ned's fault!
Why does he hate America?
ABC?
When did they become the American Buttkissing Corporation?
PERSONALLY, I THINK WHOEVER ON YOU TUBE RESPONDED TO DROOPY was a little too civil. what's next banning books from the library that he doesn't agree with.
what a fine defender of freedom.
can you guess who i'm referring to?
I wish Zappa was still around.
If LIE-berman, and re-PIG-lics in general, think they can make a case that youtube is aiding and abetting terrorism - they might try to effect a government crack-down on the site.
That seems to me to be the best they can hope for. And they might go for that. That would diminish the youtube effect on the election - which has to have the pants scared right off them - or in McBush's case - his camo adult diaper.
Not that America would stand for it - The roof will come right off the place. But they might try.
*
If Youtube had decided to follow his instructions, would he
have cheer led the effort and rooted after every video
was deleted?
The senator from Tel Aviv should keep his big mouth shut.
Lieberman should be removed... from office!
Hey Joe!
How bout addressing reality PAL!
http://research.stlouisfed.org/fred2/series/BOGNONBR
It's ironic here that Lieberman probably did more to draw attention to Islamic videos on Youtube than would otherwise have been possible. It had never occurred to me to seek out such videos for purely academic purposes until now.
Thanks Joe!
Well ol Liberman should be listening to the Prez right now as he talks about Cuba. Bush was commenting on the restrictions that Cuba is lifting on its people and one of them was according to Bush(and its not a direct quote because he's still talking and there is no transcript yet......"Cuba says its people can have computers now. They need to let them have access to the internet and on DVD's restrictions being lifted, they need to let their people see the documentaries of Cubans who use their free speech to voice their concerns".
Maybe Liberman should have consulted with Bush to be sure he didnt conflict with Bush's speech about freedom of speech.
As usual, most of them are NEVER on the same page, they just rewrite the pages to fit their needs.
If only!
L.A. Confidential @ 37:
There we have it: Lieberman, the first declared Hebrew Nazi.
In spite of what his people went through with Hitler and the Holocaust, this man has allied himself with a fascist agenda. What a tool. Christ had one just like him at the Last Supper, he was called Judas Iscariot. This is the kind the concentration camp kommandants loved, the ones that ratted on his own people. They gave them power and they pushed their own people into the gas chambers.
Wonder when he's gonna get fitted for his SS uniform?
Lieberman isn't protecting you from Al Queda. He's protecting himself from your ability to be informed while at the same time disagreeing with him. Anyone who covers your eyes and tell syou what you should be seeing, is harming you.
How bout this Joe? Oh I forgot, only little people worry about gasoline right?
Dallas area petroleum geologist Jeffrey J. Brown.
"I think that these two factors will interact--and are interacting--to produce the following oil price trend: $50, $100, $200, $400, $800 . . .The question is the time period between the doublings."
(If $140 oil means $5 gas, then $25 a gallon comes into focus, or at $6 a gallon at $140, then $800 oil implies $30.)
Dr. Acula @ 3:
Well said.
*
Connecticut voters who put Senator Droopy in office are a much bigger threat to our safety than is YouTube.
When will Joe start burning books he doesn't like?
L.A. Confidential @ 48:
Obviously, one of the first things Obama is going to have to do late next January is step in and bring unregulated mad max oil and futures trading to a sceeching HALT.
Wats this dude's problem, is he lookign for a V.P. slot wit the GOP, man oh man, politicians...
http://bashmentyard.com
That is laughable. I didn't think Lieberman would know what Youtube is!
IslamicfascistNaziboogiemenbrownMuslimscarynonchristianandJewishbadpeople be afraid and give up your rights now...... BOO!
There is a difference between restricting unprotected hate speech and protected first amendment speech. If Joe Lieberman feels these video pose a danger to National Security he should file an injunction with the Court. BUT there is a good reason why Senator Lieberman is merely asking YouTube and not seeking an injunction or legislation to ban these videos.
He knows that an attempt by Congress to prevent publication or broadcast of protected non-hate speech would be an unconstitional restraint on free speech in violation of the first amendment. He doesn't want the court to review his beliefs that these videos should be censored because they'd disagree and he'd have to admit he beliefs went too far...unconstitutional.
FREEDOM OF SPEECH
: the right to express information, ideas, and opinions free of government restrictions based on content and subject only to reasonable limitations (as the power of the government to avoid a clear and present danger) esp. as guaranteed by the First and Fourteenth Amendments to the U.S. Constitution
PRIOR RESTRAINT
n. an attempt to prevent publication or broadcast of any statement, which is an unconstitutional restraint on free speech and free press (even in the guise of an anti-nuisance ordinance).
Stemming from the First Amendment to the Constitution, the ban on prior restraint allows publication of libel, slander, obvious untruths, anti-government diatribes, racial and religious epithets, and almost any material, except if public security or public safety is endangered (false claim of poison in the reservoir or exhortation to commit a crime like a lynching) and some forms of pornography.
The theory, articulated by the U.S. Supreme Court in Near v. Minnesota (1931) is that free speech and free press protections have priority, and lawsuits for libel and slander and prosecutions for criminal advocacy will curb the effect of defamation and untruths. Most other nations permit prior restraint by court order or police action when the material appears to be defamatory (hurtful lies), salacious (nasty), or "improper, mischievous, or illegal" (in the words of Sir William Blackstone).
Note: In New York Times Co. v. United States, the U.S. Supreme Court restated its position that ``any system of prior restraints'' bears ``a heavy presumption against constitutional validity'' and that the government ``carries a heavy burden of showing justification for the imposition of such a restraint.''
Joe is a pre-gop, just go ahead and have the rest of your soul removed Joe and finish your transformation to being a full on Repuke. Oh yeah and don't forget to SHUT THE FUCK UP!
"Protecting the Homeland" while SHREDDING THE CONSTITUTION
It ain't over.
May 20, 2008 - Lieberman Responds to Google
HOw does a nice trip to Israel sound Joe Lieberman?
It's time you go away!
the munz @ 10:
It works for China,Myanmar,Saudi Arabia,North Korea... we're finacially dependent on two of the countries I just mentioned...wow...
OMG IS THIS GUY A PUTZ
1. putz
Literally, vulgar slang for penis, not to be used lightly. More offensive than the schmuck, which can be used affectionately or teasingly. Rarely used to describe the member, schmuck does that. Def. from the "Joys of Yiddish" by Leo Rosten
What a putz! Used the same as What an asshole!
This wicked man would be the puppet master for McStupid in shameful wars to help Israel maintain it's dominance over it's Moslem neighbors. It's all about damn zionism, jewish fundamentalism, aggression, and using "stupid Americans" and Christian Zionists to maintain a fantasy about a giant jewish state. Israel already has a huge collection of illegal nuclear weapons and wants to stop it's neighbors from having the same power. It's got to stop. I pray Americans will wake up, beyond the blogosphere, to the deceptions people like LIEberman, Hagee, and McStupid perpetuate on us without shame.
KYJurisDoctor @ 54:
He might think he does - but count on it . . . he doesn't.
*
What ticks me off is that people are trying to say that Chuck Hagel is nothing more than the Republicans version of Joe Lieberman. That's very insulting and offensive being that Hagel has taken a principled position on the war based on his war experience. Lieberman is just being a buffoon because he's still mad that he had to fight for his Senate seat. Outside of foreign military engagements, Hagel is still the most Conservative Republican in Congress based on his voting record. But Lieberman seems like he's willing to compromise on all of his Democratic values and beliefs if he's willing to censor YouTube like we're in the People's Republic of China!
They don't own the United States yet Joe........we need to run up our war credit card and trade deficit for another 50 years before they just foreclose on the entire country to pay it off!
Trittydi @ 49:
Thanks. It's simple but effective.
Trittydi @ 63:
Like the chimp he probably thinks it's all about the tubes.
Dr. Acula @ 3:
Exactly what I was thinking... and this: hey Joe, roll over and go to sleep. Your party is almost over...
But if you take terrorist videos off of youtube, how will the government ever scare people who don't own a tv?
ysbaddaden @ 20:
That's the problem. He's actually an Israeli politician in the guise of a US senator.
Same Topic : Freedom Of The Press
The Hill : White House takes swipe at NBC News
Dan Froomkin lays out - and shreds - the specifics of the White House complaints, then offers a very convincing explanation for the "White House's outsized reaction" ..
Dan Froomkin: The President vs. the Peacock
Here's the complete interview.
Video Of Richard Engel's Interview with President Bush
It's one of the two times I've enjoyed watching an interview with Bush.
There was that Irish journalist a few years ago .. what's her name?
And here's Keith Olbermann's response:
Olbermann Responds
Joe is afraid of any speech that doesn't advance "his" agenda. As does Bush and the rest of the right wing.
They fear the truth.
Once again LIEberman is on the wrong side of yet another issue. He's such a perfect reich-winger.
Joe LIEberman, the best GOP since Nixon. Just another embarrassment to the USA.
Wow, those conservatives sure have a lot of clout these days.... lawl
He probably don't want you to see this very well done video by Mearsheimer and Walt on the AIPAC lobby at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N294FMDok98 featuring John Hagee, founder of a doomsday watchers cult that mean Israel more harm than good, who Lieberman calls a leader of a multitude greater than Moses.
What kind of a politician who swears to uphold the constitution of the United States embarrasses himself by asking the most popular outlet for free speech to censor itself like a state run television station, a violation of the first ammendment of the constitution? This guy concerns me deeply.
Joe is a sanctimonious prick.
LA@37 Be a loyal plastic robot for a world that doesn't care. (zappa)
Props to Youtube for telling less-than-holy Joe where to go.
Now look for some Rethug to introduce legislation to do what LIEberman could get Youtube to do voluntarily.
I did not vote for him, but I'm stuck with him as a senator from Connecticut. I'm ashamed of my state for returning him to the Senate.
The Constitution should be mandatory reading for all members of the government, and a test to ensure they UNDERSTAND what they read with a required passing grade. Rather than No Child Left Behind, maybe we should have No Congressperson without Understanding the Constitution and Bill of Rights.
Be a loyal plastic robot, for a world that doesn't care. ( Zappa)
My first response is, 'Good for them!'
But it's too bad YouTube execs don't feel the same way about videos that contain negative opinions bout $cientology. Those videos - whole channels, even - are deleted without delay.
http://xenutv.wordpress.com/2008/04/19/my-youtube-account/
fastfeat @ 76:
Ooops, that was supposed to be "...COULDN'T get Youtube to do voluntarily."
And, as Dr. A said so eloquently, Fuck you, Joe.
Holy Joe.
Just Israel's ho.
Every time this asshat pulls stupid shit like this I get a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach knowing that in 2000 I voted for this clown.
Wait 'till January Droopy....
Video burning is the new book burning(repug style).
Sen. Lieberman R-CT
Liberal AND Proud @ 83:
HA!
Just like his spiritual forebearer Quisling, Lieberquisling is a nazi at heart. Ironic, isn't it? Disgusting little toad.
On the other hand, Free Expression had a very nice way of saying, "Go screw yourself, you unAmerican, fascist rat bastard".
I assume this means the KKK can post videos of cross burnings and lynchings (before any pornographic violence occurs of course.)
JOe to Google:
Oh yeah, well wait til I'm McC's VP (or FCC Chair) then we'll see censorship, oops, I mean Oversight of Moral Rectitude, for the Homeland
TomR @ 44:
Agreed. The truth will out. If these videos he's talking about are hate speech, getting them exposure will just reveal them for the trash they are (and generally, the community will generally police itself with ratings, comments and flagging). If -- oh, heaven forbid! -- there are videos that have enlightening information (like the conditions under which Palestinians, Iraqis and Afghanis are living... or truthful insights into Iranian and Pakistani society) then they deserve to be seen.
I'm looking forward to 2009. There's no question about the Democrats taking Congress at this point. Since he's pandered to all these different sides in alternation -- the Democrats, the Republicans, the pro-Israeli lobby, big business -- come the next Congress he's going to end up out in the cold all alone. Because there's no way anyone can trust him to act in any interests other then his own selfishness and greed, and poor ol' Joe-mentum's sadly mistaken if he thinks the Far Right's going to let him into their neocon clubhouse.
Hojo is just trying to protect us americans. From democracy.