Not really about geography but . . . . .

I have been invited to write a regular monthly column for the Harrisburg Patriot. Here's the first one.

PS to Professor Ernst: I know this does not count towards my quota, but I hope you enjoy reading it nonetheless.

The level of Internet freedom “is better than in any other Arab country, but it is not good.”

In an antiquated battle with current communications technologies, Lebanese authorities have arrested a blogger who criticized that country's army. This effort -- to insulate the national government from criticism -- strikes me as a failure to recognize realistic limits, including the geographical limits, to the physical restraint of speech.

In an earlier world where "free press" really needed a printing press, soldiers could effectively police their jurisdiction by breaking down doors and smashing the machinery of duplication. Today anyone with internet access can flood the world with their opinions, as YouTube recently recognized as it was persuaded to remove jihadist content from its site. As I have suggested in previous posts, the meaning of borders diminishes every day even while the power of locality remains strong. Lebanon is "free-er" than nearby Syria, so Syrians can still be shot for criticizing their government. But criticism remains available to Syrians as long as they can get on-line. Freedom to speak has always entailed freedom to listen and until dictators learn how to stop electrons at the borders, they cannot staunch the invasion of cyber insurgency.