Imagine the Internet owned and operated by huge corporations much like phone and cable companies are. Imagine the last vestige of worldwide democracy – stripped from our lives. Imagine chatting with buddies on line being just one of thousands of paid services.

This is a frightening thought, and is a very real possibility. Could you imagine having to pay for a long distance Internet service just to read a friend’s blog who lives in another country? That would ruin my life in many respects.

Each of us has a choice to create any site or blog we want and we are all equals! We must decide what we are here for. I’m here for the people. I am not here to make money or to sell anything (though that’s your right, and what a beautiful right that is). I am here to fight for and stand up for what is right. The web is built on open principles, but that is in jeopardy.

I am asking all of you to become aware of issues beyond yourself, and do something about it. Learn about the government where you live and vote for candidates you agree with. In America, most people don’t vote. We are about to have a presidential election, so be sure to participate. It really freaks me out to see people who don’t vote. It is your responsibility.

My friend Euroyank has a post entitled The American Idiot Box. I highly recommend you check this post out. Make sure you watch the 1st video on that post with the words ‘Independent Media in Wartime’ beneath it. You should look at his site thoroughly and read all his latest posts. They are getting better every day.

The Power of Blogging

“As Bloggers, we create our own media. We are a powerful force in the global environment. We cannot let that power be taken away from us.”

I found two sites today I think every blogger should read. The first is:

Save the Internet: Click here

Each and every blogger and site owner should display a badge from this website. Just because you aren’t from America doesn’t mean you cannot help. Display the badge so everyone who comes to your site will see it. Join Save the Internet.com and read the information there. Watch this video and learn:

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Another great site is Democratic Media.org. Navigate to ‘issues’ and read. It presents a fantastic overview of things we need to know about digital media. As bloggers, it’s our responsibility to become aware of this information so we can help preserve our rights.

My good friend Aaron Cook let me know he had written a post about this back in 2006. His post is entitled Network Neutrality – Keep the Internet Free!!! I read it and it’s a great post with many additional links. Though Net Neutrality is not a current hot topic, it is far from over. Big corporations will fight to own the web! Imagine the profits they would make by owning the most lucrative business on Earth.

I am learning more and more about what I can personally do to help. A world with a privatized, corporate owned Internet would be a world without all of us together. Like I have said many times in past posts:

“Blogging is doing more for world peace than any other single factor in the history of humankind. Let’s keep it that way.”