The “Captain” Is Aboard: Yahoo!’s Shame

“Captain” Ed Morrissey at his leading Captainsquarters blog has come aboard this morning with an excellent post about the complicity of U.S. hi-tech companies in China’s repression, “Freedom’s Just Another Word At Yahoo!”

What, besides the temptation of the cash, causes American ventures to cave to Chinese demands in curtailing free speech and free expression? These companies made their billions here taking advantage of the capitalist system of free enterprise, and their success should be applauded. However, now that they have cornered the Western markets on their slices of the Internet, they've turned themselves into tools -- in every sense of the word -- for dictators to enforce the antitheses of the freedoms that allowed them to exist in the first place.

Have these corporate managers no shame at all?…

Janis Joplin once sang, "Freedom's just another word for nothing left to lose." It appears that attitude has infected the Internet giants, who value the blood money they get from helping to oppress the Chinese people than the freedom that gave them the opportunity to exist. Shame, shame, shame.

Remember, the Congressional hearings “The Internet in China: A Tool for Freedom or Suppression?” are February 15. I'm told there will be live-blogging. Interest across the blogosphere is growing.

An email of support for reasonable export controls to the Chairman of the House Subcommittee, Rep. Chris Smith, would be appreciated.

For those who need a refresher on this issue, below is a list of links to my posts on it over the past weeks:

Is Bush Administration Complicit in China Censorship?
Professor Bainbridge Replies
Corporate Responsibility?: Discussion With Professor Bainbridge
Yahoo! Caught Again!
Surprise To U.S. Commerce Dept.: We Do Have Export Controls
Google Kowtow Not Deep Enough For China?
Funnies Are Serious Business...As Is Freedom
Connect The Dots...China, Internet, Cartoons, Middle East
Hi-Tech Warning
Geek Goombah Mouthpiece Tries To Cop Plea
US Tech Firms Show Contempt For Congress Regarding China Repression
US Firms Also Linked To Iranian Internet Censors
Lipscomb: It Didn't Begin With Google
Google Gags Tiananmen Square Massacre
No "Right" Of Unrestricted International Trade
Congress Vs. China's Censorship Abetters
Cool Tools For Tyrants
Gates, The Geek Goombah