Technology trumps oppression
Seattle Times editorial page editor Ryan Blethen deserves praise for highlighting how personal freedom has not followed economic prosperity in China (“The Tiananmen conversation China won’t let happen,” June 7).
The Internet age is making it harder for oppressive regimes like China’s to quell freedom of expression. But the tyrant’s reflex to stamp it out is ever present — the latest example being China’s Communist government shutting down Web forums, blogs and Twitter in the days leading up to the 20th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre.
The very nature of the Internet makes it easier for those of us who enjoy liberty to draw attention to the plight of those who don’t. May the technological revolution, birthed in freedom, always stay at least a few steps ahead of tyranny’s boot — and finally help topple the world’s oppressors from without and within.
— James G. Lakely, research fellow, The Heartland Institute, Chicago, Ill.