Sen. Rockefeller proposes bill that would give government sweeping powers to control, monitor, and regulate the Internet, ACLU demands public schools stop blocking gay web sites on public computers, Rep. Jane Harman calls incriminating NSA wiretap “abuse of power,” National Service legislation signed into law that will cost $6 billion over 5 years by hiring “paid volunteers,” government will need to issue $2.4 trillion in new Treasury securities in 2009 to meet budget shortfalls and bailout program requirements, and U.S. to give another $5.5 billion to automakers…

Government policy drives markets. With trillions of dollars being spent by Congress and doled out by the Federal Reserve in one bailout plan after another, we all need to think about how these programs will affect our financial positions.

Will we experience hyperinflation, the kind that can wipe out our life savings? Or will these targeted bailouts stimulate tremendous growth in certain industries?

In one of my favorite movies, Rounders, Matt Damon relates that in poker “if you can’t spot the sucker in the first half hour at the table…you are the sucker.“  Read my book, Obamanomics: How To Invest Over the Next Administration to make sure government policies don’t make you the sucker!

Senate Proposal Will End Internet Freedom. Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-WV) introduced a bill to greatly expand government’s power to regulate, monitor, and control the Internet. The Cybersecurity Act of 2009 will allow the president to shut down portions of the Internet he deems a threat to national security, introduce and force new technical standards and compliance upon industry, and require federal licensing and certification for IT professionals.

You can read more about the Cybersecurity Act, petition against it, and learn how you can support the opposition to this disgusting expansion of government power here.

ACLU Demands Public Schools Stop Blocking Gay Web Sites. The American Civil Liberties Union is threatening to sue Tennessee public schools if they do not stop restricting students’ access to gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender Web sites on school computers.

Congresswoman Jane Harman Calls Incriminating Wire Tap Abuse of Power. Rep. Jane Harman was alleged overheard by NSA wiretaps trading favors for power, helping Israeli lobbyists accused of espionage evade justice. On Tuesday, Ms. Harman blasted the wiretapping, calling it an “abuse of power.” She denies any wrong-doing and insists that the Obama administration release the transcripts to the public.

National Service Legislation Signed Into Law. The Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act was signed into law by President Obama on Tuesday. The bill will expand the AmeriCorps program from 75,000 to 250,000 by 2017 and is expected to cost $6 billion over the next 5 years. Critics say that the idea of paid volunteers is an oxymoron, and that citizens have every opportunity to “serve America” as is-this is just another expansion of government bureaucracy.

Here is a good critique of Kennedy’s Serve America Act.

Soaring Budget Deficit, Unemployment, Mean Billions in Bond Sales. Federal tax receipts are collapsing as 3.7 million jobs have been shed across the country in the six months since the start of the fiscal year on Oct. 1st. As government’s income is shrinking, it’s expenses are skyrocketing with a projected budget deficit of $1.85 trillion. The Treasury will need to issue $2.4 trillion in new bills, notes, and bonds in fiscal year 2009, alone, to meet budgetary obligations. This will put serious strain on bond markets and siphon large amounts of capital from the private sector.

Real estate investing is an excellent way to hedge inflation risk. Rents can grow with inflation and fixed rates on mortgages are almost certainly below what inflation will be over the next 15 to 30 years. This is a decent program to learn how to buy your first apartment building. It gives the basics, shows you how to pick a good commercial Realtor, find a ‘diamond in the rough’ property, and structure a deal.

U.S. To Give Another $5.5 Billion to Automakers. The U.S. government plans to give another $5 billion in loans to General Motors, and $500 million to Chrysler. To date the federal government has provided a total of $13.4 billion to GM and $4 billion to Chrysler in what it calls “emergency loans.”

Alternative Investment Idea: With real estate prices still falling, stocks whipping around like crazy, and even U.S. Treasury bonds becoming increasingly risky, it pays to investigate alternative forms of investing. One method I use regularly is selling market insurance.

Every investment involves risk and everyone has their own objectives. Some people want low risk and are OK with low returns. Iron Condor trading strategies turn these people into your clients.

Learn how to use options to start your own insurance business, having the market pay you to insure its risks. Get paid regular premiums every month! This Iron Condor trading system will teach you how to become your own insurance company, managing the market risks you assume. Don’t go into this blindly! Learn how the experts use options to generate steady income.

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Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-WV) introduced a bill in the Senate on April 1st calling for sweeping powers for federal regulators to “secure cyber communications.” The Cybersecurity Act of 2009 (S.773) would give government authority over all networks considered part of the nation’s critical infrastructure.

The usual threats and scare tactics are used to justify giving Big Brother greater powers, including giving the President the power to shut down portions of the internet he deems a threat to national security, and access to vast amounts of digital data currently legally off limits.

Industry experts criticize the pervasive intrusion into private business standards and practices that would result from some of the finer points of the legislation, including a section that grants government exclusive licensing rights to IT professionals.

Here are the basics:

1. National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) standards development and compliance.
2. Licensing and certification of IT professionals.
3. Regulation of domain name contracts.
4. Executive authority to “shut down the Internet” when in interests of national security.

The bill is still in its infancy being referred to Committee, so now is the time to stop it! Take the time to write or call each of your Congressional representatives. You can look up your representatives’ name and contact information using this tool.

Here is a sample letter you can cut and paste to use as your own:

Details of the Cybersecurity Act of 2009 (S.773) have recently come to my attention. I am writing to voice my utter contempt for this proposed legislation and wish to document opposition to what I consider unacceptable expansion of federal authority into the cyber domain.

S.773 would give the federal government excessive power in regulating the Internet. The power to unilaterally shut down private networks, to garnish unprecedented digital data currently outside the realm of legal authority, and intrusion into commercial practices of professional certification are unacceptable.

Please take serious consideration in evaluating this measure. I urge you to support freedom of the Internet, individual privacy in digital information, and continue to let the private sector make certification and employment decisions without federal coercion.

We must actively fight the erosion of liberty and individual freedom, preserving the values that made this country great. Thank you for your time!

Take a moment to leave a comment below to voice your support for this movement!

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Watch Sen. Rockefeller discuss the bill below. It is not at all evident he truly understands what he’s talking about, yet this man wields power to control us all:

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Anti-Capitalist protests turn violent in London, Venezuela’s Chavez accuses U.S. of acting like an ‘empire’, House passes bill to allow corporate bonuses, Obama brings back the ‘death tax’, and U.K. home prices rise for first time since 2007…

Anti-Capitalist Protesters Get Violent in London. Protesters clashed with British police in London in protest of Capitalism, banking,and free trade as the G20 meetings proceeded nearby. The protests started out peacefully but, within hours, police had hemmed the demonstrators into pens and some areas descended into violence. Protesters smashed bank windows and wrote “thieves” on the sides of bank walls.

Venezuelan President Chavez Accuses U.S. Of Acting Like an Empire.Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said Wednesday that he has little hope of better relations with the U.S. under President Obama, saying the U.S. is still acting like an empire.

House Passes Bill To Allow Corporate Bonuses. The House of Representatives passed a new bill that would allow corporate bonuses to companies receiving federal assistant if the Treasury Department and financial regulators determine they are not “unreasonable or excessive.” Rep. Alan Grayson (D-Fl) says that “No one has the right to get rich off taxpayer money.”

Obama Brings Back The ‘Death Tax.’ President Obama’s budget keeps the estate tax at its 2009 level, which means the government gets 45% of a dead person’s estate valued over $3.5 million. President Bush’s 2003 tax cuts were scheduled to have eliminated the tax in 2010.

U.K. Home Prices Rise For First Time Since ’07. British home prices rose for the first time since October 2007 in March. Prices rose 0.9% on the month after a 1.9% drop in February, taking the average price of a home up to $216,500. The annual rate of decline eased to 15.7% last month compared to 17.6% in February. Economists urge caution in interpreting these data.

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The question of whether or not some law or action being taken by U.S. political leaders is constitutional is always showing up in the news. Such coverage begs the question, why pay attention to a piece of paper written over two hundred years ago? What relevance does this document have to politics in the modern world? And how does it affect my life?

A Contract

The U.S. Constitution is a contract between citizens and their government. It divides government into three branches. Each branch has certain powers, but none of them have total power. This prevents too much power being concentrated into the hands of one or a few people (despite popular consensus, Hope, Peace, and Change require more than one man). Concentrated power leaves a nation of millions subject to the whims of one individual. The Constitution prevents such a situation.

Protection

The Constitution states clearly what the government cannot do. Nearly all of its amendments begin with the phrase “Congress shall make no law…” Similarly, it delegates many powers to the states. This gives each state the freedom (each having varying demographics) to make laws that suit its own needs. This increases personal freedom by giving individuals the ability to make their own laws locally, rather than submitting endlessly to politicians in Washington DC (which is not even a state).

One Line between Freedom and Tyranny

The Constitution is inviolable because it restrains government. Without such a document, we have to rely on politicians to restrain themselves. This is obviously a difficult task even with the authoritative help of the Constitution. It is imperative that we do not allow politicians to break this contract, even when claiming national crises, emergency, or necessity. If we allow the Constitution to be ignored, then there is no stopping the control the Federal government will take over our lives. The Declaration of Independence declares that “all men were created equal;” therefore, we cannot allow ‘the few’ to rule over ‘the many.’

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Obama rejects Gov. Sanford’s plan to use stimulus money to pay down South Carolina debt, Russia planning ‘large-scale’ rearming, Obama’s health care plans will cost at least $1.5 trillion, companies fight back against Obama’s economic plans saying they are hurtful, Obama tries to overrule Congress and stifle whistle-blowing, Argentina moves to nationalize factory owned by Lockheed Martin, and big changes stirrup up at the U.N…just the latest in your Freedom Under Fire Report!

Obama Rejects Governor Sanford’s Request to Use Stimulus to Pay Down Debt. The Obama administration rejected South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford’s request to use $700 million in federal stimulus money to pay down state debt. White House budget director Peter Orszag said in a letter to Sanford that the federal stimulus law forbids that use of the money. According to the White House, 82% must be spent on public schools and colleges, and 18% on public safety and other government services. This means federal funds can only go to unions and expansion of government.

Russia Plan ‘Large-Scale Rearming’. Russian President Dmitri Medvedev said on Tuesday that Russia will begin “large-scale rearming” in 2011 in response to NATO encroachment. Part of the rearmament will be in the country’s nuclear forces. The world had a chance for peace after the Cold War, but it appears we have squandered it.

Health Care Reality Check: Obama’s Plan Will Cost At Least $1.5 trillion. President Obama has been touting a $634 billion “down payment” price tag for his health care reform plans. Health care experts put the realistic price in the $1.5 trillion range over the next decade.

Intel, Overstock, and Lockheed-Companies Fighting Back Against White House. Intel Corp. is angry about President Obama’s plans to increase taxes on overseas income. Overstock.com is worried about increased union power. Lockheed Martin is pushing back against plans to scuttle the F-22 fighter program. U.S. companies are stepping up their fight against Obama’s proposals not aimed squarely at reviving the economy. They say he is trying to do too much, taking the focus off fixing credit markets and proposing ideas that may hurt rather than help.

Obama Tries to Stifle Whistle-Blowers. Senator Charles Grassley (R-Iowa) sent a letter to Obama on Friday condemning a signing statement attached to the $410 billion omnibus spending bill that counters a Congressional provision to protect officials who give information to Congress about their jobs or agencies. Obama said the statute could not limit his power to control the flow of certain information to lawmakers. He wrote “I do not interpret this provision to detract from my authority to direct the heads of executive departments to supervise, control and correct employees’ communications with the Congress in cases where such commmunication would be unlawful or would reveal information that is properly privileged or otherwise confidential.” Sen. Grassley says Obama’s statement is “overly broad” and would “undoubtedly chill whistle-blowers who might otherwise come forward to report waste, fraud or abuse to Congress.”

Argentina Moves to Re-Nationalize Lockheed Martin Factory. Argentine President Christina Kirchner announced Tuesday she intends to re-nationalize an aircraft manufacturer operated by Lockheed Martin, a U.S. company. The trade wars are starting to heat up…

United Nations Turmoil: Nations Line up to Slam Big Powers’ Veto Rights. African and other developing nations joined several European powers at the United Nations (UN) to denounce the veto rights of the five official nuclear powers on the UN security council. Dissidents are attacking the blocking powers of the U.S., Britain, France, China, and Russia.

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GOP officials say banks and autos should fail, 12,000 troops to leave Iraq in 6 months, Obama ponders outreach to Taliban, U.S. ponders troops commitments to fight drug cartels in Mexico, 30 ‘Taliban Gang’ members arrested in Bay Area, banks that shunned bailout question why they’re paying for their competitors’ mistakes? Just the latest in your Freedom Under Fire Report!

Everyday our liberties and freedom come under fire. The American Republic once protected its citizens from arbitrary abuse, extortion, and deliberate social engineering. Now the very same public servants who were meant to work for us connive daily on how to control our lives. The Republic is gone and we are left to fend for ourselves, to put up resistance to every encroachment on individual self-determination. The Freedom Under Fire Report provides daily coverage of the most important issues, so that you remain informed and ready to defend yourself. Read on and pass this around to everyone you think could benefit:

Republican Senators Say Some Banks and Autos Should Fail. John McCain and Richard Shelby, two high-profile Republican senators, say that the government should allow a number of the biggest American banks to fail. “Close them down, get them out of business,” says Mr. Shelby, who is a member of the Banking committee. “If they’re dead, they ought to be buried.”

Sen. McCain is also calling for the bankruptcy of General Motors, saying:

“I think the best thing that could probably happen to GM, in my view, is they go into Chapter 11, they reorganize, they renegotiate…the union-management contracts and come out of it a stronger, better, leaner, more competitive automotive industry.”

Military Announces Plan to Reduce Troops Levels in Iraq by 12,000 in Six Months. Working towards a general troop withdrawal, the Department of Defense announced they will begin pulling 12,000 soldiers out of Iraq within 6 months. The plan is to reduce the number of troops on the ground from 142,000 to no more than 50,000 by May 2010.

Obama Ponders Outreach to Taliban. President Obama says that the U.S. is not winning the war in Afghanistan and opened the door to a reconciliation process in which the American military would reach out to moderate elements of the Taliban, much as it did with Sunni militias in Iraq.

U.S. Looks for Ways to End Violence in Mexico. President Obama and Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman Adm. Michael Mullen on Saturday discussed how the military can assist Mexico in tempering drug cartel violence. Over 6,500 Mexicans were killed in gang violence in 2008, with figures this year set to exceed that amount. The obvious answer, repealing Drug Prohibition in the U.S., seems to allude top U.S.officials.

30 Arrested in ‘Taliban Gang’ Bust in San Francisco Bay Area. Over 500 heavily armed federal agents stormed a series of compounds this morning in Palo Alto, California. The ‘Taliban gang’ is responsible for at least 12 homicides, and 30 violent felonies over the past six years. Authorities confiscated cocaine, ecstasy, and high-caliber handguns and semi-automatic rifles.

You can watch the video here.

With the security environment deteriorating around the world, violent gangs and cartels murdering tens of thousands every year, and countless billions poured into drug enforcement operations, Americans need to ask themselves if proliferating this lawlessness, violence, and increasing police state is worth prohibiting adults from using substances of their choosing?

Banks That Shunned Bailout Ask Why They’re Paying for Wall Street Greed. TCF Financial Corp., a Minnesota-based bank that never made subprime loans and hasn’t lost money since 1995, is wondering why it should help clean up the mess made by Wall Street. CEO William Cooper related “I’m kind of bitter,” adding that over the years TCF has invested about $1 billion in the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.’s (FDIC) fund that guarantees bank deposits. “We pay for the excesses of our competitor over and over again.”

Bloomberg News relates that “TCF is among more than 8,300 banks and lenders insured by the FDIC facing increased fees and a one-time ‘emergency’ charge designed to raise $27 billion this year for the agency’s depleted coffers.” Camden Fine, President of Independent Community Bankers of America, said that community banks may take a 10% to 20% hit in 2009 earnings even if the FDIC halves that charge.

Taxpayers, renters, and savers should be asking themselves similar questions as the federal government launches one bailout program after another with their money.

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President Obama is an incredible speaker. When on stage he resembles a preacher in a pulpit, often to similar affect. His speech before a joint session of the houses of Congress tonight is the perfect example of rubbish couched in eloquence. There were myriad pleas to humanity, citing one example after another of suffering to elicit emotion, but not much of what he proposed offers substantive solutions; rather, his Socialistic decrees will surely lead this country in the opposite direction. Here’s what I mean:

A big issue on everyone’s’ mind is the economy. We are bombarded with bad news daily, mainly from our public leaders. They tell us that unemployment is on the rise and will likely skyrocket. They tell us that we are facing severe and prolonged Depression unless we fork over trillions for them to play with. They tell us all sorts of things, like bailing out this bank will prevent systemic collapse, or forcing us to lend money to automakers that have not seen profit in decades is patriotic, etc. Our public leaders are not short of calls to patriotism and collective sacrifice these days.

Banking.

President Obama’s proposals begin with forcing banks to lend, adding more regulations to their activities, and cutting back on executive compensation. “I intend to hold these banks fully accountable for the assistance they receive, and this time, they will have to clearly demonstrate how taxpayer dollars result in more lending for the American taxpayer. This time, CEOs won’t be able to use taxpayer money to pad their paychecks or buy fancy drapes or disappear on a private jet. Those days are over.”

Clearly, Obama holds a good deal of disdain for Wall Street and banking executives. Why this group so heavily subsidized his presidential campaign is a mystery! Unfortunately, more regulation and involving government in management compensation issues will not bring the financial sector out of the doldrums. Nor will forcing banks to lend based on political considerations. Banks lend for a reason-not for fun, compassion, or spite, but to earn a profit. Healthy banking requires judicious decision-making with regards to the use of capital. With the federal government overseeing banks and mandating they increase lending, we will undoubtedly experience waste, capital misallocation, and inflation as the money supply is forced to grow.

Energy, Health Care, and Education.

Obama calls for $15 billion per year on alternative energy investment, saying that the nation must focus on wind, solar, biofuels, clean coal, and vehicle efficiency standards. He then calls for a sweeping carbon cap-and-trade program, which he terms “market oriented.” The likely result from this grandiose central planning: more fraud, waste, and abuse of the system, limited technological or economic success, growth of oversight bureaucracies, and higher energy costs for Americans. Electricity will become appreciably more expensive as power plants must pay for carbon offsets. The only way any of this will help the economy is if some government bureaucrat stumbles upon research success, but this eventuality decreases in likelihood the more we politicize research.

“We can no longer afford to put health care reform on hold,” Obama begins and then launches into a series of measures that lead to Socialized health care: Centralization of health records (which he oddly describes as “protecting privacy”!), a federal crusade to fight cancer, and whatever he means by saying “we must have quality, affordable health care for every American.” Ironically, quality and system affordability are inversely related to access!

Finally, to add to the perversion and double-speak Obama cites the move to Socialized health care as one that will “bring down the deficit in years to come.” Costs are never reduced by moving anything to government to manage. When did Americans start believing that government runs things efficiently?

With regards to education, Obama begins by saying: “It is our responsibility as lawmakers and educators to make this system work. But it is the responsibility of every citizen to participate in it.” This is his call to arms for every U.S. citizen to go to at least one year of higher education. He further bans people from dropping out of high school:

“And dropping out of high school is no longer an option. It’s not just quitting on yourself, it’s quitting on your country — and this country needs and values the talents of every American.”

This kind of language can quickly morph into persecution, branding people unpatriotic and perhaps treasonous for not satisfying bureaucratic mandates. Such a thought is not too far from the realm of possibility. It is no business of any politician what any of us do with our lives. If the Constitution and Bill of Rights still mean anything, we can confidently refute this notion by saying that “yes we still do have options, Mr. President, whether you like them or not!”

Obama wraps up the speech with a promise: “I pledged to cut the deficit in half by the end of my first term in office. We have already identified two trillion dollars in savings over the next decade.”

Given that the federal government is committed to spending between $2 trillion to $3 trillion in deficit this year, alone, it is not clear what Obama means by saying he has uncovered $2 trillion in savings. Although, we do know how he intends to make up for some of the deficit: “We will restore a sense of fairness and balance to our tax code by finally ending the tax breaks for corporations that ship our jobs overseas.” Oh, and then there’s the massive tax increases to the top 5% of the population, in terms of income. How does discriminatory taxation equate to “fair and balance[d]“?

Protectionism and punative taxation are not ingredients in the recipe of economic success. This country is becoming increasingly hostile to work, savings, innovation, and wealth-pretty much all of the requirements for prosperity!

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With hyperinflation and risk of economic disaster increasing with each dollar Congress recklessly spends, it pays to be prepared: Consider stocking up on Emergency Supplies:

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Obama more popular that Jesus, follows through on tax cuts, Sen. Schumer chastises Americans for caring about earmarks, White House says it will cut deficit in half, of chimps and racism, decomposing the stimulus bill, Clinton tells Chinese to go Green, Latvia’s government collapses, and Iran blocks opposition on Web…just the latest in your Freedom Under Fire Report!

Everyday our liberties and freedom come under fire. The American Republic once protected its citizens from arbitrary abuse, extortion, and deliberate social engineering. Now the very same public servants who were meant to work for us connive daily on how to control our lives. The Republic is gone and we are left to fend for ourselves, to put up resistance to every encroachment on individual self-determination. The Freedom Under Fire Report provides daily coverage of the most important issues, so that you remain informed and ready to defend yourself. Read on and pass this around to everyone you think could benefit:

Obama Follows Through on Promised Tax Cuts. President Obama came through on his campaign promise to cut taxes for 95% of Americans. Yesterday, he ordered the Treasury to implement the tax cuts, which are part of the $787 billion American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The package includes $282 billion in tax cuts. With upwards of 40% of Americans not paying any income taxes, it is curious how 95% can receive a tax cut.

Poll Shows Obama More Popular than Jesus, Gandhi, and Martin Luther King Jr. President Obama took the lead in a Harris interactive poll that asked 2,634 Americans who they admired enough to call a hero. Obama ranked the highest, ahead of Jesus, Mahtma Gandhi, and George Washington.

Sen. Charles Schumer Chastises Americans for Caring About Earmarks.
“And let me say this, to all the chattering class-that so much focuses on those little, tiny, yes “porky” amendments-the American people really don’t care.” We must be part of this derided “chattering class” because we care.

Obama Sets Goal of cutting Budget Deficit in Half. President Obama wants to cut the federal budget deficit in half by the end of his first term. He intends to do this mainly by scaling back the Iraq War, raising taxes on the wealthy, and streamlining government. This will be difficult given that the Afghan War is ramping up, Congress just passed a $787 billion spending bill, the size of the federal government is growing, and the economy is deteriorating. Taxing capital and the wealthy will have a dampening affect on economic growth, not a stimulating one.

Chimp Cartoon has People Up In Arms Over Racism. Racism politics are firing up across the country. A controversial New York Post cartoon has sparked anger, protests, and of course a series of Al Sharpton speeches decrying racism. Allegations of racism are sizzling in politics these days, with Attorney General Eric Holder calling Americans “cowards” for “self-segregating on weekends and in their pivate lives,” and South Carolina Rep. Jim Clyburn said that some governors’ refusal to unconditionally accept stimulus funds was a “slap in the face” to blacks. This is a dangerous, divisive trend in which Al Sharpton, Holder, clyburn and other power-hungry interests use hatred to their advantage.

Video Decomposes Stimulus Bill, Doesn’t Look Pretty. The main premise is that the spending bill signed earlier this week targets sectors and industries that are still growing, like health care, government, and environmental, leaving rapidly declining sectors of the economy with little relief. The spending profile timeline is off, skewed out towards 2010 and beyond. Even infrastructure spending seems to be put to unproductive venues, used simply to hire people versus build useful items.

Clinton Encourages China to Pursue Green Growth, Not Likely they Care. In a tour of Asia this week, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton urged China to pursue green growth initiatives. Declaring that “we hope you won’t make the same mistakes we made,” she encouraged China to join the new administration’s ambitious effort to curb greenhouse gases. She added, “When we were industrializing and growing, we didn’t know any better; neither did Europe. Now we’re smart enough to figure out how to have the right kind of growth.” It is good that our public servants can direct us towards the “right kind of growth.” We’d be lost otherwise!

Economic Crisis Collapses Latvia’s Government. Latvia’s center-right coalition government collapsed on Friday due to economic strain. Gross Domestic Product (GDP) fell at an annualized rate of 10.5% last month, with projections of a 12% loss for 2009. The government is now cutting spending wherever it can, slashing public salaries by as much as 40%, for example. How many other governments will fold before the global economy regains its health?

Iranian Government Blocks Web Sites for Political Opposition. Authorities have blocked two Web sites promoting the presidential bid of Mohammed Khatami, a reform candidate. This is the first sign that “powerful hard-liners might seek to thwart his challenge to Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in the June 12 election.” This is an example of why it is so important to keep the Internet free of government intrusion.

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