Egypt jails dissident blogger for four years

Yes, ladies and gentlemen, here is a sad day for the freedom of expression indeed.

An Egyptian blogger was sentenced to four years in jail on Thursday for insulting Islam and defaming President Hosni Mubarak, triggering condemnation from international human rights groups.

A court in the Mediterranean coastal city of Alexandria sentenced Abdel Karim Suleiman to three years for insulting Islam and to one year for defaming the president.

This was the first time a blogger has been sentenced in Egypt for writings published on the Internet.

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I don't like it. Wasn't it Voltaire that said all that about defending your right to say what you will to the death, even if he doesn't like it?

Yeah, yeah. The so-called "American Way" doesn't fly with everyone. Although the principle makes sense and people should be allowed free speech, no matter what they say, some people are still offended.

Doesn't make sense to me. Of course it wouldn't, in my cushioned, suburban, democratic/republic environment.

But it gives you a strange sense that we can say anything we want online, and nobody is going to come after our blood. How many videos do you see making fun of Bush, Kerry, Cheney, John Edwards, the Clintons, etc.? Youtube itself is a bastion of evil for freethinkers everywhere. Look at JibJab.com. Look at the Daily Show with Jon Stewart. The Colbert Report with Stephen Colbert. Any pundit on any network, be it Fox, CNN, or any others.

We have such freedom here. I hear people make noise about how we are so suppressed, oh my goodness. Perhaps we are. Some politicians certainly do things during their terms to fit their own personal agendas rather than the general public, two examples being the Patriot Act, or the things that the NSA do which include wiretapping and surveillance. But I think that there are a lot of things being taken for granted, as well.

The fact that I can even talk about this issue in a public forum is a fantastic freedom.

You have to appreciate what you have. But that's not all I'm saying. Vigilance is key in a society like ours. There are boundaries being set down, and lines being crossed. You have to know what freedoms you have, and hold onto them. When it comes down to it, it's the most important thing you can do.

Now that I'm done babbling...

Discuss.