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Comment by westicle | Hacker News Reader

Sorry, I didn't mean to say it is impossible to fight. In the sense that I could fight Mike Tyson, or Don Quixote could fight a windmill, obviously it can be fought.

I meant to say that as a citizen, this is impossible to stop. I say that as someone who will vote Wikileaks on Saturday. But in realistic terms, unfortunately there are only two viable sides in the legislative house. Polls (and consequently betting markets) don't even anticipate a single seat going to a minor party at this election.

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> Sorry, I didn't mean to say it is impossible to fight. In the sense that I could fight Mike Tyson, or Don Quixote could fight a windmill, obviously it can be fought.

It is possible to win. We blocked SOPA and ACTA. The vote to partially defund the NSA was only lost by a narrow margin. There are Pirates in the European Parliament (and will probably be more next year). There is more awareness of digital rights than there ever has been before, and importantly for the future it's higher amoung younger voters.

This is a fight that can be won.

Perhaps at the grand old age of 32, I am becoming bitter and jaded but after SOPA and ACTA was blocked, they are just going to come around and try again and again and again. This is exactly what has happened in Australia with this damn internet filter.

I remember what it was like to dial into BBS's when I was in high school. The freedoms we had online then were incredible compared to what we have today.

The fight we are fighting is not one to win new territory or new freedoms - its one to protect what we already have. Sometimes we win and sometimes we lose. But we have to win all the time just to keep things where they are today. All it takes is one loss and something is irrevocably gone...

Take a look at china. All this means is that ordinary people will have proxy education in their teenage years.

And the artists of the world can have a fresh supply of human skulls -- with the unfortunate defect that there is a bullet hole through them. But that just makes them a bargain.

Don't feel bad. It just means the family of the deviant hacker criminal won't have to pay the bill for the bullet.

Or in other words: Yeah, china. There's an ideal to aspire to.

I meant to say that as a citizen, this is impossible to stop.

Of course it's not. People forget that the NBN cost the Liberal party the last election. People care about "this stuff" now

Polls (and consequently betting markets) don't even anticipate a single seat going to a minor party at this election.

That isn't true. Brandt (Greens) is the favourite in Melbourne[1] and Wilkie is favourite in Denison[2]. There's also a conservative independent who is favourite to win a seat in Victoria but I can't find her name or the reference at the moment.

[1] http://www.theage.com.au/federal-politics/federal-election-2...

[2] http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-09-04/denison-hold-for-wedne...

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