Blocked anti-Obama blogs spur Google probe

Does Google Inc. violate the same "neutrality" principles that it wants mandated for Internet providers like Comcast Corp.?

That's the argument being made by some who accuse the search behemoth of hypocrisy when it comes to free speech on the Internet.

Here's the deal: Mountain View, Calif.-based Google recently drew the ire of several authors of anti-Obama blogs, hosted on the company's Blogger platform, whose posting rights were temporarily suspended after Google identified as them "potential spam blogs."

"You will not be able to publish posts to your blog until we review your site and confirm that it is not a spam blog ... Sincerely, ...

Blocked anti-Obama blogs spur Google probe

Does Google Inc. violate the same "neutrality" principles that it wants mandated for Internet providers like Comcast Corp.?

That's the argument being made by some who accuse the search behemoth of hypocrisy when it comes to free speech on the Internet.

Here's the deal: Mountain View, Calif.-based Google recently drew the ire of several authors of anti-Obama blogs, hosted on the company's Blogger platform, whose posting rights were temporarily suspended after Google identified as them "potential spam blogs."

"You will not be able to publish posts to your blog until we review your site and confirm that it is not a spam blog ... Sincerely, the Blogger Team," Google said in an e-mail to the owner of Come a Long Way, one of at least seven blogs that were shut down.

The affected blogs are all opposed to the campaign of Sen. Barack Obama, Illinois Democrat, and have a common association with the anti-Obama Web site JustSayNoDeal.com.

Not everyone is satisfied with that explanation.

"While Google claims to be a neutral gatekeeper, the pattern of evidence increasingly suggests otherwise," said Scott Cleland, president of McLean-based Precursor LLC and chairman of Netcompetition. org, which opposes so-called "net neutrality" regulation that would prohibit Internet service providers from slowing or blocking Web applications that hog bandwidth, among other provisions.

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2008/jul/07/blocked-anti-obama-blogs-spur-google-probe/

I have heard the same from many friends (I am ex-military).

“I swear we got more thanks from the NBA Basketball Players or the Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders than from one of the Senators, who wants to be the President of the United States.

Now the Bagram captain is dialing back, having signed the viral e-mail with his name, rank and unit - a possible violation of military regulations barring political statements. This morning, he sent The Mouth a new statement

An Army officer familiar with the incident told The Mouth today that the writer is “devastated that the letter was made public. It was never his intention that it go beyond members of his family.”

http://www.nyda...

I have heard the same from many friends (I am ex-military).

“I swear we got more thanks from the NBA Basketball Players or the Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders than from one of the Senators, who wants to be the President of the United States.

Now the Bagram captain is dialing back, having signed the viral e-mail with his name, rank and unit - a possible violation of military regulations barring political statements. This morning, he sent The Mouth a new statement

An Army officer familiar with the incident told The Mouth today that the writer is “devastated that the letter was made public. It was never his intention that it go beyond members of his family.”

http://www.nydailynews.com/blogs/dc/2008/07/obamabashing-gi-retracts-claim.html

In his official capacity as a sitting US senator, Obama has every right to stay in touch with America's men and women in uniform. According to Pentagon officials, the problem was that Obama's request to visit Landstuhl included two members of his campaign staff -- retired Major General Jonathan S. Gration and Jeff Kiernan. US military officials in Germany informed the campaign the two political operatives would not be permitted on base.

Pentagon officials say Gration was the campaign's point of contact at Landstuhl in arranging Obama's visit and "got torqued" when he was told he would not be permitted to join Obama. It was Gration who later suggested to reporters that the Pentagon sh...

In his official capacity as a sitting US senator, Obama has every right to stay in touch with America's men and women in uniform. According to Pentagon officials, the problem was that Obama's request to visit Landstuhl included two members of his campaign staff -- retired Major General Jonathan S. Gration and Jeff Kiernan. US military officials in Germany informed the campaign the two political operatives would not be permitted on base.

Pentagon officials say Gration was the campaign's point of contact at Landstuhl in arranging Obama's visit and "got torqued" when he was told he would not be permitted to join Obama. It was Gration who later suggested to reporters that the Pentagon short-circuited Obama's visit.

From MSNBC

Seems Obama could have made the visit by himself with no problem since he is a senator. But he wanted to bring a couple of his campaign people which would change the visit from an official visit into a campaign stop. Guess he decided if he couldn't make it a campaign stop then he wouldn't stop at all.