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GRITtv: Douglas Rushkoff: Internet Freedom, Egypt & the US

"If Internet freedoms have to be secured with policy then as far as I'm concerned there are no Internet freedoms," says Douglas Rushkoff, author of Program or Be Programmed. He notes that what we've learned from the Internet shutoff in Egypt is that there is too much centralization on the Web, and when people like Joe Lieberman can call Amazon and knock WikiLeaks off their server or convince PayPal not to process their payments anymore, there's too much control. Doug joins us from his home via Skype to talk to us about the problems with the Internet we have, government control over it, and how we can create a 'Net they can't shut down.

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GRITtv: Feb. 2, 2011

"What we are seeing is nothing less than an Egyptian Tiananmen Square," says Khaled Fahmy of American University in Cairo. He watched today as bands of armed men descended on peaceful protesters in Cairo, heading for Tahrir Square. Some of the people, who Fahmy called "thugs" rode through crowds on horseback and camelback, trying to drive them back. Mubarak "has burned all his bridges with his people," Fahmy notes via phone from Cairo, and the violence today was a last gasp for the regime. "The one predictable thing about revolutions is that they are unpredictable," notes Benjamin Barber, fellow at Demos and author of Consumed and Jihad vs. McWorld. Barber points out that as revolution rocks the Arab world, each country will find its own solution and destiny. The important thing to note, he says, is that autocratic regimes hollow out their states' civil society, leaving little infrastructure in place for citizens to use to govern themselves. Benjamin joins Laura in studio to discuss the situation in Egypt and to update us on the conflict he wrote about in Jihad vs. McWorld years ago, between consumer capitalism and Islamism. Why can we picture no alternative to the two extremes, when revolution comes? "If Internet freedoms have to be secured with policy then as far as I'm concerned there are no Internet freedoms," says Douglas Rushkoff, author of Program or Be Programmed. He notes that what we've learned from the Internet shutoff in Egypt is that there is too much centralization on the Web, and when people like Joe Lieberman can call Amazon and knock WikiLeaks off their server or convince PayPal not to process their payments anymore, there's too much control. Doug joins us from his home via Skype to talk to us about the problems with the Internet we have, government control over it, and how we can create a 'Net they can't shut down. Distributed by Tubemogul.

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GRITtv: San Francisco Strike for Health Care

San Francisco is a popular tourist destination but an expensive city in which to live. Hotel workers at the Grand Hyatt, many of them Chinese immigrants, were recently told that their new contract would require them to pay for their own health insurance despite their full-time jobs doing physical labor. A couple of hundred dollars a month make a huge difference for the hotel workers, so they went on strike to protest the unfair labor practices. Thanks to New America Media for the video.

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GRITtv: Nov. 16, 2009

Sarah Palin's "Going Rogue" comes out Tuesday, and the corporate media have been all Palin, all the time. Richard Kim, author of "Going Rouge," Rebecca Traister, Max Blumenthal and Shannyn Moore discuss why Palin just won't go away and what it is about her that keeps people coming back for more. Democracy Now!'s Amy Goodman joins Laura to talk about her new book, "Breaking the Sound Barrier," making independent media, and her struggles with the health care system while dealing with her mother's recent illness. Sen. Bernie Sanders breaks down what's in the House and Senate plans, what's good, what needs work, and what's absolutely unacceptable. From Syracuse, N.Y., a protest of drone aircraft outside of the Hancock Air National Guard Base. Thanks to New America Media, Brave New Films and EssentialDissent for the video.

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