Blog block: A few more links

This time, the links are to commentary that treats the government's attempts to muzzle free speech at just the appropriate level of analysis: contempt and ridicule.

Gawker:

Goddamnit, can't the Indian government even indulge in some freedom-curtailing and dictatorial authoritarianism without skewering its dignity in the process? How can one trust a government to pursue and catch the perpetrators of the Mumbai bomb blasts when it can't even bring its ludicrously wrong-headed policies to a successful conclusion? Christ, these clowns can't even do the wrong things right. It's like the neighbourhood peeping Tom who climbs the wrong tree in front of the wrong house and spends the night trying to peep into the wrong window. Shit, this government sickens and embarasses me with its ineptitude.

Angry Fix:

BREAKING NEWS: angry fix has heard from reliable sources that birdsellers in Crawford Market are jubilant. Apparently, the demand for homing pigeons is skyrocketing.

A Crawford Market birdseller looking for pigeons he's not sold yet.

The more internet-savvy birdsellers claim to know the real reason behind the sudden surge, but they aren't telling.

When we contacted our friendly neighbourhood policeman, he said he believed the ban on blogs was the prime cause for the increase in demand for homing pigeons. He said terrorists, desperate to contact each other, and crippled by the ban on blocks, were forced to use homing pigeons. He said, not without a touch of pride, that terrorists, considerably cramped by the acute shortage of homing pigeons, have been thinking of using other alternatives (see below), but the other alternatives have been thinking otherwise.

Hawkeye:

Kabali Times Special Correspondent(s) Chennai, Mumbai, Delhi, July 19 2006:

Home Minister of Government of India received a note from RAW stating that certain Small Intenstine Manipulating Individuals (SIMI), were using Internet 'addresses' to communicate among themselves. The RAW apparently were dissapointed to find that their agents constantly developed bowel movement problems after eating in the military canteen and wanted to communicate this to the minister. The Home Minister, who in school had never passed into a standard, where Social Studies actually diversified into Geography and History (but has a honorary PhD doctorate to cheat all his 23 grandchildren), assumed that the 'Internet' was a 'Madrasi' town near Vijayawada and sent a GOI notification that banned several addresses. This would prevent people from actually walking into/visiting several home addresses. Press agencies say that major colonies and suburban places have also been blocked off. All service providers were intimated of the government block notice. As a result in many places in Mumbai and Chennai - autos, trains and buses refused to travel to certain parts of the city.