A Manifesto - Printable Version

Greetings, society. I am a Human. I am just like all of you. However, unlike many, I have recognized a flaw in society. That is, a flaw in you, society. The leaders of society, benign or otherwise, have a tendency to desire more and more control. Liberty, once a bastion of its eponymous value, now languishes under a regime which, though you may not know it, lies to and blatantly censors its people. In times of war, it is understandable that a nation would want to keep a tighter lid on things, of course, but not at the cost of essential liberties.

Almost everywhere, news and information that could help you, the common man, the common woman, the pilot, the worker, the soldier, the scientist, gets censored. Information that could save lives gets halted, pulled off the air so to speak, and filed away in government offices, forgotten inside old file cabinets, to languish under the watchful eyes of moths.

So, if you don't understand what this manifesto is about yet, it's freedom. Freedom... of information. Information is the lifeblood of society; everything around you can be reduced to it. Your toys, your tools, your guns, your houses, everything. I bet that, for many of you, your life relied on information. A medical condition solved by medical knowledge, by medical information. A close run-in with a pirate that was avoided only because you had been warned earlier. Information.

Now, if I have intrigued you, allow me to divert the discussion a bit. It's time for a quick history lesson. Long ago, back when Humanity was limited to one planet, there was a group. The United Nations or some such. They weren't too effective, or so I read, but they did something pretty cool. They established a declaration of human rights. A universal declaration. THE Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Do you want to know one of the things it said?

U.N. Universal Declaration of Human Rights Wrote:Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.

Do you see where this history lesson ties into my little... tirade? "freedom to hold opinions without interference, and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers."

Right there. Freedom to seek, receive, and impart information and ideas, through any media, regardless of frontiers. Ignore me if you want. Most probably will. My words still ring true, and history will vindicate them.

However, I do not suggest a revolution. I do not suggest violence. I suggest a dropping of censorship. Nations and entities of Sirius, I am reaching across all borders. Corsair, Outcast, or Colonial; Libertonian, or Rheinlander; Bretonian, or Kusari. Even those of Gallia, who for so long have been shut in, should heed my words. Leaders, enable the free flow of information that makes liberty possible. Liberty cannot work without this free flow, because a lack of that flow leads to ignorance. Ignorance is what enables tyrants to take over, and tyranny is the antithesis of liberty.

All healthy nations, nations free of the core corruption that plagues tyranny, should listen, when I say that you should allow your citizens to talk. If they want to talk of blue aliens, let them. If they want to talk of bizarre genetic experiments, as long as they're not forcing it on others, let them!

Let information run freely, and Sirian culture should experience a whole new renaissance. What could you all possibly be hiding that, should it be revealed to the public, would result in a loss of control? If revealing your dirty laundry, taking off the shackles of censorship, would result in a revolution, isn't that better than allowing people of all stripes to languish under those shackles?

And remember, society, "Beware of he who would deny you access to information, for in his heart he dreams himself your master."

Thank you,
A. Human