Subsequently, the channel has remained largely unavailable in the United States. In order to access the channel from most places within the country, Americans must pay upwards of $45 per month in addition to their usual subscription fee (on the DishTV network) - prohibitively expensive for many.

Recently, however, Burlington Telecom, owned by the small city of Burlington, Vermont (population 39,000), decided to carry Al Jazeera English, sparking debate amongst its residents and leading some groups to protest for its removal. Bloggers in the city and around the world jumped on the story. KABOBfest's Will (Palestine/US) explains the debate and concludes:

As we approach the end of the Bush presidency, it should be apparent to everyone that the the old thinking of “us good, them bad” is failing and having destructive repercussions. It is time Americans engage the world and expose themselves to voices beyond our borders. Al-Jazeera, English represents just that. Burlington, VT is exceptionally progressive, but these questions should be raised in every community around the country — most of which do not have televised access to Al-Jazeera, English.

Hanaan, also from KABOBfest, introduces a video (from Al Jazeera English itself) on the story, saying:

Despite its reputation for open-mindedness, there are more than a few idiots in Burlington, with the Israel Center of Vermont and the Defenders Council of Vermont leading the way:

From Burlington itself, two letter-writers are quoted in the Burlington Free Press‘ blog section. The first, Scott Baker, argues that to drop Al Jazeera from Burlington Telecom would amount to censorship:

Part of the very problem in relations between the U.S. and the Middle East is that their citizens don’t know enough about each other. Our relationship is defined by government policies, not open communication and understanding of different perspectives. Yes, Al Jazeera discusses Al Qaeda, because it’s a very real issue on its home turf. Yet, if you read and listen extensively, most Arabs and Muslims are just as angry at Al Qaeda as most Americans are.

In the same post Steve Flemer argues against Burlington Telecom's choice to host Al Jazeera English:

…It would seem to me that this fledgling city-owned outfit, already struggling with customer subscriptions far below expectations, would want to provide a varied cable menu without having to feel like they needed to make potentially self-harming political statements.

A comment on the website of Seven Days, a popular local newspaper, sums up the sentiments best, saying:

Forget conservatives versus liberals - the real debate over Al Jazeera in Burlington and elsewhere is increasingly turning into a debate between those who have watched the channel and those who have not. Those who have watched Al Jazeera on air will benefit from its strong global perspective on international news and affairs. On the flipside, most of the sections of society insisting Al Jazeera be dropped have never even watched it. Even when sets aside the fact that one group should not be allowed to impose itself on the other, the question of whose views are more credible is easy to answer.

This week's pick comes from the Western Sahara blog, writing about the new Sahrawi satellite TV station, R.A.S.D. TV (Democratic Sahrawi Arab Republic Television):

لا أخفيكم سرا كم انتظرت شخصيا كما الكثيرين بالمناطق المحتلة خروج هذا المولود الجديد الى النور بعد طول انتظار، نعم أخيرا لنا تلفزاتنا الفضائية

I have to tell you how much I've personally waited, like many others in the occupied areas, for this newborn baby to see light. And after a long wait, yes, we now have our own satellite television station.

The blogger says that the most important mission for the station should be to advance the Sahrawi case among other Arab countries:

لعل أهم دور لها آن تعرف بالقضية الوطنية لأخوتنا العرب في ظل صمت الجامعة العربية والذي نتمنى أن تتمكن القناة من كسر جدار الصمت هذا وان تجعل منها منتدى للنقاش البناء وللتفاعل مع الأشقاء العرب ، وهو اكبر تحدي للتلفزة نظرا لامتناع المسؤوليين عن الأقمار الصناعية العربية عن إعطاء تردد لها.

The most important role [for the station] is to shed light on our national cause to our Arab brothers. As the Arab League has remained silent over the issue, we hope the station will be able to break this silence barrier and to be a forum for constructive and interactive discussion with our Arab brothers, which will be the biggest challenge facing the channel, considering that the officials at the Arab TV Satellites have refused to host the channel on their frequencies.

He adds:

وأخيرا نتمنى أن تميط القناة اللثام عن واقع المناطق المحتلة من خلال بث أشرطة متلفزة تظهر فيها الصحراء الغربية من الداخل وان تؤرخ هذه الحقبة والمنعطف الهام في مسيرة قضيتنا الوطنية العادلة،

And finally, we hope the channel will also uncover the realities in the occupied areas by airing footage showing the Sahara from the inside, and to document this era and this important juncture in the history of our just national cause.

In recent years, some Iranian bloggers have been sent to jail and many have had their sites filtered. If the Iranian parliament approves this draft bill, bloggers fear they could be legally executed as criminals. No one has defined what it means to “disturb mental security in society”.

Such discussion concerning blogs has not been unique to Iran. It shows that many authorities do not only wish to filter blogs, but also to eliminate bloggers!

A state policy to control blogs

About a year and a half ago, the Iranian government demanded that bloggers should register and provide their names and addresses on a site called Samandehi. Many people believed such a process would facilitate legal action against them.

Bloggers resisted and many published an “I do not register my blog/site” banner on their blogs. The Government then realised it cannot have real control of the situation, or force bloggers to register.

In the footsteps of Yemen?

Unfortunately, the Iranian case is not unique to the Middle East and to the world. In April, MidEastYouth talked about new repressive measures adopted by Yemen, quoting Walid Al-Saqaf, YemenPortal.net's administrator:

“This week, the government’s Minister of Information threatened to file lawsuits against news websites on the justification of ‘inciting hatred’ or ‘harming national interests’ and the other usual excuse they often use to prosecute journalists. The threat is even more severe for websites because the government would use the penal code instead of the press law. This means that website owners could receive even death penalties.”

“Don’t be upset, we'll execute you legally”

Nikahang, a leading Iranian online cartoonist and blogger, says [Fa]:

if this draft bill becomes law, everything will be based on interpretation and a simple blogger will be considered a center to destroy people’s religion! What can I say? Only people who disturb people’s mental security could support such a thing.

Mirza Kasra Bakhtyari writes [Fa] that Ali Larijani, the Iranian Parliament's President, supported discussing this draft bill and added that they have talked for hours with the Judiciary about it.

Ghomarashegahneh says [Fa]:

Mentioning ‘blogging' among crimes such as kidnapping, raping, armed robbery makes accusing bloggers easier than before… Such a law will harm the mental security of society more than the poor bloggers, who do not know what awaits them.

The blogger adds that the real causes of mental security problems are the economic crisis and repressive government policies.

Bazri warns [Fa]: “We should do our best to stop members of parliament from approving this draft bill. Tomorrow it will be too late. It is easy to accuse a blogger of apostasy and corruption. Let's tell the Parliament that to think differently is not a crime that should be punishable by death.”

Balocuh has published a cartoon where a cleric tells a woman about to be executed: “Don’t be upset, we'll execute you legally.”

[…] Like many of his peers, Chapeye took to the streets in 2004 demonstrations that captivated international imagination and ushered President Viktor Yushchenko into power. Today, he and his friends use that experience, with the help of the Internet, to stage demonstrations against deals cut by people they helped elevate into office.

“The state itself is destroying the city, so we have to fight with our own fists,” Chapeye said. “The bulldozers come and we fight.” […]

Chapeye re-posted the LA Times' story on his blog, adding this sarcastic remark (UKR):

Yes, yes, yes, these damn activists are now ruining Ukraine's international reputation.

This, of course, is an overstatement. Ukraine's image abroad, boosted by the 2004 Orange Revolution, remains largely intact, as the Western media rarely focus on purely domestic matters, such as the vehement public opposition to Kyiv's illegal construction - even though, according to Chapaye, “all foreign journalists working here are perfectly aware of the issue.”

The publication of the LA Times' story is nevertheless a victory for the activists, as well as a reflection of the fact that many ordinary Ukrainians, fed up with a culture of lawlessness that is flourishing in their country, are becoming increasingly involved in grassroots activism.

One of the latest rallies - Velonayizd (”Bicycle Attack”) - took place in Kyiv on June 21, when nearly 500 cyclists, bikers and pedestrians gathered in front of the municipal police headquarters for a Critical Mass-type event, prompted by the recent deaths of at least two cyclists and the authorities' failure to bring the perpetrators to justice.

Velonayizd (”Bicycle Attack”), Kyiv, June 21, 2008 - photo by Alex Kleimenov

On June 7, Anatoly Perepadya, a prominent Ukrainian literary translator, was hit by a car as he was riding to the Writers' Union in Kyiv; he died at a hospital two days later. Born in 1935, Perepadya was held in high esteem for his translations of the works of Marcel Proust, Albert Camus, Francesco Petrarca, François Rabelais, Michel de Montaigne, Antoine de Saint Exupéry and many others. An avid cyclist, in one of his interviews (RUS) Perepadya mentioned that his bicycle was something of an alternative office for him:

Every day, I tried to translate two sonnets [of Petrarca]. […] When things weren't going smoothly, I'd get on my bike and ride around for a long time, and the verses would then come together in my mind.

LJ user dnistrovyj posted a note (UKR) on Perepadya's death in the literatura_ua LJ community, and here's one of the comments (UKR) he received:

terrykoo:

Judging by the statistics and publications on high-profile traffic accidents, what's taking place on Ukrainian roads today is a total nightmare! I don't know anything about the circumstances of Anatoly Perepadya's accident, but a high-ranking official has to be found who will not only “take control” of the investigation, but will also make sure that it results in something; otherwise, WE will have to self-organize and seek justice!.. Because if we don't, our “young” culture may literally not survive into adulthood…

On June 9, Oleksiy (Alesha) Bashkirtsev - LJ user alesha-kiev, a 22-year-old Kyiv musician and performance artist - was killed by a 20-year-old drunk driver.

The following text (RUS) by LJ user arizona_ - about the tragedy and the outrageously inadequate police response - has been re-posted by many bloggers and online media outlets, making it into the Top 30 at Yandex Blogs portal at some point:

[…] While everyone is recovering from the shock and saying good-bye to [Alesha], the man who caused the tragedy is doing all he can to escape justice

[…]

The tragedy took place near Lukyanivska metro station, by the “Sekunda” store. [Alesha] was riding his bicycle, and was hit by an absolutely drunk driver. [Alesha]'s friend Fedor, who was riding together with him, witnessed it all. According to him, he heard the screeching of the wheels behind him, and, as he turned around, he saw a car driving at full speed right at them. It was moving very fast [as it hit Alesha].

[…]

The ambulance arrived 20 minutes later.

[Alesha] was still conscious for a while after being hit, he was in the state of pain shock. The car driver - Khomutovsky Stanislav Olegovych, b. 1988 - got out of the car and started yelling that he's gonna be killed for having ruined the car. According to witnesses, he was absolutely drunk. He never approached the victim of the crash.

The ambulance took [Alesha] to the Pechersk district hospital, where he died several hours later.

The car driver was also taken away by an ambulance, because he seemed to have something like a concussion. Under such circumstances, they usually do blood tests at hospitals, forcefully. It is known that the driver was given a paper ordering him to have a blood test, but, of course, he never did it. A medical conclusion certifying that the driver was drunk DOES NOT EXIST.

[…]

The driver was detained for three days, and then, in accordance with the prosecutor's decision, he was let go on bail. According to the investigator, they wanted to keep him longer, but they got orders from the prosecutor to let him out on bail for the time evidence is being gathered.

Also, according to the investigator, investigation will last for two months. And once they have the results of this investigation, they'll set a date for the trial.

Two months is enough time to prove that driver is not guilty and, moreover, is a victim himself. Knowing how the system works, it's not necessary to explain why it's so simple, right?

[…]

Omitted from the translation above are mentions of a video from the scene of the accident: it was made public somewhat later. Among other things, it features the driver of the BMW that killed Alesha Bashkirtsev. Taras of Ukrainiana, like many other Ukrainian bloggers, embedded the video (UKR) on his blog - and supplied it with a translated transcript:

In the comments section, Taras wrote about some of the recent deadly car accidents whose perpetrators have gone unpunished. One of the obvious conclusions:

[…] Riding a bike in a place where people who drive luxury cars kill with impunity can be very dangerous. […]

But this relative impunity of some inspires protest on the part of others.

Victor Zagreba (aka LJ user viktoza) wrote this (RUS) on his other, non-LJ, Russian-language Bicycle Blog:

[…] All this is forcing Kyiv residents to… no, not to take out their guns (not yet) - but to come out to protest rallies. […] Beginning this Saturday [June 21], we plan to hold street protests regularly, every week or every other week. Until complete victory. […]

Below are links to photo reports from the June 21 rally of Kyiv's cyclists:

- LJ user andriyko (20 photos)

- LJ user my-soul-rebel (14 photos)

- LJ user eagle_x (7 photos)