The beginning of the end?

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7262071.stm

When Youtube stopped working for me earlier this afternoon, I didn't think much of it - until I read this article. Leave it up to Pakistan to create a global problem for everyone, however temporary. At some level I can laugh this off, but at another, Pakistan's censorship on youtube is quite frightening.

The Danish cartoon controversy is not only over-done but is also about two years old at this point. It's surprising that Pakistan would censor a public site such as youtube so close after the elections and the subsequent "victory of democracy." Clearly, elections do not equate to democracy. The government has alot of work to do in order to stop Pakistan from spiraling down into an autocratic state.

In order to respond to an inevitable protest to the above statement, I should say that I don't mean that someone should "install" a democracy in Pakistan. As I said earlier, the elections do not prove stability; however, there are specific freedoms - social, religious and political - that should not be denied to anyone. Perhaps that seems too basic, but that is precisely why they are important - these rights are logically basic and inherent to everyone. No state, or a small group of people, should be able to curtail these, under the guise of religion or state unity. If religion and statehood become more important than human freedom, we need to rethink the extent of their importance.