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Children, today I am going to tell you the story of The Fortress. This story happened a long time ago, and started with one man’s wish for a “think tank”. A “think tank” is a group of people who use their minds together to come up with ideas, solve problems, etc.; and it was this person’s idea that this group should communicate on an information net they used to call “the internet”.
However…..this one person was worried. He saw what used to be a completely free flow of thought and speech being contained and cut off by various organizations that wanted more control over what was said and who said it. He noticed that some of his “web sites” were now being blocked by “anti-virus” software. Furthermore; he noticed that the period was marked with many virus attacks on computers that made the anti-virus programs necessary and then imbedded in operating systems of that time. Suspicious of who was creating these viruses and the end result of “censored” input/output; this man decided to do something about it.
What this somewhat confused – yet passionate and idealistic – man did; was to create a manifesto – a constitution free of nationalistic borders, a statement of Man’s absolute right to free speech and freedom of thought. To this end; he decided to enshrine his beliefs in an entity called the “Fortress Of Freedom”, later called “The Fortress”.
The Fortress was a program, shared among the think tank, that allowed the group to communicate without a static server or dedicated domain name. This rather chameleon like quality gave the think tank free reign to talk and discuss whatever they desired, free of the oppressive and punitive forces at work in those days. But there were many such groups at that time – what made this one so successful, was the founding member’s constitution, a constitution that gave The Fortress a life of it’s own….. That constitution stated that the person/persons that created The Fortress, would – at a set moment in time – have to give up all ownership and control of the The Fortress. One truly would become a guest in a house one built. However; what this constitution really did…..was to keep egos out of a truly altruistic cause, and because of this, talented people flocked to this cause and added to it’s vitality because they felt they were a part of it.
The Fortress, after a shaky beginning, earned it’s name and became a free, uncensored communication tool for anyone anywhere in the world using any form of computer imaginable. To the dismay of oppressive forces everywhere; the fortress thrived, because the nature of Man is to be free.
Ok children…..I am going to stop here and ask you a question: “Was The Fortress a good thing?” You do not have to answer me now; but think about it for tomorrow’s class. You all know how The Fortress was blamed for all the international riots and the ultimate disbandment of the U.N.. However, I would like you to ponder this train of thought….. In the dawn of every modern nation, many rights and freedoms are bestowed on it’s citizenry, but over time, these rights become eroded and eventually reach a point when another revolution is needed; the result is millions of lives lost. So, perhaps, The Fortress was good in that by keeping freedom of speech and thought alive – many millions of lives were spared. But this is all just speculation – just think about it…..class dismissed.
————————-The End————————-
Maurice
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