There’s a saying I heard when I was younger, designed to teach the moral that there’s no such thing as a secure computer. It goes something like “The only secure computer is one that is turned off and unplugged.” I think the last paragraph of your entry gets right to that point, only coming from the opposite direction. The only way to completely control people’s network use is to unplug them from the network. Of course, that’s control through complete denial of access, but still a form of control. However, I think you’re right… it would never work.

On the one hand, people would figure out ways to get access. If you cut off wired access, people would figure out how to tether to cell phones to use wireless. You cut that off, and they’ll figure other ways. People are smart, and typically smarter than their government.

On the other hand, cutting them off would only fuel protests and civil unrest. It would actually stoke the fire, not squash it.

Here’s to freedom of speech, freedom of the press, and freedom on the Internet.