Freedom of Speech & Press (or lack thereof) in China, Iran, and putting it in an Egyptian Context

I urge you first to watch this link from the Rachel Maddow show.  At least watch the first 2 minutes and 15 seconds about what Chinese adolescents think about what happened over 20 years ago in Tiananmen Square.  Their reactions sent chills down my spine.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26315908/ns/msnbc_tv-rachel_maddow_show/#41398592

The image of one man blocking a tank, that we as Americans have grown up understanding as the iconic image of an individual standing up to an oppressive government, is an image that Chinese youth think is either made up or needs some kind of "context" to be fully understood.  It is not because the Chinese citizens have chosen to forget those events in Tiananmen Square.  It is because the government has taken drastic steps to make sure information does not get disseminated, to make sure the press is not free to report on government issues without the government's permission, and to limit access to the Internet (to name a minuscule amount of government's hindering of the free flow of information).

A similar tactic of "damage control" by the Iranian government happened after the historic protests in 2009.  The Iranian government forced confessions from some protesters, making them say they were "rioters, looters, and terrorists" in order to make the people think they needed the government to protect them.
Without an independent media and without the freedom to speak your mind without fear of prosecution, there is no free flow of information; there is no advancement of ideas on how to better a society.
 
But Egypt is potentially different.  Although Mubarak is doing what he can to initiate some form of "damage control" by sending in his own hired cronies to disrupt the previously relatively peaceful protests, it appears the power and will of the people have gotten to a point where no governmental action can turn them away from their natural want to be free.

Across the world we have seen oppressive governments spend immeasurable resources attempting to quell the people from being able to freely express themselves because the government fears knowledge will lead to chaos and to the end of their power.  However, if a government truly wants to avoid chaos and truly cares about the future of their country, it will allow for the freedom of expression and will allow for the people to peaceably determine the future of their country. 

In closing for this blog, I will defer to the far more eloquent Supreme Court Justice Hugo Black on the First Amendment and the role it plays in our society (as well as the potential it can play in other societies):

"The greater the importance of safeguarding the community from incitements to the overthrow of our institutions by force and violence, the more imperative is the need to preserve inviolate the constitutional rights of free speech, free press and free assembly in order to maintain the opportunity for free political discussion, to the end that government may be responsive to the will of the people and that changes, if desired, may be obtained by peaceful means.  Therein lies the security of the Republic, the very foundation of constitutional government."