Italian bloggers call for support from around the world to fight blogger-licensing in Italy

Last week, I gave a talk in Milan and had the immense pleasure of sitting down to lunch with Davide Casaleggio and his colleagues, who work with provocateur, dissident and comedian Beppe Grillo on issues related to social justice and media in Italy. Now Davide sends along this call-to-action for bloggers around the world to help fight an initiative to force Italian bloggers to be licensed by the state:

In the last five months the Italian Parliament has accelerated the legislation against the Internet. Probably because it's the last media that is out of control in Italy after out of seven National TV's 3 are owned by the Prime Minister, 3 are State owned and controlled by the Government (read: Prime Minister), and all major newspapers are financed by the State.
Two million people are going to be unemployed within just one year in Italy. Yet our very own little Marie Antoniettes, firstly Levi (left wing) then Cassinelli (right wing) then D'Alia (center) now Carlucci (right wing) have nothing better to do than work day and night, PAID FOR BY US, in an attempt to gag the Web.
Just when Levi stated that he had withdrawn his blog killer proposal, asking all bloggers to register with the Government if they gain profit (e.g. adsense), along comes Cassinelli with a new blog screwer law. The difference between the two is significant. If it is true that Levi was attempting to kill the bloggers, then Cassinelli first screws them, making as if he is trying to help them and then he kills them having the same objective: get bloggers to register with the Government.

Then Senator D'Alia comes along wanting to black out the Internet. He has proposed an amendment, that has been approved in the Senate, to a draft law put forward by Minister Brunetta, that will oblige the ISPs to black out a site, a blog or a social media like YouTube or Facebook (the whole site) at the request of the Minister of the Interior for crimes of opinion, for example a film clip or a group that invites people not to observe a law that is considered to be unjust. Without any verdict from a magistrate. Today, this only happens in China. In a dictatorship.
Now Carlucci, ex show girl now member of Parliament for the right wing, is proposing to a law to forbid to publish any content in any form on line anonymously.
Tens of thousands have already wrote to the Parliamentarians and often they thought twice before going on. Today though we want to tell all of them that that is enough, to keep their hands off the Internet, to keep bloggers free. Help the Italian bloggers! Let them see that we all want to remain free bloggers.
Send in your photos with the words: "FREE BLOGGER"
Send an email to freeblogger@beppegrillo.it with:
- subject: your name
- text: the address of your blog
- attached: a photo of you with a sign saying "FREE BLOGGER"
You'll see it among the two thousand already arrived.
Thank you for your support,
Beppe Grillo

I write books. My latest is a YA science fiction novel called Homeland (it's the sequel to Little Brother). More books: Rapture of the Nerds (a novel, with Charlie Stross); With a Little Help (short stories); and The Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow (novella and nonfic). I speak all over the place and I tweet and tumble, too.

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Anonymous

Thank you for your help! We need to free Italy from this crap!
Thanks Thanks Thanks! Your support is a great thing!
One of the many Italians Free Blogger.

Pomi Simone
http://2piu2uguale5.ilcannocchiale.it/
Anonymous

#1 posted by Anonymous , March 11, 2009 5:56 AM

1. remove Berlusconi
2. sort out the mafia
3. struggle like the rest of us
4. ????
5. profit

Brilliant!

zfk
Anonymous

Free Blogger
we will not let corrupted politicians control internet!
francesca marano italy
Anonymous

#9 posted by Nword , March 11, 2009 8:23 AM

[snip]
Oh well, at least the food is still good here.

(sorry for my poor English)

Nword, I’m sorry to tell you: it’s no more like that, if ever.

Just some day ago, “Le Iene” (the Hyens), a television show (really: because “real” journalism it’s only a bunch of beggars), in a inquiry illustrate how camorra (it’s like mafia) make money with bread done from rotten flour and no hygiene.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ffwetlza9rI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fgQpSPPm-n0

And in Venice, polluted seafood (mussels or the like) as well are mixed with good ones to be selled on the market (third hand news I’ve heard).

How many other ways can we find to kill ourselves?

Well, it’s not like this everywhere… I hope.

CYA

zfk
mauroSicilia

we have not to forget that many people stay into this system.I live in Sicily; local governments and mafia are the same thing here, corruption is everywhere.
grillo, but especially people who follows him are the only hope for the future of this country.
The person who says that grillo just offends, knows that it’s a lie.I attend everyday at grillo’s blog because is the only way to receive information many times with the analysis of specialists about many problems that politic, mafia and industry create to get more money and power. Television and newspapers are controlled here.
Anonymous

…and thank you for supporting us, the world must know what is happening in italy. I am not a politician and not a journalist i am a simple citizen who feels that in italy democrazy is dieing thanx to a bunch of arrogant and corrupted poiliticians who look after their personal interests we call them “casta”. Grillo rapresents me, we want a better place where to live. In Italy media and informations are controlled by berlusconi and company, many people are not aware of what is happening and many do not have access to free information and now thay want to stop internet! I will not let this happen! What is happening must be stopped becouse it opens the way to many corrupted leaders around the world to do the same:block informations to keep citizens ignorant and control them.
sorry for my english and again Thank You.
francesca marano (italy )
Anonymous

Beppe,

I actually introduced this post in Korea after translation and many bloggers already read it and some may send their picture to your e-mail.

Good luck and many Koreans here very sympathy with you since current Korean president also has similar opinions through new legislation of the “law of new media”.

I hope italian bloggers overcome this situation!

Fight on!
Anonymous

Thank u for your support!!! free blog!!!!!!!!!!
domizianogalia

Want to know more about mrs. Gabriella Carlucci?

The law she is proposing has been written straightly by mr. Davide Rossi, president of Unione Italiana Editori Audiovisiva, a sort of RIAA. (http://www.mantellini.it/?p=6474)

And one year ago she criticized the scientific competence in particle physics of Luciano Maiani, President of CERN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research. See how a Nobel Laureate replies to her (http://www.pietrofolena.net/blog/?p=303).

Did you get it? We got a Nobel prize replying to an arrogant showgirl.

Italy sucks. I can say.
Anonymous

To MUZZLE:

I’m an italian blogger too and I dont’t think you’re an italian citizen. Every single italian knows that all italian journalists are liars and servants, that medias (privates and publics) are controlleded by one person. Free thinkers and journalists such as Travaglio, Biagi and Santoro had been throwen out televisions on an order by Berlusconi. Italy is the worst western country to live in.
Please save us from abroad!
domizianogalia

Want to know more about mrs. Gabriella Carlucci?

The law she is proposing has been written straightly by mr. Davide Rossi, president of Unione Italiana Editori Audiovisiva, a sort of RIAA. (http://www.mantellini.it/?p=6474)

And one year ago she criticized the scientific competence in particle physics of Luciano Maiani, President of CERN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research. See how a Nobel Laureate replies to her (http://www.pietrofolena.net/blog/?p=303).

Did you get it? We got a Nobel prize replying to an arrogant showgirl.

Italy sucks. I can say.
Anonymous

Dear Cory,

thanks for supporting Beppe Grillo. He is our only chance for bringing Italy out of swamp. One of his most important battle is to clean the Parliament from members guilty of mafia association, corruption, money laundring etc…
Our prime minister silvio berlusconi, a mosonic member of the P2 masonry (card Id 1816), is only there to escape further prosecution by passing lows that would secure him not going to prison.
We are fighting alongside with Beppe for a better Italy, entering the institutions with civic lists.

Amedeo Ravina
Anonymous

if an action is meant to have an impact beyond being supported by its supporters, I donÂ´t think that this pic-email sending will have too much repercusions…. However, I think that what actually could work is to use the “viral-power” of the net. deliberately miss-inform: nowadays classic media also uses blogs as another resource for information, if something is hot on the blogsphere it usually gets through and appears in the classic media. So why not use that: create some media-caos, deliberate miss-information until it trickles down to the classic media. Media gets collapsed and if courts have to stablish that certain informations should be removed from the blogsphere, that is just fine, let them collapse. That is what virus do.

I.
http://golpedee-estado.blogspot.com/
Poliscor

Beppe Grillo doesn’t speak in my name, as doesn’t speak in the vaso majority of italian people’ name. He’s a failed showman whose performances was once based on the leitmotiv “computers are crap, internet is crap”, just turning its mind to “computer is my life, internet is my freedom” as he was fired from all italian broadcasting networks.
Don’t trust him: he’s a showman.
Anonymous

Thanks! Italian regime of Berlusconi is becoming worse than a religious dictatorship and millions of Italians are being made stupid by his strong media power (he owns 6/7 of the National TV Channels)
The political opposition is a puppet, there’s no solution to Italy disruption, our coutnry is almost dead!
Help us please!
berny

cory: honestly, i don’t think it’s such a great idea to associate yourself with mr. grillo or to push his name as a channel for italian netizens to oppose/change those bills; as others have correctly pointed out, he’s a populist comedian who in the recent past ‘discovered’ the net and is simply trying to (ab)use it for his own personal interest, and IMHO it’s always a mistake trying to identify a large mobilization with one single person, also given the net collective intelligence and action force

more importantly, as i just commented on the luca sofri article mentioned above, it’s way toooo easy and toooo common for italians to blame those ignorant politicians or pointing fingers to everybody else but themselves – actually ourselves – in order to avoid any healthy, humble, much-needed self-criticism, particular about our net history and development in italy

can we truly say that we (italian netizens) people) tried to build some kind of ‘net culture’ along these years? can someone name some collaborative, bottom-up projects that were able to glue net.people and citizens together somehow? what is the actual state of the italian blogosphere or social media? full of narcisism, self-indulgence, little collective action, no? did we ever try to create a loose but active network of publisher, intellectuals, common citizens, net.people and so on to prevent such situations

there’s much much more to do, here&now, to create such horizontal & dynamic network, than just trying to blindly subscribe to the “ideas” of a single name-brand, a shortcut that doesn’t help to raise any actual awareness in the long range, IMNSHO
rossocinque

@POLISCOR

Maybe Grillo is not speaking in your name, but you can’t hide the hundreds of thousands of signatures collected for the popular law proposals last 25 April (State endowed information, Gasparri’s TV order law, Journalists order abolition). Again, in this “with me or against me” way of thinking, you miss the point: When Grillo shouted against the computers, internet was at his beginning and the word BLOG was known only by some geek guys. Try to go back and put the whole thing in the right Italian social contest and you will see that this will not sound so wrong in a 50 years old man head. Anyway, you don’t even consider the possibility of one’s mind changing… that’s the strength of Italian’s minds: no doubt, never.

Thanks Cory for your support. We need every support to continue to stand against Little B. an his minions.
Maybe we will need some UN troops too.
apritiweb

I’m an Italian FREE BLOGGER.

Please HELP US to leave free the italian web!!
karlo

BEPPE GRILLO IS SPEAKING IN MY NAME!

Dedicated to all italian trolls commenting this post.
Anonymous

Hi cory, my name is Francesco, I’m a Law student and I’m worry about democracy in Italy,that is my country.
Most of the politicians here and are corrupted and they want to destroy the net because it’s free.
Beppe Grillo is the most famous blogger in Italy, but his battles are censored by other media because they’re controlled by our prime minister Silvio Berlusconi.
Thank you for your support!
Anonymous

Sorry for my English not perfect. I am an Italian blogger, and of course i am concerned about what the politicians are trying to do to internet.

It is not a question of right or left, is the political class that is not keen to see the freedom that allows the use of the Internet.

Thanks to this blog for helping us to give visibility about what is happening in Italy.

Andrea Sacchini.
gio

- berlusconi – mafia – dell’utri – fascism – corruption – mafiaset + free information + free internet + Beppe Grillo

BEPPE GRILLO IS SPEAKING IN MY NAME
Giordano

@Muzzle
Beppe might sound populist but we need a person like him to spread new ideas in Italy.
Italy is like a bazaar where everyone tries to shout louder than the rest of the crowd.
It’s rarely the *best* one that gets to speak, rather it’s the bolder and the louder even if he shouts nonsense.
As a matter of fact our prime minister sings stupid songs, he jokes about very serious stuff and he doesn’t miss a chance to make a fool of himself before the world. It doesn’t matter what he takes to stay in the spotlight, he will do it for the sake of money and the wealth of the mafia organization.
Because I can’t think that a person that hosted at his home Vittorio Mangano for over a year is not related anyhow with mafia…

It may sound exaggerate but democracy is at stake in Italy and we all need to realize it as soon as possible, no matter what it takes.

Thank you boingboing!!
Anonymous

Before Beppe started his blog I thought that the source of all problems in Italy were the politicians.
But the more Beppe engaged with noble initiatives to shake the Italian citizens to take ownership of our institutions, the more shallow citizens popped up against him.
This is the really the dilemma. Instead of appreciating what Beppe is doing for Italy, they attack him for his methods.
I also do not like when he insults freely but I don’s care, what I care is to clean the Parliament from the criminals, who make the lows.
Snig

The worst thing about this is you’d get pinheads on comment threads telling others to shut up based on their authority of being a licensed blogger.
Anonymous

hi mr doctorow,I’m italian,and I can tell you that what Beppe Grillo says is true.
Berlusconi is a mafia old man and a fascist old man.
-berlusconi-mafia-mediaset= more freedom less misery.
thank you.
Anonymous

Yes, Grillo is populist, is a comedian, he just speaks and he is not doing anything (only for those speak against him, anyway).
And he earns money doing it. Wow! That’s his job!! Who enabled this blog to write about Italian bloggers?
And it is always the same. Grillo speaks about some problems (in his way) and that’s all, he is not doing anything else but what all bloggers do.
(Anyway, to tell the truth, he also tries to do concrete things.) But he is not the “new” Che or Obama or whatever..so for who speaks against him: do something and don’t buzz around!!
FREE ITALY
Anonymous

Please For everyone who use word suc as populism and shouting and antipolicits…PLEASE take out a dictionary adn see the meanings of this words before using to describe Beppe Grillo. PLEASE before using this word try, and I say try, to explain why (in your mind) he is wrong. Once you demostrate that Beppe grillo is wrong you’ll be able to use anykind of words you want…It’s easy for you to say he is a populist without explaining why …and where he is wrong….You just report what you favorite politics asays about Beppe Grillo without using your sleeping brain….. Us Your brain please… use your word….. As you see from my english i’m italian….
Halloween Jack

Hey, look who’s got new glasses!
Anonymous

No one gives you the opportunity to choose when and WHERE you may born..

That’s the reason why i would say: Please; DO NOT come in Italy, as an Italian i would beg you all don’t come in italy anymore.

Italy deserve to be left alone, with his problems related to mafia+politicians+italianswhoagreetoliveinthisway.. and so on.. the beautiful aspect of my country is an heritage of ages ago.. today is far different.

There’s no law, order, respect for the human being, respect for our country in all the way you can imagine.. the old glory italy died years ago.. now is somethings more close to China than else.. so if you plan to come in italy beware to drunk drivers, rapers, criminals of any level, dirty cities, lack of public adminitration, lack of police presence in the road (they haven’t the money to repair/refuel their cars!), the law many times do not punish the crimes commited since any attorney may find tons of way to get rid of the sentence.. many criminals, rapers are free to leave jail in about 3 days!

So if you plan to come in Italy.. ops.. italy.. plan elsewhere.. believe me, and im Italian, a truly ITALIAN man! few still lives here and know exactly how the things are going so far.. so please.. change your mind and DO NOT come in Italy.
Anonymous

One point I’d like to clarify. As much as I dislike ms Carlucci, I have to disabuse you: she never used to be a showgirl. She was simply a TV host.
The word “showgirl” is used to mean “female TV host” in Italian :D

Giorgio
muzzle

Hi Cory,
although I am an Italian blogger I will not send my picture to Beppe Grillo. Why? Because I think he is an angry populist that is supporting a lot of good causes for the wrong reasons (mainly to boost his popularity).
His speeches are rabid and violent, he changed the meaning of words like “politic”, “politician” and “journalist” in an insult that he uses to shut up everybody that does not completely agree with him.
Although we are on the same side in several battles I do not like his aggressive manners, his crude generalizations (“all journalist are liars”, “all investors are thief”) and the way he manipulates information by telling you only the part of a story that is useful to make his point. I do not think those things are going to have any positive effect on the causes we both fight for.
On the other hand I usually value your opinion so, if you are aware of his past work and fights, I would really like to know what do you think of him.

Cheers,

Emme
shadowfirebird

The Register had a good articlecovering the start of all this in September.

Originally it also suggested you could make a legal argument that a law in one part of the EU applied to the whole EU — although I note that either I’ve misremembered that bit or they’ve removed it from the article, so it’s probably as silly as it sounds.
Anonymous

I am italian, and I am not really worried about our (ridicolous, why not) politician ideas about Internet. From parliament often you can hear really weird things, but in 99,9% of cases they will simply die in hours. I don’t know why is so, but is so.

Two words about Grillo: it’s a failed comic actor with LOTS of beautiful and right concepts, always against Berlusconi, always from the “people side”. But.
But his popolarity (like missed politician, surely not like comic) is due to a very simple fact: he tells people exactly what people wanna hear. I don’t know how many of the “GRILLO IS SPEAKING MY NAME” in this page remember when the annual incoming of any italian were public. Do you remember? Do you remember what about “Beppe Grillo” name? That 4 million euro/year? But, YES! He is doing all of that only for you, people!

Sorry for english.

Matteo
cittadino qualunque

My name is Massimo Paglino, I have a blog, in Italy we’re living in very bad times, the politicians are the criminals, the prime minister Berlusconi makes laws to escape from justice, in USA or in England he was already in jail.
They want to control internet.
bye bye

excuse for my english
Anonymous

Is that a human skull on the shelf behind you?
eclipseman

BEPPE GRILLO IS SPEAKING IN MY NAME
Anonymous

They are trying to put their hands on internet to control italian public opinion…
We will fight for our rights – Grillo or not it’s not the right question – We in Italy want simply liberty of speech
Anonymous

BEPPE GRILLO IS SPEAKING IN MY NAME TOO

thank you boingboing
Anonymous

hi there!
i’m not a blogger and maybe this post is out of topic but to anyone that knows grillo and the ones that doesn’t i would remember these things:
grillo proposed 3 popular laws collecting 350.000 signs in 1 day with no spot on tv or newspapers.
the 3 laws proposed are:
no definitively condamned in parlament.
only 2 legislations for parlamentars.
direct preference during election.
i would ask to all of you if you think these are revolutionary requests? if they are normal in your country? and if a comedian ask these things they become wrong becouse of his job?

sorry for my english
Davide Provasi
Nword

Oh my, Italy is full of corruption, nepotism and people who look back fondly at the days of facism?

Color me surprised.

Oh well, at least the food is still good here.
muzzle

Hi, I found an interesting article by Luca Sofri in english:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/luca-sofri/in-italy-the-web-is-going_b_174544.html

The summary is: “the new law proposed in Italy is not the sign of a dictatorship or an oppressing government. It’s just the product of an ignorant government that does not understand internet publishing at all.”

I completely agree.
Cheers,
Emme

PS
@anonymus
Funny, just for expressing an opinion different from yours you can tell that I’m either: a thief (politician), a liar (journalist) or not Italian at all.
Is it so hard for you to consider there might be some people with an opinion different from yours?
NeXuS

Hello Cory, hello to everyone of BoingBoing,
thanks for bringing “this” mater to the international community (by this I mean the “whole” Italian problem).

As many of the people above, I am an Italian blogger, although I live outside of the country since a couple years.

I think both Muzzle and Giordano have a point.

We must remember that Grillo is primarily an entertainer. Some years ago he was fighting against the “Ifer-net” (Inferno-net) and computers, now he is advocating towards the Internet as the only really free medium (although many countries are taking over the net-neutrality subject, not only Italy). So his words must be taken with a grain of salt. He screams, he shouts, but it is needed for his words to be heard. Then people need to THINK about what he says and extract useful information/thought.

Actually everybody should do that independently of who speaks. For example, one of the reasons I don’t like catholicism is that it leaves it’s believers no freedom of thought, no way to interpretate what the Bible says (unlike other christian faiths).

So everybody, please, listen to what Grillo shouts and let it rest there, in your mind, for a while. Then think it over and imagine if some of the things happening in Italy were actually happening in your country.

We need your help.

Free bloggers for freedom of mind.
Takuan

oh good, anyone Italian care to go give me a quick review on this?:
http://www.lrb.co.uk/v31/n04/ande01_.html
Francesco Fondi

@ Muzzle

[...] He changed the meaning of words like “politic”, “politician” and “journalist” in an insult [...]

I suppose you are a member of one of these categories since you are so sensible and feel offended by a blogger who doesn’t have any access to TVs and NEWSPAPERS and can communicate only with a blog…

Actually in any civilized Country what Beppe Grillo writes/says would be considered normal but in Italy, for example, asking that condemned politicians shouldn’t be allowed in the Parlament is considered something revolutionary and populist…

Pizza, spaghetti, mafia and TVs…
Anonymous

>Nonetheless I believe in politics, I believe in >changing things with good will, and not shouting >insults at your adversary.

What color is the sky in your world?
I know US politics, I know pseudo-canadian politics, I know greek, italian and spanish politics as well as mexican, all places where shouting insults is a national pastime and where good will will get you nothing.

Youre one of those bono activists,… lets not do or say anything against the powers because if we are nice to them, they will treat people with kindness (or do you not remember him fellating Bush and Blair at Fraud8?).

Pretentious fops have a habit of treating all populist idols as not worthy to lead a battle where few want to lead.
Moblize as many people as he has and then we’ll talk, otherwise youre just hot air. You should have the right to blow as much as you want but we can still call you for the elitist snob that you are.
Tiziano

To the all above comments:
Nemo profeta in patria! (I hope my Latin is correct!)
I guess what’s most important about Grillo’s phaenomenon is that it is not single person phaenomenon. The most important thing is that because of the subjects he has being treating, millions of young honest and talented people are for real doing something locally in Italy; they do not just go to Grillo’s shows, they do not just write comments on someonelse’s blog (like I do..) they are out in the squares, in the public admistration offices, in front of bad politicians;this is what is new and important, not if Grillo is not polite, if he is making money out of his shows or whatever, the new thing is the net and the possibility for people to gather on-line, to find others they share ideas with; did you or did you not understand that this new technology is as important as the invention of the city? Wasn’t it in the city that the antient people created new ideas like democracy? Did you not notice we are discussing in a Forum? The Forum was the place where all the activities of the most brilliant human minds gave us culture. So, these people are actually not just trying to do something but doing something, because all their activities are the application of democracy, they are actually keeping alive democracy. What do you do? What do I do?
Tiziano
Anonymous

Italy is now a country for criminals. For the honest people there is no more place. The law is not equal for all and democracy has vanished. I know because I’m Italian and being Italian today is really sad.
mdh

not to get too pedantic but fascist IS an Italian word.

Godd luck y’all!
Davide3d

BEPPE GRILLO IS SPEAKING IN MY NAME

He is speaking for all people who believe in the possibility to change our country… to change the future.
He is speaking for all people who have a project, a new idea of community.
Thank you for give help to us.

Dave
Anonymous

I’m an italian blogger and Mr. Berlusconi is not my President!!!!!!!!

From Italy

Adriano Di Blasi

THANK YOU GUYS FOR YOUR SUPPORT
Anonymous

Yes, Grillo is a showman, but: do you prefer him that in his show (theatre only, he’s fired) talk about italian problems, or Carlucci (ex-showgirl), Carfagna (ex-calendar-girl and topless-model) now in the Parliament?
Or maybe prefer Ghedini+Longo+Previti ecc.. (Berlusconi’s lawyers)

Grillo speak in my name!

Freenet!!

Thanks for your support

Barbara
Ugly Canuck

They should just tap and archive the whole damned internet like the NSA does.
Or hire the NSA to do it for them.
Anonymous

Dear all,
I’m Italian, … people here are not only pizza, spaghetti, mafia and TVs. There are a lot of people that agree with Beppe’s causes for a cleaner parliament, for cleaner energy, better and intelligent mobility and many other things. We are wondering if someone in the world wants support our causes pressing on your and our government.
Maybe Italy is an experiment and all the others are only waiting for results … think about it.
Cheers. Giancarlo
Anonymous

BEPPE GRILLO IS SPEAKING IN MY NAME Too!

In Italy we follow a showman that understand the power of the Net and the collettive intelligence.

He is fighting with political party and they media power.

Beppe, we’re with you!
I’m FREE BLOGGER!
Anonymous

Beppe Grillo is a comedian and satirist. He criticizes. He dinimishes and exaggerrate concepts without losing the underlying truth.

Today, Grillo is the oppositiom to a government that rules through the dictatorship of the majority.

For millions of Italians, Grillo is their only hope for a better country. It is said that he uses the popularity of his blog to make money. Perhaps. But, so what. .

Popular with TV audiences he has now radiated from the the tube. He made people laugh and think at the same time. In Italy that’s a big no,no: In Italy, you can’t laugh and think at the same time.

Grillo’s problem is that he makes Italians laugh and think. Like I said, so the powers that be hate him for it.
eclipseman

MR”B” seriously harms you and others around you
Anonymous

Please, spread our shouts world wide, because like in 1929, a new Fascism in Italy could carry a domino effect all around. Sarko likes very much Berlusconi. Many European politicians appreciate Psycodwarf (Psiconano, Berlusconi). It’s so dangerous…
Anonymous

I’m a blogger
I’m an Italian

I wanna be free
Anonymous

S.O.S. FROM ITALY!

Andrea
Anonymous

Beppe Grillo is speaking in name of freedom, and in may name.
the italian job

Despite my nick name,
the only think I’m happy about in these dark period in Italy is that my children won’t see Berlusconi’s face from live…except if science will provide him eternal life…
I agree with some anonymous that we, as Italians, keep also in the bolg world the unrestrainable habit to fight with each other when we have divergent opinions instead of looking for what is the actual problem now. Nowadays in Italy, beside Berlusconi, Mafia, hidden dictatorship, the real problem is the dispersivity. Everybody’s goal seem to fight against the other and pursuit his own interest. Years go by and nothing changes.

Beppe Grillo wise,
first of all he is not a politician so you can’t compare him with the shitty and corrupted parlament that we have. So don’t fell so sensitive when he acts apparently offensive, he only does his job as comedian. And despite his past nowadays he his the only one trying to shake Italians pride in order to take all the garbage off the parlament. He never claims he wants to run as politician…
As long as there would be people like him, even if not politically correct, I will be happy because that means that we are still free to defend our IDEAS…
Anonymous

Thank you for your support, Cory.
And thanks for the T-shirt (alwais support “the Bay”!)
http://difficiles-nugae.blogspot.com
muzzle

@Francesco Fondi

Dear Francesco,
I’m not a journalist or a politician, it’s just too easy to dismiss my critics by accusing me of being part (or in collusion with) what you would call the “casta”.
The motto “You’re either with us, or against us”, is one of the thing I can’t stand of Grillo and many of his followers.
I do not like Berlusconi, neither I like his cabinet of ambitious, corrupt, ignorants his low key populism and his laws.
I also do not feel represented by the current left parties, and I really can’t stand the Democrats attraction for the centrist (read Catholics Democrat) electorate, their complete lack of vision and unwillingness to take any risk or choose a plan, a line…
Neither I admire the suicidal/divisionist tendencies of the other leftist parties.

Nonetheless I believe in politics, I believe in changing things with good will, and not shouting insults at your adversary.
If you want, we can discuss all of the points I disagree with Grillo. Just be sure that I do not want to silence him, I just do not think that what he says is that relevant, or useful.

Cheers,

Emme
Latente

@Fondi

no, man
I’m with Muzzle
Beppe Grillo don’t speak in my name. Maybe Minotti can but not Grillo and his easy populism.
Anonymous

Thank u for your support!!! We really appreciate it!!!
caipirina

What does it all mean for a foreigner who lives and blogs in Italy and has do rely on Jon Stewart (who is caught up in his Cramer battle) and Boing Boing to get local news ???
Anonymous

1. remove Berlusconi
2. sort out the mafia
3. struggle like the rest of us
4. ????
5. profit
HeruRaHa

Berlusconi seems like a ridiculous thug… like the kind of guy who wishes he could be Mussolini, but he’s really more like Murdoch… just a sad, angry little man with no real leadership ability but a desire to run the world…. so control of the media is seen as the only method of controlling the gullible…

Sounds like this Grillo guy is a bit of a wankster too… cheap populism is so tired…

Keep self-publishing Italy, and to hell with the opportunists!
Anonymous

Thank for your support!!! We really appreciate it!!!

unamico
Anonymous

Thank you very much for giving a great visibility to this cause…

free italian blogger…

Carmelo
Anonymous

I am sick and tired of all these people who think by what they are told to think. Beppe Grillo is a populist (which, I guess, should be a bad thing), DiPietro and Travaglio are “justicialists” (means that they want to apply law at all costs – I don’t know if such a word exists in english (or italian, for that matter) – , again I guess it’s a bad thing), Santoro is a leftist, and so on and so forth.
First of all these people probably do not even know what those words mean. Second, this is a very common and practical way to avoid discussing the subjects proposed. Because Grillo is a populist – and I assume that it is a bad thing – I won’t agree to any of the things he says. So I won’t listen.
What is wrong with you? I mean aside from a constat brainwash from Italian media? You may not agree with all the things he (or others) says, but it’s not a good reason to just ignore everything he says because of that. He may be excessive sometimes, but he brings up issues which need discussion. He’s a showman and he has his ways of telling things, politicians should get inspiration from that and discuss problems the “proper” way. Italian have that very bad habit of considering not worth listening seriously to anything that doesn’t come from the mouth of an old professor of some kind “because he must know what he’s speaking about”! That’s plainly stupid.
Also people often complain that Grillo (or others) only show the relevant part of a subject to prove their point, hiding other points of view. First, prove that. Secondly, most people do that, if not all. Thirdly, then open you own f*****g blog where you show the hidden part of these subjects, maybe people will agree with you and you’ll have proven your point. Do like americans have http://www.michaelmoore.com/ and http://www.mooreswatch.com/ we could have the same thing.
But no, it’s easier to discredit people instead of countering their arguments. It’s easier to prove that the opposition is as corrupt as the government, instead of fixing corruption in your own party. It’s easier to cast Fear, Uncertainty and Doubt on the politician who is maybe the only honest one in Italy, instead of demonstrating with proof that you are as honest as he is (of course if you aren’t it’s easier to do that…)

Italians have this bad habit of thinking by absolute ideologies, one belongs to the right or to the left. Fascists or Communists.

Sorry for my rant

StÃ©phane

http://blog.sbisinger.net/
Anonymous

Some of the posts on this topic reflect pretty much what is going on over here. The power of our corrupt government propaganda succeded in fuelling the soccer fandom-like approach to politics by common people. As a result Italian people are divided into factions that spend their time fighting each other rather than removing our real enemies from the power seat. It’s plainly a divide et impera (divide and conquer) trap by the government which so far worked as intended.

Grillo may not be perfect, and usually out of 10 things he says a couple are a pile of bullshit, but anybody has a better name for fighting a corrupt system that spreads tons of lies whenever possible? What about first removing the cancer, then filling the tooth?
Anonymous

Thank you – grazie- Cory, for your interest. The whole world must know the truth!
Ciao
italianimbecilli.com
Anonymous

Remembering in Italian Parliament there are 18 people who have definetively comdamned for: collusion with mafia, omicide, bank corruption, agression against police-man.. please search on wikipedia and youtube the name of Silvio Berlusconi and U can know the shit behind him!!Hi, FREE BLOGGER!!No soubrette in Italian Parliament!!
Auto Parts for Brains

It is sad how there are still countries who fail to see how the world has changed. I hope they consider the effects these moves will bring to their children in the future if they choose to close them out from the world.
Anonymous

Thanks!!!!
Free Information in Italy!
reginald

- berlusconi – mafia + satellites = free internets for all

(don’t tell the vatican)
Anonymous

GRAZIE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!