While I have been absorbed by either non-blogging activities or circumlocutions on the subject of Social OODA loops, the public debate has shifted.  As it always seems to do.  [I wish I could remember the blog post or news article that I read recently, in which it was stated that the news cycle from a reader’s perspective “turned” every 36 hours:  when a news item hits the airwaves or ‘Net waves, public interest in the specific subject dwindles after 36 hours.]

What seems oddest is the fact that no matter what is done in the world, the world keeps evolving in unexpected ways —

— which is to say, terrorists bomb trains in Mumbai, and India subsequently bans blogspot.com:

The government, trying to shut down blogs from various political and religious extremes, ended up blocking all access to a number of blogging Web sites, including the popular www.blogspot.com, technology experts said.

The blogs were blocked in an attempt to stop an outbreak in communal violence after the blasts.

“However, the Indian Internet service providers don’t have the technological wherewithal to block specific blogs on a blogging site. Consequently, they ended up blocking the entire site,” said technology expert Pawan Duggal.

[CNN]

This might produce thoughts of alignment between India and China — except for the fact, of course, that communist China is much more adept at blocking sites than the fumbling India.

But, if you want to stop terrorists and extremists, the best way is to stop all people from acting, by golly!  Ummm…okay?

Meanwhile, Israel has taken a turn at mimicking the U.S. — “We will make no distinction between the terrorists who committed these acts and those who harbor them.” GWB, Address to the Nation on the Terrorist Attacks — by also mimicking the terrorists who make no distinction between enemy combatants and a civilian population and a civilian population harboring enemies.  That’s too much distinction, especially when 4GW fighters hide among a populace to purposely screw with our OODA loops.  But can I blame Israel?  No, not really.  They’re just reacting to the world they see before them, forming rule sets from that.  (The surest straight line through complexity is to eliminate the distinction of particulars, it would seem.)

What if our own system “harbors” terrorists by giving them free room to operate?  Perhaps India’s fumbling censorship, or China’s more comprehensive technologically-savvy approach, is due at an ISP near you.