Unwillingness to Participate in Censorship

I am one of the millions who use Google's many services, which includes a lot more than typing a phrase into their search box. Many times I have wondered what Google does with the information they gather on me. Yes I wonder but don't really care. As anyone who has lived with me under the same roof will tell you, I am an open book. I don't like a censored environment. That kind of environment only makes it easier for people to lie, steal, turn a blind eye and cover up substandard behavior.
Google's decision to stand up to the Chinese government's censorship is a mile stone for all the people of the world not just the citizens of China. This is not about Google withdrawing from China, it's about China withdrawing from the world. Google has taken a bold step, a step on the right side of history. The Chinese government has denied involvement in the Internet attack and has declared it's government's online restrictions as lawful. For four years Google went along with the restrictions but the recent attacks on email accounts belonging to Chinese human rights activists smelled of the same actions the East Berlin government used against it's citizens before the Berlin Wall fell. When the flowers of solidarity finally bore fruit the whole world found out just how bad things really were in East Berlin. The same thing will happen in China someday, just as it did in East Berlin.
This clash is only the first of many more to come. My money is on freedom. It will be solidarity that crumbles the wall of censorship. I just hope I live long enough to use my winnings to savor the fruits of solidarity and freedom that follows.