A friend asked me if I knew of any Georgian bloggers that we could get a clearer picture of what's really going on in their embattled country, so I did a search to see what I could learn.  Apparently they are also embattled in cyberspace. 

"With its website hacked, the Georgian Foreign Ministry was forced to get a free ‘Blogger’ account to enable it to get information out.

We hope that this attacks will stop and it is extremely shameful that it is individuals who are perpetrating this actions."

It got me to thinking about this new battleground, and what could happen to the blogosphere if the Democrats take over the White House AND Congress!  They're already talking about reinstating the Fairness Doctrine, and including the internet.  It also made me realize that cyberspace is indeed another potential battleground we must strive to protect.  It's how we stay in touch, how we learn what's going on in the world.  If I had not discovered bloggers from Iraq, I may have a whole different outlook on our efforts there.  But more on Georgia, and what is happening there;

"The attacks against Georgia's Internet infrastructure began nearly two months before the first shots were fired, according to security researchers who track Internet traffic into and out of the countries. Such attacks, known as "denial of service" attacks, are triggered when computers in a network are simultaneously ordered to bombard a site with millions of requests, which overloads a server and causes it to shut down.

"In terms of the scope and international dimension of this attack, it's a landmark," said Ronald Deibert, director of the University of Toronto's Citizen Lab, which has nearly 100 researchers mapping Web traffic through several countries, including Russia and Georgia. He said small-scale attacks have occurred between the countries since June. "International laws are very poorly developed, so it really crosses a line into murky territory ... Is an information blockade an act of war?"

Wow, now that is a great question!  Truth is always the enemy of oppressors, which is why they limit internet access in China.  With that thought in mind, if any of Georgia's bloggers gain access to the web, and want a forum, you are welcome here.  Let us know what is really going on in your country.  We're seeing reports online that alcohol-scented breath Russian soldiers are raping, pillaging, even robbing banks, in your country.  Let the world know what is going on in your country.