Friday, October 20, 2006

After NETeller, What Next?

Another round of 'The Sky is Falling' occurred yesterday when NETeller bowed to pressures within the U.K.- and U.S.-based banking industries, and announced that they will act as though they will be bound by U.S. laws --- even though they aren't. The move seems to be an attempt to keep NETeller from being specifically banned when the U.S. Justice Department attempts to list financial institutions that are connected to online gaming. It's not happening overnight with NETeller, however, unlike what happened with the foul creatures at FirePay. So, no need to panic if you're a NETeller customer.

NETeller's pending departure, which should occur sometime in mid-2007, is an example of how the front line in e-wallet services will need to retreat and retrench. Though housed on the Isle of Man, NETeller's close connections to those American and British banking services were the reason for the company's reversal. Again, expect all publicly-owned companies within the U.K. sphere of influence to pull out of the U.S. market. That's the truth of what all this really means.

But don't think that e-wallet services are going away, and don't believe that e-wallets are the only way to fund an online account. Other services are likely to pop up, in the very island nations being abused through the U.S.'s intentional GATS and WTO violations, one of the most shameful forms of protectionism our corrupt legislators have ever enacted. In the near future, there will be a chart here detailing some of the alternative services available, although your author notes that all of these services also have other uses, and if one were to use these services to fund an online account, one does so without specific encouragement of this site's author; the data will be provided for research and information purposes only.

In the meantime, anyone voting Republican this election --- please get your head out of your ass and understand that the coming election may be your very last chance to save this country from becoming a totalitarian, theocratic state; it's that important, and it's already slid that far. We can rebuild an economy if that goes in the tank, but once our constitution is gutted, it's gutted for good. The quote that follows is among the most overworked in all civilization, but it remains applicable to the present day:

"First they came for the Jews and I did not speak out because I was not a Jew. Then they came for the Communists and I did not speak out because I was not a Communist. Then they came for the trade unionists and I did not speak out because I was not a trade unionist. Then they came for me and there was no one left to speak out for me."

--- Pastor Martin Niemöller

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