What a difference Freedom of Speach means when you no longer have it

After spending some time in China, I began to be thankful for everything I take for granted in the states. As you know I was whining about not being able to get on sites like facebook is a good example. Just because on facebook you are able to show your personal views on things it was banded. The same thing with allot of websites. Hell the friend who was traveling with us could not get onto her banking website just because it had the word America in it.
Another disturbing thing was that when you send out anything whether by internet or the mail system it will get read and edited so nothing that the government did not want to be said is sent out.
I know that ignorance is bliss to people who do not know what they are missing but being a person who knows what is missing I do not think I could live that way.