No Death Knights, is that even possible?

I'm sorry, but your understanding of how freedom of speech doesn't seems to be lacking in a very important area.

China is NOT a free country. They do not allow you to say certain things, visit certain sites, and if they could I imagine they would stop you from thinking certain things. China lacks the basic freedoms of speech that exist in America. They censor based on whats deemed "Inappropriate."

Freedom of Speech most certainly exists in America. If crazy people can protest Iraq war veteran's funerals, not because of the war but because "God wanted them to die, like Everyone else in the World," then we have freedom of speech. The only time we limit Freedom of Speech is in terms of when that speech would limit the freedoms of everyone else.

Example A: A person enters a movie theatre and, in the middle of the movie, starts shouting obscenities. Without adding a twist like the movie is Ice Age 2, this is still a problem. They are removed from the movie theatre because they were interfering with the rights of the movie patrons intent on seeing the movie without problems.

Example B: Same movie theatre, save that the person starts screaming "FIRE!" and everyone exits. In Brandenberg V. Ohio, the scope of prosecutions for free speech were determined to only include those incidents under which the speech would present a "Clear and Imminent Danger" as a direct result of the speech.

Example C: A person writes a book and claims something like "President Bush Rapes and Kills Children," while also claiming the book is a work of non-fiction. If the former president discovered this book, untrue information like this clearly would defame his character, and the book would be removed unless the claims can be proven. You can't slander someone, or libel them. Your claims need to be backed up with proof.

Imagine a so called "Utopia" as you describe, with "True Freedom." This place is the same place where people call out fire in a Wedding Ceremony that results in children getting trampled in the haste to exit. It includes people who decide incessant screaming in movie theatres is the best plan for action when you go to see The Dark Knight on opening night. It includes a place where, if one side of a political group decides they want to destroy a political opponents career, and hires someone to write a book detailing how they are serial killers who will eat your children if they are elected. That's not a place I want to live in.

China, however, has none of the freedoms that people whine and complain aren't strong enough. While we have so called "activists" who want to make it so they can publish a book detailing how President Truman invented the Holocaust in order to heighten the powers of the Jewish community in the country, China has daily struggles against censorship and a tyrannical government hiding under the guise of a republican system.

It is sad to see it happen, but such forms of censorship would have inevitably stretched to hurt the Warcraft community. China is scared out of its minds that the Chinese people will see the total extent of the freedoms that the US has, will recognize the ridiculous extent to which they are governed (read: tyrannically ruled). I would not be surprised if soon we would lose much of the contact we have with China in the near future, if things continue on the path they are on today.

Sooooo... a possibility of playing WoW without Death Knights?

Where do I sign up for this?

Death Knights should be OK. As I said in another post, it's skeletons that are not allowed.

For example, check out http://squt.tripod.com/diamond.jpg to see a comparison of the Magic: the Gathering card "Charcoal Diamond" as it was in regular 7th edition, and the art that was changed for the Chinese release. Even a skeletal HAND was against China's strict censorship law regarding skeletons.

If Death Knights reach far enough into China's paranoid collective, then Bliz will simply rename them... of course that means MORE time in closed beta, making sure that all changes made to the game don't ***** up another part of the programming.