Incivility in online postings may erode right to Free Speech.

Website posters' anonymity is 

being put to the test

Some call anonymous online posting an open invitation for cyberbullies. Ban it, they argue, in the name of civility.

Others say it's a matter of freedom of speech. Ban it, they contend, and you hollow out a fundamental American right.

Online message boards have proliferated in every city and town, on campuses and even on corporate websites. And they're typically dominated by unnamed or pseudonym-toting commentators, who often fire verbiage far over the line of civility, not to mention the legally permitted.

The subjects of this virulent discourse are fighting back.

Read the entire article in the Indianapolis Star by clicking here.

Hooray for our side

When GLS calls me a "fan of his show",  he's just trying to get my goat. But, no kidding, there is some truth to the statement.  I am  fanatic about the possibilities a web blog has to create greater participation in local government. The GLS blog site could offer citizens of our community an avenue to communicate that otherwise did not exist.  Unfortunately, GLS turns this avenue into more like a dark alley which degenerates and diverts its traffic.

Consider these words by E. J. Dionne:

"Americans hate politics as it is now practiced because  we have lost all sense of the public good.  Politics has stopped being a deliberative process through which people resolved disputes, found remedies, and moved forward."

Public good.  Resolve disputes. Move forward.  Believing the GLS show is about these democratic principles is like believing the Jerry Springer show is about healing relationships.  Gary is the host/agitator: his commentors are the audience chanting, "Fight. Fight. Fight."   GLS is not the place to solve our community issues just as the Jerry Springer show is not the place for emotional therapy.  

In an "informational age" with increasing mediums of access to actively participate in government, it is no wonder the public has become more apathetic or desensitized to vitriolic speech.  Fan of the show?  For What It's Worth; only when it starts to focus not on tearing apart our fellow man, but on building our community. 

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He can't handle the truth

In my post, will-you-let-gls influence your vote this spring, I give three examples that illustrate the corrupt nature of its tactics.  Gary responded with this:

I'm always hesitant to publicize other websites, especially when we've already given my fan sites more publicity than they really deserve.  But, when I have 2 fan pages out there specifically dedicated to my greatness, I feel obligated. Here's a story in its entirety that epitomizes my local and I would argue regional influence (more people will see this story in 30 seconds here than will see it on the other site, period.)  and a list of guests I've had on my site or show, just in case you've missed any of them.


Here's a man with the self-granted responsibility of informing the public, yet his brazen response to being called out for his subversive nature includes his saying:

• ...dedicated to my greatness.  
• more people will see this story...here than...the other site period.
• a list of guests I've had on my site or show, in case you missed them.

He then goes on to attach a list of his blog show guests to my post.  The first two bullets are self-explanatory, but let's exam the third.   How did he perceive attaching a list of interviewed guests exonerated him from his bullying tactics?  Did he believe it elevated his status through association to others and therefore put him beyond reproach for inappropriate behavior?   If so, again, I hope the irony is not lost upon the reader.

Also, let's not forget what is not included - an apology to the wrongly accused, and need I say, humility.

As far as being referred to as a "fan of the site", check back next week for an in-depth response about that.

If our local blogging community is ever to pull ourselves out of the muck, we'll need a change in leadership.

We'll need a few good men.

This spring, I'll be looking for signs of climate change

"And for all you whiners out there that complain about negative politics, get used to it." 

These were the words of garylsnyder as he eyed the mayoral election immediately following the fall elections of 2010.  One can only hope that following the events this January in Arizona, a different approach will be taken than the one predicted by the moderator of the site himself.

Will you let the Garylsndyer website influence your vote this spring?

Abbett, Buzzard, Carney, Ebersole, Fetters, Updike...


As the mayoral primary in Huntington nears, will you allow your vote to be influenced by the Garylsnyder website?   Consider the last fall's election for sheriff and some of Gary's techniques he employed to influence voters.

• Humiliation and Intimidation of an opposing candidate and his supporters through disparaging remarks and photoshopped images.
• Posting an article with circumstantial evidence of who I was. Persecution of  the falsely accused person by commentors on his site.  
• Bringing up charges of an obscure Federal Law against the candiate he opposed. He then allowed commentors to say they would never vote for alleged law breakers.  Snyder has brought an era not unlike Witch Trials to modern times. (To note, the Federal Law in question has never been brought up again, suggesting no law was ever broken.)

Before the mayoral primary,  I believe it is important to ask oneself what is Garylsnyder's motive:  Is he attempting to create a better, more democratic landscape in Huntington, or does he seek power for himself? One need only look at the corrupt nature of his actions and remember that "power corrupts" to understand his motive.

One would hope the irony of using intimidation and persecution of the innocent while attempting to influence an election for sheriff is not lost upon the reader, either.

As a final note, I must admit I will be slightly influenced by the garylsnyder website when I vote for mayor. I will be wary of any candidate who advertises on, is endorsed by, or affiliates in any manner with the Garylsnyder website.




Post Script:  If you have read this on the GLS website, please be sure to read my retort, here.

Orson Scott Card in the Wall Street Journal

One of the reasons I chose to blog under the pseudonym, Ender, is how appropriately the analogy of Ender's Game was  for the situation at hand. Recently, the sci-fi author of Ender's Game, Orson Scott Card, wrote a piece for the Wall Street Journal explaining how the Internet is changing our lives. Fittingly, his tag line reads,


In my 1985 sci-fi novel 'Ender's Game,' a couple kids used something like the Internet to pass for experts and influence public opinion.  It didn't take long for reality to catch up.


http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703727804576017891806186856.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

His opinion is embedded in this somewhat generically written overview, leaving much for the reader to decide. More interesting than the article itself, then, was the discussion generated by the readers. Many of their comments are exactly the points "Valentine" and "Ender" were trying to make on my blog this fall.

This comment to Card's article generated much discussion.  His words, I hope, resonate through my blog:

"The scary turn of events I see coming is that so few people in the US have the ability to sustain cogent discourse that ridiculous and wild statements are taken as foundational truths. Everyone is entitled to their opinion, but when we can no longer distinguish fact from farce we are truly lost. At that point the loudest voice will win and might will never make right. That being said Might has and will continue to make policy for all time and an educated populace is the only defense."

A different author concluded with...

"Without the conviction that there exists an "objective good" (moral absolutes), public debate disintegrates into a cacophony of warring voices." 

Absolutely one of the finer points I never quite succinctly made.  Does the GLS blog site have the intention of an "objective good" based on moral absolutes?  Or does the debate often disintegrate (even before it starts)?

Another commenter brought up this fine point:

The internet has become an n-dimension space whose coordinates are measured in a blend of fact, fantasy, opinion, hypothesis and propaganda. From one post to the next you may find yourself transported from fact-Hypothesis into a propaganda-fantasy with nary a bump....  Knowledge is power. But Information isn't necessarily Knowledge. 

Camouflage, misdirection ,and subterfuge all can influence the future. 

Which dovetails right into another comment made, which, explains why I am choosing to blog less and less.

I expect that many of us, including myself, should spend less time on the computer, often simply acquiring knowledge to feed our pride in how much we think we know, and more time talking and actually doing things with the people with whom we share space in our offices, homes, and neighborhoods.

I've taken the advice of the last commenter, and find myself much more at peace for having done so.

Wishes for well-being this new year to you and yours.