tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-872647804241988041.post4074572053402901999..comments2024-02-08T07:32:20.315-06:00Comments on Steve Bates - Yellow Doggerel Democratic Views: In NY, Speech Is Free, But You Pay For AnonymitySteve Bateshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07587223243120009776noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-872647804241988041.post-1346248538432145012012-05-26T09:34:56.095-05:002012-05-26T09:34:56.095-05:00Bryan, I am reminded of a friend's then-elderl...Bryan, I am reminded of a friend's then-elderly (now deceased) mother, an educated woman in the traditions of the last century and the one before that, a woman who simply could not fathom the Internet, and as a consequence, dreaded it and begged her daughter not to get involved with it. <br /><br />It's easy to laugh... it wasn't as if she perceived all the possible problems and wanted to spare her daughter that kind of trouble; it was that she thought of the Internet as some kind of gigantic electronic fishnet ready to descend on and trap any unsuspecting person, especially a young woman. But maybe in her wrongheadedness she reached the right conclusion after all. (The daughter? She uses the Internet heavily in one of her lines of work, and is probably one of the most technologically comfortable and competent persons I know.)<br /><br />Everyone has a right to a great degree of anonymity and privacy if they feel the need. The single most destructive result of the "war on terror" (a largely artificial construct, IMHO) is that it allows the would-be spies to gather information without purpose and without limit, and store that information forever, for use by Dog-knows-whom. It is too late for me to regain my anonymity, but if America's problems today are to be solved, there needs to be some serious discussion of unpleasant matters on the 'net... and only anonymity allows people to engage the dialogue without fear of retribution. <br /><br />Every time I see the Tea Partiers carrying guns to political rallies, I wonder if one of us is the next target. If so, the 'net will help them identify us and what we said. I don't think that is what our founders had in mind in framing the Second Amendment, to threaten our exercise of the First.Steve Bateshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07587223243120009776noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-872647804241988041.post-57922220740643951772012-05-25T21:48:35.338-05:002012-05-25T21:48:35.338-05:00I think these people should try to comment at a si...I think these people should try to comment at a site while in the guise of a woman or someone who is gay, and see what happens to them.<br /><br />There are reasons to remain anonymous on the web, and they include personal safety.<br /><br />I don't worry about it because in Florida anyone coming after me is a target, but if you aren't former military and law enforcement, the web whackoes are a realistic concern.Bryanhttp://whynow.dumka.us/noreply@blogger.com