Words and Links

In keeping with the Star Wars theme of funny motivational posters…  I just couldn’t resist this one.

The Manhattan Supreme Court has required Google, the host of the blog “Skanks in NYC”, to release the personal information of the blogger behind the blog to Liskula Cohen.  Cohen is a fashion model who was referred to in the blog with the line “How old is this skank? 40 something? She’s a psychotic, lying, whoring, still going to clubs at her age, skank”.  At best this is needlessly offensive and at worst slanderous.

But is the court justified in forcing the identity of the formerly anonymous blogger to become public knowledge?  Absolutely!  While being able to be hidden behind blogs and posts has encouraged people to express themselves to a far greater degree than anything else in modern times, these people do need to take responsibility and be held accountable for what they say.  If you craft your words you can avoid civil penalties and still make your point, no matter how offensive.

Freedom of speech should in no way be confused with a freedom to remain anonymous.

Why is civility and decorum being abandoned at the town hall meetings?  On the surface it is definitely genuine and sincere opposition to President Obama’s health care reform initiative.  However, digging deeper into the motives of the protesters shows that the frustration comes from multiple sources, only one of which is the healthcare issue.

According to AP, the protesters are “white, conservative and working class. But they ranged in age and their concerns went beyond health care to deficit spending, taxes, government growth and other issues.”  The issues began rearing their head with George W. Bush abandoning of fiscal conservatism and disregard for personal liberties post 9/11.  The ball was then rolling downhill.  Increased Federal spending, the Iraq war, the near collapse of the financial system, and the massive government bailouts and buyouts of our large private institutions have pushed many people to the point where it was time to begin complaining and being vocal.

Healthcare reform was just the last straw.  As proposed, it is an awful idea that would cause our current system to suffer, and degrade the services available.  And it is virtually guaranteed to cause far more people to be unsatisfied with the health system than are now.

These protesters are frustrated and screaming out to put a brake on government expansion in general.  We still live in the greatest and most free country in the world and these people are screaming out to keep it that way.