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Published Letters: 152
Editor's Choice: 7

Monday, July 16, 2007 02:51 PM
Original article: Whack-a-baby

How sad for methough!

Methough, you make it all about yourself, don't you.

I am glad our founding fathers and Supreme Court valued freedom better than you.

I do respect you for your brave step of coming out against one of our most cherished American freedoms.

Many people don't want the things they say online to be connected with their offline identities. They may be concerned about political or economic retribution, harassment, or even threats to their lives. Whistleblowers report news that companies and governments would prefer to suppress; human rights workers struggle against repressive governments; parents try to create a safe way for children to explore; victims of domestic violence attempt to rebuild their lives where abusers cannot follow.

Instead of using their true names to communicate, these people choose to speak using pseudonyms (assumed names) or anonymously (no name at all). For these individuals and the organizations that support them, secure anonymity is critical. It may literally save lives.

Anonymous communications have an important place in our political and social discourse. The Supreme Court has ruled repeatedly that the right to anonymous free speech is protected by the First Amendment. A much-cited 1995 Supreme Court ruling in McIntyre v. Ohio Elections Commission reads:

Protections for anonymous speech are vital to democratic discourse. Allowing dissenters to shield their identities frees them to express critical, minority views . . . Anonymity is a shield from the tyranny of the majority. . . . It thus exemplifies the purpose behind the Bill of Rights, and of the First Amendment in particular: to protect unpopular individuals from retaliation . . . at the hand of an intolerant society.

The tradition of anonymous speech is older than the United States. Founders Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay wrote the Federalist Papers under the pseudonym "Publius," and "the Federal Farmer" spoke up in rebuttal. The US Supreme Court has repeatedly recognized rights to speak anonymously derived from the First Amendment.

The right to anonymous speech is also protected well beyond the printed page. Thus, in 2002, the Supreme Court struck down a law requiring proselytizers to register their true names with the Mayor's office before going door-to-door.

These long-standing rights to anonymity and the protections it affords are critically important for the Internet. As the Supreme Court has recognized, the Internet offers a new and powerful democratic forum in which anyone can become a "pamphleteer" or "a town crier with a voice that resonates farther than it could from any soapbox."

Wednesday, August 1, 2007 11:09 AM

endless student: for some interesting insight look into Erin Pizzey's experience

Erin founded the first UK Women's Shelter and was one of the first founders of Women's Shelters anywhere.

Listen to Erin as she tells you the truth about DV as well as the feminists that sent her death threats for her work.

Ask yourself why Catherine Price has never mentioned Erin Pizzey's work?

http://fathersforlife.org/pizzey/pizzey.htm

Erin Pizzey — Founder of the Modern Women's Shelter Movement

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erin_Pizzey

Erin Pizzey - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

http://briandeer.com/social/erin-pizzey.htm

Erin Pizzey, crusader for battered women, by Brian Deer

Another good source is Glenn Sacks.

http://www.glennsacks.com/source_page.htm

glennsacks.com | Source Page

Ask yourself why Glenn, an excellent source in these areas, and a very fair minded individual towards feminism as can be seen by real reading of his website, ask yourself why Glenn is never interviewed at Salon, asked to write at Salon, or mentioned in Broadsheet.

Wednesday, August 1, 2007 11:14 AM

A naive feminist might think Erin Pizzey is an important figure in feminism and in DV but...

A google for Erin Pizzey at Pandagon.net, and feministe.us/blog and at feministing shows only a single mention of Erin Pizzey, and that is in a comment at Pandagon.

Broadstreet Feminism, just like Stalinism but with nicer tits.

http://www.tc.umn.edu/~hick0088/classes/csci_2101/false.html

Falsification of Photographs

http://www.englishrussia.com/?p=710

English Russia » Soviet Russian Photos Correction

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