Free Speech & The Internet

I'm a long time member and supporter of the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), but I have to say I  disagree with the organization's position in a lawsuit involving anonymous speech at a newspaper web site in Illinois.   The case and EFF's position are covered here.  Essentially, the son of a local candidate engaged in a heated "discussion" with an anonymous poster, and the candidate felt that the poster had gone too far in his/her comments.  The candidate has sought the identify of the anonymous poster through a court case, which is now at the Appellate level in Illinois.

While I think I understand EFF's First Amendment arguments, I think that there are other factors that should be heavily weighed.   The biggest issue to me, is that there are thousands of people who post mindless, unintelligible, drivel via electronic postings that never would have seen the light of day before the Internet.   In the past, when people wrote letters to the editor of a newspaper, they may or may not have gotten their views printed.  If they were printed, they had to attach their name to their thoughts and others could write challenges in response. There was some accountability involved in making public comments.

In today's electronic world, anyone can say anything about anything, on newspaper web sites, as well as other online media outlets, many of which allow anonymous comments.  The ability to make anonymous postings adds nothing whatsoever to the quality or benefit.   Perhaps a pure reading of the First Amendment doesn't distinguish between useful speech and heated nonsense, but in past years, the ability to spew nonsense was limited to standing on a street-corner.   Whether the speaker could attract listeners depended on their speech.   And it's not generally feasible to stand on a street corner and speak anonymously.  

I've commented previously on the proliferation of ignorant commentary on the Web and this case seems to cut to the core of the matter.   Do we as a society benefit from enabling anonymous comment in public forums on the Internet?   Should we hold people accountable for their opinions?  What does society gain from unaccountable and anonymous public comment?

I just can't buy EFF's argument that anonymous online comments deserve Constitutional protection.

So you want compromise? Really?

We've heard a lot in recent years about how the American electorate is tired of the partisan bickering and polarized politics.   Americans want cooperation to resolve problems and an end to the current governmental paralysis, or so we've been told.

Recently, Scott Brown was elected to the US Senate seat formerly held by the late Ted Kennedy from Massachusetts.  Brown is an avowed conservative and the election sent shock waves across the country.  It was the end of the filibuster-proof 60th vote in the Senate.

This week, Senator Brown voted with the Democratic majority (along with 4 other Republicans) in favor of a job creation bill endorsed by the Obama Administration.  Was that vote the beginning of a new "bipartisan" approach?   Was it evidence of an attempt to move away from polarization?   Nah, fuggedabout it.

Almost immediately, Senator Brown was castigated in the blogosphere and elsewhere by the right-wing ideologues that helped elect him.   He was a traitor to the cause, a RINO (Republican in Name Only), and doomed to be a one-term Senator.

I don't know; perhaps the shock is because so seldom have we seen any cracks in the GOP wall in the Congress.   The GOP is much more disciplined than the Democratic Party.  

I'd prefer to think that this vote by Brown is an indication that he might actually be an "independent" Republican and will vote for his State's interest over party interest.   That would be a breath of fresh air.

Break Up Insurance Monopolies

Well, as long as I'm talking petitions today, here's another one worthy of consideration: the insurance anti-trust exemption that the industry has enjoyed since 1945. This online petition is from Senator Pat Leahy of Vermont and urges the Senate to follow the House of Representatives action in bringing this out of control industry under anti-trust regulation.

America's health insurance companies have had a pretty sweet deal for decades.

They can pick and choose their customers and deny coverage to anyone with any sort of pre-existing condition -- even acne.  They can get away with dropping your coverage when you get sick.

And since 1945 they have been exempt from the antitrust regulations that apply to nearly every other industry, rules that protect consumers from anti-competitive business practices
like price-fixing.

That's why I just sent a letter to my Senators, supporting the Health Insurance Industry Antitrust Enforcement Act, which will eliminate the outdated insurance industry antitrust exemption, and force health insurance companies to compete fairly -- like virtually every other business in America.

Please join me by sending a letter to your Senators as well: click here

More US Jobs Moving To Mexico (Update)

Back on 08/31/2009, I posted about the decision of the Whirlpool Corporation to close an Indiana plant and move the operation to Mexico, with a loss of more than a thousand American jobs.   The closure date is now approaching and the AFL/CIO has a petition online to ask Whirlpool to reconsider:

The Whirlpool Corp. plans to start closing its refrigerator plant in Evansville, Ind., on March 26. The refrigerators now manufactured at this plant will be produced in Mexico, eliminating 1,100 local jobs. Meanwhile, Whirlpool--the world's largest home appliance maker--enjoys healthy profits and has received a $19 million economic matching grant that should be creating jobs here in America.

Join me and sign this important petition today and tell Whirlpool: Keep It Made in America.