News -> Walter Pierce RE:

RE: Let's Face It

Let’s Face It
It’s time to elevate the discourse at theind.com.
By: Walter Pierce

The end is nigh. On Friday, Dec. 16 — that’s two days following the publication of this column — The Ind will begin phasing in a new policy for posting comments to our stories. We’re turning to Facebook, the social media juggernaut that virtually anyone under 35 uses to connect to an ever-widening web of relationships. Indeed, Facebook can be a wasteland of inanity — note to friends: I don’t care where you ate lunch — but it has simultaneously become an essential means of communication. For me it has largely supplanted email as my principal means of getting in touch with friends and planning social engagements.

The utility will allow you to post a comment to a story using your Facebook login. If you’re already logged in to Facebook, your profile picture and name will be waiting for your comment, or you can log in to Facebook at theind.com.

Comments by registered users of our website will still be allowed — currently only a small minority of readers use this method — but we will require that a name, your real name, accompany your comments. For those without a Facebook account and no intention of getting one, you can register at theind.com and provide an email address for verification. We won’t share that email address, but we will send you our daily email, The INDsider, from which you can unsubscribe if for some reason you take leave of your senses.

But the most common means heretofore of making one’s thoughts known on the web site — posting a comment using an anonymous user name and waiting for a member of the edit staff to approve the comment — will end with the anonymity. We hope this measure of transparency will help elevate the level of commentary at theind.com, because that’s what this is all about.

We believe in having a conversation with readers about our community, about our politics, news and culture, even when our prosaic voices are raised a few pitches. But we want it to be civil and respectful.

The vitriol, name-calling, baiting, snark and personal attacks have continued to spiral into a black hole of incivility. It’s a manifestation of anonymity, and it’s not exclusive to this website. It’s endemic in the digital town square of the Internet. Online comments virtually killed the traditional letter to the editor, and the anonymity of those comments made bile commonplace. The Daily Advertiser cited the same phenomenon when it moved to Facebook comments last month.

Much of the commentary posted to theind.com never makes it onto the site — it’s blocked before it’s ever posted. But this comment moderating — reading everything that is posted by readers and deciding whether it rises to some subjective and, frankly, capricious standard for civility and pertinence is burdensome and — honestly — wearisome. My hide thickened long ago, but reading on a near-daily basis what a jerk/commie/propagandist/idiot/stuff-shirt/sorry-ass excuse for a journalist I am does get old. I am not a commie, by the way.

But seriously, Facebook, in theory anyway, requires us to put our name and face where our mouth is. The idea is that if it’s really you, with your identity attached to the comment, you’ll be more mindful of manners and others’ feelings. We can have a civil discussion, even when we disagree. Think of it as moving from the House to the Senate.

It’s not lost on us that creating a fake Facebook identity is quick and easy, and we’ll cross that bridge when we get to it. The goal is to elevate the conversation, although admittedly in the short term we may be hampering it. But we will ban from our website readers who violate our subjective rules of decorum after we’re forced to delete three inappropriate comments. Three strikes and you’re out.

I confess I’ve long resisted this move, arguing instead for a Wild West-type system in which anyone can post anything as anonymously as they like and allowing readers to police themselves by flagging objectionable comments, which our staff can then delete from the site. So I face this policy change with a nagging, nostalgic sentimentality because I know the eviscerating effect it will have on dialogue, at least in the near term.

While many of the readers who routinely post comments to our site are gadflies quick to pick nits and lambast our coverage, many of these same readers have also become like family, in some cases the unhinged uncle who makes embarrassing remarks at the dinner table. But I’ll miss my repartee with ragin_cajun, and the thrust and parry between ragin_cajun, Resident and Unempirical Observer. Those three really went at it over a recent blog about Gov. Bobby Jindal and Occupy Wall Street. I don’t know who these people are, but I’d like to.

Most of all I will miss the midnight ramblings of NORTHSIDIAN SHOTGUN, who apparently has a hit-and-miss relationship with psychiatric medication but has long been one of our most ardent albeit odd boosters. He began posting comments to theind.com nearly three years ago, initially in all caps, consistently delivering a “what the hell?” stream of obscure references, antique colloquialisms and completely off-point ramblings — sounding his barbaric yawp over the roofs of our world. He was our crazy uncle.

THE POETICS OF NORTHSIDIAN SHOTGUN

It was a wild ride for an anonymous reader who used the handle NORTHSIDIAN SHOTGUN to post comments at theind.com — and man did he post some comments, many of which showed a flair for poetry and all of which were marked by helter-skelter punctuation. Nearly half his commentary never made it onto the site, but we saved some of it for our own amusement. And now yours. To wit:

It “ WAS NOT A BAD DECISION “, It brought much gold into the fold.
It was a bit careless but as planned, really so bold
The Administration was led blindly, by durel, tis I was told
Joey and cronys rode Brandon hard, and left him out wet, out in the cold...
— Posted to the Oct. 19 cover story,“Odds & Ins” handicapping the Oct. 22 primaries

Cravins tried to crook moi, but he was too slow
It seems he can only get by, like Whale poo by slithering low
He’s buoyant as poo-poo and always goes with the flow
Mon Ami’s, Heahs somethin too, ya should know
He Shuffles, and yassuh’s, Lafayette’s thievin Jodo
And thats another tag synonymous with poo-poo
I’m not being be facetious, and if I told you the rest
You may begin laffin and honest this is not meant in jest
You and I educate his boys and watch one boot scoot to Texas
One in a cadillac coupe, and one with Landrieu in a Lexus
IF ya ain’t learnt yet, this cat be out for ya dollah
The Sting be closin in, and yeah, I be the first one to hollah
So either way, before terms end, he’ll be busted, he’ll be out
So upgrade ya choice and Let everyone know, ya finally learnt “ WHAT ITS ALL ABOUT
St.Landrians, Ya been the laughing stock of the state long enough
Its time you get this crook led away in some 318 SS cuffs

Dedicated to His Dishonorable Cravins - How “YA name fits..........
Yah,Yeah, I’ll pay for the ink !
— Posted to the Nov. 8 blog, “Sparks flying in District 24 Senate race”

Walter Pierce
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written by gimmeabreak , December 14, 2011 - 07:11 am

Facebook will help elevate the level of commentary at theind.com? BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAwheezegaspHAHAHAHAHAHAH!

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written by Frankie , December 14, 2011 - 07:44 am

TDA did this a couple of weeks ago, their webpage is now a joke. If you look at the comments they get maybe one or two per article. Walter you just ruined your webpage.

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written by Don Corleone , December 14, 2011 - 08:45 am

The Don's organization has nothing to hide. He looks forward to seeing actual names as well as profile photos (makes his job easier, as you would imagine) of the commenter.

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written by Frankie , December 14, 2011 - 09:39 am

Walter, is LCG pressuring you to do this? It is obvious that they don't like the truth to be known in this town. Look at the last 8 years: Allied Garbage Deal, Redflex, TIF districts, Smart meters, Fiber debts, LITE center, Sunbeam Trash facility, Property tax hikes, HUD housing, the list goes on and on. If the public can't freely comment on these issues and our local news media won't investigate them, what is Lafayette left with?

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written by neutral party , December 14, 2011 - 09:52 am

Dont fix whats not broken.

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written by BoFred , December 14, 2011 - 09:57 am

Well, I don't have a facebook, so I guess I'll have to get one, but I'm not posting any pics, so I may be disqualified for comments.

While I have the opportunity, I want to thank you for the opportunity, the venue, to express opinion, outrage, concern without having to identify myself. I've tried to be responsible about it, but I have to admit, I've gone off myself, but compared to some, I've been vanilla. I've realized how harsh & personal some of the comments have been, to the point of attack, & I really understand how enough is enough. I feel like the kid who gets punished for the other guy's behavior... I'll get over it. I've often thought maybe you just shouldn't even acknowledge the personal attacks. Let the rest of us address it...

I don't think there will be as much interaction, as much discourse because of the fear of retaliation, which seems hinted at by the Don up there.

So while I can, I'm going to ask, in all caps, cause its a favorite cause of mine, WHEN THAT LPSB PROPERTY TAX COMES UP IN THE SPRING, RUN.... RUN TO THE POLLS TO VOTE NO AGAIN!!! Its coming up, new super or not, and evidently they - the schoolboard, their henchmen, the construction interests, the vendors & suppliers, the architects - whomever the $$$ is intended for, do not believe WE, THE TAXPAYERS, ARE SERIOUS ABOUT NO MORE TAXES FOR THE SCHOOL SYSTEM !!! (note to LPSB: its not the tea party, its the taxpayers who give you enough already...)

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written by Walter Pierce , December 14, 2011 - 10:25 am

@BoFred,
Facebook doesn't require a photo to open an account; there's default male and female silhouettes for those who don't want their mug shown.
@Frankie,
I don't think Joey Durel or Terry Huval will send their goons to your house if you rant about their initiatives.
As my column indicates, we're aware of the drop-off in comments on The Advertiser's website since they went to FB; it's a chance we're willing to take. Stand up and have some guts, man: Put your name with your opinions. Circumspection can be liberating.

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written by MiniVanVader , December 14, 2011 - 10:29 am

I'm a long-time follower of the Independent, being that I moved from Lafayette to TX and there's no way I can follow the "news" through KATC or the Advertiser. The reporting here is generally good, and I frequently share your links with others on FB.

So I find this attack on online anonymity even more offensive than I may have otherwise. I expect this from old guard media relics or online corporations hunting for advertisers and data mining revenue, but not from you. Limiting anonymity on a news site is essentially censorship of your readership and is only going to limit, rather than improve, commentary from your readership. As is the case with KATC and the Advertiser, the only comments you'll be receiving are from people too stupid to care that their real names are being posted. And you have surely seen the level of discourse in those forums.

Anonymity is something of a tradition on the Internet. In fact, it's something of a tradition in public discourse. It's an essential function to any open sphere of discussion in any magazine or newspaper, online or IRL. Why limit the willingness of people to openly and honestly express their feelings about a variety of issues by exposing their identities? Here's a quick list of people essentially chilled by anonymity policies that includes biases against not only race, sex and sexuality but also experts, public figures and the disabled:

http://geekfeminism.wikia.com/wiki/Who_is_harmed_by_a_"Real_Names"_policy?

Look, I realize that this is the Internet and anyone savvy enough can usually figure out a way to track you down, but don't make it easier. This is a big step backward for one of the only reputable news outlets in Acadiana.

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written by Kelly Clayton , December 14, 2011 - 10:47 am

That is my real name. Walter, you rock. Tell your truth, and follow your instincts. Many of us are behind you, we just don't write as many comments as others.

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written by John St. Julien , December 14, 2011 - 11:18 am

Excellent.

Anonymity has proven to be, on the balance, more a detriment than an aid to honest conversation. It was a noble experiment that has failed and it is good to see news outlets—especially outlets in local places like Lafayette where a person's integrity and reputation can still mean something—finally figuring that out.

It will encourage commenters to build their own reputation instead of spending all their energy tearing down others; you will need to have a decent reputation and show a little courage yourself to question the honesty and integrity of others. I expect that having criticism come from real people will make that criticism much more effective.

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written by Frankie , December 14, 2011 - 11:31 am

Walter, thank you for your response. I think that Mini Van Vader's post says it all. You can belittle me all you want, but the fact is that you are ruining your website just like TDA and KATC did. Maybe if reviewing the comments is too gut wrenching for you, you should find a different line of work.

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written by Walter Pierce , December 14, 2011 - 11:56 am

You might be right, Frankie. But then again, maybe if posting comments with your identity is too gut wrenching for you, you should find a different means of discourse.
;)

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written by Frankie , December 14, 2011 - 12:20 pm

You might be right, Frankie. But then again, maybe if posting comments with your identity is too gut wrenching for you, you should find a different means of discourse.
Walter you are correct. Myself and most of the Ind's posters will be finding a different means of discourse. Thank you for the opportunity to speak freely. I will miss reading all of the honestly spoken comments.

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written by P.J. O'Rourke , December 14, 2011 - 01:27 pm

Long over due Walter. I guess these small but loud bunch of bullies and punks will have to go back to writing on the walls in public bathrooms.

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written by Compassionate One , December 14, 2011 - 01:35 pm

Stifling....

"I will miss reading all of the honestly spoken comments."

Yep, me too!

Walter writes "we want it to be civil and respectful." Do you think, maybe, just maybe, you could apply those two ideas to your newspaper articles going forward?

I'm going to miss the family spats!

Peace on earth, good will toward men..........Compassionate One

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written by James Melancon , December 14, 2011 - 01:47 pm

I understand the problems in policing but I am guessing the participation will drop drastically. It's likely this is the end of the Ind comment section.

You had something that set the Ind apart from the Daily Advertiser, but now this becomes an extra nail in the coffin of print media. I dropped my subscriptions and interest in print several years ago, so good luck.

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written by yesidoknow , December 14, 2011 - 01:51 pm

"A tree falling in the woods, without ears to hear, makes no sound, yet it falls." Master Po (From TV series Kung Fu)

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written by Farrow , December 14, 2011 - 01:58 pm

Well, you won't see my postings here anymore: I refuse to have a Facebook account.

Tried it once, found it addictive, quit cold turkey two years ago.

It's too bad the Ind has decided to follow the example of the local Gannett newspaper, which also chose to allow postings per Facebook only.

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written by Ophelia 46 , December 14, 2011 - 02:29 pm

Anonymity has been the hallmark of the most trenchant, biting and honest political discourse since the founding days of this once great republic. R.I.P.

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written by Leslie Turk , December 14, 2011 - 02:51 pm

To be clear, you don't have to have a Facebook account to post a comment: "Comments by registered users of our website will still be allowed — currently only a small minority of readers use this method — but we will require that a name, your real name, accompany your comments. For those without a Facebook account and no intention of getting one, you can register at theind.com and provide an email address for verification. We won’t share that email address, but we will send you our daily email, The INDsider, from which you can unsubscribe if for some reason you take leave of your senses."

As we stated, we'll begin a phase-in of the system Friday. If you do not have a Facebook account, you will need to provide us with a legitimate email address, your name, physical address and phone number. We will call to verify that you are who you say you are and will then approve you for posting comments. After your comment, your name and the city and state in which you reside will be listed. Yes, it's very much like submitting a "letter to the editor."

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written by Cracklin Patin , December 14, 2011 - 03:51 pm

Will there be an Occupy The Ind group for the 99% who don't register?

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written by Frankie , December 14, 2011 - 03:59 pm

"Let's Face It" The Ind, just like the Lafayette Daily Gannet, doesn't want anybody challenging their misinformation and gossip.

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written by snaildarter , December 14, 2011 - 05:13 pm

Vitriol? Vitriol? What about all the snide, snarky comments that Walter has made about the TEA people?

Can't have too much freedom now, can we. I remember speaking face-to-face with another editor that worked for your same boss, back when it was called The Times. (Skinny guy who stuttered, very amicable and polite.) He declared that he was a socialist.

And yes, people in this town have faced physical, concrete, financially-harmful retribution for exposing truth about what the 'leaders' are up to.

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written by Rinkelstein , December 14, 2011 - 05:49 pm

Beautiful, we will now know that Northsidian Shotgun, AKA Hardat, LNRIC, Lafayette Native Living in California, is actually Mike Stagg.

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written by Douglas Menefee , December 14, 2011 - 05:58 pm

Bravo! I know this could not have been an easy decision to make. I applaud The Ind for establishing transparency and elimination of anonymous posting in the public discourse and commentary.

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written by Resident , December 14, 2011 - 09:32 pm

I think overall it will be a good decision. I believe that anonymity does encourage vitriol. Very recently I let my frustration boil over against a certain someone and it didn't feel good. Although I will say it was in response to repeated slurs and distortions of my positions.

The problem with Facebook is that posting comments on news articles tells the world something about your personal views. That in itself is not bad, but nowadays employers are using Facebook to find out employees' political views or even screen new hires. Not to mention aiding and abetting Facebook selling your personal information to companies and collecting it for government.

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written by Barbara Conner (There are several people in town with the same name.) , December 14, 2011 - 10:10 pm

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Scalia, gnerally considered the most conservative justice on the bench, has said (I forget his exact words; I think it's buried in the Citizens United case) that identifying one's name with one's free speech is essential to civil discourse and to democracy.
Here's a tip of the hat to John and Layne who've had the courage to use their names to state their opinions. Don't they write well?
Anonomous screaming is no more effective online than yelling inside the car at other drivers: it just raises the blood pressure of the screamer and has no effect on the other.
Be kind.
Never underestimate the power of lovingkindness.
Remember, all thinking people at times disagree.

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written by Bee Guidry , December 15, 2011 - 06:06 am

There are so many countless times I, personally, have wanted to express comments on different issues but never did...

And now I know I never will again.

Facebook or not, this officially stifles, and I'll even go so far as to say puts a muzzle on, what was once an open venue for genuine public discourse.

While I understand the need to remain "civil and respectful," the Independent's Comment Section is, or shall I say was, our way of venting without the fear of retribution.

Now I'm really gonna cherish those comments I laughed so hard at, so much so, that I had to print 'em and tape 'em to my fridge. Facebook can't buy you that kind of entertainment.

It's a sad day indeed...

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written by jabbajaw , December 15, 2011 - 06:39 am

Well the suggestion box here in Lafayette was done away with a long time ago by Human Resources. So all the open forum discourse of the past served only to alleviate tension among the masses. Watch for criminal and mentally disturbed activities to increase around town. Without an anonymous frustration "pop off" outlet...who knows what direction things may take??

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written by jabbajaw , December 15, 2011 - 06:49 am

Ok..here's the accusation: Gannett controls both news services now. May the ghost of Puggy Mote arise and take charge of Walter's corpus.

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written by Frankie , December 15, 2011 - 07:47 am

Our local politicians must be jumping for joy. Zero accountablity. They are the big winners in this. The Lafayette citizens are the losers.

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written by James Melancon , December 15, 2011 - 08:48 am

by Barbara Conner "identifying one's name with one's free speech is essential to civil discourse and to democracy."
--------------------

Perhaps, remember the Federalist Papers were published anonymously. Ideas, opinions, etc do they need an author? I do not think so.

John and Layne . . . Don't they write well? The more important question is do they think well.

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written by Cracklin Patin , December 15, 2011 - 08:52 am

by P.J. O'Rourke "bullies and punks will have to go back to writing on the walls in public bathrooms."
-----------------------

Wait a darn minute. You can learn a lot on the walls of public bathrooms. Take Walter for instance . . .

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written by Crawford Comeaux , December 15, 2011 - 10:49 am

If your anonymous comments here haven't been making a difference, then maybe this is the wrong avenue for your complaints.

Think the city or one of its government officials is acting illegally? Don't go crying anonymously somewhere! Make your case & present it to someone who can spur effective change! Perhaps a lawyer or an ethics commission?

Otherwise, you're likely to be written off as some conspiracy theorist nut, as many who comment on theind's articles typically are.

If you're so concerned, go be an agent of change. Do something about it. Armchair commentary really doesn't make a lick of difference. You may feel better because "you're being heard" by getting to post publicly somewhere, but if nobody's listening, what have you really accomplished?

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written by AmyLynn Schexnayder , December 15, 2011 - 12:11 pm

First time commenter, last time commenter:
Just my personal opinion, but I think anonymity has it's place in media. I know that it breeds awful comments, but I also know professors (and presumably other professionals) who use anonymity to comment in forums when they fear repercussion for their views. So, you've lost the awful voices but also the needed voices from inside. For example: a nontenured professor w/ important insight that is contrary to the party line, is not going to "own up" to his or her opinion when this sort of thing can and does happen: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03...ssors.html (links to W. Cronon article about professor being hit with FOIA about his support for the local organized labor strikes). My point is only that in a day when work emails can be used against you as they now are- anonymity has it's place. To lose the important voices for lack of will to stifle the awful ones (which is how this appears), seems a bit lazy, in my opinion. What you may have invited is a deluge of anonymous emails now, which is a bigger waste of time. (Good luck with _that_.)

And by the way, as a non-Facebook user: I know you don't _have_ to use it, but whenever I see FB used on sites for comments I think- cheap, pedestrian, and uninspired (I cannot be alone in this). Finally, and this is important, if someone posts using FB- who owns the comment? The poster, the ind or FB? Something to think about if you are wanting such control. It may just be a login feature, but still, you've invited a third party into a forum with legal (see above link) implications. (And please don't let my dislike of FB cancel out the real message of my comment- which is above- you _will_ lose dissenting voices that cannot speak without anonymity.)

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written by Compassionate One , December 15, 2011 - 01:11 pm

"Just my personal opinion, but I think anonymity has it's place in media. I know that it breeds awful comments, but I also know professors (and presumably other professionals) who use anonymity to comment in forums when they fear repercussion for their views. So, you've lost the awful voices but also the needed voices from inside."

Great insite Amy!! The knowing voices from "the inside" will now fall silent.

My swansong.....It's been fun Walter, but you will come to find out, that what drove hits to your site was the FREE exchange of ideas and banter. That's all.

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written by James Melancon , December 15, 2011 - 02:14 pm

by AmyLynn Schexnayder "First time commenter, last time commenter:
Just my personal opinion, but I think anonymity has it's place in media."
------------------

Excellent.

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written by LookSomeThings , December 15, 2011 - 02:22 pm

I support this move, even though it'll result in me commenting much, much less than I already do. (Big loss, huh?) It's scary being anything 'less than' conservative in this town; I believe others are right in pointing out that many voices will be, unfortunately, silenced. But at least it'll expose the bigots for who they are. KATC's Facebook page is priceless. I've taken soooo many screenshots and made lots of locals famous in other corners of the Internet.

EIther way, a half-hearted bravo for this new policy. Hopefully it'll encourage liberals and moderates to be more vocal and thoughtful in their arguments.

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written by KLFerguson , December 15, 2011 - 02:39 pm

Walter and TheInd editorial staff, THANK YOU!
While online response tools, like comment boards, have given individuals more opportunity to respond and be "heard" in a public forum, and in some cases be published, than ever before, one only deserves to be heard if they are willing to stand up for their opinions and answer questions about their thoughts. Otherwise, what's the use of stating it in the first place.
Thank you for taking this huge step back in the right direction.

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written by Crawford Comeaux , December 15, 2011 - 02:47 pm

I'm in full agreement with AmyLynn Schexnayder, though I can see the difficulty in implementing a proper system from the paper's point of view. I see the Facebook comments approach as an immediate solution with drawbacks, which I hope they seek a replacement system for soon.

I think a comment system that includes certain standard online message board features would be better. You could allow for anonymous posting, but also allow users to hide comments from whoever they choose. Let the community police itself, basically.

I wonder if there's a system already developed that they could incorporate fairly easily...

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written by Frankie , December 15, 2011 - 04:14 pm

"I see the Facebook comments approach as an immediate solution with drawbacks,"
An immediate solution to what? The commenting part of the Ind's website was fine. There are already 40 posts on this subject alone. TDA use to get 70-80 posts, sometimes going over 100. Now they get 2-4 posts to their articles. The Ind could have capitalized on TDA's mistake of going to Facebook. Instead the Ind is making the same mistake. After Friday, I will be deleting the Ind from my favorites. I might check in from time to time, but the comments were usually more entertaining than the articles.

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written by Please post , December 15, 2011 - 05:05 pm

Please post the privacy policy displaying how you will use the information TheInd will glean by linking Facebook commenting to this website. I am sure you will get some type of demographic data that will be used for targetted advertising. There are some crazy posts, but there are other ways to accomplish your goal besides partering up with the evil Facebook. There are MANY MANY commenting and moderation systems if this was not about profit. Don't be lazy.

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written by mach choux , December 15, 2011 - 06:34 pm

The Supreme Court may have higher regard for anonymous speech than implied above:

http://articles.baltimoresun.com/1994-10-13/news/1994286127_1_federalist-papers-political-writings-ohio-law

Anonymous political speech has a long and honorable history in the Anglo-American tradition:

www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2010/mar/17/protecting-online-anonymity

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written by Barbara Conner , December 16, 2011 - 12:38 am

RE: http://articles.baltimoresun.c...s-ohio-law

Clarification; See:
http://www.amazon.com/Citizens-Federal-Election-Commission-ebook/dp/B004WLO6TE/ref=wl_it_dp_o_npd?ie=UTF8&coliid=IMJR4P3VO34OU&colid=M8SY9F0VXQDX

In this resent decision, the Court held that independent expenditures on behalf of political candidates must disclose sponsor. The Court did uphold requirements for disclaimer and disclosure by sponsors of advertisements.

So, yes, right to unsigned speech in remains, assuming there is no paid sponsorship of campaigning. More specifically, the dicta by Justice Scalia remains a goal (asperational) of good government: identifying speaker (whether by corporation or individual, and using either paid or free publication) improves public discourse and democracy. Needless to say, dicta is not precedent, but it is persuasive in subsequent decisions.

The role of corporate funding of third party campaigning is an "edgy" area where we can expect to see legislative responses.

Free speech is still limited by sedition laws, copyright, libel, etc.
Personal safety, whistle-blower legislation, and self-incrimination, among others, are
reasons for withholding identity.

In short, it takes guts to speak or write under one's own name. Madison and Hamilton
did eventually specify who wrote which essays of the Federalist Papers. Authorship was
an "open secret" at the time of publication.

Finally, good writing almost always indicates good thinking. I believe you'll find both
in the comments of John and Layne, who are brave enough to use their own names.

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written by Barbara Conner , December 16, 2011 - 12:47 am

RE quote above (taken from my eariler comment) -
"identifying one's name with one's free speech is essential to civil discourse and to democracy."

Any thoughts you have regarding the above comment, you'll have to take up with
Justice Scalia.

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written by BoFred , December 16, 2011 - 06:36 am

Since it may be my last opportunity to post, I don't put a whole lot of weight (or interest) in what the honorable Justice Scalia has to say. He's too easily influenced by Louisiana duck hunts. Was it with the ambulance man? He lost credibility with me when he started sleeping with big business.

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written by Frankie , December 16, 2011 - 07:40 am

Censored commenting at the politically correct newspaper. Boring!

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written by Michael A. Moss , December 17, 2011 - 02:32 pm

Walter, was this change your idea? I would hope that political pressure was not put on you to make the changes. Because, I have always respected you and your opinions.

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written by ciano , December 19, 2011 - 01:53 pm

A la Dylan " a change it is acomin
Obsequious patronizing, now to the TDA we be a slummin
The Pulitizer Prize, we be ah strummin
Walter kowtows, arbitration san referendium

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written by ciano , December 19, 2011 - 09:20 pm

KL Ferguson, " one only deserves to be heard if they are willing to
stand up for their opinions and answer questions about their thoughts," A. to those of us whose thoughts and beliefs are owed to one supreme diety, pray tell why you KL Ferguson feel privileged to delve, is it to satisfy your abhorrent decadent inquisitiveness of your own liberal illogical mind.

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written by Gene Broussard , December 20, 2011 - 05:40 pm

Interesting. We finally learn that Cracklin Patin hangs out in public bathrooms. This by his own admission. Anonymous though it may be.

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written by Tomascco , December 20, 2011 - 08:31 pm

I have no problem removing the veil of anonymity for true public discourse. What truly disturbs me is that a newspaper is giving the Facebook juggernaut page views. Good luck with that.

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RE: Let's Face It

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