Interesting to read this on the front page of today's New York Times a few days after announcing that I'll get rid of "Anonymous" comments and reserve the right to delete:  "Now, a few high profile figures in high-tech are proposing a blogger code of conduct to clean up the quality of online discourse...chief among the recommendations is that bloggers consider banning anonymous comments left by visitors to their pages and be able to delete threatening or libelous comments without facing cries of censorship.... A subtext [in some proposed new rules] is that bloggers are responsible for everything that appears on their pages, including comments left by visitors. They say that bloggers should have the right to delete such comments if they find them profane or abusive. That may sound obvious but many Internet veterans believe that blogs are part of a larger public sphere, and that deleting a visitor's comment amounts to an assault on their right to free speech" (Brad Stone, "A Call for Manners in the World of Nasty Blogs," New York Times, 9 April 2007, A1). I have no romantic illusions about blogs and am one for whom the right to delete is obvious.  This is an idiot-free zone. I left the "DavidHorowtizeRoxanaisSexy" thing up just to give an idea of how moronic the stuff you get can be.

I added a key link/organization to the post: Military Families Speak Out at http://www.mfso.org/ 

My apologies for not including this group in the original post.

Paul & Keir:

As you've already learned, somebody posting as "T-M" ("You're a dishonest blogger") also made the complaint at my ZNet blog about my practicing "censorship" and "remov[ing] replies to other posts."

Just so that you know: I have no idea what this person is talking about. 

David Peterson
Chicago, USA

Interesting case of ongoing censorship in the blogosphere discussed here.

I don't what know what's happened on any other blogs; I occasionally take stuff off it's when too personal (personal attacks are just gone...not allowed), too stupid (a subjective judgement of course) or just obviously off topic and about trying to harass and divert from the point of the post and waste a bunch of time and energy. I'd say I've done this to less than 1 in 100 comments over the time I've had this blog.

I have the right to take things down and it's not a violation of free speech if I do. I would violate somebody's free speech if I stopped them from doing their own blog or posting on other sorts of boards or blogs or what have you.

I may be heavily critical of corporate media's role in narrowing speech and debate, but I don't think the Chicago Tribune or New York Times is legally or morally obligated to print all or really any of my op-ed or letter submissions (I've done three op-eds with the Trib, but am batting less than .150 with them and am hitless since June '03).

It's childish for anyone to think they are somehow entitled to sounding off however and however often they wish on somebody else's blog. There is no such entitlement.

Also, people should not expect to be taken seriously when they post as "Anonymous." Beyond the cowardice issue (which may however apply to other people who don't give their actual name and may also relate to legitimeate fears of identification...I've gotten some Anonymous comments from people with academic jobs who can't afford to have their names potentially attached to public and political comments in their highly thought-controlled professional environments), there's the practical problem that multiple people post that way and that over-complicates discussion.

So while there appears to be a couple of "Anonymous (not verified)" posts above and I'll leave them, from now on I'll just take down every "Anonymous" comment without regard to content. Won't even read them.

Now, if you can't work up at least a fake name (a real one would be better) because you're too lazy or inept to at least make up a cyber handle ("WhyIHateChomskySoMuch57" or "ZNetisTotalitarian" or something like that or for that matter "WhyILikeChomskySoMuch58" or "EdHermanRocks"), then your post probably won't stay up very long....it could stay up for a day or two or longer in some cases but generally it won't. If people want to get into trying to wear me out (I try to check the blog once a day) and just keep reposting they'll probably be able to do that but I can't imagine more than the worst trolls would want to take all that time.

So (a) you have to at least have a fake name and (b) I still have editorial discretion.

If people don't like that they can go get their own blog, which is easy enough to do.

Hey listen, I'm alll for social justice.  Unfortunately parecon or whatever convoluted economic system that is disguised as socialism along with tyrants such as Chomsky, Chavez, and Castro ain't going to provide it.  Pointing out flaws in their "philosphies" is exactly the discussion that needs to take place on this board. Unfortunately, it seems those in favor of censorship would rather wear rose colored glasses.

Paul, David, and others: as a reader of (and frequent commenter to) your Z-blog since you began it, I would like to say I see no reason why certain comments---those obviously meant to antagonize, obfuscate, or otherwise destroy this blog's value as a sharer of ideas on activism (and/or criticism)---should be permitted to take up Z's bandwidth. As a Z sustainer, I strongly recommend against allowing such comments to remain. We could better spend our time shooting each other in the feet. I'm writing this even hoping that the anonymous and inane comment above will be removed. Because of antagonistic and obfuscating comments, I for one have tended to minimize my disagreements with the main bloggers here, a form of semi-conscious self-censorship of which I am not proud, and which I think has done our movement to make this planet once again equitably inhabitable for all no good. When this blog becomes "a community of people committed to social change" and not a free-for-all for assholes opposed to social justice and, perhaps, life, we may really be able to get the ball rolling. We're desperately behind as it is. The time is now. Keir The Hague

Paul, this quote was placed on David Peterson's blog but it pertains to you as well.

 

Why the censorship? Why must you remove replies to other posts?

You are a dishonorable blogger and should not be allowed to have a voice here … that's assuming Z-Mag isn't a Ford Foundation set up!

Welcome. Very welcome indeed. I look forward very much to the new direction.

I've inserted the groups Keir linked into the main post. The problem link mentioned should be okay now. Many, probably most of the groups above provide a link or address to donate - they need money. Liberal and left people of means who know the bipartisan war on Iraq is criminal please send them something...it would be a much better investment than giving imperial Barack ($25 million) or imperial Hillary ($26 million) or imperial presidential candidate whoever $2300 to help them justify prolonging the occupation, which is what the Democrats' agenda amounts to at the end of the day. Yes victor (below)it's a paradigm shift on the blog at least - a rejection of radical redundancy and snipery and acknowledgement of the need for the sanity of engagement even via the Janus-faced tool that is the Internet.

I am reserving the blog from now on for positive, action-oriented material related to the forward advance of resistance, organization and activism....for democratic citizen action against Empire and Inequality at home and abroad.

I like it.

Well done Paul. At some other blog someone asked her readers if they thought US soldiers were being held "hostage" by the military leadership/Bush Admin. Most of the commenters said yes. I said: it's the soldiers with the guns and the tanks and the bombs and the planes. Whatever that may mean. Anyway, here's another related effort: peace-out.com (which also links to some of the organizations you list above). Somewhat related, at least in spreading the message, there's Citizen Soldier and Different Drummer, works of a friend of a friend. PS, the Veterans Against the Iraq War link above does not work. Keep it up. Keir The Hague