This guy just doesn’t get it
Freedom, that is:
Kentucky Lawmaker Wants to Make Anonymous Internet Posting Illegal
Kentucky Representative Tim Couch filed a bill this week to make anonymous posting online illegal.
The bill would require anyone who contributes to a website to register their real name, address and e-mail address with that site.
Representative Couch says he filed the bill in hopes of cutting down on online bullying. He says that has especially been a problem in his Eastern Kentucky district.
Really? Bullies are a problem? Well boo f’n hoo. Pandering nannies from the state, thats a problem. And since I imagine that even in Kentucky a representative must have at least attended grade school he must have heard this:
The First Amendment states that the government “shall make no law . . . abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press.” U. S. Const., Amdt. 1.
The FIRST amendment, as in, the most important? Now, we’re all real sorry little Timmy got his feelings hurt because a bad person on the internetubes thingee said he was stupid or some such, and not to downplay the real tragedies that online aholes do cause, but the freedom of speech is more important than single cases. And the freedom to speak anonymously was the intent all along:
After reviewing the weight of the historical evidence, it seems that the Framers understood the First Amendment to protect an author’s right to express his thoughts on political candidates or issues in an anonymous fashion.
McIntyre v. Ohio Elections Commission Opinion (Concurrence, Justice Thomas)
Sorry, Rep. Couch, you just don’t get it.
March 10th, 2008 at 2:57 pm
why not just attach this crap to all the unconstitutional hate crimes legislation? After all, what’s the difference between anonymous humiliation and verbal displays of hatred?
March 11th, 2008 at 7:14 am
the difference? congress and other wealthy and powerful are allowed to do one, the rest of us not the other.