Interesting decision by a Gaston County Superior Court judge RE the privilege of a newspaper website NOT to cough up the identity or tracking info for an anonymous commenter on one of their news articles.
At the moment the confidentiality order seems to apply narrowly to print publications with a web presence, but the principle ought to apply generally across Right and Left Blogistan. Ought to.
We say that having been approached in the past by the SBI to give up info on certain anonymous posters to this site. In that instance, we had already deleted the comments as rank abuse and had no way to recover the IP addresses. Thank gawd.
Saturday, July 31, 2010
Judge Rules in Favor of Protecting Anonymity of Website Commenters
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
12 comments:
so what did the SBI want to know? was it something to do with your favorite congresswoman?
SATURDAY, JULY 31, 2010
More on Upcoming Sales Tax Referendum
A group called the Watauga County Citizens Opposed to the 2010 Sales Tax Increase Referendum Committee has put out a document called the Watauga County Commissioner’s Sales Tax Fact Sheet (Propaganda) Exposed. The paper is loaded with revelatory facts. However, it is too long for me to reproduce verbatim in a blog. Therefore, I decided to outline a number of their issues and then apologize to them for doing violence to an excellently researched work.
Outlined quotes from the document:
The Watauga County Boards of Commissioners have scheduled a local referendum seeking voter approval for an additional 1/4 cents sales tax because they are required to do it, not because they want to.
The County Commissioners have included information about the Parks and Recreation Master Plan on their fact sheet. This was done in hopes of leading us to believe that the sales tax increase and the recreational funding are one and the same. Nowhere on this ballot does it state anything about the Recreational Master Plan or how the funds are to be used. It is a simple up and down vote on the tax increase.
The County Commissioners claim the additional funding will be used for recreation and then they go on to aggrandize the recreational center and community center. However, the Commissioners don’t tell us how much these projects are going to cost. The operative words the Commissioners employ are “used for.” That does not mean that the sales tax increase will “pay for.” The County Commissioners are not even required to “use” the funds for recreation.
How can the County Commissioners claim that they are going to build a recreational center and/or a community center until they know how much it is going to cost and whether the Local Government Commission is even going to approve the loan?
Note that the County Commissioners did not resolve to hold a referendum on the loans that these facilities will require as part of their resolution. However, because of the tax resolution and other County propaganda claiming a connection between the sales tax referendum and recreational funding, the County Commissioners will use a vote for this referendum as your blessing when they come before the Local Government Commission asking for approval for the loans for these facilities. (Emphasis added by Blogger)
There is much more in this paper and I hope it will be published in full in one of the local papers.
Posted by Blogger at 12:25 PM
Labels: Watauga County Board of Commissioners, Watauga Sales Tax Referendum
2 comments:
guy faulkes said...
Where can one get a copy of this fact sheet in it's entity?
Plentiful recreation facilities is a worthy goal. Living within our means is an even more worthy one. Maybe these facilities should be created with private funding.
Thank you for a very important thread.
July 31, 2010 3:57 PM
Blogger said...
Guy. Where can one get a copy of this fact sheet in it's entity?
I am sorry, I don't know. It was handed out at the Republican monthly meeting by Deborah Greene. Every thing she writes is powerful and she has been asked by the editors of the paper to submit articles. Perhaps they will run it or maybe they already have.
July 31, 2010 5:12 PM
Post a Comment
Newer Post Older Post Home
Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)
funny http://www.wataugarepubs.blogspot.com/
Betcha it was all the bs about Mark Shook who was skewered by idiots on this site. I despise Republicans, but supported Mark 100% from the TOTALLY bogus allegations. I also support LD to the max. JW, keep it up. Wolfie (and all your blogging kin) keep on being idiots. Especially Mike D. Man, you're pathetic.
Did it have to do with the investigation that they did on Craig Dudley for threatening Bush?
Nonnymouse:
This is a copied and pasted thread from "A Watauga Conservative." Do you REALLY think we want to read any of the verbal diarrhea posted on that site? Guy Faux? REALLY?
And if you want to make a point, can't you speak for yourself? Could this NonnyMouse be someone we know without original thought?
Jack Mormon,
What is your definition of an idiot? My observations on the subject you discuss were carefully thought out, thoroughly explained, and they were my own, unique observations.
When describing another human being, 'careful', 'thorough', and 'unique' don't seem to support your labels "idiot" and "pathetic".
Have you been fuming this whole time? You never stepped forward to challenge me at the time. How about now? I remember exactly what my complaints were, and I am fully prepared to repeat them to you, individually and in great detail, and discuss my perspective with you on each individual point. My complaints had absolutely nothing to do with the "allegations" you mentioned.
You say "go", and I will oblige you, if you have the courage to stick around for the whole discussion. What do you say? ;)
when they here there on words they think um what am i thinking.most Republicans have common since.please
Bard, what is your problem with a legitimate question about a person that was investigated by the Secret Service for threatening a sitting president? Did you and Dudley have a conspiracy going to harm Bush?
I was wondering if information to help investigate this issue was what the SBI was after.
BikerBard,
Do not feed anonymous trolls, please.
Anonymous, pick a handle if you wish to have a discussion here, otherwise you are just another nameless sniper.
I did. The handle is Anonymous.
That's akin to, "My dog's name is 'Dog.'"
He IS a nameless sniper, Mike.
Definitely lacking creative abilities. But we already knew that. (This is SO easy!)
Post a Comment