We’ve been over the pro’s and con’s of allowing anonymity on blogs. On LiL. we ask that you pick a handle and stick with it. This allows the forum to become familiar with your “voice” and perspective on things.
That said, I think we should talk about what Warren Shaw is up to.
I’m not clear on how a political pundit, that takes several degrees of latitude within the rights affforded him and his guests, can come to the point where a libel lawsuit is justifiable. Admittedly, I have heard that Dracut After Dark was a hienous site. I think I went looking once, but don’t remember if I was shocked. Which means I probably wasn’t. That said, it’s Dracut; so I don’t bother much. I read Shawn Ashe, on occassion, to see how Dracut is digesting what happens here in Lowell or maybe a take on events over at GLTHS.
Ultimately, from all that I can gather, we are better off without DAD, So, in a sense, Shaw is doing the blogging world a favor by policing the internet, via a lawsuit.
Policing the internet???
(bold mine)
Dracut lawyer Roland Milliard, representing Shaw, said given that Zabierek has taken the site down, he did not file the lawsuit yesterday. Instead, Shaw directed him to send a letter to Zabierek giving him until Monday at 5 p.m. to comply with Shaw’s demands or show that he is making a good- faith effort to comply.
The demands include:
* Removing all postings about Shaw, his family, business, likeness or voice from any other websites.
* Providing the IP (Internet protocol) addresses of those who posted on the site, cross-referenced with their postings.
* Providing Shaw with a cash settlement, the amount of which Milliard declined to divulge.
If Zabierek complies with the demands, the lawsuit will not be filed. If he fails to, it will be filed Tuesday morning in Middlesex Superior Court, Milliard said.
“People need to know who was involved in this,” Shaw said of requesting the IP addresses. “I suspect some people in Dracut politics are involved.”
Ya, I’m cringing.
Frequently, I moderate comments that bother me. I allow them, but I click ‘Approve’ thinking it is crap. I figure that most others will recognize that it is crap, so allowing it is more of a disservice to the author, than to LiL. Unfortunately, the shitheads that blog this crap, then change their handle to something else. So, we have to start over and figure out that they contribute nothing a value.
On balance, we have a good bunch of eggs pitching in. I don’t always agree, but they are trying to move the ball. I like that. Trying is good. Even the FUD mongers, boo birds and Bernie Bashers that gunk up the discourse are helpful. They reveal the shallow talking points that echo in their circles. How else would we hear them, if not for the light of this blog. I don’t buy The Sun. Do you?
What troubles me about Shaw’s demand regarding IP’s is that it is to broad. He wants every and all comments matched up? That is overreaching, imho. Imagine if some commentor comes on LiL and says, “I want to kill the King of Siam.” Then I, thinking it is a metaphor and not knowing there is a anti-Siam terror cell in the area, post it. Then the FBI and Interpol come knocking on LiL’s door with a warrant.
Would a judge likely limit their intrusion to a reasonable proximity to that one threatening comment or would they fling the site wide open, matching everyone to everything that was ever posted here? I’m no lawyer, but I think the warrant limits the search. Searches for a stolen car can’t venture into your sock draw.
What happens if Zabierek rolls over? Is there a judge involved? Who controls the list matching IP’s to people? Can Shaw take that list to the studio on Saturday and cherry pick what names he reads from it? Certainly, the list will reveal Shaw’s political enemies, but what if his buddies are stabbing him in the back, anonymously?
Punishing Zabierek is appropriate, based on what I have heard. Maybe even punishing a few horendous commentors, too. But, should Warren Shaw, a man with his own objectives, be given the authority and responsibility to have such a list?
Maybe the lesson here is that you blog at your own risk. I see some of you take great care to disguise yourself, especially the Bernie Bashers. The worst of you are subject to some pushback, just to check your venom or immaturity. When you betray the “social compact”of this forum, justice should be dispensed. Blog justice, though, in accordance with the “industry standard.” We operate LiL within the “industry standard,” unlike DAD, so things should go on, as they have.
But who knows. If Shaw’s action sets a stifling template for others to follow, you may have to go back to The Sun and WCAP to know what’s going on around town.
