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Jul
11
Local Gov’t Officials Censoring Newspaper’s Forum?
Filed Under Democratic Party, Hammond Indiana, Lake County, Northwest Indiana Times, corruption, life online | 9 Comments
The Northwest Indiana Times calls on a local Democratic party mayor to stop censoring its message boards after it discovered IP addresses leading back to Hammond, Indiana’s government.
Supporters of Hammond Mayor Thomas McDermott Jr. who have been interfering with public discourse on Hammond issues need to be reined in. And the one to reel them is the mayor himself.
Unfettered public dialogue on the issues is one of the founding principles of democracy. It’s important enough that the Founding Fathers put it in the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
And yet that public discourse has been under attack in Northwest Indiana. Comments unfavorable toward McDermott have been under attack on The Times message boards.
It’s a sad day in America when a newspaper has to ask a government official — a Democratic mayor — to tell workers using government computers stop censoring items on its website.
It’s another piece of evidence that shows why it is always important to not give government officials unlimited control over our lives and our businesses because they can use their control of these things to limit our freedom and liberties. When the government feeds and takes care of people, it can also withhold those same necessities to those it does not like. If the government is so afraid of dissent it is willing to censor its opponents, what else is it willing to do to its opposition? Unfortunately, world history is replete with examples of the horrors that power-drunk governments commit on their citizens.
In the heart of anyone in a power position in government, there is the potential to become ultimately corrupt like King George III, Stalin, Pol Pot or Robert Mugabe. We’re seeing this evil tendency at work right at home when government officials censor the Northwest Indiana Times’ message board in an effort to silence the opposition.
It’s just another reason why the northern part of the county continues to lose population and businesses. Why put up with corruption, waste and now censorship when there are better places to live and work?
Mar
21
Obama Supporters To Flood NWI Times Forum
Filed Under Barack Obama, Northwest Indiana Times | 6 Comments
Barack Obama’s campaign site is encouraging Barack Obama supporters to flood the NWI Times Forum.
Barack and the truth have been taking a beating in an online discussion forum run by the The Times in Northwest Indiana. There are not a lot of posters right now, but the discussion forum is widely read by those who view the online version of the Times.
I think it would be beneficial if we could flood this discussion forum with positive posts about Obama from now until the primary. People need to know that the smears directed toward Barack are not true, and also need to be educated on the reasons that Obama is the right choice.
The “Nation and World” Forum gets the most traffic. Here is the url…
If I was advising the campaign, I’d tell them to take a look at the top posters on the Northwest Indiana Times’ forum and decide if it was worth spending any time over there trying to convince them of anything. I suspect the folks stuck in the forum — posting all day and all night — have little better to do than fight and flame each other.
It’s probably a waste of time. Barack Obama’s supporters would do better to spend their time talking up their candidate in a local blog and other social media — as well as with friends, family members, and door-to-door canvassing.
Here’s a good idea posted on the Barack Obama website:
I want you to go up to someone that you know, who is not of your race and tell them “you are my brother/sister.” Let’s show our unity and love for one another. Senator Obama wants unity for this country, so let’s show that we want the same thing.
If Barack Obama’s supporters set up a local blog (or are already publishing one), feel free to let me know and I’ll post a link on the blogroll over at NWIblogs.com.
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