Bullying by disclosure

washingtonpost. ^ | November 1, 2009 | George F. Will

[opentalk]

SEATTLE

Conservatives here, a droll minority, say that under this city's quota system, when a conservative enters the city, one already here is required to leave. They also say that Washington is actually two states: There is what you can see from atop this city's Space Needle -- meaning, this liberal city -- and there is everything else, extending to the Oregon, Idaho and Canadian borders.

On Tuesday, Washington residents will vote in a referendum that has national significance because of a controversy about disclosing the names and addresses of those who signed petitions to trigger the referendum. Disclosure threatens the right to privacy, which is under assault by a spreading movement -- call it thuggish liberalism -- that uses intimidation to suppress political participation.

The referendum is on a new state law that some say establishes same-sex marriage. This is a matter about which people differ. What is, however, unambiguously wrong is the attempt by some supporters of the law to force disclosure of the names and addresses of the 138,000 people who signed the petition bringing about the referendum. This can have no other purpose than to make it possible to harass those signers.

[Landru]

>ping<

Your neck of the woods, bub.
Comin' to a small coastal town near you soon, if they get away with it in Seattle y'know. ;^)

[Joann37]

Wow - just what they did in California, isn’t it? I believe a few people actually lost their jobs, once their position against gay marriage was disclosed.

And look at what those people of “tolerance” did to poor Miss California, when she stated her views!

[opentalk]

from the article:

..some Californians who gave financial support to last year's successful campaign for Proposition 8 ---- subsequently suffered significant harm. For example, the director of the Los Angeles Film Festival, who contributed $1,500, was forced to resign. So was the manager of a fashionable Los Angeles restaurant who contributed just $100.

Intimidation tactics to free speech.

[stubernx98]

What referendum is he talking about? 1033 limits tax increases inflation plus population growth. 71 is a domestic partners act, that allows gays and lesbo’s to get benefits like married folks do.

No other statewide issues on the ballot.

[Mr Ducklips]

"1033 limits tax increases inflation plus population growth."

That sentence is as clear as mud.

[doxteve]

What referendum is he talking about? 1033 limits tax increases inflation plus population growth. 71 is a domestic partners act, that allows gays and lesbo’s to get benefits like married folks do.”

Those in favor of domestic partners are the “gays (I prefer homos,) and lesbos.”

They are vicious scum who are very active in intimidation. This is what they mean to do to not only those opposing homo domestic partnerships, but anything else that’s traditional and decent.

[Enterprise]

I view it as others do, as an attempt to silence and harass the people who signed the petition. My suggestion is that the day the list is made public, that the people who signed, band together and hire some high powered lawyers and let anyone know who thinks that they are going to harass and intimidate that an army of private investigators and legal summons are going to descend on them. Fight these bastards, don’t run from them.

[rockrr]

By State statute and constitution it is part of a public record and therefore should be made available to the general public for legitimate scrutiny. That said, if they were to withhold release until after the vote on any initiative was completed it would become a moot point.

The only reason these people want access to the records is to use that information to harass and intimidate.

[stubernx98]

My assumption was that posters could add the necessary pronouns, adverbs, and adjectives to for various comments to make sense. So for the slow ones - add a “to” between “increases” and “inflation”/s

[lentulusgracchus]

[Article]
The referendum is on a new state law that some say establishes same-sex marriage. This is a matter about which people differ. What is, however, unambiguously wrong is the attempt by some supporters of the law to force disclosure of the names and addresses of the 138,000 people who signed the petition bringing about the referendum. This can have no other purpose than to make it possible to harass those signers.

Mapping the networks .... what could be wrong with that? Speaking of harassment, could anyone give me a link to the WaPo editorials condemning the gay Mau-Mau's out on the coast who went after Laura Schlessinger and the Prop 8 supporters?

Could we see that editorial, please? ..... How about the one condemning the Alaska "ankle-biter" bloggers who were going after Sarah Palin and putting her personal business on the street and lying about her? ..... Hmmm, didn't think so.

[lentulusgracchus]

[George Will]

The referendum is on a new state law that some say establishes same-sex marriage. This is a matter about which people differ.

George, your set-up is clear as mud. Is the referendum proposing the new state law, or does it repeal a law previously passed?

"The referendum is on ....." does nothing to clarify what the referendum actually proposes.

[Don W]

Washington ping