Rush disses anonymity

[Robert Hettinga <rah@shipwright.com>]

I'm sitting here listening to Rush, and he's talking about Pierre
Salanger's recent "discovery" ;-) of the anonymously posted friendly-fire
TWA800 internet message of a few months back.

In the process of discounting the story, and praising FBI pal Kalstrom, he
bemoans the anonymity of the net, calling it a "nest of kooks", (mixed in
with all the other "right thinking people", of course...).

Given this, and, of course, our own fun and games with anonymous, er,
slander, on this list, I'm frequently tempted to agree with him. After all,
if someone says something wrong about you, how do find them and punish
them? How do you know what the truth is, unless you know who said it?
(What? An appeal to authority? Moi? I'm *shocked* you would assert such a
thing...)

Until, of course, I remember that anonymity is unpreventable, and, frankly,
economically necessary for true internet commerce.

Remember what agrarianism did to try to stop industrialism (up to, and
including, socialism <he said, trolling for leftists>), and expect the
worst, folks.


Cheers,
Bob Hettinga

-----------------
Robert Hettinga (rah@shipwright.com)
e$, 44 Farquhar Street, Boston, MA 02131 USA
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