When we were building this website’s blogroll, we wanted to include every regularly updated political blog in Missouri, regardless of political persuasion. As we recently wrote a reader who was concerned about the Council of Conservative Citizens being on our blogroll, we agonized over that decision but decided to include them.
Our purpose for a blogroll was not to bring traffic to our site through links – as one misguided and self described “internet expert” believed – it was simply to demonstrate that there are more Missouri political blogs out there than the newspaper blogs and a cheap, cut and past, Drudge Report knockoff.
We have received many emails from obscure bloggers who appreciate seeing their work displayed for a wider audience. They’ve complained to us in their emails about the elite newspaper bloggers who won’t credit their work – when it’s obvious they’ve stolen stories from them. Or, instances of their work not getting mentioned at all by the elites, because of their anonymity or because they haven’t kissed their rings or prostrated themselves like other so called “bloggers.” The Missouri Political News Service is happy to fill this needed niche. And if bloggers reciprocate and put us on their blogrolls or mention a few of our stories that increases our traffic, then it’s all the better for everybody.
Now, enough with editorializing, let’s talk about our headline and the story at hand. The Council of Conservative Citizens sued three suburban St. Louis libraries’ recently because of the libraries’ decision to block the CofCC’s website. The Libraries felt the site contained hate speech. (It comes pretty close..but should that be a crime?) Below is what CofCC President and founder Gordon Baum wrote on their website:
“Following preliminary Court proceedings, the three libraries sued entered into a consent judgment with the CofCC, agreeing to remove the CofCC from the list of web sites blocked as “hate Speech” and allow unlimited access to the CofCC from the Libraries’ public access internet terminals. The Libraries also agreed to pay $15,000 in costs, attorney fees and damages.”
The Internet is a wonderful medium that gives everyone with an opinion a voice, regardless of how repugnant that voice is. Do we agree with the Council of Conservative Citizens views? Hell no! But the libraries realized they’d be spending a great deal of taxpayers money on a case they’d eventually lose. Free speech wins again!
0 responses so far ↓
1 Denny Long // Jun 20, 2007 at 11:34 am
I agree that even racists deserve free speech. However, just because an individual wishes to show ethnic pride, albeit Caucasian, does not necessarily mean that they are racist. Just because someone with a Southeren heritage wishes to preserve their history, i.e. the Confederate flag, does not mean they are racist. Just because someone has utter disgust for racial opportunists like Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton, does not necessarily mean they are racist.
All to often in this land of the free, minority groups such as Blacks and Hispanics are allowed to hold marches and deliver their message with impunity. However, let a Caucasion group do it and they are branded as racist! Black rappers can freely denigrate their women, but let a caucasian do it and he is a racist. If you want respect, you must first respect yourself.
2 St. Louis CofCC Blogmeister // Jun 20, 2007 at 2:54 pm
I’m not concerned that the St. Louis CofCC Blog is on your blogroll. In fact, I’m happy about it, and now that we know, we will reciprocate.
3 Mark Esping // Jun 30, 2007 at 8:57 am
“we agonized over that decision but decided to include them.” Although I commend you for making such an admission, the statement indicates a first step away from the basic concept, the orginal foundation of American democracy. I am sure my sixth grade teacher rolled over in her grave.
We all have such anti democratic anti free speech thoughts from time to time, but you must realize that if you truely agonized over whether to include a speaker or not you have moved beyond the occassional stray thought. Welcome back from the edge of hell.
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