{"article":{"id":102120,"heading":"Censorship and the Stifling of Free Debate at LA IMC","author":"Garaj Dohr","created":"2004-02-02 14:10:22","modified":"2004-02-10 19:49:13","last_modified":"Wed, 11 Feb 2004 02:49:13","article":"<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC \"-\/\/W3C\/\/DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional\/\/EN\" \"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/TR\/REC-html40\/loose.dtd\">\n<html><body><p>The good news is that the Commentary link is working again. You can't have free discussion and debate if you suppress commentary. <br><br> The excuse that a few trolls are ruining the forum is a very very weak justification for censorship and suppression of debate. If you can't stand toe to toe with the trolls then must you run and hide? <br><br> The bad news is that the LA IMC censors are continuing to be a bit too heavy handed with hidden posts.  This tends to suppress debate on some of the more interesting threads. <br><br> (To view the hidden posts go to <a href=\"http:\/\/la.indymedia.org\/\">http:\/\/la.indymedia.org\/<\/a> and scroll down to the very bottom of the page. The link is in the extreme lower right hand corner. They appear to have tried to make it as inconspicuous as possible). <br><br> It beats me why they would hide this thread by mymicz? In the lead artcile mymicz raises some interesting points for debate. Why suppress mymicz? <br>  <br> <a href=\"http:\/\/la.indymedia.org\/news\/2004\/01\/101693.php\">http:\/\/la.indymedia.org\/news\/2004\/01\/101693.php<\/a> <br><br> And here is a hidden thread that has a pretty interesting title: <br>  <br> LA Indy Peanut Gallery, a War of Words more rational 2004-01-20 3:04 AM <br>  <br> There's only so much hostility I can handle in one night, especially if it's not my own hostility being sprayed onto this site. Read on and meet the peanut gallery of LA Indymedia. (text\/plain + 11 comments) <br>  <br> Clicking on this one brings up a blank screen. I guess simply hiding this one wasn't sufficient for our censors. Inability to take criticism by hiding or deleting such posts is a black mark on LA IMC admins. <br><br> Will the thread I'm starting here be hidden or deleted too? I would think it would based on what I'm seeing here. <br><br> Garaj <br><br> <\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","contact":"","link":"","address":"","phone":"","parent_id":0,"mime_type":"text\/plain","summary":"I checked in here to see how things are going. There is some good news and some bad news.","numcomment":11,"fileurl":"\/uploads\/","filesize":null,"article_url":"\/news\/2004\/02\/102120.php"},"attachments":[],"comments":[{"id":102122,"heading":"I support LA IndyMedia's stand.","article":"The &quot;trolls&quot; are not trolls.  They are paid FBI harassers and LA IndyMedia should do all it can to make their activities more difficult.  LA IndyMedia's changes have made it a better newswire.  I oppose any changes that would lend a hand to trolls.","author":"Anarchist","parent_id":102120,"mime_type":"text\/plain","created":"2004-02-02 15:12:17","modified":"2004-02-02 15:12:17","fileurl":""},{"id":102132,"heading":"fresca","article":"&quot;The &quot;trolls&quot; are not trolls. They are paid FBI harassers&quot;\r\n\r\nThis is EXACTLY the sort of ninth grade paranoia and self importance that makes all you fools such rich targets for our entertainment.","author":"fresca","parent_id":102120,"mime_type":"text\/plain","created":"2004-02-02 16:14:29","modified":"2004-03-09 22:02:00","fileurl":""},{"id":102134,"heading":"Bad people make bad jokes","article":"What a joke.\r\n\r\nThe very forces that want to increase censorship in America and throw us back into some nightmare of feudalism are providing commentary on censorship...\r\n\r\ni guess this is just another pearl of wisdom from the conservative movement...another attempt to rewrite history.\r\n\r\n","author":"Parmenides","parent_id":102120,"mime_type":"text\/plain","created":"2004-02-02 17:04:58","modified":"2004-02-02 17:04:58","fileurl":""},{"id":102145,"heading":"to Bush Admirer\/Garaj Dohr","article":"give it up.\r\nYou're embarrassing me again.\r\nOriginality isn't your long suit, is it?","author":"Sheepdog","parent_id":102120,"mime_type":"text\/plain","created":"2004-02-02 22:03:06","modified":"2004-02-02 22:03:06","fileurl":""},{"id":102160,"heading":"Psychologically disturbed posters","article":"I made a serious post above. The responses thus far have been less than adequate.\r\n\r\nAnarchist thinks anyone who disagrees with his is a paid FBI employee (that's rich!).\r\n\r\nParmenides is in denial of the facts as stated in my initial post.\r\n\r\nSheepdog is in a fog (nothing new).\r\n\r\nExactly has his head screwed on correctly and is sober. The only intelligent response thus far.","author":"Garaj Dohr","parent_id":102120,"mime_type":"text\/plain","created":"2004-02-03 00:53:09","modified":"2004-02-03 00:53:09","fileurl":""},{"id":102162,"heading":"that was fresca, you idiot","article":"Monkeyboy, you are not your usual sharp as a spoon self this evening.  ","author":"Sheepdog","parent_id":102120,"mime_type":"text\/plain","created":"2004-02-03 01:00:17","modified":"2004-02-03 01:00:17","fileurl":""},{"id":102165,"heading":"cops on the newswire","article":"It's possible.  The police have created infighting before, and they certainly will again.\r\n\r\nI suspect this website isn't quite important enough for them.  Besides, if they do drive all the progressives away, how will they keep track of them so easily?","author":"johnk","parent_id":102120,"mime_type":"text\/plain","created":"2004-02-03 01:13:51","modified":"2004-02-03 01:13:51","fileurl":""},{"id":102357,"heading":"Garaj Dohr","article":"&quot;Psychologically disturbed posters&quot;\r\n\r\nWhere did you get your degree in psychology? \r\n\r\nOut of a Cracker Jack box?\r\n","author":"Dan III","parent_id":102120,"mime_type":"text\/plain","created":"2004-02-05 16:19:15","modified":"2004-02-05 16:19:15","fileurl":""},{"id":102393,"heading":"Thankyou Sheepdog","article":"Thanks for equating me to Garaj Dohr Sheepdog. \r\n\r\nI can see from the lead article in this thread that Garaj is a very sharp guy (or gal). Thanks for the complement.\r\n\r\nGaraj is certainly correct about the censorship here at IMC LA. However, Garaj is not banned. He\/she has complete and free access to LA IMC.\r\n\r\nMy regular IP account still gets this message whenever i attempt to connect:\r\n___\r\nForbidden\r\n You don't have permission to access \/comment_latest.php on this server.\r\n\r\nRed Hat Secure\/3.0 Server at la.indymedia.org Port 80\r\n___\r\n\r\nTherefore I must use anon proxies to connect. It's a minor bother but not a biggie. \r\n\r\nI continue to fight the fight because all of you need to be reminded about the great job our President is doing in the war on terror.\r\n\r\nWe have thrown out terrorist supporting governments in Afghanistan and Iraq. That's major progress. We've got Al Queda's leader hiding in caves (tha't where he belongs). We've upgraded the White House beyond measurement. \r\n\r\nThis President gets things done. He's not a pushover who puts his tail between his legs and retreats and the first sight of blood (can you say Somalia?).","author":"BushAdmirer177","parent_id":102120,"mime_type":"text\/plain","created":"2004-02-06 03:51:29","modified":"2004-02-06 03:51:29","fileurl":""},{"id":102410,"heading":"what an idiot","article":"you're way too dim to realize that neither one of you in your alternate handles are very bright.\r\nBush Admirer by any other name is a numbskull.\r\nBut don't let me stop you.","author":"Sheepdog","parent_id":102120,"mime_type":"text\/plain","created":"2004-02-06 15:31:17","modified":"2004-02-06 15:31:17","fileurl":""},{"id":102694,"heading":"OneEyedMan","article":"BushBlower: &quot;I continue to fight the fight &quot;\r\n\r\n...now THAT is funny!  I can see him now....orange stains on his clenched teeth...cheeto crumbs on the keyboard...continuing to fight the fight...\r\n\r\nHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA","author":"KPC","parent_id":102120,"mime_type":"text\/plain","created":"2004-02-10 19:49:13","modified":"2004-02-10 19:49:13","fileurl":""}]}