Open thread for night owls: Bill would force
website owners to remove anonymous comments

post from Daily Kos on 22 May 2012 11:30:04 PM. © Daily Kos

Open Thread for Night Owls At Threat Level, David Kravets reports:

Did you hear the one about the New York state lawmakers who forgot about the First Amendment in the name of combating cyberbullying and ?baseless political attacks??
Proposed legislation in both chambers would require New York-based websites, such as blogs and newspapers, to ?remove any comments posted on his or her website by an anonymous poster unless such anonymous poster agrees to attach his or her name to the post.?
No votes on the measures have been taken. But unless the First Amendment is repealed, they stand no chance of surviving any constitutional scrutiny even if they were approved.
Republican Assemblyman Jim Conte said the legislation would cut down on ?mean-spirited and baseless political attacks? and ?turns the spotlight on cyberbullies by forcing them to reveal their identity.?
Had the internet been around in the late 1700s, perhaps the anonymously written Federalist Papers would have to be taken down unless Alexander Hamilton, James Madison and John Jay revealed themselves.
?This statute would essentially destroy the ability to speak anonymously online on sites in New York,? said Kevin Bankston, a staff attorney with the Center for Democracy and Technology. He added that the legislation provides a ?heckler?s veto to anybody who disagrees with or doesn?t like what an anonymous poster said.?

Blast from the Past. At Daily Kos on this date in 2011:

Last week, the rhetoric of Cornel West created a small firestorm in some progressive circles, particularly among the more ardent supporters of President Obama. West is to the left of the left on the American political spectrum, and from an ideological standpoint it is no surprise that he would have plenty of problems with the Obama presidency. But West's rhetoric became personal, questioning the president's values on the basis of aspects of the president's background and upbringing. And West having leveled such criticism, some of the president's more ardent supporters responded in kind, attacking West personally, and even by making personal attacks on those who agree with some of West's criticism of the president.
It did not make for a productive dialogue, and while it degenerated as it progressed, it began with West's own words. West has valid and important things to say about the president's approach to policy and politics, but by personalizing it he guaranteed that many wouldn't hear what in that criticism was valid and important. West is not a psychiatrist or psychologist, and he has no great insights into the childhood and upbringing of a man with whom he has no intimate relationship, so his criticism in this case was highly inflammatory and completely lacking in intellectual credibility. Which was unfortunate, because it shut down any legitimate conversation before any such conversation could even begin.

Tweet of the Day:

Mitch Daniels on being veep: "If I thought that call was coming, I would disconnect the phone."
http://t.co/...
? @politicalwire via bitly

High Impact Posts. Top Comments.

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-owls-Bill-would-force-website-owners-to-remove-anonymous-comments-

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Open Thread

post from Crooks and Liars on 22 May 2012 11:30:04 PM. © Crooks and Liars

enlarge Credit: Blue Gal

Full Birther, Iowa GOP! Congratulations! [Orly Taitz and Reince Priebus in Green Acres.]

Open Thread Below....

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http://crooksandliars.com/bluegal-aka-fran/open-thread-311

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Tuesday Stuff

post from The Liberal Doomsayer on 22 May 2012 11:14:00 PM. © The Liberal Doomsayer

Nothing to see here, people, just a dead steel contractor ? move along (here...beyond belief; what country am I living in again? Any by the way, I also posted here.)...

...and here?s another tune without a video.

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http://liberaldoomsayer.blogspot.com/2012/05/tuesday-stuff_22.html

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Late Night: Ive Had the Gross Cold Thingy

post from Firedoglake on 22 May 2012 11:00:11 PM. © Firedoglake

This cartoon reminds me of how my aunt was hospitalized for "hiccups" after the rich boy in town dumped her.[...]

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http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/firedoglake/fdl/~3/VWx3CmGBNuA/

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End Times Metal

post from Jesus' General on 22 May 2012 11:00:06 PM. © Jesus' General

When I first saw this sign, I thought that maybe the 'ol watering hole was suffering the same toilet seat-transmitted wart affliction that brought down our annual Spartanfest in '03, '04, '05, '06, '07, '08, '09, '10, and '11.

But after looking up "Anus Disease" up on the intertubes, I learned it just an intriguing name for one of Pastor Mark Driscol's end times praise bands.

A big tip of the 'ol helmet to IF for the photo.

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http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogspot/daKDW/~3/1QrnmoJZqZQ/end-times-metal.html

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Daily Kos Elections Polling Wrap: A load of
national polls, plus numbers from underreported locales

post from Daily Kos on 22 May 2012 11:00:05 PM. © Daily Kos

If you had been waiting on pins and needles for the state of play in the pivotal Vermont gubernatorial election, or wondering which Democrat had the edge in the (legitimately) competitive open seat in NM-01, today was your day.

Amid other presidential polling (including three new national polls in addition to the daily trackers), the downballot races get a deserved glance today, as well.

On to the numbers:

PRESIDENTIAL GENERAL ELECTION TRIAL HEATS:

NATIONAL (ABC/Washington Post): Obama d. Romney (49-46)
NATIONAL (Gallup Tracking): Obama tied with Romney (46-46)
NATIONAL (NBC/WSJ): Obama d. Romney (47-43)
NATIONAL (PPP for Daily Kos/SEIU): Obama d. Romney (47-46)
NATIONAL (Rasmussen Tracking): Obama d. Romney (46-44)
NORTH CAROLINA (SurveyUSA): Romney d. Obama (45-44)
PENNSYLVANIA (PPP): Obama d. Romney (50-42)

DOWNBALLOT POLLING:

AZ-SEN (PPP): Jeff Flake (R) 48, Richard Carmona (D) 35; Wil Cardon (R) 40, Carmona 37
AZ-SEN--R (PPP): Jeff Flake 42, Wil Cardon 20
HI-SEN--D (Public Strategy Group for Case): Ed Case 46, Mazie Hirono 45
MA-SEN (Hartstad Research for the DSCC): Elizabeth Warren (D) 46, Sen. Scott Brown (R) 46
NJ-09--D (Garin-Hart-Yang for Pascrell): Steve Rothman 44, Bill Pascrell 43
NM-01--D (GQR for Lujan-Grisham): Eric Griego 35, Michelle Lujan-Grisham 35, Marty Chavez 23
NC-GOV (SurveyUSA): Pat McCrory (R) 44, Walter Dalton (D) 39, Barbara Howe (Lib) 7
VT-GOV (Castleton State College for WCAX-TV): Gov. Peter Shumlin (D) 60, Randy Brock (R) 27
WI-GOV (GQR for We Are Wisconsin): Gov. Scott Walker (R) 50, Tom Barrett (D) 47

A few thoughts, as always, await you just past the jump...

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olling-Wrap-A-load-of-national-polls-plus-numbers-from-underreported-locales

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C&L's Late Night Music Club with Joe Bonamassa

post from Crooks and Liars on 22 May 2012 11:00:00 PM. © Crooks and Liars

Title: Dislocated BoyArtist: Joe Bonamassa
video details and more

New Joe Bonamassa. Just released. I missed the show. drat. But, I'm goin to see Taj Mahal this Sunday. :D

Whatcha listening to this evening?

Driving Towards The Daylight [+digital booklet]

Price: $9.99 (As of 05/22/12 06:42 pm details)

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http://crooksandliars.com/mudshark/cls-late-night-music-club-joe-bonamassa

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Austerity Is Economic Suicide

Cross posted from The Stars Hollow GazetteThe economic crisis in Europe and the austerity response to it which has spread from Greece to other countries in Europe has dominated the news now for weeks. This past weekend the leaders of the G-8 met at Camp[...]

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http://www.docudharma.com/diary/29944/austerity-is-economic-suicide

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Four Endorsements A Liberal Could Be Comfortable
With For Harris County And Texas In 2012 Democratic Primary

Voting is ongoing in the Texas Democratic primary. Early voting runs through May 25. Primary Election Day is May 29. I have early voted here in Houston, Harris County. Above is a scene from outside my early voting location. Democracy is often a mess. Here are four races in which I feel compelled for various reasons [...]

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http://texasliberal.wordpress.com/2012/05/23/four-endorsements-a-liberal-could-be
-comfortable-with-for-harris-county-and-texas-in-2012-democratic-primary/

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Post-NATO Summit Roundup: Police Brutality,
Repression & More

The worldwide leaders that came to the city of Chicago for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) summit have left Chicago. Mayor Rahm Emanuel's moment of prestige and glory is over. Emanuel managed to pull off a summit with diplomats, heads of[...]

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http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/firedoglake/fdl/~3/t-LDnvpCxnQ/

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