The Courage of One's Convictions & Anonymity...

So much for only the one post in February!

I recently received an email from a dear friend and the unrelenting anonymous cyberbullying and cyberstalking that she is encountering on an hourly basis twenty-four hours per day. Why is this happening? For no other reason than holding an opinion different to those of the cyberbullies and being willing to share it with a view to ensuring that people are not only well-informed but to ensure that they are properly informed too.

The reality is that I cannot go into a whole lot of detail as the matter is subject to some real sensitive information. But, in a general sense I can get into the detail. In its most simple form, this is a case of one person blogging, social networking, and working under her real name and a host of pseudonyms and other anonymous posters attacking her on every front. In fact, it really is cyberstalking, wherever she goes these individuals are sure to follow.

And, this is the point of the title of this post. My personal opinion is that if you have the courage of your convictions and you truly and honestly believe in what you are standing for then you should feel the need for this to happen under your real name. If the pen-person-ship is ours then claim it as so.

The belief that you can remain anonymous and untrackable is a fallacy, particularly when you are making outlandish and absurd claims about government to government conspiracies, double-agents, and the sacrifice of insignificant individuals (in the sense that they are so unimportant in the big scheme of things that they warrant being thrust front and centre in this global conspiracy) to the alter of global politics.

Let's face it, when push comes to shove, governments have a lot of time and money to throw at uncovering who the anonymous and pseudonym-covered posters are. Unfortunately, the perfect laws are not in place in Australia to deter cyberstalkers and cyberbullies, but we will get there. Nevertheless, the reality is that defaming someone is defaming them and there are laws in place that can be used to see that it stops and that the perpetrators make their reparations to those that they injure.

I blog under my own name not because I want to be some sort of hero or because I want to throw caution to the wind and hell be damned, rather I blog under my own name because I believe in the things, the ideas, the views, and the issues that I talk about. I have the courage of my convictions and people don't doubt my passions or my beliefs (well, not all that often there are always cynics out there somewhere). If I have something to say about someone then I say it. It is that simple.

I am not going to spend 100s or 1000s of hours in compiling data to release a "Confidential - Not for Publication" report under a pseudonym and then publish it as widely as possible. Clearly, the report is neither confidential or not for publication, rather it is for public viewing and dissemination.

The truth is that if I believe in what I have researched and what is contained in the report is fact and beyond reproach then why not put my name to it. To suggest that the state will enter into a conspiracy with other states to silence me is delusional paranoia. Some more truth is that where the report attacks and defames an individual then there hardly seems the need for the paranoia. It is not as if the report is about the Head of State, is it?

To be clear, I do not have a problem with anonymous blogging or writing or doing these things under a pen name or the like. I do have a problem if one is trying to use anonymity and pseudonyms as a cover to attack, bully and harass people because they have a different view to your own.

What it the point of the post. Well, how can we expect to educate our children on the stupidity, silliness, inappropriateness, and danger of cyberstalking and cyberbullying when adults themselves cannot behave in appropriate ways and show good character? How do we expect to help our children develop honesty and integrity in an ever-increasing technological worlds when the role-models they see cannot do it for themselves.

It is time to leave the naivety behind as it relates to the dangers of cyberbullying and cyberstalking and start being truthful to ourselves and those that we care about.

Cyberbullying and cyberstalking is not on at any time, it is not welcome at any time, and it will never be a solution ever!

Those of you out there engaging in this atrocious behaviour, get over yourselves, get a life, and get on with living your own and leave the rest of us to do the things that need to be done. The stuff being written, spoken, shown and disseminated anonymously is nothing more than cowardice with a capital "C".

This 'information', in the weakest sense of the word, is being disseminated anonymously as the perpetrators are more worried about the "truth" of their allegations and the veracity of their allegations that they feel safer hiding behind the veil of anonymity. But rest assured it will not be long till that veil becomes sheer and your true identities will be uncovered, or unveiled perhaps.

Sweet dreams...

Thus endeth the sermon!

Blog Housekeeping...

Dear All...

I have enabled comment moderation.

It seems that I have attracted some unwarranted attention and one particular thread has become a platform for defaming and slandering a number of individuals who do not voice an opinion that is in agreement with their views.

These commenters have opted to post anonymously or under pen names, but have so far failed to show the courage of their convictions and post under their real names. So, if you want your comment to be published use your name, or provide me with a reason why I should let you post under a pen name. That said, any tame comments posted by anonymous posters might make the grade provided they do not defame. If you post anonymously, then you take your chances with my discretion.

I feel that I have little choice but to enable comment moderation and prevent defamatory and slanderous comments from making their way into the public domain.

If you want to know what I am talking about then feel free to ask me and I will direct you to the relevant post and comments.

Bakrie Brings Out the Lawyers

It seems that Tempo Magazine has got under the skin of the Coordinating Minister of Bakrie Welfare (AKA People's Welfare) with a few special reports that it has done on the financial woes of the Bakrie Group. These woes do not seem to be getting any better if the press conference of yesterday is anything to go by. This press conference ended with a call for the attendees to pray for a successful outcome. The reality is that the Group is manoeuvring to put itself in a position to obtain alternative financing and / or to ensure that it does not lose majority control of Bumi Resources.

Bakrie had his lawyers send a letter demanding that Tempo give the Coordinating Minister of Imploding Welfare the right to respond or if Tempo was unwilling to grant a right to respond then they should just print a retraction and an apology. Generally, when the attack dogs (AKA lawyers) come into the frame it means that things are getting a little too hot and hitting a little too close to home.

There is a threat of criminal action which is kind of interesting as this would suggest that Bakrie is prepared to go to court and have Tempo prove the truth of their claims. According to the Bakrie lawyers the claims to date are untrue, false, slanderous, and damaging. I would have thought defaming would have been in the mix as well.

It seems that Bakrie's biggest beef with the articles in Tempo is the alleged campaign donation Bakrie made to Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and Jusuf Kalla during the 2004 election campaign. The implication is that this secured his cabinet post. I am not sure that Kalla needed the funds as he is a pretty wealthy fella in his own right.

Bakrie's other beef is with a 17 November cover of Tempo that depicts a forehead with 666 on it. The lawyers for Bakrie feel that the forehead belongs to their client and the suggestion that he is the devil is unfair. For this perceived slight the lawyers for Bakrie are demanding that the magazine run an apology in seven consecutive editions. If they refuse then the lawyers have suggested that they will file both a civil and criminal complaint.

Let the fun and games begin.