Saxby Chambliss, the Internet and nameless speech
It is painful to admit, because no one likes to trash his own neighborhood.
But when it comes to political discussion, there are times when you have to wonder whether the Internet has become the world’s largest bathroom stall.
At 2:39 p.m. on an otherwise quiet Tuesday last week, Republicans in the Senate turned away an attempt to permit homosexuals to serve openly in the U.S. military.
U.S. Sen. Saxby Chambliss/AP
Forty-six minutes and 50 seconds later, on a blog dedicated to gay and lesbian issues and bearing the odd name of “Joe.My.God,” an untoward comment popped up in the middle of a discussion of the vote on “don’t ask, don’t tell.”
“All [gays] must die,” wrote the author who called himself “Jimmy.”
The deleted word was a common vulgarity not permitted in most newspapers, but neither the word nor the sentiment was unusual. We have some very angry people sitting at keyboards. Joe Jervis, the New Yorker behind the blog, says he gets dozens of that kind every day.
So Jervis says he can’t explain why he decided to look up the digitized fingerprint left by Jimmy and that particular message. But look it up he did.
The Internet Protocol address, a series of numbers assigned to all devices that link to the Web, indicated that the computer Jimmy used was registered to the U.S. Senate.
Jervis loosed his readers on a kind of treasure hunt. Cross-referencing the IP address with global positioning coordinates, Jervis and his friends linked the offending computer to “the neighborhood” of U.S. Sen. Saxby Chambliss’ office, perhaps in Atlanta — but not necessarily.
Though Chambliss can’t be called a friend to gays when it comes to open military service or marriage, he handled the threatening slur with the appropriate degree of urgency.
“This office has not and will not tolerate any activity of the sort alleged,” a Chambliss spokeswoman declared within hours. The next day, Georgia’s senior senator confirmed that the slur originated within his office — and handed the matter over to the Senate sergeant-at-arms, a fellow named Terrance Gainer.
Aside from his duties as the chamber’s official doorkeeper, Gainer is the Senate’s top administrator. And chief law enforcement officer.
What no one is saying is that, by handing the investigation over to the sergeant-at-arms, Chambliss has tacitly admitted that Jimmy probably isn’t some empty-headed intern who can be silently packed off to his red-faced parents.
Jimmy is very likely an empty-headed, full-blown adult who is on Chambliss’ payroll or otherwise under the supervision of the U.S. senator. A person with responsibility.
Through the Internet, we have created a generation of young Americans who equate political speech with anonymity. I say that with the understanding that the Political Insider — and countless other blogs — accept nameless comments online.
Is anonymous speech protected? Of course. Does it have a firm place in American history? Yes. But even Thomas Jefferson was embarrassed when he was caught out.
One of the more discouraging moments in free speech occurred earlier this year, when a young YouTube videographer approached U.S. Rep. Bob Etheridge, D-N.C., on a Washington sidewalk to ask the congressman whether he supported President Barack Obama’s agenda. It was a fair question — but it was unfairly posed in anonymity.
“Who are you? Who are you? Who are you?” Etheridge demanded before — very wrongly — accosting the young fellow. But a part of me understood Etheridge’s frustration. We were both raised to believe that an honest man put his own name behind his words.
One of the better moments in free speech occurred last year when thousands of Americans turned out to argue about health care reform at town hall meetings across the country. Messages with faces and names behind them will always mean more than anonymous shots in the dark.
Albert L. May, an associate professor of journalism and public affairs at George Washington University, says concerns that the Internet will become a black hole of political libel are overblown. Mine included.
“The new media is more transparent than most people know,” May said. Internet anonymity is shrinking, not growing. Consider Facebook, he said, which has become the largest village on the Internet because it demands accountability from “friends.”
Corrosive speech on the Internet won’t disappear — but it will become more limited as the Jimmys of the world realize that the anonymity of the computer screen is an illusion, May said. Those darned IP addresses.
You can help speed things along. The next time you have the opportunity, resist the temptation to hide. Put your own name behind your own thought.
Personal responsibility can be quite liberating. Try it.
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153 comments Add your comment
td
September 25th, 2010
7:07 pm
Jamie Roberts, And we the people of the state of Georgia, have the ultimate say on what the consequences should be for the actions.
Goobers
September 25th, 2010
7:11 pm
Well, td, if i was your slave you could use Biblical guidance (see Exodus in case you have forgotten where to find it) you would know exactly how hard to beat me for offending you. Here is a hint: as long as i do not die for a day or two you will not be punished. Unless i was your sex slave (again see Exodus 21). But Leviticus commands Christians to kill homosexuals, so if you are a Christian you of course are following Biblical mandates to rid the earth of this scourge of homosexuality.
Jamie Roberts
September 25th, 2010
7:14 pm
Goobers, many Baptists feel that the Old Testament is a set of aspirational statements, but that it is the Gospel that matters the most, as those are the words of Jesus and subsequent Apostles of his church.
Brad
September 25th, 2010
7:16 pm
You asked the question, Hell.
Brad
September 25th, 2010
7:18 pm
Jamie, this is not your blog. Why don’t you, TD and Goobers meet for coffee and continue your conversation without interruption.
Brad
September 25th, 2010
7:18 pm
Jamie, this is not your blog. Why don’t you, TD and Goobers meet for coffee and continue your conversation without interruption.
td
September 25th, 2010
7:21 pm
Goobers: Jesus Christ came to full fill the law of the old testament and gave us gentiles the path to salvation through him and we only have to accept as our personal savior to get our names written into the lambs book of life. Evidently, you slept in a few Sunday school classes.
Jamie Roberts
September 25th, 2010
7:25 pm
Brad, why don’t you take your smug condescension and shove it where the sun don’t shine. I will not be silent about the seriousness of this situation, and I will not tolerate you trying to change the subject and dismissing my concerns out of hand.
Goobers
September 25th, 2010
7:26 pm
Jamie, there is greater cause for concern for anyone who is out of the mainstream, as lights go out across the US and are replaced (if at all) by dim bulbs (Bush and Perdue) and total frauds (Obama). Those at the top are concerned only about themselves, and will abandon all others to fend for themselves in the coming dark night. They actually encourage the masses to focus on false issues, to keep them distracted while their futures are greatly diminished. The Bible is a great tool for this.
Jamie Roberts
September 25th, 2010
7:26 pm
A staffer in Saxby Chambliss’s office just wished death on Georgia citizens and I will not be silent.
Jamie Roberts
September 25th, 2010
7:28 pm
If words have no meaning, then our whole edifice of laws have no meaning as they are merely words.
Brad
September 25th, 2010
7:30 pm
Holy cow, Jamie, chill out! I did not dismiss your concerns, and made no attempt to change the subject. You’re the one you smugly told me not to “interrupt”.
Jamie Roberts
September 25th, 2010
7:33 pm
Brad, I was not being smug and you are not on topic.
Jamie Roberts
September 25th, 2010
7:35 pm
Brad, do you believe, as a staffer of Saxby Chambliss’s office does, that “all f*****s should die”? Or do you think Saxby should denounce this immediately and emphatically?
td
September 25th, 2010
7:38 pm
Jamie Roberts
September 25th, 2010
7:28 pm
If words have no meaning, then our whole edifice of laws have no meaning as they are merely words.
Now we agree on something. We have family law in this state that says in all divorce cases neither the father or mother will be given preference over custody of the children, but women get custody about 85% of the time. The judges still practice the Bovine theory and the words in our law mean nothing.
Brad
September 25th, 2010
7:41 pm
No Jamie, I don’t believe that “all f*****s should die”. I happen to agree with your point of view.
With that said, the AJC blogs are un-moderated and wide open, and you’re not going to have any luck at all controlling the subject matter of anyone’s post. If my posts annoy you, scroll past!
Jamie Roberts
September 25th, 2010
7:41 pm
td, my friend, you may or may not be correct, but you are most certainly off topic.
td
September 25th, 2010
7:43 pm
Jamie Roberts
September 25th, 2010
7:35 pm
Brad, do you believe, as a staffer of Saxby Chambliss’s office does, that “all f*****s should die”? Or do you think Saxby should denounce this immediately and emphatically?
I will take that question. I think Saxby should do whatever he thinks is best and the voters of this state should should hold him accountable at the next election for his decision.
Jamie Roberts
September 25th, 2010
7:45 pm
I may not have any control over the subject matter of the posts, Brad, but I am right on this and it matters to a lot of people. I will scroll past your posts, but I am as entitled as anyone to use my voice to keep this discussion on topic.
Jamie Roberts
September 25th, 2010
7:45 pm
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Georgians have been invisible too long, Brad.
Brad
September 25th, 2010
7:46 pm
You’re hysterical, and I don’t mean funny.
Jamie Roberts
September 25th, 2010
7:48 pm
Well stated, td. Does anyone else have any opinion about whether Saxby Chambliss should immediately fire the staffer and make the statement that he has lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender constituents that he knows were deeply hurt by the comments, and that he does not wish for us to die, but to continue to be hardworking, taxpaying citizens who are entitled to all the benefits of that citizenship?
td
September 25th, 2010
7:49 pm
Jamie Roberts, I do not believe I am off topic. You said “If words have no meaning, then our whole edifice of laws have no meaning as they are merely words” and I agreed with you and gave you a great example of where this is true in Georgia. One can not look at this through a narrow prism, one must look at the whole matter.
Jamie Roberts
September 25th, 2010
7:49 pm
Ouch, Brad. Why don’t you have the nerve to put your real name behind that statement? Or do you prefer to be a political troll with no vertebra.
JJ Harper
September 25th, 2010
7:54 pm
[b]I don’t understand all the fuss about f****ts in the military. The answer is very simple. Give them their own army post. Their only MOS would be 11B. They would be known as the “11 Bunnies” – not 11 Bravo. Give all the current 11 Bravo’s a free 1 year vacation to a destination of their choosing. Send all of the 11 Bunnies to North Korea, Iran, Iraq, and Afghanistan. Problem solved![/b]
Brad
September 25th, 2010
7:54 pm
Because I don’t need a hysterical attorney after my ass. For the record, Brad is my real name. You know, kind of like Sting.
Jamie Roberts
September 25th, 2010
7:55 pm
Wow, JJ. Are you in the military?
Jamie Roberts
September 25th, 2010
7:56 pm
Wow, Brad. You are so damn good you only need one name. Well, so be it.
JJ Harper
September 25th, 2010
7:58 pm
‘84-’90 05H
Jamie Roberts
September 25th, 2010
8:02 pm
So you think gay and lesbian soldiers should have their own units, like the Tuskegee Airmen? Or were you trying to be funny?
JJ Harper
September 25th, 2010
8:13 pm
Oh… most definitely! I am very serious. Smith and Wesson(tm) came out with a pink “Lady Smith” ™ a while back. The Army could issue pink-camo m16’s to the newly classified 11 Bunnies. AR 670-1 (Army Clothing Regulation) would have to be modified just for the new 11 Bunnies. They should be allowed to “fight” in drag as long as their clothing is that of the new digital camo pattern. Anything goes, really – for the new division. Couldn’t you just see the faces of their enemy?
Jamie Roberts
September 25th, 2010
8:14 pm
So if American military people are overseas fighting for our freedom, including the freedom of lesbian, gay bisexual, and transgender citizens to have equal protection of the laws, why would they not want them fighting side-by-side with them?
Jamie Roberts
September 25th, 2010
8:16 pm
J J Harper, your mocking tone adds nothing to this discussion. I thank you for your service, but you know as well as I do that what you suggest is definitely not serious.
Jamie Roberts
September 25th, 2010
8:18 pm
And, JJ, that you do not take the service of gays and lesbians in the military seriously, or the blood they have always shed and will shed for our country.
JJ Harper
September 25th, 2010
8:19 pm
Well, it’s a better idea than my first solution. At least this way, they would have a chance of survival.
Jamie Roberts
September 25th, 2010
8:22 pm
JJ Harper, are you suggesting that gays and lesbians in the military are in danger for their life from their own side if they serve openly?
td
September 25th, 2010
8:28 pm
Ok Jamie I am going to say it. DADT is a good compromise and should remain the law of the land. What is the difference between allowing gays to serve openly and allowing straights to bunk and shower together? There is no difference and our country would not let straight people serve this way so they should not allow gay people to serve openly.
Jamie Roberts
September 25th, 2010
8:34 pm
Because, td, women are subject to being the victim of sexual predators in the military all the time, but not one is seriously advocating that women should not serve, nor has the military fallen apart because women have acted bravely in combat.
JJ Harper
September 25th, 2010
8:37 pm
I like my compromise much better. Give’m their own division and put’m on the front lines. …and bring the rest of our troops home!
Disinterested
September 25th, 2010
8:41 pm
It’s unfortunate that there are so many bigots in this country, and that they have found a political home among the “conservative” right. Ignorance, resentment, and fear dominate the political chatter on the right. “Conservatives” view themselves as victims (but not the blacks or latinos or gays or the poor). So they lash out and baselessly smear and attack other people in order to feel better about themselves. The more they hate themselves, the more they attack everyone else. It’s a vicious cycle of fear and self-loathing. Just look at Rush and Glenn – know-nothing druggies and alcoholics who could never hold down a real job, living in fantasy worlds where they stoke fear and resentment of the aggrieved white man for a living. Or look at Dr. Laura – she’s the victim here, because she can’t say the N-word 12 times on the air without causing a ruckus. She wants to be able to say the N-word 100 times since black comedians say it. And her black listeners are just too sensitive if they don’t like it when black people call them N-s.
These people are sick in the head.
Disinterested
September 25th, 2010
8:42 pm
*last sentence should say “when white people call them”
Jamie Roberts
September 25th, 2010
8:43 pm
Hey, y’all! Southern Poverty Law Center says J J Harper is known as “The One Man Klan” and is connected to the KKK!
td
September 25th, 2010
8:45 pm
Jamie Roberts, We disagree and I will give you am example why from our current laws an rulings. Right now it is considered sexual harassment for a man to walk into a ladies room and look at a woman or look at a woman in a sexual manner (as long as the woman fells uncomfortable). If a gay man served openly then would it not be the same thing? Much less showering together. I could see the lawsuits now and under the equal protection clause, you can not have double standards to say that only a woman can feel uncomfortable.
Jamie Roberts
September 25th, 2010
8:46 pm
Surely that’s not the JJ Harper commenting here, is it?
Jamie Roberts
September 25th, 2010
8:48 pm
No, it’s not the same thing, td, because you’re comparing gay men to people who affirmatively harass women. Those two things are NOT the same.
JJ Harper
September 25th, 2010
8:49 pm
Manditory sterilization might be another more humane alternative. But, personally, I think we should just go ahead and “nip it in the bud!” Then, again, I don’t speak for the un-moral majority.
Jamie Roberts
September 25th, 2010
8:52 pm
Being gay does not automatically mean they would harass anyone, just like being a straight male would not automatically mean they would harass women. And your opinion ignores the fact that most sexual harassment is straight male on women. If anything, base on JJ Harper’s rhetoric, gay males are more likely to be harassed by straight males.
Jamie Roberts
September 25th, 2010
8:54 pm
Oh, yeah, JJ. You’re the real deal Klan, ain’t ya! You should be so proud of yourself! Because you’re so white and pure and all.
td
September 25th, 2010
8:55 pm
Jamie Roberts
September 25th, 2010
8:48 pm
No, it’s not the same thing, td, because you’re comparing gay men to people who affirmatively harass women. Those two things are NOT the same.
So you are saying all straight men harass women(now that would be showing a bigoted bias would it not)? If you are saying there is a segment of straight men that harass women then there is also a segment of gay men that will harass straight and the law would have to apply the same.
Jamie Roberts
September 25th, 2010
8:57 pm
Are you happy, Saxby Chambliss? J J Harper is your best defender!