Free speech is like oxygen

How Ironic!! It’s very Ironic for you to have this article on your website. First of all you monitor all comments so if YOU (Walter) don’t like it gets immediately axed. You only want positive comments on certain articles and you also publish nonsense like the Ryan Christopher article. How is that relative to what’s going on in Barnesville? How many other Lamar county residents are reported on when they are in an accident outside of town? Not that many!!

“I evaluate a newspaper's strength by its willingness to take stands on important matters and stimulate discussion.”

How can a discussion be stimulated when you remove posts and disallow negative posts or things that you just don’t like in General?

“What makes the First Amendment so precious is that it allows us to be as outlandish as we choose. It covers both ends of the extremes and everything in the middle. For it to work, it must. That means most of us, the moderates in the middle, are safely covered as the ultra-left and ultra-right-wingers duke it out.”

I guess that the First Amendment is so precious to you Walter but not to the people reading your paper with opinions? Don’t we qualify for the same rights?

“What startles me is that so many people believe the First Amendment applies only to them. As long as I agree with them, I'm a good guy and they chant, "Tell it like it is, brother!" But if I write something they don't like, I'm a no-good, egg-sucking scalawag. Immediately, you're pigeonholed as a Democrat, Republican or just plain idiot.”

Aren’t you doing the same thing with the blocking of comments? As long as we the readers agree with you and everyone else it’s all fine and dandy but be negative and POOF there goes our comment and opinion.

“I want on my tombstone: "Lord, he was different, but at least the old fool was fair."”

Really now you’re fair to everyone? If that is the case then why are so many comments blocked and/or removed? How about reporting systems like many other newspapers have? If someone has issues with a comment they report it and its inspected at that time. I know the Savannah Morning News does that.

“Actually, I think the Internet has helped to bring out the worst in personalities. Anonymous commentary enables people to climb into sniper stands and shoot bullets they'd never fire face-to-face. You see this every week in Athens. Online commentary quickly turns into a contest to see who can be the most cynical and/or the snottiest. That's why I ignore those kinds of remarks.”

But you also ignore comments that are against the mainstream way of thinking too.

“Instead, I try hard to be open-minded. After all, everyone is entitled to his or her own opinions.”

If that is the case then why do you block and refuse so many comments?


“Opinion is, in my opinion, there for you to take it or leave it. You can agree or disagree. You can crank out your own comment. You can even curse and flail your arms.”

Yes that may be the case but if we do no one will know about it because you of course will hide it.

“Your right of expression stops within a quarter-inch of my nose.”

That is a very true statement! However, many of us are not allowed our right of expression because as I have stated before it will just be blocked because you didn’t like it.