The ADL wants to Un-Mask you – the end of anonymous posting.

Look out Mr Mask, the ADL has its sights set on you. Always remember; just because you’re paranoid doesn’t mean they’re NOT out to get you.

Abe Foxman of the ADL, that bastion of freedom that we here at ATS love to hate, was speaking recently on his tenure at the ADL and his efforts to fight anti-Semitic bigotry and let slip what may be the next phase in the government’s plans to silence dissent through Anti-masking laws designed to take away the freedom to post our thoughts anonymously.

The greatest challenge, the new challenge we face is what we’re engaged in now, and that’s the Internet, the web, the World Wide Web. On one hand... on one hand it’s a magnificent boom to education, to interaction, to communication in all kinds of ways, but it also has provided a dark underbelly of a superhighway for bigotry. These are the unintended consequences of this magnificent creation, invention, and expansion of dialogue and information. But, you could today, anonymously communicate bigotry in nanoseconds across the globe.

In the 50s the Anti-Defamation League helped model and advocate a law called the Anti-Masking Law which we helped it act in the state of Georgia of all people. And what that law said is if you want to be a bigot, if you want to demonstrate and protest as a bigot that’s your right under the Constitution, but you can’t have your head covered. You can’t hide your identity. You can’t wear a white mask, or a black mask, or a purple mask; you have to take responsibility for your bigotry. And in fact, that was the law that had the greatest impact to break the back of the Ku Klux Klan because all these bigots who were all ready to do their bigotry hiding their identity, who happen to be lawyers, and store keepers, and judges, and whatever, all of a sudden lost their courage. Fast forward 50 years later, and that mask has been put back through the internet. And so today you can be a bigot. You could be a bigot anonymously, you could enter somebody’s home, invade their privacy, and we see it... we see it so dramatic in cyber-bullying.

Big think.com

So who are these so-called bigots who Foxman wants to unmask and expose to the light of public scrutiny?

If Foxman has his way, it could become a federal hate crime to engage in speech he considers anti-Semitic: alleging Jews have too much power in government, finance, or media, as well as voicing "strong" criticism of Israel. It would also include the New Testament claim that Jews killed Christ.

Rense.com

Sounds like he wants to paint almost everyone who is not a die-hard Israel supporter with the title of “Anti-Semitic bigot”. Questioning the agenda of Israel cannot be tolerated.

Also, if the Federal government does get on board with something like this, they won’t stop just at anti-Semitism, they will use the law to further their own agenda which they have made quite clear in their recent document regarding “right wing extremism”.

A newly unclassified Department of Homeland Security report warns against the possibility of violence by unnamed "right-wing extremists" concerned about illegal immigration, increasing federal power, restrictions on firearms, abortion and the loss of U.S. sovereignty and singles out returning war veterans as particular threats.

The report from DHS' Office of Intelligence and Analysis defines right-wing extremism in the U.S. as "divided into those groups, movements and adherents that are primarily hate-oriented (based on hatred of particular religious, racial or ethnic groups) and those that are mainly anti-government, rejecting federal authority in favor of state or local authority, or rejecting government authority entirely. It may include groups and individuals that are dedicated to a single issue, such as opposition to abortion or immigration."

WND

From the government’s point of view, anyone who holds a strong opinion on any matter could be a potential “homegrown terrorist” and may need watching. For those of you on the left who may see this as a good thing; remember that these types of laws could also be used against you if the political winds change and a right-wing government comes about in the future.

This type of law worries me personally, not because I’m afraid of the government tracking me down for something I say here on ATS; I have always assumed that they already had the capability to do so, if they so desired.

What bothers me is that they want to un-mask posters and expose them to PUBLIC scrutiny as well. It’s not that I’m ashamed of what I post here, my worry is what could happen if anyone could Google my name and trace those comments back to me? How many people have lost their jobs because of something they posted on their MySpace page? How would you feel if your employer could look up what you have posted here and use it against you during a performance review or even when deciding whether to continue your employment?

An unmasking law would be an excellent tool for the government to silence online dissent, making people afraid of expressing their views for fear of it affecting their employment or attracting the wrath of those with opposing viewpoints.

I wonder what the authors of the Federalist and Anti-Federalist papers would have to say about such a law?

reply to post by FortAnthem


I'll have to come back & read this when I have time.

Ever wonder what that Cardspace was for, when it all of a sudden showed up in your Control panel, after a security or update download was in Windows XP? I did.msdn.microsoft.com...

Anyway, all kinds of "security" software over the last few years has piqued my interest and I always thought this was going to be the next layer of the onion.

ADL Can get stuffed if they dont like truth. Hell Ive got more freedom of speach in china than would have in the west.. u.s really needs to cut isreal off and throw its agents under a prison for life..

The ADL and SPLC are some of our biggest threats to freedom that we face here in the states. What is even more scary and absurd at the same time, they claim that what they are doing is for the betterment of society and they disguise their agenda under fighting anti-semitism and/or racism. Both of these organizations are the very anti-thesis' of the preservation of our republic. They should be looked at with the same weary eye that we look at Al Qaeda, only much, much more dangerous.


--airspoon

reply to post by airspoon


I could go along with the anti masking if it included open government meetings and truth in news media.

I have no fear in using my proper name when I make a statement but I want equal footing with governmental officials.

Originally posted by airspoon
The ADL and SPLC are some of our biggest threats to freedom that we face here in the states. What is even more scary and absurd at the same time, they claim that what they are doing is for the betterment of society and they disguise their agenda under fighting anti-semitism and/or racism. Both of these organizations are the very anti-thesis' of the preservation of our republic. They should be looked at with the same weary eye that we look at Al Qaeda, only much, much more dangerous.

You better watch out, that sounds an aweful lot like hate speech.

Keep that up and you just might end up on the next SPLC report.

works for me, no more forums trolls.

and im being serious, i like the idea.

reply to post by Snarf


No more forum trolls.


But, then where would YOU go?

Originally posted by FortAnthem
reply to post by Snarf

 

No more forum trolls.


But, then where would YOU go?

Ohhhh the irony