First Amendment gets a good stomping (maybe)

A good stomping?

The first amendment gets a good stomping (maybe)

One of the regular questions that I get asked is, “Why do I write under the name ‘Julie Whitefeather’?” The implication, of course, is that Julie Whitefeather is not my real name…which of course, it is.  I don’t have a “mild mannered alter ego” – this is it.  Now I do understand where the confusion originates.  After all, we here at No Prisoners, No Mercy have interviewed so many people using pseudonyms that we sometimes wonder if they are all fugitives from the law.

I suppose I could call myself something like “Areala” after the comic book character depicted below, but that isn’t at all what warrior nuns look like. Warrior nuns usually have names like “Mother Teresa of Calcutta”. The character created by Ben Dunn is more akin to a Las Vegas show girl depicting the childhood fantasy of many young men. Believe me; those of us in the real nun business have encountered the “forbidden fruit” syndrome more than once.  And while we are at it, I would like to have armor for my character in at least one game look like it didn’t come from Victoria’s Secret.

Areala warrior...er...showgirl

All that said, if Trustee Lisa Stone, from Buffalo Grove, Illinois has her way, we may see more people using pseudonyms and overseas email addresses.  An article in this morning’s Daily Herald (a newspaper that has a large readership in the suburbs of Chicago, Illinois) carried a story which has the possibility of affecting first amendment rights. Here is an excerpt (the full story follows the text of this article):

“In April, while Stone was embroiled in a contentious village trustee election, her high school-aged son bickered back and forth with John Doe in the ‘readers comments’ section of an election story on dailyherald.com.

Both were using made-up ‘usernames’ and not their actual names.

During the exchange, John Doe made a comment that Lisa Stone found to be inappropriate. Stone asked the Buffalo Grove Police to investigate. When they determined no crime had been committed, Stone took her complaint to court.” – Daily Herald, Thursday, October 15, 2009

Now the first thought that comes to my mind is, of course, what was said? Was it a crime? The answer to that question is “no”.  Here is why (from the same article):

“During the exchange, John Doe made a comment that Lisa Stone found to be inappropriate. Stone asked the Buffalo Grove Police to investigate. When they determined no crime had been committed, Stone took her complaint to court.” – ibid

So here is MY warrior nun hackles go up. Now keep in mind, of course, that the article is from the Daily Herald itself – as things develop opinions may change.  On the face of it, this village trustee from Buffalo Grove wants a circuit court judge to set a precedent that throws freedom of speech, guaranteed by the CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATE OF AMERICA in the proverbial crapper because she thought something was said that was “inappropriate”?

Message to Trustee Stone: My, my, had something said about you that was “inappropriate” – welcome to my world. And for all that matter, welcome to the real world. 

If I tried to invoke the Good Lords wrath on all those who had done or said filthy things about me, just in the last decade, there would no doubt be hundreds of people lying dead in the streets.  Here’s another message to stone: “Buck up buttercup, if you can’t take the heat during politics get out of the kitchen.” 

Now before anyone points it out, the article does go on to mention the following:

“While anonymous free speech is a protected right under the First Amendment, anonymous online comments are still an emerging area of the law.” – ibid

I don’t envy the judge, considering the legal precedent that the trustee is trying to get the court system to set.  Perhaps, I should be careful how I word that. Perhaps I should choose my words carefully when I address them to tender feelings of Trustee Stone.  Perhaps I should say something like:

“Grow a spine and get out of my first amendment rights.” – Julie Whitefeather

And yes, my name…my REAL name is JULIE WHITEFEATHER and you can address all complaints to noprisonersnomercy@gmail.com.

Side Notes

Side note:

I had no idea who  “warrior showgirl…er..nun Areala” was until the name was used by one “Ricknas Sarn” (I presume this is his super hero name) in an interview for his “Project Endgrind” for a future No Prisoners No Mercy Show. Here is the low down on the character in an excerpt from Wikipedia:

Warrior Nun Areala is a manga-style American comic book character created byBenn Dunn and published by Antarctic Press. First appearing in Ninja High School #38 1987), she has since appeared in her own comic books beginning with Warrior Nun Areala Vol. 1 #1 in December 1994. The story revolves around Sister Shannon Masters, a Joan of Arc like heroine of the Order of the Cruciform Sword, a fictional milirary order of Warrior Nuns and Magic Priests in service of the Catholic Church. The order was created in 1066 when a Valkyrie named Auria renounced her pagan ways and turned to Jesus Christ for salvation; ever since then, Auria, now Areala, has chosen an avatar every generation to carry on the mission. In modern times, this has grown to a world spanning organization in the service of the Catholic Church with the current Areala, Sister Shannon Mastwers as the best and brightest. With her friends beside her, Sister Shannon has led the forces of good against those of evil, ever serving the Lord with faith and humility. Appearing on and off for twenty years since her first appearance, Warrior Nun Areala is creator Ben Dunn’s favorite character.” – Wikipedia

Here is the original Article from the Daily Herald just in case it disappears from the internet. I thought it was important, in this case, to preserve the source article.

A man who posted an anonymous comment on dailyherald.com directed toward the teenage son of Buffalo Grove Trustee Lisa Stone is fighting to keep his identity a secret.

“John Doe” hired attorney Mike Furlong and filed a motion in court last week to stop Stone from obtaining his identity.

Cook County Circuit Court Judge Jeffrey Lawrence will hear arguments Nov. 9.

Last month, Lawrence ordered Comcast, the man’s Internet service provider, to turn over John Doe’s name to him. The judge has not yet decided whether he will give the information to Stone.

If he does, it could be a precedent-setting case, say First Amendment scholars. They say it’s unusual for a judge to order identification of an online commentor unless the need to do so is clear – such as knowledge of a crime or a blatant threat. While anonymous free speech is a protected right under the First Amendment, anonymous online comments are still an emerging area of the law.

Furlong would not comment on what John Doe wrote online, saying only that he will use the First Amendment as part of his argument.

Bill O’Connor, Lisa Stone’s attorney, said they will continue their pursuit of John Doe’s real name, even though they have not yet decided whether to file a defamation lawsuit against him.

In April, while Stone was embroiled in a contentious village trustee election, her high school-aged son bickered back and forth with John Doe in the “readers comments” section of an election story on dailyherald.com.

Both were using made-up “usernames” and not their actual names.

During the exchange, John Doe made a comment that Lisa Stone found to be inappropriate. Stone asked the Buffalo Grove Police to investigate. When they determined no crime had been committed, Stone took her complaint to court.

In May, she filed a petition for pre-suit discovery – which is not a lawsuit, but a precursor to a lawsuit – against the Daily Herald seeking the person’s identity.

The newspaper fought to protect the reader’s privacy, but the judge ruled in Stone’s favor, ordering the Daily Herald to turn over all of the information it had on John Doe, including his e-mail address and Internet Protocol (IP) address.

When the e-mail address proved invalid, Stone petitioned the man’s Internet service provider, Comcast, for his identity. Comcast also fought to protect the customer’s privacy, but the judge ruled on Stone’s behalf again last month, ordering that John Doe’s identity be turned over to him.

Comcast has since turned over the person’s name to the judge, spokesman Rich Ruggiero said.

Daily Herald Staff Writer Barbara Vitello contributed to this report.

Source: http://www.dailyherald.com/story/?id=329001