Saturday, March 5, 2011

Is MCSD upset with bloggers?

I love it when I receive anonymous letters in the mail. These are the ones I open first! In fact, I like any mail, especially when it's not from CHASE Bank or Discover Card.

I had heard a few weeks ago that there was a training class, short course or workshop of some type at the McHenry County Sheriff's Department about how to deal with bloggers. Heck, I heard that my name was even mentioned in the training. Let's see, that was about January 24th, right? (for those of you who were taking notes).

And then yesterday in the mail comes an anonymous letter that MCSD is planning to go after some records to identify someone thought to be an employee of the Sheriff's Department. The User Name mentioned is one who has written blog comments critical of the Department. Critical, but they sound true.

Do you suppose that they will also go after all those User Names of blog commenters, here and elsewhere, who have been critical of the comments that are critical of the Sheriff's Department? What if those belong with supervisors at the Department or deputies among the "favored" ones?

Certainly, they wouldn't just go after the whistleblowers, would they? Well, would they?

7 comments:

But Seriously said...

I would have to assume that those identifying themselves as Deputies in local blogs have either broken rules or are falsely claiming to be law enforcement. It won't be rocket science for an investigation to track an IP address and know for sure.

To say this only targets Nygrens critics display's willful ignorance to the fact that the only Sheriffs employee to date identified as a local blogger to be silenced was pro nygren blogger.

If someone is falsely identifying themselves as a Deputy in local blogs I simply hope they investigate and charge the individual.

Anonymous said...

How can you charge a person for "falsly identifying themselves as a deputy in local blogs"?

And at what point was Pyle "silenced"? Was he suspended, reprimanded, anything?

Gus said...

To me, it sounds like MCSD is trying to identify someone, who is likely to be a deputy, who is writing under a pen name.

Why should government money be spent like that?

Willful ignorance? Whose?

What was the blog written by a pro-Nygren deputy who was silenced?

A person can use almost any assumed name, especially if it is not a person's name. Could I write as "shadow deputy", for example?

I don't have any poser names. My name goes with everything I say or write.

Justin said...

The funny part is that it becomes obvious that some posts are made just to see what spin Gus will put on it. Doctor Jeckle and MR Hyde,both posting and 'OPINION' depending on the topic just to lure Gus out from under the bridge.

If Gus considers himself to be a NEWS source then the First Amendment protects him from many inquiries. If not, he should start crashing computer disks.

Where will it stop, Zane’s Blog, (however he doesn't have a comments section), Cal's Blog, Gus’ Blog. Why not the NWH comments section. There's some juicy stuff there.

But Seriously said...

Gus, I could be wrong but I believe you wrote about a deputy being found to being behind the "realmcsdexposed" site, maybe it was another blog that wrote that if you are now claiming to not be aware of the situation.

As for a posting identity I suppose one could use such a name as your example but using the name and outright stating they are a Law Enforcement officer for a specific department if they are not are very different things.

Gus said...

But Seriously, I think it may have been elsewhere that "realmcsdexposed" was mentioned. I had never heard of it before seeing it in print there.

I agree with you that no one should identify him as an LE officer, if he is not.

Zane said...

What if you are a deputy and you write a blog and LIE and say you are a VIETNAM VETERAN?

Is that illegal too? Should the author be charged for claiming to be a VIETNAM Veteran when he wasn't?

I believe claiming military service and medals that are not factual is a crime.

What about a deputy that LIES says he's a Vietnam Veteran and sends threatening e-mails under his pen name?

What charges should Sir Pumpkin face?