Barb,
>>>>>Why the heck should I believe your name is Ronald Ashkenazy? <<<<<
Because it is. And even you can't disprove the truth. Also, I'm not a lawyer, but I imagine that I just committed a crime of false impersonation or theft of identity with my statement if I wasn't telling the truth. Feel free to contact the “real” Ronald Ashkenazy about prosecuting me. I am supremely confident that he won't pursue it. He and I are very close. ;^) (I do however think that your skepticism is healthy, albeit misguided in this case.)
>>>>>" Imagine if the Declaration of Independence had been signed by “DownBigAgain”, “HaveHunchBuyLunch”, etc. instead of Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin et al."
Had those people been known by those names, those names would be the names we revere. It was the act of signing, not the particular of the person that was important. <<<<<<
We don't revere names we revere people. Names merely conveniently identify the person assuming we can tie the name to a real person. (“A rose by any other name would…”) Known aliases are not the issue here. It is anonymous aliases that I address. Thomas Jefferson or the other signers would not be AS revered if he they hid behind anonymous aliases. It was a bold act of defiance when they placed pen to paper and sealed their fates by signing their real names. None of them were naïve about what they were doing . Many paid a very heavy price. (see below) Cassius Clay is a known alias of Muhammad Ali. Both names are eminently traceable to a real person. Your alias, Mama Bear, identifies no one. As I posted before it is not a black and white issue. The question is: Is the poster anonymous because he/she is in fear of harassment or because he/she doesn't want to face the court of public opinion for his/her actions. By posting under one's real name one at least removes that quandary. Of course the bigger problem here is that harassment or worse is not aggressively prosecuted with significant painful penalties. If prosecutions were aggressive then we as readers, would know that the person seeking anonymity had reasons other than fear for wanting to remain anonymous. That would make evaluating motives and opinions somewhat easier.
>>>>Two of the most dishonest people on these threads use their real names.<<<<
Exactly my point. If they betrayed your trust then their dishonesty is now a permanent traceable part of their legacy. I'm not talking legalities here. I agree that aliases on SI are transparent to the law. I'm talking about statements that fall short of the measure of illegality. Traits like rudeness, innuendoes, rumor mongering etc. These transgressions would be permanently attached to their personas. There are social consequences to behavior that falls short of community standards. Human reactions of scorn, derision and mistrust can be applied to a real traceable person. Those same reactions can't be applied to a fictitious name with any hope of affecting behavior.
>>>>>You guys really need to get off your high horse<<<<
I like the view up here and people can see what I am all about. I don't betray people's trust. I may sometimes shoot from the hip, but at least I am a straight shooter. Some people chose anonymity for protection and others chose anonymity for deception. I'm not persuaded that anonymous aliases are a blessing across this land. We are living behind bars in our homes because law enforcement has been crippled by politicians and bleeding hearts. Now even our very names rarely get to see the light of day because we have capitulated to unprosecuted harassment.
Ronald Ashkenazy
By the way, have you ever wondered what happened to the 56 men who signed their real names to the Declaration of Independence? A dear friend of mine sent me this solemn account last July 4th:
Five signers were captured by the British as traitors, and tortured before they died. Twelve had their homes ransacked and burned. Two lost their sons serving in the Revolutionary Army, another had two sons captured. Nine of the 56 fought and died from wounds or hardships of the Revolutionary War. They signed and they pledged their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor.
What kind of men were they? Twenty-four were lawyers and jurists. Eleven were merchants, nine were farmers and large plantation owners; men of means, well educated. But they signed the Declaration of Independence using their real names knowing full well that the penalty would be death if they were captured.
Carter Braxton of Virginia, a wealthy planter and trader, saw his ships swept from the seas by the British Navy. He sold his home and properties to pay his debts, and died in rags. Thomas McKeam was so hounded by the British that he was forced to move his family almost constantly. He served in the Congress without pay, and his family was kept in hiding. His possessions were taken from him, and poverty was his reward. Vandals or soldiers looted the properties of Dillery, Hall, Clymer, Walton, Gwinnett, Heyward, Ruttledge, and Middleton. At the battle of Yorktown, Thomas Nelson, Jr., noted that the British General Cornwallis had taken over the Nelson home for his headquarters. He quietly urged General George Washington to open fire. The home was destroyed, and Nelson died bankrupt. Francis Lewis had his home and properties destroyed. The enemy jailed his wife, and she died within a few months. John Hart was driven from his wife's bedside as she was dying. Their 13 children fled for their lives. His fields and his gristmill were laid to waste. For more than a year he lived in forests and caves, returning home to find his wife dead and his children vanished. A few weeks later he died from exhaustion and a broken heart. Norris and Livingston suffered similar fates. Such were the stories and sacrifices of the American Revolution. These were not wild eyed, rabble-rousing ruffians. They were soft-spoken men of means and education. They had security, but they valued liberty more. Standing tall, straight, and unwavering, they pledged: “For the support of this declaration, with firm reliance on the protection of the divine providence, we mutually pledge to each other, our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor.” |
