Of course, following up the previous article, despotic tyrants in Egypt aren't the only ones afraid of critique. Blogger Will Vehrs was suspended ten days for having the temerity to voice his opinion.
Why is it so hard to engage a critique in debate? It's hard to imagine something as large and bloated as a state government can't find someone to rebut Vehrs' points.
And make no mistake, this is censorship. Not the ham-handed method of actually stoping someone from commenting, but the insidious method of making the person think twice before voicing their opinion.
Simple logic then, if imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, censoring might just be the clearest form of fear.
Remember though, as Kerry is fond of misquoting, "Dissent is the highest form of patriotism". So Vehrs isn't just being a critic, but is a patriot!
Update: Over at Bacon's rebellion they mention more of the background here. Seems Armstrong (D-Egypt) is involved quite a bit here.
So, mid-level state employee presents his own citizen's take on things, and gets browbeaten into submission and suspension. Yeah, I'm sure Henry County and Martinville are in great shape when that's the reaction.
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2 comments:
Excuse me, but he's posting on the job, allowing people to know who he works for AND making the insults. Let's see you exercise your citizen's right to insult your company's clients on their time. You'll be lucky if all they do is suspend you without pay for less than two weeks.
That's a very valid point, and one I'd agree with normally.
What unsettles me a bit is hearing the Rep opine on it. What should be a cut-and-dry HR case is being used to Grandstand which makes me wonder if HR's responding properly or being pressured.
What would be interesting is reading the hiring agreement he had to sign.
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