Can a City Stop you From Web Linking to Their Site?

Please copy this posting and put it up on your blog. Please don't consider this a left or right posting. It concerns all bloggers. - It will only cost you a few minutes time. Spread the word and have your friends post it too! Originally from Publius Forum

-By Warner Todd Huston

Here is an interesting question: Can a city stop a private citizen from putting a link on their website to a city website?

The question arises over a Sheboygan, Wisconsin case where a woman who is often critical of the town mayor was ordered by the city to remove a city website link from her own pages. Yes, you heard me correctly… ORDERED to remove that link. The Sheboygan Press posted the story a week or so ago and it got me thinking about the abuse of power indulged in by this small Wisconsin town.

In a move initiated by Perez, City Attorney Steve McLean sent a cease-and-desist letter earlier this month to Jeni Reisinger, who was among the leaders of a mayoral recall effort last year, officials acknowledged Friday.

The letter, dated Oct. 19, states, "maintenance of this link could be construed as having been authorized or endorsed by the city and/or its police department" and should be removed “until such time as the city were to authorize such a link."

This has to be a joke, right? A city attorney who has the gall to attempt to force a private citizen to remove a link to public city website should be summarily removed from his position. Further, if he was put up to this outrageous action by Mayor Juan Perez, then this mayor should similarly be removed.

Of course, this city government is being run by a bunch of bumbling nitwits, here. Of that none can deny. But, the situation is galling none-the-less. If this city can prevent people from linking to a public service, then what else can they strong-arm the public over? Can the city decide that, forthwith, all people critical of office holders should receive a “cease and desist” letter? Maybe no one should even be "allowed" to run against them for office from this point onward? The arrogance of this is shocking, to say the least.

The next thing you know, every city will look like the mob infested city of Chicago, run by the criminal enterprise we call the Daley family!

In any case, if the City of Sheboygan is so afraid of people visiting their webpages then why have them at all? Now, if you’d like to go to their sites and ask a few questions, you can see them here:

The officious Sheyboygan Police are here –
http://www.sheboyganpolice.com/main.html

Give a shout out and a Sieg Heil to Mayor Juan Perez here — http://ci.sheboygan.wi.us/Mayor/MayorHome.html

Perez’ henchman, attorney Stephen G. McLean, can be visited here–
http://ci.sheboygan.wi.us/Attorney/AttorneyHome.html

Now, I hope every blogger adds these links to their websites. Let’s see if the "people's city" city of Sheboygan, Wisconsin can get all of us to stop linking to a public website?

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What Can Be Done Regarding Children and Internet Porn?

I was tagged real good by Saboma of Mariannaville. I've been tagged before (as some of you know) but this is the first one I've replied to. I still have the roundtuits for the previous ones. This tag is simply a request to post about the "Blogger Power: Safeguard the Web for Children" project.

I imagine there are very few people that have internet access and web surf regularly that have not suddenly come across a porn site. Many, not all, but many porn sites work hard to get innocent keywords to place their site at top of Google and Yahoo searches. Words that even a child might type while searching for info on a homework project.

Blogger Power is asking the porn website owners to do something to protect innocent children (and, although not mentioned, by extension adults that don't want porn suddenly flashing in their faces.


Their front page states:

* this is not a campaign against pornography as a whole
* this is not about restricting legitimate free speech and legal commerce
* this is a common sense request to all the "adult site" webmasters: password-protected login on porn sites for all the explicit materials, no more 'free clips', 'free tours', 'free pics' without login!
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Blogger Power Mission statement is:

Nothing less than a global initiative to encourage sites hosting adult content to help keep minors out by adding a simple registration gateway and taking demo videos off the home page.
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And their open message to porn webmasters is:

"Please require a password-protected login before allowing even free access to explicit adult content. We understand that selling porn is your business and we respect your right to make a legal living. But understand our legitimate concerns and work with us. You already have the "warning adult content" on your websites. Yet kids, who are not legal customers of your product, ignore the warning. So to prevent them from having direct access to explicit images, texts and sounds, the simplest way is to have a password-protected login. No more "free tours" before a visitor supplies basic information."

You can do your part in this movement by blogging about this issue. An Open Letter to Bloggers Around the World will explain how. - The more blogs that participate the more notice the MSM will have to give to the issue. -

prying1 sez:
Most people have heard of the graphic differences between whitehouse.gov and whitehouse.com - This, to me, shows that the porn industry is not interested in keeping innocents from viewing their wares. - That is why I (NOT BLOGGER POWER!) endorse the idea that all porn sites be removed from the dot com and dot net extensions and be placed on a dot xxx extension. Browsers can be set up to accept or reject the .xxx websites and thereby correct quite a bit of the problem. Domains that do not comply can be placed on a 'do not trust' list browsers can maintain for those that would prefer blocking such websites.

This could all be done without laws being passed.

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Write in Cary Cartter for President in 2008
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Younger Generation Indifferent to Sacrifices of War

Just came from Burkean Reflections. Really good post on the title subject and I'd like to direct your attention to it.

Here goes:

Visit Burkean Reflections and read his posting,
"Younger Generation Indifferent to Sacrifices of War"

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Is it Friday Yet?

Normally I post on this blog in the A.M. - The Feed Blitz Emailer I signed up for takes my stuff at midnight and sends it out at willy nilly times it seems. - I'm going to be switching up on that and looking for a better (free) notifier real soon. (My Christmas present to myself. - Suggestions welcome - -(8-P)~~~~)

Anyway - This morning - (14Dec06) I got caught up with some Blog Surfing through my Sitemeter.com hits.
- One came through Christian-bloggers.com of which I am a member. - I clicked to see what was up on their 'headlines' and saw a line that said, "I Love Ellen Degeneres: Part 2" and below that was "I Love Ellen Degeneres: Part 1" - I chose link number one because I love things to be done decently and in order. It's scriptural that way.

Well, to make a long story longer, I found myself in the midst of the normal daily Christian dilemma. Meeting 'Christians' that make statements like, "I hate Ellen Degeneres."

The Rev.J. Theodore Helms of Our Sovereign Joy dealt with the problem in three parts. - Each a long read in blogging standards but each well worth the time. Leave a comment with each one as I did and tell him where he is wrong. (HINT: He's not! But you might want to suggest to him that he link to the next one in his previous postings.)

i-love-ellen-degeneres-part-1"
i-love-ellen-degeneres-part-2
i-love-ellen-degeneres-part-3

BUT WAIT!!! THERE'S MORE!

I then got to his Home Page and discover that on 13Dec06 Scott Welch posted on the Sovereign Joy blog with his posting about harboring hatred in ones heart. This made four posts and comments and then I had to get to work. No time to post this AM! Oh well. It was well worth the time.

So what happens when I get home tonight. I go to Sitemeter.com again and find I've got hits from My Weekly Thoughts who thought the Being Five link was worthy of a mention. Another half hour of my life gone but I must say, "It was not Wasted." - Both going into my blogroll soon. -

P.S. This posting was modified 'after' 9PM (12Pm Eastern) because I had to hit 'Publish' in time for the email notifier to send it out by Friday AM. HELP!!!

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