I really don’t see this as stifling free speech, or even having anything to do with the subject. My blog is not a democracy, it’s my personal space, just the same as my home, therefore, I feel I am allowed to decide what should appear there.

The problem is his pattern is to bug the crap out of you, then impersonates you by creating gmail, hotmail and yahoo emails that are similar to your email address.

For example – my site is Steamy Kitchen
so he created “steamedkitchen@gmail.com” and emails me from it. The next thing he’ll do is go around other food blogs causing trouble being me and saying nasty things.

He’s been doing this with someone else.

I spoke with an attorney and she said there’s not much I can do. I have a public blog and by doing so, I’m welcoming commenters and leaving myself open for people to say things. My real name is on my blog, because I’m in the media quite a bit and the blog is part of my career.

I can send him a cease and desist. If he ignores it, then I can file an injunction. All of which requires expensive attorney fees and the results are iffy, unknown.

Trolls are one thing, but when does it become harmful and a crime? Free speech protects racist comments. I have him blocked from leaving comments in WordPress, it just goes directly in the spam folder. It doesn’t stop him – still leaves comments every day and he emails me directly.

If anyone has any advice, I would love an email at jaden (at) steamykitchen.com.

The blog is a private space, like a cocktail party in your home, where people come together to socialize, talk, exchange ideas.

If one person starts doing anything you don’t like, you have the right to throw them out. That’d be whether you’re a Jewish discussion group and some uninvited guest starting preaching about how you’re going to hell, or some racist starts spewing verbal filth and start assaulting the other guests, etc.

This isn’t the government coming into your house and shutting your party down. THAT’S censorship.

Or you being in a public place wanting to express a certain opinion, but that was stifled as well. Also censorship.

But the analogy of your house as private space as blog is very apt here. They’re a guest and it’s your space – you have the right to do whatever you want.

People should follow the rules of the group/community or expect to be booted.

I believe there is a wide misconception about “freedom of speech”. Freedom of speech does mean that I can say what I want, but it does not mean that I can say it anywhere that I want. As the owner/publisher of a blog, I have the right to determine what is published in the blog, just as a newspaper’s management has the right to accept or decline any submissions. If I posted a hand bill on the wall at the local mall, exercising my “freedom of speech”, the management of the mall has the right to remove the material that I have defaced their property with. You cannot say anything you want, anywhere.

By the same token, I welcome differing opinions submitted as comments to my blog, but within what I consider, in MY blog, to be civil and respectful discourse.

http://FIGHT-PTSD.ORG

And for those who might claim that I’m practicing “censorship” because I’m choosing what gets seen publicly and what doesn’t:

Is your publicly library also practicing censorship because its periodical section doesn’t include Playboy?

Best, and keep on blogging.

If they want to comment about my blog or something I said and they want to retain complete control they should do so on there own “property” blog or webspace.

Having said that, the “social” media is coming under legal scrutiny in my home state of Missouri, USA. Improper spoken and written words, aka: Slander and Libel are being looked into since the depression suicide of Megan Meier.

My point, if you cherish the social aspect of the internet, don’t ruin for all of us by abusing it! All the best…