Newspaper story commenter to lose mask for teasing politico's son

A suburban Illinois politician will be told the name of a man who allegedly made disparaging remarks about her teenaged son on a newspaper website's comment section, a local judge has ruled. During a bitterly contested election in Buffalo Grove, Illinois, an online flamewar erupted on the website of the local rag, the Daily …

[Anonymous Coward]

Warning?

To me this seems rather like a sensible warning to a teenager who is obviously not very well versed in the use of internet.

[Anonymous Coward]

This is stupid...

Long has the internet been around, and so have the children talking trash in public forums hidden behind anonymity. It has been the job of every adult to put these children in line through the use of intelligence and quick whit to make these kids feel stupid and eventually shut up... If this is successful it will be giving the young trolls of the world a 00-7 badge to rule the internet with out repercussion. What ever happened to a good humored flame being the silver lining in the internets cloud.

[jake]

What line, exactly?

"Stone said the comment crosses the line"

Does SuperMum pay strict attention to her sprog's babble?

The mind boggles ...

[Anonymous Coward]

Go for it

"In a six-page written ruling, Judge Lawrence said the poster's name and address can be turned over to Stone, her attorneys and staff, and law enforcement so she can take legal action."

So they haven't filed suite yet? The claim is being judged on what they MIGHT file suit on? Law enforcement equally aren't requesting it, so the 'law enforcement' thing is a misdirection.

Just appeal, sounds like the Judge has sex with butt ferrets and should ave his nutts cut off to cure his pervy furry fetish.

"Her attorney tells the Tribune that First Amendment free speech protections are only designed to protect anonymous political debate, but not what he defines as sexual insinuations about children."

There's no such limitation, and playing the 'children' card indicates a weak case since the law applies equally to adults like Judge ferret butt muncher. Name calling is not a reason to lose anonymous free speech, and this is civil not law enforcement claims, it's not at that level.

[Neil 23]

Flaming septics

They really will sue over anything won't they?

Everyone knows the correct response to an insinuation like that would be something along the lines of: "Why don't you ask your dad and find out".

No sense of humour, these colonials...

[Anonymous Coward]

Commentards reinvent usenet, fail to live up to the legend

As far as flamewars go, that one comment is respectable enough for the simple reason it could mean something else entirely. But then, if you let yourself get suckered into a flamewar you need a thicker hide than the kid and his mom apparently have. Loosely translated from german: He who argues with a fool has to take care the other isn't doing the same.

[Anonymous Coward]

Internet Tough Guy

"Stone's son challenged to him to debate the issues in person"

Hahahaha, oh to be fifteen again..

Suprised John Doe is going to be named, I don't think flaming kids on the internet should be punishable.

[Anonymous Coward]

I'm saying nothing

Because even if Big Brother isn't watching he will find you, if he wants (or somebody else wants)

Mac Fanboi's beware your lies will find you out!

Anon! Obviously

[Hermes Conran]

Hmmm...

I'm going to have to stop telling people they suck!

(Paris because I believe she is a talented and moral person.)

(Honest.)

[Pascal Monett]

Only because it concerns a political figure

I do not particularly appreciate the tone of the remark, but hey, if you get into an argument, you are setting yourself up for being insulted. And if you can't stand the heat . . .

No, what I really do not appreciate is that this kind of argument is happening every day all over the forums. That is sad enough, but do we hear about it ? Nope, because it does not concern political figures.

Normal people take it and get on with their lives. They don't appreciate it, but they deal with it.

Here we have a political figure that is clearly taking advantage of her status to take it out on somebody who said nasty things to her son. I don't like that.

I will be interested in hearing the result of the court case, though.

[AC 4]

whats a title

I could understand it if the dude had said "I'm going to blow the White House up" ... that would make sense to have the person's identity revealed, but over a joke? Sounds like a fail to me. Do they not have jokes in the US?

[Ed Blackshaw]

Did he forget to use the joke icon for his post?

It's a difficult one to call; on the one hand you have one person using bullying behaviour on a public forum, on the other hand, you have another person taking a simple taunt and treating it as slander.

Is suspect that when the identity of the commenter is revealed, they will likely turn out to be a minor too, given the maturity of the insinuations being made. Maybe both parties should just grow up and move on?

What was the old saying again, 'sticks and stones...'

[Anonymous Coward]

Damn...gotta agree with the polititian.

That must be a first.

That comment is out of line and in the UK would probably mean the son being put on some suspicion list for the rest of his life. Just in case.

[Anonymous Coward]

Ah, yes, the Internet Ultima Ratio Regnum

"U R GAY LOL"

[Anonymous Coward]

They're protesting WAY TOO much it aint true...

Guessing the kid HAS been inviting random guys back to his place then, as trying THAT hard to prove it isn't the case is definitely not right.

Good on his mum for MAKING IT FAMOUS that her son cruises their local newspaper forums for blokes.

[Jax 1]

Has anyone considered....

what if they're both actually minors? As the comment was anonymous its a possibility. Going to court over what would otherwise be technically a playground argument would be somewhat ridiculous.

[Ed Blackshaw]

@Jax1

What I said.

[Graham Marsden]

So the Law is now a Forum Moderator?

I'd say that comment goes well beyond the T&Cs of permissible comment on the site, so why the hell didn't they just complain to the Moderators and have it removed instead of going for the sledgehammer to crack a nut tactic of legal action.

Oh, hang on, it's the USA. Forget being sensible when you can reach for your lawyer...

[Scott Herter]

I think you are missing some context...

Not too long ago there was an incident where an adult led on and then trashed a teen online. The teen committed suicide over the on-line abuse. The adult who did it was aquited since "being mean" and such wasn't a crime. Since then a number of laws were enacted to make sure that if something like this happend again there would be some recourse in the law to stop it or punish those involved.

As usual, whenever hasty laws are enacted to "protect the children" they tend to be ripe for abuse.

[Bilgepipe]

Good

While the response is worryingly over the top, the fact that some smartarsed anonymous internet poster gets dragged out into the open from behind his parents basement door fills me with delight.

I'm as guilty as anyone else for becoming much more abusive while posting anonymously, but I draw the line at the kind of personal insults this guy used. If he can't debate without resorting to insults, he should keep quiet. Now his arse will get dragged through court.

[Chris iverson]

Ahh the suburbs

Firstly having lived not too far from the location in question, they are an uppity bunch. They do not know about moderators and on top of that this is the kind of area where the attitude is " how DARE you challenge my belief on ...... and there is no question that my son/daughter is the best, brightest, most attrctive, blah, blah, blah" and the "they can do no wrong" attitude. Or perhaps living in the midwest US for 13 years made me bitter.

Grenade cause it looks neat

[Dane Pack]

@Bilgepipe

"If he can't debate without resorting to insults, he should keep quiet. Now his arse will get dragged through court."

2 YEARS FOR TROLLING.

Seems like you're very willing to send a commenter you only know from the Internet to prison for being stupid - have you done it before, or have you spent time with similar idiotic offenders in your Fantasy Internet Prison?

[keddaw]

How can you tell...

...how old anyone is on an internet forum?

The politician is derelict in her duty by not moderating what her son is doing and who he is chatting to online, but hoiw it the other user supposed to know what age the poster is?

Are there over 18 forums I can go to (not those ones, I'm already a member of those ones) so that I can flame whoever I like without fear, like I can pull any chick at an over-18's club without having to check her ID before dooing the doo (like Betty Boo)?