Internet Anonymity: Who Is The Real Foe Lurking Out There?

I personally don’t care for people who make internet posts anonymously or hide behind an avatar. At the very least, it undermines their credibility. Whatever you say or believe, you should be able to stand up for it - As You Are; yelling it from the shadows is cowardly, wormy, spineless.

Many folks who use this tactic are internet trolls whose primary reason for being anonymous is to maliciously disrupt conversations using personal attacks or to take the conversation off topic. It’s more than annoying; it’s destructive, cowardly, childish and often cruel.

This despicable behavior, in my opinion, is the product of a society where perpetual adolescence is held in high esteem.

Nevertheless, it’s repugnant to make it illegal.

SF Examiner "Coit" Title Needs Examination

Am I the only one who finds this headline crass? Probably. And, that is a problem.

The story has nothing to do with the well know and highly flawed birth control method. It’s a story about a delay in getting a food vendor licensed at the well known San Francisco landmark, Coit Tower.

But, I get it. Oh yes, the Coit Tower has a phallic shape. But, so does the handle of my toilet plunger.  

Without putting much thinking into it, I can think of several other titles that would not be as shameful and just as cutesy. How about:

“Coit Cuisine Crashes”

“Coit Tower Starving?”

“Coit Chowless”

“Chowless Coit,”

“Chow Cut at Coit”

The title, while eye catching, is unnecessary.

Cheap headlines like this only seem to cheapen the story, our minds, and our bodies. Garbage in, garbage out. Perhaps the Examiner is impregnated with the seductive embrace of convention whereby we all go around coarsening our culture at every turn.  

We don’t’ have to be infected by the same coarseness.

Columbia 7 Remembered

10 years ago today, the space shuttle Columbia STS-107 broke apart on re-entry. All 7 astronauts were killed.

In memory of 7 very brave souls, the Columbia 7. God Bless:

Rick D. Husband – Mission Commander

William C. McCool – Pilot

Kalpana Chawla - Mission Specialist

Laurel B. Clark - Mission Specialist

Ilan Ramon - Payload Specialist

Michael P. Anderson - Payload Commander

David M. Brown - Mission Specialist

"The same creator who names the stars also knows the names of the seven souls we mourn today. The crew of the shuttle Columbia did not return safely to Earth; yet we can pray that all are safely home."

 President George W. Bush Feb. 1, 2003