"Who Breaks a Butterfly on a Wheel?"

[jmward14]

I returned to the computer this afternoon afire to weigh in on LJ's misguided response to WFI.  I planned to tie 6Apart's ham-fistedness to British law enforcement's criminal persecution of the Rolling Stones forty years ago.  I ran down The Times editorial, "Who Breaks a Butterfly on a Wheel", that marked the change in public opinion on the arrests of Mick Jagger and Keith Richards.  Then I hunkered down to be scathing, scabrous and brilliant, ultimately comparing an LJ denuded of its fan posters and liberal fictionistas to a butterfly stripped of its wings.  IOW, a dead bug virtually indistinguishable from a cockroach.
Fortunately, I decided to check on the action before I started typing.  Go us!  The fierce, concerted viral reaction to LJ's suspension of accounts resulted in a shambling apology and reinstatement of most of the wronged blogs, with promises of more to follow.  It isn't enough.  I agree with one of the posters on whydoesljcensor.  I want some guarantee that my rights will be protected.  In addition, despite being a lifetime LJ member, I will be looking to take my blog elsewhere as a result of this incident.  But I'm realist enough to know a mumbled apology is still a win for the forces of good.
So I picked up my research materials (I don't know about you, but I sure can't be brilliant without back-up) with the idea of actually reshelving them for a change.  Got to the last one, The Rolling Stones, an Illustrated Record by Roy Carr, and decided to reread The Times editorial from which I drew my title.  
Across all these years, the issues remain the same.  The editorial's key point bears repeating in this context:

If we are going to make any case a symbol of the conflict between the sound traditional values of Britain and the new hedonism, then we must be sure that the sound traditional values include those of tolerence and equity.

Tolerence.  Equity.  I sincerely hope LJ won't lose sight of them again.  But to quote a saw that applies to our First Amendment rights as much as to our national defense: "The price of freedom is eternal vigilance."
Thank you to the vigilant defenders of free speech on LJ.  I stand with you now and always.

Comments

[hutch0.livejournal.com]

Don't go; if you do, it's a small victory for the Forces of Darkness. I'm sure it would do their evil little hearts good to see people leaving LJ. I'm staying.

[jmward14.livejournal.com]

Thanks {{{{hutch0}}}}}. I'm staying for now, but I am investigating alternatives, because sometimes the only way to get people's attention is to repeatedly apply a large 2-by-4 to their wallets. :-)
Happy Friday hugs,
Jean Marie
*who always thought she WAS one of the Forces of Darkness*

[hutch0.livejournal.com]

Oh, I think 6A's attention has been got about as thoroughly as it's possible to get by now. What I would hate to see is a headline that goes something like `LJ Users Quit Because Of Paedophile Scandal' because it would be technically true and it would make WiFi or whatever the hell their name is think `Ooh, look what we can do. Let's do it to someone else.'
And you were always on the side of the Light. You and Teri.
Big Hugs.

[jmward14.livejournal.com]

It's all in the spin.
That's what I've been playing with in my mythology stories. People seemed to be determined to accept a single view of the Greek myths--sometimes when the incidents in the stories point in a completely different direction.
Speaking of which, was I supposed to inflict HIGHWAY FROM HELL on you, or do you need a pass? I figure major household construction gets you a free pass on just about anything except dental surgery.
Hugs and smiles,
Jean Marie

[hutch0.livejournal.com]

All I know about these WiFi people is what I read on the internet, and what I read doesn't make me enormously happy. I checked out their website, and then I saw the warnings about drive-by spyware and I had to download dozens of anti-spyware programs to check my computer out, one of which made it temporarily impossible for me to listen to the programmes on the BBC Radio 4 comedy website, which is unforgivable.
I honestly believe that 6A have been taught a lesson, and there may be aftershocks from this, but I don't want to give WiFi any more easy victories. As you know, I came to this party rather late - the whole thing seems to have happened while I was asleep and I've been playing catch-up ever since; it's been a little like standing on a beach and watching lightning going off just the other side of the horizon - but I'm not going anywhere.
On a happier note, I volunteered to beta-read Highway From Hell and I meant it. I've discovered that I can present the appearance of a functional human being during major household construction, which I like to think means I may be a bizarre kind of superhero. Send me that puppy.
Big Hugs.