I’m sorry, but while you know I have respect for your opinion on this subject, I feel you are throwing out the baby with the bath water with this position.

Sure, there are a few nasty people out there. Sure the newspaper comment section leaves a lot to be desired in regards to the insults directed to both poster, reporter, and official. But there are also sincere people, including those casting a ballot in your direction, that post their thoughts with the hope that better clarity and conversation can yield a better understanding over that of public meetings where dialog is not in Roberts Rules.

Also, what you don’t describe in this post is that in some forums, town officials do read the posts and get a feel for both public opinion and where the information flow should be modified for better explanations. You and I have both seen it, and to cast that process aside with total disregard for those residents by calling them names like ‘weak’ doesn’t do the process justice.

Not everyone has the time, stamina, or marketability to be involved directly in town politics. Elected officials are chosen to be the ones to make things happen and as such will make decisions based on their beliefs. To shut the door on conversation is to shut the door on time-starved residents and cause less involvement to occur and place fingers in the ears for silence. I remember a comment in the past that a poster who was a friend of an official didn’t want to compromise that friendship by having a different opinion and as such, the message or more importantly -the words- are what make for conversation. To take away a test of your beliefs, whether it is by way of anonymity or known screen name, is to discard an available venue of communication.

I recently announced the closure of my forums due to personal needs outweighing the funding of a place where people might converse with officials. To my surprise, residents, including those whom do not post began sending in donations to allow such a place that you unilaterally dismiss to continue. That says something needs to be addressed or at least viewed in more moderate terms.

I thank you for those links that support your opinion. I’m glad the same myopic views are not utilized when politicians go bad, or newspapers print made up stories. If we only focused on the bad, then based on this logic all politicians should go and no one should read the media. But that is not the case.

Mike Doukas
TownCommon.net