Friday, October 17, 2008

"Criminal Web Links?"

Is it a "criminal act" to post a link to a municipal web site? The mayor of the city of Sheboygen, Wisconsin seems to think it is, and he threatened to arrest a blogger who had tried to get him recalled, for posting a link to his police department. She had committed no crime; just posted a link to the Sheboygen Police Department. They sent her a "cease and desist" order and she originally removed the link. But after consulting a lawyer, restored it and the city "shut up." Apparently they finally realized they could not shut this blogger up. The blogger is suing. Reminds me of the time I sent a copy of a print newsletter I was publishing to the Mayor of Denver (Wellington Webb) as a courtesy, since I was criticizing him (this was early Internet). His "press hack" protested, and I answered him, sending him a copy of a similar item in an Internet "List" I was publishing, too. He sent me one back telling me to "stop sending spam." I wrote back and asked him why an otherwise intelligent man didn't know the difference between spam and a personal e-mail. I never heard from him again. (Common Sense)

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