If you haven't heard, Joe Volpe's campaign has had a web site satirizing the incident in which children were found to have contributed to his campaign shut down. I think this clearly demonstrates that either Volpe or his campaign does not understand how the internet works – this action will only draw more attention to said web site (here is a mirror, to emphasize the point). Worse, it calls Volpe's commitment to free speech and to internet freedoms into question. I do not want this man running the country.
Conservative blogger Stephen Taylor had this to say:
This is absurd, censorship and an abuse of power. As a citizen, regardless of your political affiliation, and as a Internet consumer, this should outrage you. The Internet is for free speech, and this fundamental freedom is really only labeled as such because it is one of those elements of our liberty that had to be protected from tyrants with power. If one cannot lampoon a political candidate (the archetype of free speech in a free society) then we aren't truly free. What is perhaps most chilling is that this censorship has come from a candidate for the Prime Ministership.
Well put.
Something interesting: I stumbled on Stephen's blog by accident via a Captain's Quarters post via, oddly enough, Slashdot, but he is a biochem grad student here at Queen's and I actually met him recently (at a party). I knew by James and Matt that he was some kind of important conservative blogger but never got around to checking out his site on my own. I also didn't know that he ran for the Conservative nomination at the last election. He's a good guy.
Hey David. It’s always interesting when my real life and online political life collide!
Thanks for the nice words.
Cheers Steve!
I was impressed to learn that you had decided to try running for office. I think that takes a lot of courage.
Keep on trucking…as they say.