I understand that Lefty Blogs has delisted Howling Latina. And other supposedly Democratic blogs are dropping the site from their blogrolls. The reason? Howling Latina is a proud advocate of PUMA. She dares to be a dissenting voice.
I thought the Democratic Party was a big tent. Have we gotten so out of whack that we only want to hear from the people we agree with? Heck, if that were the case, I’d be removing a pile of blogs from my blogroll – and don’t assume that the list would only be Republican ones.
When we start down the path of censoring the voices within our party, there is little that separates us from the Republicans. If your sensibilities are offended by those with whom you disagree, there is a simple answer: don’t read them.
Individual blog operators have the right to do whatever they want with their blogrolls. But I disagree with the decision by Lefty Blogs to remove Howling Latina because to do so, is an attempt to silence someone. (And we’ve seen plenty of that over at Blogger.)
It’s just not right. And because it’s my blog, I’ll continue to keep Howling Latina listed.
VIVIAN J. PAIGE | All Politics is Local 
Huh. I hadn’t heard about the delisting by LeftyBlogs. That’s pretty lame. But as to individuals – well, if I’d linked her as a regular read, I’d take it down, too. It’s not the PUMA (and please, can we punish whoever came up with that acronym?) thing – it’s that she’s just . . . “lost the plot” might be a kind way to put it. I once wrote that I quite admired her writing (and linked her in that entry), but now she’s just embarrassing (in that fellow Democrat way).
I wonder if Lefty Blogs has removed any other PUMA blogs? I haven’t heard anything specific about that. I do know that we’ve had an influx of blogs hosted here at wordpress.com because of what happened at Blogger.
What is PUMA?
An acronym for Party Unity My Ass, which is the phrase apparently chosen by a group of people who cannot get over the fact that Hillary Clinton lost the primary.
I have read Howling Latino, and she is malicious in her attacks on our nominee. It is one thing to voice your support for Clinton, but another to continue these divisive attacks that only serve to strengthen our opponent. Plain and simple, it is over, and it is time to get behind Barrack Obama.
Free speech, tb, gives you the right to say that it’s time to get behind Obama and Mimi the right to say the opposite. Like I said, if you don’t agree, don’t read. But censorship is a dangerous path.
It is also free speech that allow bloggers to remove Howling Latino from their site. It is also free speech that allows you to be critical of those bloggers. It is free speech that allows me to say that her posts derail party unity. Finally, it is free speech that allow you to say to me that free speech gives her the right to decide when it is time to get behind Obama. So it is safe to say that we both believe in free speech.
My issue, as I said earlier, is not with the blogs who remove her. It is with Lefty Blogs, who purport to represent all of the left side of the blogosphere. Taking her from the list is censorship.
I tend to focus on the positives. The Howler and I both like the Governor.
Lefty Blogs has the same rights you do, Vivian, to promote or not promote a particular blog, based on whatever standards it chooses. In the end, the truth wins out, and it will here.
LatinA.
(thank you)
~
I wouldn’t really call this an issue of free speech/censorship, as those are really issues that involve the exercise of power by the gov’t. What Leftyblogs is doing is exercising really poor judgment (I don’t think any of us would say it was censorship if, say, Leftyblogs declined to list BearingDrift) and failing to live up to their own claims. So lets nail them on that, and not mistake it for a censorship/free speech issue.
Typical. The party of “Free Speach” also attacks people like Imus and Randi Rhodes when they do not fall in line. In those cases they go after their employers.
Oh, wait, some Dems have done that too… Well at least gone after bloggers’ employers. Some left bloggers have done that too. You know who you are, SubPrime.
Squeaky, in addition to amusing us, demonstrates why this isn’t an issue of “free speech”, but one of judgment.
MB – you’re the lawyer so I will defer to your opinion (at least on the issue of censorship 😉 )
spotter – I have to disagree. This is what is on the front page of Lefty Blogs:
Now, if they said “this is the place to find out what’s happening in a selected part of the progressive blogosphere, I’d have no argument. But like it or not, the PUMAs are a part of the progressive blogosphere.