Anonymity at Blogs Spurs Irresponsibility, Says Afrosphere Atty. Francis L. Holland

As someone who has been quoted in the Washington Post, Slate, The Pew Project for Excellence in Journalism, the Dallas Morning News, etc. (see below) I know that bloggers who have anything topical and relevant to say about the issues of the day, particularly those of us who engage in investigative journalism, will eventually be contacted by the mainstream media and we will have to make our names and affiliations known as the price of addressing our political ideas to a worldwide audience.

So, there are those of us who really are Internet journalists
and who have been compelled to divulge our names and to allow the public to compare our political writing with our political, corporate and private affiliations, as well as our campaign contributions.

In exchange, we have appeared e.g. on National Public Radio, Radio Pacifica, CBS, the Los Angelos Times, and in numerous newspapers.

Subtracting from those of us with the courage and determination to divulge our identities as part of our contribution to international political debate, there are others who hide behind "anonymity" while name-calling, posting nonsense in the comments of serious diaries, and generally making a determined and long-term effort to drive the progressive blogosphere train off of its tracks.

Take d3n4l1, for example. This screen name is associated at Honda Accord Forum with John Lacquey but, according to the Federal Elections Commission, this person has never made a contribution to a Democratic Party candidate (or any other candidate) for federal office.

Now, I know some readers will howl like stuck pigs that the blogosphere is intended to be a place where blowhard opinionators and government informants can make idiotic comments and then hide behind anonymity so that they will never have to take personal responsibility for anything they say or do on the Internet.

This makes the Internet a perfect place for Government operatives to manipulate the flow of information, drive and ban real journalists away from blogs, and do what the Republicans obviously want the blogosphere to do: nothing.
francislholland :: Anonymity at Blogs Breeds Irresponsibility, Says Afrosphere Atty. Francis L. Holland
There is another insidious purpose for the culture of blogger anonymity: When most people who comment at blogs do so anonymously, people like Markos C. Alberto Moulitsas Zúñiga (MAMZ) of DailyWhitosphere are empowered to go on the national media and pretend that they speak for all progressives, even when their political history associates them more with reactionary Republican politics and militarism than with progressivism.

I think if you have something to say about someone then it is important that you say it to the person directly. That's why I say, today, to d3n4l1, that if s/he had anything meaningful and original to say that was worth reading then s/he might have a blog that has 45,000 hits at Google, such as I have at The Truth About Kos.

To the contrary, anyone who has read d3n4l1's idiotic comments at whitosphere blog after blog knows that d3n4l1's only purpose is to cause intelligent conversations about progressive politics to devolve into conversations about d3n4l1 and others' personalities rather than their political contributions. Nobody even knows who d3n4l1 is.

And so I say to d3n4l1, why don't you take off the veil, tell us your name, and your profession, so that I can look you up at Google and at the Federal Elections Commission and demonstrate to readers that, e.g., you donate exclusively to Republican political candidates?

The answer is obvious: No one would bother to read your idiotic and flatulent comments if they knew that you were, (e.g.) a Republican who works for Lockheed and contributed to the campaigns of David Duke and George Allen. I'm sorry, but I just can't see the purpose of arguing with a "Lost in Space" computer name like "d3n4l1." If d3n4l1 provided us with a real name like Bill J. Jones of Ashland, VA then we could all look up Bill J. Jones at the Federal Election Commission database and conclude that s/he had donated $300.00 to the National Republican Congressional Campaign Committee.

Then, we could ignore for all time d3n4l1's assertions that s/he supports single payer health care. If you confessed that your name was "Phillip Anschutz," then we would quickly conclude that you were the "Billionaire Republican Campaign Donor [Who]Buys "Now Public" "Crowd Powered Media" Online Newspaper," the same anus who donated to Larry Craig and John McCain.

Or, if you told us your name was e.g. Samantha Caldwell, then we could once again look you up in the Federal Elections Commission database and conclude that you have never liked any Democratic party candidate sufficiently to put your money where your mouth is.

I'm proud of who I am and I'm proud that the American Prospect called me a "controversial African American blogger," when I intellectually deconstructed and helped to destroy the vapid presidential candidacy of John Edwards.

Below are some of my mainstream media credits identifying the causes to which I have contributed my time and effort. I want d3n4l1 t tell us who s/he is and what s/he has ever done that would make it worth our time to read his/her personal attacks that appear constantly in the context of political discussions.

Who I am is a matter of public record:

Washington Post quotes Francis L. Holland slamming DNCC for all-white state blogs corps:

Francis L. Holland, one of the vocal black bloggers, sent e-mails to DNC officials asking that 15 black-operated blogs be added to the State Corps. "There is nothing 'Democratic' about an all-white Democratic National Convention floor blogging corps," he wrote in an e-mail. Holland is also asking for the inclusion of 15 Latino-operated blogs."

Slate.com quotes Francis L. Holland regarding John Edwards' decision to endorse Senator Barack Obama for President:"Or, as Obama supporter Francis L. Holland puts it: "So, it shows tremendous courage, foresight and solidarity that Edwards has endorsed Obama after the media declared Hillary's campaign to be as good as dead, right? Oh, well! Better late than never!"

BlackEnterprise.Com quotes Francis L. Holland:

"Of the blogs covering the convention, black blogs will be 7.2% of the blogs present,” says Francis L. Holland of the Afrosphere Action Coalition.

According to Holland, many states with a strong black Democratic presence and population are either underrepresented or not represented at all, even though black bloggers from these states did apply. “

The state of Tennessee, which often has over 25% blacks among its Democratic primary voters, will not have a single black blogger at the Democratic National Convention, for example.

The District of Columbia, which is 60% black, will be left out. Louisiana, which is 32.4% black, will be left out.

Illinois, the presidential nominee’s home state, which is 15% black, will be left out."

Pew Project for Excellence in Journalism cites Francis L. Holland:

In 2008, the Democratic "party came under fire from African American bloggers. Francis L. Holland of the Afrosphere Action Coalition, complained to Black Enterprise magazine that [B]lack blogs only made up slightly more than 7% of the bloggers credentialed for the convention."

Francis L. Holland Blog in the Washington Post:"We are tired of Hillary Clinton telling America that we are less than American simply because we refuse to vote for her," said Francis L. Holland, an African American blogger." Ironically, the Clintons embraced us, and even embraced Pastor Jeremiah Wright for support during their impeachment scandal." Holland was speaking of the congressional trial that followed former president Bill Clinton's liaison with White House intern Monica Lewinsky. "She has forfeited the black vote for the foreseeable future with her color aroused appeals."

Francis L. Holland Blog in Dallas Morning News:

“November’s voter turnout depends on August’s blogger outreach,” said Mr. Holland of the Afrosphere Action Coalition., a member of a national and international black bloggers’ coalition called “The AfroSpear.” “Blogs address constituencies, and it simply is not possible for blogs that are all-white to effectively reach diverse Democratic constituencies.”

Francis L. Holland Blog in Black Enterprise Magazine:

"Of the blogs covering the convention, black blogs will be 7.2% of the blogs present," says Francis L. Holland of the Afrosphere Action Coalition. According to Holland, many states with a strong black Democratic presence and population are either underrepresented or not represented at all, even though black bloggers from these states did apply. “The state of Tennessee, which often has over 25% blacks among its Democratic primary voters, will not have a single black blogger at the Democratic National Convention, for example. The District of Columbia, which is 60% black, will be left out. Louisiana, which is 32.4% black, will be left out. Illinois, the presidential nominee's home state, which is 15% black, will be left out.

"Pacifica Radio:

"Francis Holland is a blogger from Afrospear, a national group of bloggers that advocates for African-Americans. When he looked at the list of State Bloggers, he saw no [B]lack blogs among them. Holland explains that the process the Democratic Convention planners used to choose the State Blogger Corps was bound to lead to this result. And he argues that the Democratic Party can scarcely afford to alienate [b]lack voters in this election year.

" (The original link no longer works, which is becoming a growing documentation problem on the Internet.)

American Prospect cites Francis L. Holland:

"Electing Edwards to challenge the status quo is like supporting a queen to challenge the monarchy or integrating an all-white club by adding more all-white club members. It is possible that electing yet another white man to the Presidency will end the poverty of the historically disenfranchised, with John Edwards serving as a "pass through" for those who have historically been disincluded legally and by custom. But this is a very convoluted way of achieving what could be achieved much more directly by electing Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. ..." Huffington Post published Francis L. Holland's articles. Columbia Journalism Review quotes Francis L. Holland Blog.

Washington Post quotes Francis L. Holland slamming DNCC for all-white state blogs corps:"Francis L. Holland, one of the vocal black bloggers, sent e-mails to DNC officials asking that 15 black-operated blogs be added to the State Corps. "There is nothing 'Democratic' about an all-white Democratic National Convention floor blogging corps," he wrote in an e-mail. Holland is also asking for the inclusion of 15 Latino-operated blogs."

Slate.com quotes Francis L. Holland regarding John Edwards' decision to endorse Senator Barack Obama for President:"Or, as Obama supporter Francis L. Holland puts it: "So, it shows tremendous courage, foresight and solidarity that Edwards has endorsed Obama after the media declared Hillary's campaign to be as good as dead, right? Oh, well! Better late than never!"

Pew Project for Excellence in Journalism cites Francis L. Holland:

In 2008, the Democratic "party came under fire from African American bloggers.

Francis L. Holland of the Afrosphere Action Coalition, complained to Black Enterprise magazine that black blogs only made up slightly more than 7% of the bloggers credentialed for the convention."

Francis L. Holland Blog in the Washington Post: "We are tired of Hillary Clinton telling America that we are less than American simply because we refuse to vote for her," said Francis L. Holland, an African American blogger." Ironically, the Clintons embraced us, and even embraced Pastor Jeremiah Wright for support during their impeachment scandal." Holland was speaking of the congressional trial that followed former president Bill Clinton's liaison with White House intern Monica Lewinsky. "She has forfeited the black vote for the foreseeable future with her color aroused appeals."

Francis L. Holland Blog in Dallas Morning News: “November’s voter turnout depends on August’s blogger outreach,” said Mr. Holland of the Afrosphere Action Coalition., a member of a national and international black bloggers’ coalition called “The AfroSpear.” “Blogs address constituencies, and it simply is not possible for blogs that are all-white to effectively reach diverse Democratic constituencies.”

Francis L. Holland Blog in Black Enterprise Magazine: "Of the blogs covering the convention, black blogs will be 7.2% of the blogs present," says Francis L. Holland of the Afrosphere Action Coalition. According to Holland, many states with a strong black Democratic presence and population are either underrepresented or not represented at all, even though black bloggers from these states did apply. “The state of Tennessee, which often has over 25% blacks among its Democratic primary voters, will not have a single black blogger at the Democratic National Convention, for example. The District of Columbia, which is 60% black, will be left out. Louisiana, which is 32.4% black, will be left out. Illinois, the presidential nominee's home state, which is 15% black, will be left out."

Pacifica Radio's Election Unspun: "Black Bloggers and Black Power," interviews Francis L. Holland:

"Francis Holland is a blogger from Afrospear, a national group of bloggers that advocates for African-Americans. When he looked at the list of State Bloggers, he saw no black blogs among them. Holland explains that the process the Democratic Convention planners used to choose the State Blogger Corps was bound to lead to this result. And he argues that the Democratic Party can scarcely afford to alienate black voters in this election year." (The original link no longer works, which is becoming a growing documentation problem on the Internet.)

American Prospect cites Francis L. Holland: "Electing Edwards to challenge the status quo is like supporting a queen to challenge the monarchy or integrating an all-white club by adding more all-white club members. It is possible that electing yet another white man to the Presidency will end the poverty of the historically disenfranchised, with John Edwards serving as a "pass through" for those who have historically been disincluded legally and by custom. But this is a very convoluted way of achieving what could be achieved much more directly by electing Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. ..."

Huffington Post published Francis L. Holland's articles.

Columbia Journalism Review quotes Francis L. Holland Blog.

Now, you know who Francis L. Holland is and some of his political contributions. But, who is d3n4l1, who (if anyone) pays her/him to post so often at so many blogs in a manner that has the effect of derailing substantive conversations about progressive politics and what is the price to the blogosphere of d3n4l1's anonymity?