Quoted Text

Puppets sock it to each other
By CASEY SEILER
First published: Sunday, November 4, 2007

There was a time when sock puppets could only be found on the hands of children's entertainers who couldn't afford a Muppet. These days, we live in Sock Puppet Nation.
  
I'm referring to the digital definition of a sock puppet: an online alias used to promote your real self or disparage your real self's opponents. The same week that FEMA was forced to admit that it had staged a press conference staffed by phony journalists, our own Local Politics blog was revealed as a veritable Punch & Judy show of sock puppetry.

In response to an Oct. 17 story about a McKownville candidates forum, someone posted a comment praising Guilderland Town Board candidates Mark Grimm and Warren Redlich. "It was great to see such articulate and dedicated challengers," wrote "truthsquad."

"Their revelations about the current Town Board were quite interesting. I checked out their websites and found a wealth of information." Were links helpfully provided? They were!

Sniffing an election-season rodent, editors examined the sender's Internet provider address: It was the same as the IP address attached to another e-mail -- one sent by Mark Grimm.

Grimm reiterated to me that the comment was sent from his computer by a campaign worker. He had "no problem" with the anonymity, because of the vindictive nature of Guilderland politics. We were talking by phone, so I can't say for sure that Grimm kept a straight face when he claimed there was nothing disingenuous about the language of the volunteer's post.

The puppetry didn't end there: Two more anonymous comments, slamming Republicans Grimm and Redlich, turned out to be the work of Democrat Don Csaposs, chairman of Guilderland's Economic Development Advisory Council. His contributions -- credited to "haddanuffathiscrap" and "factsdontlieliarslie" -- have the pulpy energy of Mickey Spillane. On Redlich and Grimm's Web sites: "Got to see video clips of Grime pitching cars and cold cuts. Got to see Oilslick whining about a 'debate' that he'd turn into a mudslinging festival in an Albany nanosecond." Redlich posted two mild and thoughtful comments -- using his own name. What was he thinking? After the puppetry was revealed in the Oct. 26 Inside Politics column, a lively side-debate turned the ethical question around: Was the Times Union correct to reveal the comments' points of origin?

Jay Jochnowitz, the editor who oversees political coverage, provided an explanation that boiled down to a reminder that the Times Union's blogs are a no-sock-puppet zone.

Grimm and Csaposs, not surprisingly, objected to being de-socked. "You guys are f---in' this whole thing up," Csaposs said Wednesday, making sure to call me back on his personal phone.

"Blogs and message boards are a means for anonymity," he added. "The problem is that every blog has a moderator."

That's sort of like a linebacker who's shocked to discover a referee on the field.

For a suburbanite, Csaposs seems to possess a passion for the hack-and-slash side of politics. "My personal position is that variety is the spice of life," he said. It's all fun and games; but is this a healthy practice in a civil society? If Grimm (or his volunteer) wants to pat himself on the back, he should feel free. If Csaposs wants to snipe at Grimm and Redlich, our system guarantees him that right. But if both aspire to being public servants, they shouldn't do (or engineer) it anonymously.
In the blogosphere, Grimm and Csaposs deserve each other. Whether Guilderland's citizens deserve a more elevated form of discourse is a question worth answering in the real world.

Casey Seiler can be reached at 454-5619 or cseiler@timesunion.com.

WOW...the good old TU checking IP addresses on an annonymous blogsite. And then exposing who they are through their newspaper!! Well if that doesn't stoop to an all time low!!

That's nothing compared to what will happen with the 'Real ID'.........that's why folks should say what they mean and mean what they say---right to the end....stop pointing at other folks and worry about their own back yards......

True senders, but some peoplle like to do it anonymously. And that should be respected.