Re: Circumstances

So listen, I don't know what's going on that compels you to "out" this commenter. But I'd ask that you consider this: your 'outing' may have no effect on said commenter to begin with, and he may not even be an important piece in whatever puzzle it is you're putting together in any case. I'd say both those outcomes are quite likely - he won't be effected and, even if he were, he wouldn't be much of a target in the larger scheme.

However, you will almost certainly do damage to our blog. And it's a blog that spoke out on numerous occasions decrying the treatment of Manning, backing Wikilinks and Assange, etc. Why you would put us in the firing line just because of a comment made in one of our threads is beyond me, and hugely insulting. Actually, it makes me pretty upset because I invited you to write for us and this is a pretty flagrant betrayal of that trust. Trust is important, and you risk damaging a site which has always been outspoken on civil liberties. Why make enemies out of friends over this? Why not focus on bigger fish? I don't get it. I really don't.

Erik

On Wed, Feb 9, 2011 at 8:03 PM, Barrett Brown <barriticus@gmail.com> wrote:

Erik-

I'm sure you mean well in your own way, but as I've just explained on your blog, we take the actions of that government employee particularly seriously in light of recent revelations that you no doubt have not noticed. There has been a corporate/federal/mercantalist conspiracy against Wikileaks and Anonymous that has resulted in guns-drawn raids against a 19-year-old girl, among other things, and we are now in war mode. That idiot whom was allowed to call for the murder of my friend on your blog is going to be outed due to what we now know about that effort. I understand that you will react in accordance with your personal ethics in this, and I understand that. But this isn't a fucking rhetorical game and it never was. There were always consequences.

--
Regards,

Barrett Brown
512-560-2302