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Jesse Kline: No pity for spineless politicians who don't respect free speech

British politician Aneurin Bevan once said that “politics is a blood sport,” so it stands to reason that only people with thick skin should get in the game. Someone should have told this to Phyllis Morris, the former mayor of Aurora, Ont. who, after getting roundly defeated in an election, decided to sue the pants off everyone who said mean things about her on the Internet.

Only problem is that most of the bloggers and commenters who offended her delicate sensibilities did so anonymously. Thus, Ms. Morris decided to try and get a court to force Internet services providers to divulge their identities, and to go after the people who ran the blogs that some of the comments were posted on.

In an Ontario Superior Court ruling handed down last week, Justice Carole Brown made the correct decision by ruling that “the public interest favouring disclosure clearly does not outweigh the legitimate interests in freedom of expression and the right to privacy of the persons sought to be identified.” And that the bloggers “had a reasonable expectation of anonymity in the particular circumstances, given that they were free to identify themselves, to write under a pseudonym or remain anonymous.”

And these writers should have a right to say almost anything they want in an anonymous fashion, especially when they’re talking about a politician. Free speech is an essential component in a democracy because democratic government is based on the idea that the state is ultimately controlled by the people. So long as they’re not inciting violence, their right to anonymity should not be questioned.

Opinions and ideas must be free so that society can grow and flourish. Citizens should have the right to speak out against the state, its agents, and their elected officials in order to prevent tyranny and ensure that the state is making decisions that are in the best interests of the society.

Who’s afraid of anonymous political speech anyway? Ms. Morris thinks what was written about her “went far beyond acceptable political commentary.” And for that she apparently deserves $6-million. But who is she to decide what is acceptable political commentary?

There were undoubtedly many political elite who did not like it when The Federalist Papers began appearing in New York newspapers in 1787. They were published by three founding fathers of the United States — James Madison, Alexander Hamilton and John Jay — under the anonymous pseudonym “Publius.” They have also become important historical works that played a key role in the ratification of the U.S. constitution.

10 Best Apps for Social Studies Students « History Tech

Smartphones and tablets have become some of the greatest tools for social studies and history classrooms. Programs or apps available for these devices are useful for more than killing time or listening to streaming music. They are advanced programs allowing individuals to carry out research, write dissertations, share information with users from around the world, and everything in between. Here are a few of the top mobile apps for social studies, history, economics, political science, and more.

1. EZ Read ($1.99)

Sparknotes has long been the saving grace of procrastinating students. This company produces comprehensive study guides for literature, specific historical periods, and major international events. They have now also gone completely mobile. This app provides plot analyses, character descriptions, maps, and key facts and figures for thousands of pieces of literature.

2. iAmerica (Free)

For those students considering a course of study with a focus on the United States, iAmerica is going to be one of the most valuable apps on their smartphones. This completely free app accesses a huge volume of basic information regarding the history of the United States, and features a list and brief biography of each president   identical to the one found on the White House’s website. The app also includes state flags, major historical points, and even a quiz tool.

3. gFlash+ Flashcards & Tests (Free)

A major component of school is learning to organize information as concisely as possible with the ability to wade through frivolous information and only keep what is necessary. Traditionally, this meant pages of notes, piles of flashcards, and textbooks full of annotations. Yet with the gFlash app, customized tests and study cards can be made for any subject. Best of all, these study guides can be quickly transferred between friends with the same app.

4. World Mobile News (Free)

Being a social studies major means keeping up with international news, politics, and other ground-breaking stories. With World Mobile News, the entire BBC international news section can be quickly accessed, even with limited connectivity to a mobile or Wi-Fi network. Students can also save important articles for reference later on, set alerts, and even skim through a daily news slideshow.

5. iCloud (Free Beta/Subscription Rates in Future)

News sources around the world have declared that Apple’s Cloud storage system is going to change the world, and this includes academia. This app allows for individuals to store, access, and edit data of all types on centralized servers. With this system, students could record guest speakers with their phone, send the file to their computer to study later, or even review it on their tablet on the commute home. This Cloud-based storage infrastructure is arguably the biggest change to the nature of the information age in recent years.

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