No. 2 Administrator At U.S EPA Responds To Blogger: If You Want To Call Me A 'Weasel' Go Ahead

CINCINNATI (TDB) -- U.S. EPA Deputy Director Marcus Peacock says he's been encouraging other federal officials to start blogging. So far, not much luck. They are nervous about the rough-and-tumble of the 'net. Peacock says he's been called names and doesn't mind. He'll be blogging away despite the insults.

On his EPA blog, Peacock writes:

"I'm trying to get other federal officials to blog. One official fretted about being called names. They noted that another blogger had called me a 'weasel.' Big deal. Every senior EPA appointee since 1970 has taken all kinds of criticism from all corners. It's understandable. EPA's work touches deeply held convictions regarding everything from property rights to the morality of contaminating nature."

Contrast Peacock's view to that of Kentucky State Rep. Tim Couch, who has filed a bill to ban anonymous comments on blogs. Couch doesn't like the unrestrained nature of the Internet. And contrast Peacock's view to that of Cincinnati Enquirer editorial page editor David Wells, who calls those who post anonymously on blogs "cowardly blowhards." Wells says he hates -- yes, he used the word hate -- both the commenters and Couch's attempt to curb them:

"But they have an absolute First Amendment right to be cowardly blowhards if that's how they prefer to communicate with the rest of the world. Couch's objection to anonymous postings is that they often are nasty. He said he's been the subject of anonymous online nastiness himself. That's rude, but it's no reason to rewrite the First Amendment."

Peacock, at the EPA, seems to have a better handle on the debate over Internet comments. He says live with the warped views. And he added a poem:

Never tease a weasel
Not even once or twice
The weasel will not like it
And teasing isn't nice

Another Fumbler From Kentucky: Tim Couch Wants To Ban 'Anonymous' Blog Comments

CINCINNATI (TDB) -- The former Cleveland Browns quarterback didn't fling this errant pass. But it does come from a guy from the same state with the same name. Kentucky State Rep. Tim Couch filed a bill last week that would outlaw anonymous comments on Web sites. The Republican from the east end of the bluegrass commonwealth wants people to register in advance with their real names, addresses and e-mails. And whenever they posted a comment, their actual identity would appear on the Web site. Legal scholars said Couch's proposal seems to run afoul of the First Amendment and its guarantee of freedom of speech.

Couch told John Cheves of the Lexington Herald Leader that he had doubts about the measure himself, but still had House Bill 775 drafted and tossed into the legislative hopper. The lawmaker said he's been blasted by anon and didn't take kindly to the experience. But, no, that's not why he introduced the bill. Honest. He told reporter Cheves:

"Some nasty things have been said about high school kids in my district, usually by other kids. The adults get in on it, too. When you're anonymous, you can say anything you want to about someone and nobody knows who you are. I think right now (online posting) is pretty much on its own. It's a machine that's going to go its own way. The state can try to pass some rules, but I don't really think it would do anything."

So it wasn't to protect his political hide. It was for the kids. To which a blog commenter replied: "I wish Rep.Couch would amend this bill to include the Cleveland Browns' message board."