Let me tell you about the experiences of a child targeted because people didn't like her dad

[tpsbmam]

Yeah, it was me and my siblings. I'll not go farther than to say that Dad was involved in politics. He was a liberal. He & Mom marched with MLK and were very vocal & open about their beliefs. We lived in D.C. in 1963 and both my parents were very involved with the March on Washington (in which MLK made his I Have a Dream speech). We then moved back home to NYC and Dad's liberal politics continued to get attention and, from some quarters, drew hate.

Mom & Dad's kids were proud of them. We were proud of his affiliation with MLK, of my parents' trips to the South to march with him and others. In short, we were brought up right by good liberals. There were times some or all of us disagreed with them and we made it clear that we did and our reasons for doing so.

We also paid for those views. We were occasionally targeted by people who disagreed with our parents but didn't have the courage to confront another adult directly. They went after us instead.

My little brother was routinely picked on at school and was beaten up a couple of times, reportedly by kids whose parents had infused their little minds with nasty things about Dad. (This came from a couple of teachers who had the courage to speak out....most ignored it.) At age 11, I had just left home and was walking to school when a man shoved his hand in my crotch and said, "your father is a fucking asshole" and he kept walking. I was totally humiliated (as he intended) and freaked out. The worst, though, was when my older sister (by two years) was brutally beaten up by a gang of neighborhood white, thug females who repeatedly made it very, very clear they were doing so to get back at Dad and they thought little of his liberal politics and his affiliations. Again, they were most likely influenced by parents who poisoned their very little minds at home.

I've reacted negatively to the outing of Bologna's family. Part of my reaction is clearly personal. We did NOT deserve to be targeted for the actions of our parents, whether we agreed or disagreed with them. And we were innocent children. My brother's experiences had a truly negative impact on his formative school years. His older sisters were able to be braver for a number of reasons (among them we were older by a number of years) -- we didn't much curtail our lives because of the occasional nastiness out there. Even the sister who got beaten up was brave enough to just plain get on with her life, though she did avoid walking in that same area ever again.

I've also seen here many times outrage over giving out personal information of various people who've ended up being the recipients of harassment, threats and even occasionally violence. Those were different circumstances, but nonetheless the tactic was the same -- provide personal information about the targeted individual and, either directly or indirectly, involve the entire family in the mix. And sometimes it's been the innocent individual him/herself who's been targeted because right-wing wackos don't like what the person has said or done. That has never been approved here.

Bologna's family will be involved no matter what. The kids will get feedback at school -- it'll likely be mixed. They may suffer consequences like we did. It's unavoidable. That doesn't make it okay to divulge (and cheer) their personal information, making it that much easier to find & target them. If the wackos want to find it, let them do it on their own -- Anonymous doing it doesn't make Anonymous look good. It's a group I almost always support, but I don't when it comes to targeting the family. I'd hope good progressives wouldn't go after family members, though we're a diverse bunch and there's no guarantee. But there are a whole hell of a lot of people out there who hate cops who AREN'T good progressives, and could target his family members.

Anyone remember Bo Perriello's propane gas line being cut? Teabaggers had disseminated what they thought was Democratic Rep. Tom Perriello's home address. This is what the teabaggers did in response. It could have exploded. He had 4 little children at home. If this isn't okay, why is it okay to give out the home addresses of those with whom WE disagree?

Let me make clear, AGAIN, that I think what Bologna did was despicable. I WANT him targeted. I applaud those who've identified him and disseminated that information. I want him prosecuted. I want him disciplined by the NYC police. I want him sued. I want him to get everything that can be legally thrown at him. I want him to pay HUGE consequences for what he did.

But I do NOT join with those who are cheering identifying family members and giving out their personal information (addresses, phone numbers, etc). Some here say his kids are adults -- I don't know. And I don't care. It's not right and, IMO, never will be. It makes us no better than the right-wingers who target liberals and people they disagree with, and who do so by sharing their personal information so that homes and family members are now vulnerable.

[toddwv]

1. I agree. Bologna is a douchebag and should be prosecuted but...

anyone who would take this out on his family is no better than he is.

[druidity33]

2. This is personal for you...

but i still think you are wrong. I also think you are ignoring some pertinent facts. His children are adults. That is a fact. No information was given about his family other than their names. Also a fact. Cpt Bologna is currently being sued from the 2004 Rep National Convention... IOW, he has done this before and is still not being held accountable. And it really is a false equivalency to say the Left is just like the Right. Harping on this as you have been in multiple threads renders you awfully close to someone who is overly "concerned".

:shrug:

[pnwmom]

4. HIs children, adults or not, are not responsible for his actions.

No one should be dragging them into this.

[tpsbmam]

5. I was on one thread that I recall, not multiple....

and we'll have to agree to disagree. I find you bullying and I'll no long engage with you on this issue. I haven't used "ignore" and don't intend to now. But I'm close to it.

And I remind you that Bo Perriello is an adult, too, and there could have been dire consequences for him and his family (including 4 small children). Being an adult doesn't make it okay.

I'm merely responding to MULTIPLE threads justifying the giving out of family names and (potential) home addresses. Do I not have that right or is it only accorded to the people who agree with you? It would certainly seem that way.

I'm outta here now and won't be back 'til much later. I'll respond to you when and if you take a civil tone. If you choose to address me as you have been, I"ll just pass on your posts.

[pnwmom]

3. Thanks for your post. And I agree -- there is no justifiable reason for targeting the children

of someone whose views or actions you oppose, whatever the ages of the children.

[Warpy]

6. Yes, identifying the bad cop was one thing

but identifying his family was something else. Families need to be largely left out of this stuff because you never know--he might be just as awful to them as he was to those random women he pepper sprayed. In fact, he probably is.

[Javaman]

7. If anything, if has young kids, they should be removed from his home..

that cop obviously has anger issues and I'm sure no pleasure to live with.

[Ilsa]

10. That's jumping the gun, unless he's already hurt the kids in the house. We are

Lucky to get kids removed after they've been assaulted, much removing kids from a family member who has not shown himself to be a danger to them.

[Javaman]

12. I'm sure there will now be a closer look at his home life and his kids. nt

[eridani]

8. I agree. And I can't help but think of the anti-abortion creeps

--who post personal info about clinic employees. If that sucks, then so does involving Baloney's family.

[w8liftinglady]

9. My kids were harassed because of columns I wrote.

The online variety of my local paper had my son's football team, describing their accomplishment on the field. ALL the comments involved their "socialist" mom.

It's unfair and uncomfortable.I felt so fucking sorry for my kids.I stopped writing in that paper.

[Whisp]

11. of course you are right. K&R