The openness and dynamism of American democracy is incredible. Some of the discussions that go on in this country would not happen anywhere else. Gay marriage, when it was approved in European countries, was passed by the parliament with not nearly as much debate as in the U.S. Here there such a vibrant discussion.
Yesterday, Brad Stone weights in on the eightmaps.com controversy at the New York Times. Eightmaps publicizes the name and location of people who contributed $100 or more to Proposition 8 in California, the one that banned gay marriage in the state in the 2008 election.
It's obviously a form of intimidation. As Brad Stone reports, many people were harassed and threatened because of it. But even if no one were, it is still a "we know who you are and where you live" warning. Or so it feels to the people who see their names on the web site.
I was surprised to learn that the creators of the web site remain anonymous. Talk about cowardice. They think everyone should be subjected to explain their political donations but are afraid of defending their own stance in public. Of course I understand their reluctance, there's a lot of crazy people out there. Which is exactly why the maps they created are so awful.
