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Local woman's blog targeted by GOP
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Friday, August 10, 2007 9:58 AM EDT
CALEDONIA TWP. - A woman who runs a liberal blog Web site found herself the subject of what she says was censorship last week by a leading Republican in the Michigan Senate.
Republican Senate Majority Leader Mike Bishop, R-Rochester Hills, recently ordered liberal blogs from being viewed by Senate offices - a decision he backtracked on several days later. The target of the blocked blog was Christine Barry of Caledonia Township who runs the site BloggingForMichigan.com. She also blogs locally on issues in Shiawassee County at her site christinebarry.com.
Barry, 39, said the recent, short-lived ban on her site by Bishop came about after administrators for her site noticed increased interest in one of the bloggers, who goes by the name “WizardKitten.”
“Somebody was checking on her profile and stories,” Barry said. “We know it was someone from the legislature because it was a Senate IP address.”
Barry said she thinks someone in the legislature believed at the time “WizardKitten” was a staffer because her postings often contained detailed information.
Not long after the probe of “WizardKitten's” profile, Bishop announced legislative staffers were spending too much time on Barry's blog. The result was his order blocking Barry's blog so no one in the state Senate could read her postings from a Senate computer.
This also came at a time when Senate Democrats were planning to post a 10-part series to BloggingForMichigan.com on their efforts to bring GOP senators to the table over the summer to discuss the ongoing budget crisis.
Bishop's reported reason for blocking the site was because Senate staffers were spending too much time accessing Barry's blog, though no other blogs - left or right leaning - were blocked.
The block was directed specifically at Barry's 3-month-old blog, but it also blocked other sites on the same server with Barry. The move drew criticism from other bloggers and members of the Senate.
“It's pure and simple censorship and that should be alarming to anyone who supports free speech and the First Amendment,” said Sen. Mark Schauer, D-Battle Creek, in a blog he posted to BloggingforMichigan on Saturday. “I would hope my colleagues would encourage expanding the debate and increasing the dialogue, rather than establishing this dangerous precedent of slamming the door in their face.”
Bishop withdrew the block Wednesday. At that time, Barry said she'd been in contact with the American Civil Liberties Union which was offering to challenge the matter in court if necessary.
“The ACLU told us to call if we have any more problems,” she said. “They also asked the Senate to review its policies on Internet usage.”
A similar situation last year in Kentucky resulted in a federal lawsuit. Republican Gov. Ernie Fletcher banned the blog BluegrassReport.org from state computers after it repeatedly criticized his administration.
A suit on behalf of the blog by Public Citizen of Washington, D.C., charges that Fletcher's action is unconstitutional.
In a statement released from his office, Bishop said Senate employees should not use taxpayer-funded equipment to view political blogs.
“These blogs are of questionable content and employees who are paid to conduct the business of the people of Michigan should not be interacting with them during business hours,” he said in a statement.
Bishop could not be reached Thursday afternoon.
