The Obsidian Files Banned

A mere two days ago I was writing about a post made by a blogger who goes by the name of the Obsidian. I thought his post made some very important points and was well worth engaging. Since Obsidian asked my opinion, I happily offered it.

Now, this morning I have learned that his blog was banned by Wordpress, under their Terms of Service agreement. According to Obsidian, he was not warned of any problems or notified about shutting down his blog. For some information, see links here and here.

The second link will take you to Obsidian's new blog, so you can read his own description of what happened.

As for the larger issue, the blogosphere allows individuals unprecedented access to the marketplace of ideas. It is as close to a free and open forum as has ever existed. I think that it is vitally important that the blogosphere remain open to any and all who wish to express their opinions, whatever they may be.

America has always tended to err on the side of more free speech. At a time when the Supreme Court has been hearing a case on banning violent video games, and where all the justices seem to find such laws to be in violation of the First Amendment, and at a time when every imaginable kind of pornography is freely available on the internet, I cannot imagine what a serious, intelligent blogger could have said or done that would provoke such a reaction from Wordpress.

Count me on Obsidian's side.