The Blogger Shield of Anonymity

"Blue Girl, Red State" discussed the principle of anonymous blogging the other day (actually pseudonymous blogging as she explains in her follow-up post), citing some very good reasons for avoiding self-exposure:

I don’t write behind a pseudonym because I am embarrassed by my opinions. I use a pseudonym because I have tangled with the rabid right before. They are scary. They use a form of terrorism to try to silence their opposition. They send fake anthrax to Keith Olberman, and mutilated dolls to the young daughters of pro-choice politicians and healthcare workers who work in reproductive medicine. Tech blogger Kathy Sierra received so many death-threats that she was forced to cancel a keynote speech at a tech convention and go into seclusion. Doctors who provide abortions get gunned down. Remember that a Liberty University student was arrested for making pipe bombs to use against anti-Falwell protesters at his funeral. I find all protests of funerals outrageous, but the first place this kids mind went was to make a few pipe bombs and just go violent right out of the gate.

We are not talking about sane people with whom you can reason.

While PeakOilDesign in general stays away from politics, the topics here challenge most people's ideologies -- which can bring out the same psychopathic behavior Blue Girl describes. It is for those reasons, and the fact that the powers-that-be probably don't like having one of their own discussing some of the country's most sensitive issues, that I use my nom-de-plume. I may choose to publish my name in the future (particularly if I leave government service), but for now it feels much safer that I remain unknown. Of course, if you find the material I contribute useful and credible, hopefully knowing my real name should make little difference to you. :)