An individual or group of individuals (profile information claims the latter) with a proclaimed fundamentalist agenda has been creating journals for the purpose of attempting to get groups deleted. The current incarnation is kingdoms_eye

Kingdoms_eye is a group of five individuals working to better the internet by uncovering predators and reporting them to the proper authorities. We watch and report violators who participate in the following:

*Pro-pedophile apologetics and support circles
*Pornography without proper age-verifying measures in place
*Incest, whether fictional or real
*Rape, fictional or real
*Hate Speech against Christians
*Speech that incites Terrorism and anti-American sentiment

They've joined communities that were formed in protest against the recent suspensions, including censoredcontent and whydoesljcensor, various Harry Potter slash communities, and dark_christian, a group dedicated to keeping track of Dominionism. Really, we should thank people who act out this way, as all you have to do to see that this about censoring people who are different, and not about protecting children, is take a look at that profile.

EDIT: Aww, they've added me as a friend. I love having friends. I mean, I really love them. ;) Oh, and kingdoms_eye, would you care to answer my question about terrorists who bomb abortion clinics over here since you haven't yet answered it on your turf yet?

EDIT: Let's give them a proper LJ welcome, shall we? luvkingdoms_eye

EDIT 3: Last two posts signed YHBT (You Have Been Trolled). Heh. Well, at least it's good to see that people still aren't going to tolerate this crap, because it could've been real. *sheepish look*

. . . and I come back to find that Livejournal has deleted numerous journals, including a large number of fanfic and RPG journals, caving in to a bunch of Dominionists calling themselves "Warriors for Innocence" and jumping up and down screaming pedophile. On their website, they're now claiming that it's not their fault that the journals that have been deleted included communities for survivors and one for the discussion of Lolita. This is kind of funny given that, earlier, they were taking credit for getting "over 500 sites" deleted. Letters sent by LJ abuse clearly suggest that someone reported the journals involved directly. What's more the "warriors" specifically mentioned certain interests as being offensive, even though, as we all know, listing something as an interest doesn't mean you support it per se. (You can find more information here.)

If you read the letter these "warriors" sent to LJ/Six Apart, you can see that they were threatening advertising revenues. Remember when some of us were upset about ads coming to LJ? Things like this are another reason for that.

These "warriors" aren't really protecting anyone, of course. They're using claims of protection to censor, and the message is clear: don't talk about sex, or you might be deleted. Don't talk about rape, even if you're a survivor, or you might be deleted. We cannot allow these people to create a climate of fear. So I propose a small protest. This Friday, make an entry about something that these people would like to see censored. If you write fanfiction, post explicit fanfiction. If you're a survivor, and you are willing, write about what you survived, because no matter what these people claim, one of the results of their actions has been the silencing of people who are already too often silenced. If you know someone who was deleted, post some of their content. If all else fails, post passages from Lolita. Listen, we are the content providers here. We are the ones who bring people to Livejournal. If they delete us all, they lose. So let's stand in solidarity. And if waiting until Friday gives you enough time to backup your journal, then consider adding some of the taboo interests to your list. I plan to add "rape", because that is something I have survived and so, of course, a theme I explore in my poetry, for instance.

I'm normally not interested in celebrity "news", but something in the story of the suicide of Nikki Bacharach (daughter of actress Angie Dickinson and songwriter Burt Bacharach) caught my attention. A statement issued by her family said, "She quietly and peacefully committed suicide to escape the ravages to her brain brought on by Asperger's."

In fact, that statement does more than catch my attention: it makes me outraged. Asperger's does not cause "ravages" to the brain. It is not degenerative in the sense that statement would imply. Aspies often, though not always, have above-average intelligence. What does cause depression, even to the point of suicide, in many aspies is isolation. A person with Asperger's Dis-order may (though won't necessarily) desire social intimacy, but finding that can be difficult when you neither think the way other people do nor act according to the dictates of social custom. I can't imagine that a family who saw her brain as being ravaged could have provided appropriate support to a woman going through that. The problem, as far as I can see, wasn't within her brain but, rather, within the minds of the people around her.

Of course, there could've been other factors of which I'm not aware. But the family has chosen to blame Asperger's, and this is the only way that I can make sense of that.