In this day and age I would suggest anonymity is both good and necessary. It allows people to express their opinions more freely and with less fear of retribution.

Anonymity can be a good thing but it also can lead to writing nasty or untrue things. It also can be used by organizations pushing their own agendas. Luckily for us, the Guardian is astute enough to recognize what might be true facts from nasty fiction.

I find it interesting that Sara chides the Suzy for not using his/her real name but then Sara does not disclose her last name when writing her response. Unless you happened to notice the hyperlink on Sara’s name you have no idea who Sara might be. It appears from the hyperlink on Sara’s name that Sara may be an elected public official – ACHD Commissioner, and ValleyRide Board member, Sara Baker. But unless Sara confirms or denies that linkage we’ll never know because Sara didn’t use her full name. But she can complain of others not using their real names.

If Sara is an elected public official, and that still is in question, is she saying that she will only accept public input and comment if it is in the proper format and expressed in a factual and non – emotional way?

Hopefully Suzy will come to a public meeting, express her concerns, and reveal his/her true identity. But will she really be heard? The recent joint ACHD – Boise City meeting certainly welcomed public input didn’t it? Oh, sorry, that’s right, the public was told they could comment and then there “wasn’t time” to hear public comment. So much for serious consideration of public input.

And that denial of public input is another reason why forums like the Boise Guardian are so important. They allow people to express their opinions in a free and open manner while allowing the writer the freedom to reveal their true identity or not.

There have been a number of stories by the local mainstream media over the years noting that they have been denied access, or had a more difficult time getting access, to new stories after they had reported stories which those in power construed as “negative”. Loss of possible future advertising revenue is another way retribution can be had on the mainstream media. People who use their real names here, and elsewhere, are always at risk of job loss or some other form of retribution if the “other party” disagrees with their views.

So “Sara” please give us your last name or stop criticizing those who write anonymously.

The corporate media writes wonderful stories about rafting, professional sports, weather, or any topic not related to business interests or government.

When it comes to seeking truthful, useful economic, or government information, one needs to avoid the corporate media like the plague.

And all this talk about “forcing” people to reveal their true identities is moot.

We’ll all just move our cyber rags to offshore servers outside the reach of the indigenous Bonaparte’