Cyberbullying | First Amendment | Where does it begin & end?

I've written before about folks who claim that they have a First Amendment right to talk about others--either through telephoning or writing friends, family, employers or by posting to blogs or websites. Earlier posts have concerned the public exposure on blogs, Facebook or other social media of personal and private facts. Sometimes we're talking about invasion of privacy. Sometimes we're talking about cyberbullying or cyber stalking. Today I saw a version of incredible cyberbullying, earlier featured on The Daily Show. As it turns out . . . our tax dollars at work. [Well, not any more.] The headline was: Michigan AG fired for using state resources to attack UMich student body president

Pee Wee Herman look-alike Andrew Shirvell, accused of harassing and stalking University of Michigan student Chris Armstrong, was fired Monday.  Attorney General Mike Cox determined that Shirvell used state resources in his campaign of vitriol -- er, exercise of First Amendment rights -- against Armstrong, who is gay and the president of the Michigan Student Assembly (and, but for this debacle, only 8 of the roughly 40,000 U-M students would have heard of him.)  Use of state time, computers, phones, etc removes this from being a merely personal effort.

Here's the Daily Show Interview. Good grief! As Jon Stewart said at the beginning of this clip. "There are stories that have to be told."

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Look Who's Stalking
www.thedailyshow.com

Detroit Free Press article: Cox fires official for attacks on gay University of Michigan student

Detroit News article: Asst. AG Shirvell fired for anti-gay crusade against UM student president

Comments

[Jeanne M. Hannah]

Dear Anonymous:

Thank you for writing. I wish I could publish your entire comment, but for the reasons set out below, I cannot do so. I loved the Jon Stewart segment. Shirvell was hoist on his own petard, wouldn't you say? He deserved some public ridicule, in my opinion.

[Anonymous [Note: JMH changed the initials of this commenter.]]

Thank you for the Jon Stewart video re: the AG's office.

* * *

My crime: I sent seven FOIA requests to his employer in late 2009 after receiving police reports of my alleged crimes from the County.

* * *
Having made numerous attempts to speak with someone at the AG's office, and of course, being ignored ad nauseaum..."Big deal.....YOUR constitutional rights have been repeatedly and willfully violated for two years." Your post has provided the explanation as to why the AG's office and the MSP have continually ignored the facts of my case refusing to address my valid concerns.

The publicly-funded employees in the Office of the Michigan Attorney General are so busy with their private agenda ensuring THEIR first amendment rights are protected while engaging in blatant misconduct there is no time left to investigate a tax payer's complaint of police misconduct, judicial misconduct, malicious prosecution and false imprisonment as well as deprivation of my rights under color of state law and Color of Law.

Thanks for the laughs...pretty sad state of affairs in the State of Michigan these days!

NOTE: Specific portions of this comment are edited for this reason: As much as I would like to publish the entire comment, I don't have the time or means to fact-check. If I publish something that is false and any person can be identified who is then subject to ridicule for his actions, I myself am vulnerable to a lawsuit for one of the invasion of privacy torts. Basically, the gist of the comment is a statement about harassment by a former spouse that was covered up by a local governmental unit.