End. Means.

[pat]

There's that cartoon going around which gives out S.D. State Senator Bill Napoli's work number, and suggests women call him.

Funny.

It gives out his home phone number.

Not funny. Not funny, and not cool, either.

Look, we've always screamed when pro-choice politicians and abortion providers had their home phone numbers publicized. Nothing makes this at all different.

Yes, I know he's in the book. Doesn't matter. There are legitimate reasons for public officials to be listed, which should not make them subject to harassing phone campaigns at home by non-constituents. Not to mention the other members of his household: whatever their views are (one assumes that they agree with the Senator, but who knows), they are private citizens, and really should have their privacy respected.

The Golden Rule, remember? Do unto others as you -- rightfully -- insist they should do unto you?

"The ends justify the means" rarely, if ever, proves a fruitful approach to anything.

Comments

[patgreene.livejournal.com]

First of all, Ms. Fire Thundar is a remarkable woman. I applaud her plans to open a clinic on the reservation. It will be interesting to see if the S.D. legislature tries to pass laws criminalizing travel for the purposes of abortion, which would be blatantly unconstitutional, but they might try it anyway. Certainly, they would ban the transporting of minors -- probably even by parents.

It still doesn't affect how I feel about the Napoli cartoon, however. The information Ms. Fire Thunder gave out was, to some extent limited to herself: the addresses were P.O. boxes, and she gave out her email, not her address or her home phone number. The things about phone numbers and home addresses (other than most people view home as a place to get away from work, unless they have no choice), is that they affect everyone in the household. Ten people call in an hour? That a) ties up the phone lines and b) is hard on the nerves.

Also, she *volunteered* the information. From my understanding, Mr. Napoli did not, he simply had a listed phone number -- a state of affairs which will probably change quite soon.