The Ugly Role of Anonymity in Political Discourse

Following are some thoughts I composed for an email list I belong to (consisting largely of readers and writers of Mormon fiction) where anonymous emails are sometimes forwarded, including a recent one that attacked both President Obama and Snopes.com (the rumor verification site). It's not my standard fare for this blog, but it's something I feel strongly about and think is important to consider, particularly in this political season.

Anonymous political attacks aren't new. The 17th and 18th ...