The First Amendment. It guarantees my Right to Free Speech. Yet, here we are 6 months later, after I originally brought up the issue of Foehammer.com (sister domain to Foehammer.net) being listed as a ‘hate site’, and it is still unchanged from or has reverted back to “1.Violence/Hate/Racism” categorization by SonicWall, one or the other.
I cannot abide censorship and so I am once again asking that you take a minute and follow the instructions originally listed in the an article here mid-way through 2007:
Please help me out again by sending in a new ratings request for Foehammer.COM to SonicWALL. I suggest 31 - Web Communications.
To check a URL rating at SonicWALL, click here.
To request a new URL rating at SonicWALL, click here.
There is no longer any doubt in my mind that my traffic will remain under assault from various enemies on the WWW as long as the Anvil exists.
It is interesting to note that the Trinity United Church of Christ website is not listed as a ‘hate site’ (it is listed as Category 37: Religion), so why the Anvil? Reverend Jeremiah A. Wright, Jr. certainly doesn’t hold back on his Free Speech rights, and I certainly have never ranted like the pastor. Just sayin’.
I have not gotten around to checking other ‘web filtering services’, but I will do follow-ups soon and see how the Anvil is being listed with all that I am aware of.
UPDATE 3/25/08: Another small victory.
Dear Customer:
You submitted the following rating request to SonicWALL CFS Support:
Rate foehammer.com as “31.Web Communications” at 2008-03-22 11:25:00.270The request has been reviewed and rated as:
“31.Web Communications” at 2008-03-25 11:28:00.850You should see this rating change reflected within 1 to 3 business days.
Thank you for your request,
SonicWALL CFS Support
Big thanks to all that submitted a ratings change! Hopefully this will stick for a few months.
Podcasts Archive
I have no problem accessing your site from work…haven’t looked around much though.
I DO know this NOT a hate site.
My browser is Microsoft Windows Explorer, you are right. And the thing that is coming up behind the “Microsoft Data Acess-Remote Data Services Dat.. is this: Hipoint Lmt. SA, I don’t recognize this and when it shows up it knocks me off line, and while it is trying to pop up here it is freezing this site. The videos I can’t click on to watch anymore are the ones to the side “Foehammers Video Collection” I will try and investigate this further, it must be my computer and nothing to do with being here. If it were others would have noticed too. Thank you for all your advice, I appreciate it all. Now off I go to figure this thing out!
@Patricia: Have you made changes to your web browser lately? What browser do you use? What movies aren’t playing — the ones in the VodPod applet or other lone standing movies? I have not experienced any major problems with watching movies here at the Anvil, but I did notice that youtube lagged quite a bit when loading a movie just minutes ago. It’s possible that YouTube servers or some other storage source are malfunctioning currently and this should clear up at some point, one would hope.
As for the error you’re seeing: “Microsoft Data Access-Remote Data Services…” That sounds to me as if you’re using Microsoft Internet Explorer and/or Vista. I use Firefox and never see such an error, and I have explored using MSIE 7 without reproducing this error.
I suggest that you run an anti-spyware program and see if that doesn’t clear up some of your problems: link.
I didn’t get any message when I went to Sonicwall to change the category for this site. Perhaps I did something wrong?
BTW Foehammer I can’t click on your videos anymore. Is anyone else complaining of this? And there is something else going on the last 2 days when I come here, “something” is trying to download but my Norton Antivirus is stopping it. This is what it says “This website wants to run the following add-on: ‘Microsoft Data Access-Remote Data Services Dat…’from Microsoft Corporation’. If you trust the wedsite…etc…It’s just odd and I wonder if anyone else is having these niggling little problems. It won’t stop me from coming here at any rate.
Your rating submission to SonicWALL
From: cfssupport@sonicwall.com
You may not know this sender.Mark as safe|Mark as unsafe
Sent: Tue 3/25/08 1:30 PM
To: xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Dear Customer: You submitted the following rating request to SonicWALL CFS Support:Rate foehammer.com as “31.Web Communications” at 2008-03-23 13:25:00.370 The request has been reviewed and rated as:”31.Web Communications” at 2008-03-25 11:28:00.850 You should see this rating change reflected within 1 to 3 business days. Thank you for your request,SonicWALL CFS Support
Keep up the great work Foe!!!
Thanks to all that took the time to help alter the SonicWALL rating!
@BigSibling: Now that bit of news made my week. Thanks. Indeed, there still might be a bit of Justice left in the Universe.
Sometimes Karma comes a knockin. Your ol’ buddies hate-filled hall of sham website is rated:
Category 1: Violence/Hate/Racism
I received the following response today.
done.
I am not least bit surprised. VenonfangX’s site on You-tube was recently called a hate site because of his expose’ of Islam and saying that all Muslims are going to hell. His videos were recently banished from You-tube until many of his loyal viewers complained to You-tube. The fact is as we are caving to Muslim demands we are also losing our sovereignty in our nation. Muslims agree about separation of Church and State but they have trouble acceptinfg separation of mosque and State. Their addenda is to enforce sharia law in the United States and Canada and anyone who opposes their aim are hate mongers. I am beginning to think that the rise of Islam is unstoppable and because it is prophesized in the Bible as the beast (666) religion. Perhaps we should let it happen.
@Steve: The answer is — web content filters like SonicWALL are used to protect networks. This means that at least one of my domains is currently unavailable to people without their knowledge when they are accessing the Internet via many coffee houses, cyber cafes, at the workplace, in the military, government buildings, Wi-Fi, etc.
This means that potentially thousands of readers are unable to find my blog. Last year both Foehammer.com and Foehammer.net were blocked in such a manner, and not only by SonicWALL. In addition to this, the Anvil was blocked, and continues to be blocked, by social bookmark giant Digg.com.
Beyond this I also have been libeled by infamous Internet stalkers and received death threats.
The tactics of enemies of Free Speech never get old.
Now answer me this:
-Why would any free thinking person that has half a brain let any site decide who or what is good and bad. If a tool refuses to visit your site and lets someone else make up there mind for them you dont want them. There is a decent collection of open minded free thinking people here. Most of the regulars here would not look to a site like that they would decide for themselfs. Those are the people I want to hear from even if I dont agree with them.
Thank you. My Easter was enjoyable, although I did break my word to myself and bring up politics towards the end of dinner.
Hope everyone had a a great weekend.
I know this isn’t a hate site. Being categorized as such is absurd. I find this site very educational. But I shall categorize it as Web Communication at SonicWall instead of Education.
Hope you’ve had a happy Easter with your family today.
Happy Easter Foe!