I was e-mailed yesterday morning about the news concerning Carlos Lam who, as many already know, e-mailed the governor of Wisconsin to suggest the governor engage in a tactic Carols called "false flags" to discredit union activists in the demonstrations against that governor's bone-headed actions. In earlier times the tactic was called "agents provacateurs." It consists of planting one or more poseurs in the ranks of the opponent's demonstrations. The poseur(s) then engage in acts of violence to discredit one's opposition. During the movement against the Vietnam War, one person was known as Prince Crazy (as I recall from what I read at the time). He actually was a law enforcement officer, unbeknownst to the demonstrators. He was the one to call for employment of bombs and other violent means to show the War was wrong.

There were individuals in the anti-war movement who became involved in the initiation of violent acts, most notably the Weather Underground (originally the Weathermen, a faction of Students for a Democratic Society, the name of which was derived from a Bob Dylan song, the title of which escapes me, in which he sand, "You don't need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows.") The violence nearly always was initiated by the other side, however. The perceived need for agents provacateurs underlines the dynamic. To stop demonstrators from the exercise of their First Amendment rights to speech and assembly, government agencies were willing to violate the law themselves.

What Carlos encouraged was wrong. Apparently he posted the e-mail to Governor Walker before Carlos's appearance on the show. Carlos was polite and I enjoyed our debate. I had no idea he had e-mailed Walker, much less what the contents of the e-mail were. Had I known, I still would have had him on the program---specifically to ask about his communication to Governor Walker: the whys, the hows of justification for such a message. I would extend an invitation to Carlos now to appear on the show to explain precisely these matters. So Carlos, if you read this, give me a call. You have my number. The questions I ask will not be easy, but you know me---they will be polite.

Carlos's situation contrasts sharply with that of Jeff Cox, who was fired from his post as Deputy Attorney General of Indiana. Jeff's comments were on a web site in which Jeff habitually engaged in satire and sarcasm. When the reporter who e-mailed Jeff posed questions about the demonstrations in Wisconsin, the questions were in the context of demonstrators arming themselves. Jeff's reply was to the effect he would arm State officers with live ammunition to meet such a threat. Jeff's posts were not prudent, and I do not agree with his position on the matter of live ammunition. I was in high school when the four students were shot at Kent State University. But Jeff was vilified for a position he took as an outcome of a web site thread that originated with satire.