The Constitutions of the United States and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania define the rights of all citizens. Each states clearly the rights of citizens with respect to “freedom of speech” and “freedom of expression.” Recently, the United States Supreme Court validated these freedoms in their landmark decision involving York Countian Albert Snyder’s suit against the people who protested at the funeral of his son, Matthew, a United States Marine killed while serving his country in Iraq.

In a Washington Post article, the journalist says “It writes a new chapter in the court’s findings that freedom of speech is so central to the nation that it protects cruel and unpopular protests – even, in this case, at the moment of a family’s most profound grief.” It may conflict with a majority of us, but it (the decision) affirms the extraordinary freedoms this nation bestows on each of us.

Where is this going?

People in and around Columbia (and everywhere in the world, for that matter) who have Internet access can see the positive and negative opinions, events, happenings and statements on numerous Websites almost instantaneously. Traditional media, print and broadcast have Websites. Anyone can post a blog or start a Website. Anyone has the ability to start on-line reporting and commentary.

Estimates of the total Websites exceed 129,000,000 of them. Factor in the social media sites, and who knows how many “sources of information” are there for people to refer to!

We do not know how or where local shareholders get all of their information and news, particularly the very local, grass-roots information, but we think that several locally generated on-line information (call it news) sources, which are listed later in this article, share one intent: each of them really has the area’s best interest at heart. Each wants positive growth for the area.

Some of them will entertain anonymous reader comments fully; some with conditions.

Each goes about including different methods and each communicates in a different style. What matters is that the intent is similar; the methods differ. As information consumers, as citizens, we enjoy something that perhaps 90 percent of the people in the world do not. We get choose to hit the link to any, all or none of them. We get to change the channel, turn the page or just turn it off!

Here are just three of the Websites with similar intent (building a better Columbia) … each has different methods.

http://columbiapaonline.blogspot.com/ … Jesse Sweigart has edited this longest-running one. Jesse runs another business and has a family, so his attention is divided. Jesse’s skill and passion for investigative reporting is tenacious and valuable. He does tackle the issues; not always gently, but he does the right thing.

http://barry-ford.blogspot.com/ … Barry Ford is a Columbia tradition. Barry is an expert on the local sports scene. Barry has been writing about Columbia, Eastern and Lancaster County sports teams since he worked with the old Columbia News. Barry’s postings are loaded with passion and he “loves, lives and dies Crimson Tide.”

http://columbiapa17512.blogspot.com/ … “Cole Umber’s” site has really, really good (darn good) photography coupled with poignant commentary and links.

And then there is this one. The most recent one.

Each of these sites has similar “intent.” Each has dissimilar “method.”

So here is where this is going: Choice is a protected right, and we get to pick, accept or dismiss. Speech is protected from government intervention. Expression is protected from government interference.

Editor