The promise of the internet was such that it would amplify the voice of "Everyman", that no longer would the "little man" be silenced by not having the money and resources to spread his message of injustice throughout the land. With a computer, the knowledge of HTML coding, access to the Net, and an account with a web server, your average person could have the ability to have his or her voice heard. This gave hope to those people who feel wronged, but until now, they were unable to have others share in their feeling of angst. There is an unpleasant trend nationwide to try to silence those who would speak out against what they perceive as evil or wrong. One of the weapons in the armament of those who would care to silence the little man or woman, is the use of the threat of litigation against page authors. The point is that as we head into the year 2000, companies and individuals are using the legal system to try to choke off serious freedom of speech on the Net. One of the founding principles of the USA was SUPPOSED to be the right to peacefully protest. The placard carrying of the 60s has become the banner on the website of the 90s and 2000s and I for one, find the trend to try to shut up the "little man" (or woman) extremely upsetting and concerning.