It's Nevada Law AB 395

Why Anthem Opinions No Longer Accepts Anonymous Comments

In the past week, a Sun City Anthem alternative blog wrote what we believe, was a damning attack against a respected lady in our community, Mary Lee Duley, following an email she sent to each Sun City Anthem community blog/forum.

Here is a copy of the email Mrs. Duley sent to EVERY website owner that provides information to all SCA residents. All website addresses were furnished (as referenced below). It is a two part email; lengthy, but informative.

Hi Neighbors:

Your consideration in NOT sending emails and expecting responses for the last few weeks has been greatly appreciated. The quality time with family and friends is important to all of us and I enjoyed mine thoroughly. We are blessed to be able to enjoy a "great grandson", in addition to the grandchildren (now adults) and children (now adults). I sent the below email (in green) on October 6th but have just added comments due to the volume of emails I just finished reading.

We are all entitled to our opinions and preferences without receiving criticism for same, in my opinion. Please be respectful when you post any comment on the various blogs available to SCA residents and refrain from finger pointing by "name" as it offers no value to the community and continues to separate our unique community.

I have elaborated below due to the "volume" of emails received in our absence from the laptop the last few weeks. Information is sent on a regular basis but I do not have a blog, nor do I intend to have one, these emails are sent as a courtesy.

Please HOLD all emails as I will be unable to respond to same for now. We plan on spending lots of quality time with " family and out of state friends" and the number of commitments is a bit overwhelming. 

My suggestion is for you to stay on top of the "happenings" by reading the blogs on the web sites available to Sun City Anthem Residents.

Please do NOT hesitate to post questions you may have and opinions as open communication is encouraged. The web addresses are as follows:

http://www.anthemtoday.com

http://anthemopinions.blogspot.com

http://www.scaview.org

http://www.sca-hoa.org

http://www.anthemvoice.org

http://www.anthemjournal.typepad.com

HI Neighbors: Please note, this has just been added to the original post emailed to all in my data base on October 7th and, again, thanks for your consideration in NOT sending emails and expecting responses while we enjoyed our family and visiting friends.. 

For what it's worth, IF I receive more than twenty five (25) emails from SCA residents regarding a specific editorial referenced on any of the above referenced blogs, I DO forward that particular editorial to my data base, regardless of the specific blog. 

ALL blog web site addresses (as referenced above in green) have been forwarded to those in my data base on a quarterly basis as we have new neighbors moving in and old ones moving out on a regular basis.

Emails containing this information has been shared with SCA residents since we moved into Desert Sky Village in 2006.

YES, like everyone else, I have web sites that I prefer over others.

I have just been accused of "pretending to be something I'm not" as I chose to forward an editorial from Ron Johnson's research on the proposed miniature golf course a few weeks ago and didn't forward information from another blog owner.

This blog owner asked to be REMOVED from my data base a long time ago and, needless to say, the informative emails are not forwarded, but many in the community are encouraged to "share" information that may be helpful or informative. 

Three of my neighbors have, personally, been to Summerlin this past month and have talked to Summerlin residents on the golf courses (there are three golf courses), the Arts & Crafts Club at the Summerllin Recreation Center, AND visited the Summerlin SCA miniature course.

It was surprising to them that there were NO players on three different visits and the weather was outstanding. One neighbor resides in Desert Sky Village, as I do, the others reside in Shadow Canyon and Black Mountain, all within walking distance to Liberty Center.

The Summerlin Golf course participants shared that WHEN and IF their "grandchildren" visit, they take them to play, but that isn't often and that, sadly, it is rarely used and they felt it was a waste of dollars spent to maintain.

Their course is beautiful yet expensive to maintain, from what I've been told, on a second hand basis. I do not have specific figures but residents can call the Sun City-Summerlin office and obtain general information, if desired and their administration number is (702) 966-1401.

Please do not waste their time with trivia as, like our Administration Offices, they are exceptionally busy handing day to day business.

SCA residents that have asked to be added to my data base have been added immediately, and it is necessary to have your names, addresses, and phone numbers emailed when registering. This information is NOT shared as PRIVACY is important to all of us.

I do not believe in or approve of anonymous postings on ANY blog available to SCA residents. My personal opinion is that IF you have something to say, why hide behind a first name or nickname or anonymous name? IF you feel the issue is important, please have the strength of your convictions when you share information and use your real name.

Many have written expressing concern over sharing comments on various blogs for "fear" that they will receive open criticism and, like yourselves, this saddens me. 

If you have asked to be REMOVED from my data base, you will no longer receive information emails, nor will emails and information from you be posted. If there is finger pointing and name calling in an email or blog comment, I will NOT forward the information and have elaborated on this for years.

We are long overdue for the residents in the community to "work together" in my opinion and put all of the negatives and egos aside and allow residents to move forward in a "positive way". 

Many have asked my "personal opinion" regarding the proposed miniature golf course and I have informed them, as well as all blog owners. I am against spending that kind of money for an amenity that, in my opinion, will not be used often.

IF the bocce courts had been constructed CORRECTLY initially, this would not even be an issue and we would be enjoying it.

 I, personally live a couple of doors away from Liberty Center and purchased the lot for a reason. The close proximity allows me to walk and enjoy the facilities IF and WHEN we are unable to drive.

Since we began playing bocce when we arrived in 2006, we were thrilled that the master plan for Liberty Center included tennis and bocce for outdoor activities.

When the bocce courts were NOT constructed the way the bocce courts are at Anthem Center, residents in Desert Sky, Shadow Canyon, and Black Mountain contacted the decision makers for our community to make the changes where the Bocce Courts would be playable.

That has not happened and that is the ONLY reason the courts remain empty. The cost to correct even FOUR out of the eight courts would be a reasonable amount, unlike totally reconstructing the area and turning it into a miniature golf course, in my opinion.

Paddle Ball and Pickle Ball has become extremely popular as many tennis players find it more difficult to play with our aging challenges. Some of the bocce courts could easily and reasonably (cost factor) be converted and enjoyed by many as this is another popular activity in an active adult community.

We have a professional four hole putting green in our back yard, in addition to the swimming pool, and it is rarely used. In retrospect, we should have built a much larger pool.

It was interesting to me to go to the http://www.suncity-summerlin.com web site and then click on "About the Association".

There are four categories: Our Vision, Community Highlights, Community Governance, and Homeowner Fees.

The Community Highlights are what potential purchasers look for when searching for a new home.

While the miniature golf course is listed on another page under "recreational amenities", it was NOT listed under Community Highlights.

Summerlin consists of 7,800 homes, three 18-hole golf courses, and extensive recreation facilities.

The web site reflects the following:

In addition to the three (3) Billy Casper/Greg Nash golf courses and three (3) restaurants are four (4) SCSCAI owned and operated social and recreation facilities: Mountain Shadows, Desert Vista, Sun Shadows, and the Pinnacle. They incorporate outdoor and outdoor pools, 13 tennis courts, craft rooms, card rooms, social halls, a 312 seat theater, exercise rooms with the latest hydraulic exercise equipment, bocce ball courts, a baseball diamond and spas.

There is NO reference to their miniature golf course under "community highlights".

It continues to say there are more than 80 resident-organized social and recreational clubs covering a wide variety of interests. It then lists convenient shopping, banks, grocery chains, hospitals.

The feedback I have received from neighbors participating in data base, regarding the survey or petition that has been promoted for miniature golf course varied, but most were most concerned about the overall COST to construct and then maintain.

Many emailed that they had signed the petition because they were told the cost to build and maintain was "reasonable", but specific figures were not provided.

While monies come from our "asset enhancement fee", in my opinion, it's still resident's money as you (as a resident) pay the fee when you sell your home. Monies are used to "maintain" the community the keep it up to it's wonderful standards, from what I've been told, but spending a large amount of money on something that could be minimal to correct the existing problem makes more sense to me.

I've elaborated, in an attempt to answer questions that have been emailed to me in the last few weeks as there are not enough hours in a day to respond to each and every one of you. 

IF you have opinions and thoughts about various issues, please contact the Sun City Anthem Board of Directors (email addresses in the Spirit Magazine), Committee Chairmen, and/or go to the various web sites (as referenced above). 

I do NOT forward emails without the consent of the sender. Please consider this MY CONSENT to forward this to your family, friends, and neighbors that reside in Sun City Anthem. 

I will forward it to ALL of the blog owners and am hopeful they will share personal opinions without criticism as we are all entitled to mutual respect.

This was lengthy and I appreciate your emails sharing information pertinent to residents of SCA. Have a great day.

Sincerely,

Mary Lee Duley
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In our opinion, this correspondence did nothing other than EXPRESS A PERSONAL OPINION from a concerned resident...a resident, whose residence is within the immediate vicinity of a proposed project that might be constructed near the Liberty Center.

Unfortunately, this resulted in both DAMNING articles, as well as continued DEMEANING statements, against her and other residents of Sun City Anthem...for one reason....

...disagreement with that particular blog owner in opposing the building of a miniature golf course.

I am bringing this to the attention of you, our readers, for two reasons:

First, we must allow ANY PERSON the opportunity to RESPECTFULLY share an opinion, whether they agree or disagree with you.

Second, we must NOT ALLOW another individual to be subjected to DAMNING commentary for simply making a respectful statement.

On October 1, 2013, a Nevada law, AB 395, became effective, and its objective was to prohibit "harassing" others, making it a CRIMINAL OFFENSE to do so.

Accordingly, Anthem Opinions changed it's posting policy effective October 1, 2013, no longer accepting "anonymous" postings, in order to both protect innocent parties being subjected to such harassment, as well as,  our blog against the possibility of CRIMINAL PROSECUTION.

We will, however, continue to accept emails to anthemopinions@gmail.com

to post comments on your behalf, should you choose not to do so, personally. 

And...as a result, we have altered our  "anonymous" Information Page, to now read, "Instructions for Posting a Comment on Your Behalf".

If you click on that Information Page, both this Nevada Law, AB395, is printed, as well as, "anonymous" posting rule changes are summarized.

(It is located to the right of the Welcome Screen)

Anthem Opinions is fully committed to making "comment" posting an ENJOYABLE experience without suffering possible embarrassment or damning response.

Dick Arendt & Allen Weintraub

Anthem Opinions