"...but who gets to define civility?" The same folks who always do--all of us. The internet presents the extra dimension of being pervasively international but there are still standards of behavior that are pretty much universal. Whether the pols get involved depends on whether enough voters want them to. Sometimes they get a little carried away ala Schiavo, but usually, if they don't smell votes, they lose interest. Personally, I prefer as little control as possible by America's 'only native criminal class,' especially the currently predominant group. I am concerned about the longterm effect cyberlife will have on society though; things only science fiction writers can predict at this point. I suppose if people start actually saying 'LOL,' instead of laughing, we're in trouble.

"Democracy is a pathetic belief in the collective wisdom of individual ignorance." - H. L. Mencken