The other night I'm sitting here "minding my own business", if you know what I mean, when my friend Satyavati devi dasi popped up in Yahoo IM requesting my assistance.
For those of you who don't follow her blog (you should), here is her bio:
"About Me
Hare Krishna RN specializing in bhakti-yoga, patisserie extraordinaire,micro-farming, invertebrate palaeontology, bass guitar, socialist propaganda, proletariat uprisings and flight of ideas. Original compositions and incidental wedding music extra. Call for details."
How can you not love someone that intelligent, quirky and exotic?
She had been attempting to carry on an intelligent dialog with a conservative blogger who calls himself...wait...get ready for it..."Jo-Joe Politico".
Here is HIS bio:
"About Me
I was born in Miami, Florida, the son of an Air Force officer, traveled the world, was saved at age 17, and have served the Lord since. That's me on the right and my lovely wife, Bonnie...the pretty one...on the left."
I think that tells you everything you need to know about "Jo-Joe".
The first two paragraphs of the post she was responding to should tell you what we were up against.
"The reason I created this blog [xo - he means "post", not "blog". Bugs me when people don't know the difference] was not to list the facts about political candidates, good or bad, but to try to give some meaning, from my perspective, to those facts.
For instance, Why is it important to know that John McCain was a POW? Why is it important to know that BO hung around with a domestic terrorist?"
The illustration to this post was a picture of an A4 Skyhawk, but it wasn't one like McCain would flown.
It had the green and brown camo scheme of a ground based aircraft, not the battleship grey scheme of carrier based aircraft.
That sort of sloppy research pisses me off. But I digress.
A bit later in this diatribe, we get the following:
"John McCain has personal experience being assaulted by terrorists, which experience he gained as a POW in the infamous HANOI HILTON.
He understands how terrifying terrorists are.
Barack Obama, on the other hand, has aligned himself with known terrorists, in the person of William Ayers and his wife.
While I do not mean that BO participated in any direct terrorist activity. As far as I know, he did not, but with association comes alliance and with alliance comes complicity.
BO comes closer to being more aware of how to commit terrorism than to combat it."
Obviously, I had to respond to this nonsense. Which I did. However I am unable to reprint my original response here because "Jo-Joe" responded by simply deleting my comment and leaving this comment of his own:
"Joe has left a new comment on the post "IMPORTANT OR NOT?":
Xavier Onassis: "I can see the moon. That don't make me an astronaut."
Don't make you no linguist, neither.
You have engaged in the same twisted stuff your ilk always does.
You are a spewer of hatred spewing your hatred toward those who dare disagree with you.
Bye!
October 18, 2008 1:12 AM"
Well, now you know me. I had no choice but to step things up. And through the techno-miracle of gmail thread tracking, I have all of the other responses that he deleted. Ain't technology great?
"Xavier Onassis has left a new comment on the post "IMPORTANT OR NOT?":
"Don't make you no linguist, neither.
You have engaged in the same twisted stuff your ilk always does.
You are a spewer of hatred spewing your hatred toward those who dare disagree with you.
Bye!"
"Twisted stuff"? So, logic and reason is now "twisted stuff"?
Explaining the facts and shining the light of truth is now "spewing hatred"?
Wow. Just...wow.
Post a comment."
Which he of course promptly deleted and again left his own comment:
"Joe has left a new comment on the post "IMPORTANT OR NOT?":
Xavier Onassis: Well, you are pretty scary, but that is not why I deleted your comment.
I've been to your blog, and find it to be everything that is wrong in our country today, so I don't want people to accidentally be directed there from my blog.
Since this is my blog, I get to do what I want with it, including deleting your comments.
You don't have to like it. I'm sure you won't. I'm just as sure that you'll have some vile, vulgar remarks to say, not having the wisdom to understand why "freedom of speech" is not license to say what you want, when you want, where you want.
So, once again...goodbye.
Post a comment."
My turn again...
"Xavier Onassis has left a new comment on the post "IMPORTANT OR NOT?":
Your Rules [xo - taken from the right column of his blog]...
1. Absolutely no foul language. If you are not man or woman enough to control your language, you are not welcome here...go somewhere else.
My comment contained no foul language.
2. I am not looking for strings of commenters arguing with each other, so confine your comments to the topic at hand and address your comments to me, unless you can be exceptionally gracious and polite.
My Comment did not address or attach any other commenter. I confined my comment to the topic at hand and addressed my comments to you.
3. Since this is my blog, I am the sole arbiter of what can be placed on this blog. My decisions are final and without recourse.
AH! Here we are. This was my crime. I disagreed with you using actual, real, verifiable facts that you were unable to refute with facts of your own so you just deleted me. So very typical of your "ilk".
4. Within the scope of those rules, you may feel free to have fun here (I sure will). Sarcasm, wit, half-wit, nit-wit, parody, satire, puns (especially puns), etc. are encouraged.
Apparently not.
Post a comment."
Ol' "Jo-Joe" seemed to have stepped away from his computer for a bit. After all, it was well after 1am by now. So I was able to get a couple more comments up that stayed there for a while:
"Xavier Onassis has left a new comment on the post "IMPORTANT OR NOT?":
When the facts aren't on your side, delete the facts.
Typical McCarthy style, Christo-fascist, right-wing Republican censorship.
Since you deleted my effort to engage in intelligent dialogue, I no longer have any incentive to be polite. Do I?
Ring any bells? Like when Bush announces that he won't talk to our enemies until they unconditionally agree to be our friends?
Post a comment."
"Xavier Onassis has left a new comment on the post "IMPORTANT OR NOT?":
I guess I'll just have to publish a post on my blog about what occurred here tonight to get the truth out and flank your attempt to suppress Free Speech and the First Amendment.
Way to uphold the Constitution.
You are so silly.
Post a comment."
"Xavier Onassis has left a new comment on the post "IMPORTANT OR NOT?":
"I've been to your blog, and find it to be everything that is wrong in our country today"
Like the fact that I allow anyone to comment about anything and have never deleted a comment or blocked anyone from commenting?
The fact that I exercise and encourage Free Speech is "...everything that is wrong in our country today"?
I can see where a person like you might feel that way.
I encourage you to come back to my blog and express your opinion.
I look forward to the debate.
Post a comment."
But he eventually made it back, deleted all of the above comments and left his own:
"Joe has left a new comment on the post "IMPORTANT OR NOT?":
Xavier Onassis: (Oh...I stayed away too long and you came back)You're wearing out your welcome...ever since your second comment.
Bye
Post a comment."
He then left his FINAL WORD on the subject:
"Joe has left a new comment on the post "IMPORTANT OR NOT?":
"Xavier Onassis: You've been told that the Constitution guarantees you the right to free speech.
It does no such thing.
It guarantees that congress (the law making bodies of the federal government) cannot abridge your right to free speech.
You really should have paid attention in Social Studies class.
It says nothing about the rest of society, of which I am part.
Post a comment."
By this time it's 2am and I am sick of trying to teach a pig to sing, so I let it go.
And I agree with "Jo-Joe" that a person's blog is their castle and he is free to do whatever the fuck he wants. It neither breaks my bones nor picks my pocket.
But the reason I go to the trouble of re posting this nonsense is because it is SO TYPICAL of the Right Wing blogosphere and the Right Wing in general.
I have been BANNED from commenting on two prominent Right Wing blogs.
Little Miss Chatterbox banned me.
Mike's America banned me.
My crime? Calling SHENANNIGANS on their bullshit and refuting it with links to actual facts. Facts are like Kryptonite to conservatives.
And I'm sure that Jo-Joe Politico would ban me if he knew how, but I don't think he's all that web savvy.
Yesterday, Barack Obama held rallies in St. Louis and Kansas City. Both were free and open to the public. He attracted an estimated 100,000 attendees in St. Louis and another 75,000 in Kansas City.
That is the largest single day political gathering for a single candidate EVER in U.S. history.
Republicans, on the other hand, carefully restrict attendance at their political events by requiring tickets that are only dispensed to loyal and vetted Republicans, or by charging thousands of dollars "per plate" for boiled chicken and canned green beans.
Democrats and Liberals are not afraid of open debate and the free exchange of ideas. The only bloggers in my circle of friends who have had to block anyone from commenting were bloggers that feared for the safety of their family because of specific and credible threats from right wing, religious, nut jobs with guns.
Republicans and Conservatives are TERRIFIED of open debate and the free exchange of ideas. Circle the wagons, erect the fences, defend the borders, DO NOT let any idea enter the Inner Sanctum that contradicts what we already know is true.
DELETE! CENSOR! BAN! Whatever it takes to keep contradictory thoughts and ideas from corrupting the indoctrination of the faithful.
The lack of intellectual acuity, analytical acumen, or even basic curiosity and skepticism in the face of outrageous assertions among right wing conservatives is astounding.
Vote on November 4th.
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