As evidence of my history here, I am loathe to make myself the subject of ANY diary I produce (short of using a story as a way into a larger issue) - or to spend any time discussing myself, my issues or anything personal. The way I see it (and rightly so) I am nobody in the blogosphere. I doubt anyone would disagree.
But, given a completely unfounded allegation from a commenter in my last diary, I feel it necessary to address this one particular situation.
Had a poster on the following diary named kalmoth who deemed it necessary to HR another frequent commenter, a particular Jay Tea from WizBangBlog.
Now, a little insignificant history: I used to comment on WizBang. Was one of maybe three or four left-wingers who challenged the ludicrous conclusions of the knuckleheads on that site. For a time it was a pretty good free-for-all. Idiot right-wingers would spout their typical bone-headed talking points, myself and a few others would counter it (and in most cases make, to the layman, a sound rebuttle), and then the right would try to either change the subject or curse at us. Typical.
Two years ago, once Obama took office, they hired an editor who began scrambling comments she deemed "inappropriate."
Inappropriate for her meant something that didn't follow the party line. Furthermore, after scrambling a comment, she'd completely misrepresent it with a tag of her own, suggesting that the commenter either made an inappropriate comment or a threat (I've had posts in the past, with original comments, that completely debunked those claims).
Nonetheless, I was eventually banned from the site (and another right wing echo chamber) because, I guess, they couldn't stomach any alternate opinions in the wake of a slaughter at the polls. Their site. Their right.
So I started a blog of my own. Having little free time, and really just wanting a sounding board, I ceased regular posts on my blog and started posting on DailyKos. More back and forth here. Less hassle. I can still post what I want and let the chips fall where they may.
Anyway, posting here has been illuminating. There are good people who follow me (I'm still floored by that concept). My politics are a mix of far left and centrist, with a small bit of conservative thrown in here an there (but very little). Since I began posting here, I've been called a far left radical, a right wing troll... depended on the day and the attitude of the commenter, but that's fine. It's an exercise and free speech. All good.
Anyway, a WizBang author, Jay Tea, spotted one of my criticisms about a colleague of his. Decided to comment on my posts. Despite having been banned from their site, I have an open mind, and, to me, the most important debate you can have on a site like this isn't with the like-minded, but with those who we criticize daily. Lets face it. If we can't cut down the right's arguments when they're in front of our faces, how can we have credibility doing it anywhere else?
So, kalmoth decides he's going to HR Jay Tea because they he obviously doesn't want this kind of exchange to take place at all. There was no threat in Jay Tea's post (some questionable conclusions, maybe). I guess simply answering this right-winger's drivel with a sound, intelligent counterpoint was just too tough for kalmoth. So, his answer was to censor and hide Jay Tea's comments altogether.
In response to what I thought were unfair HR's, I did what folks here call "uprating." Didn't even know what that was until somebody reprimanded me on it. Still not quite sure why they did that. I was just trying to even the score from folks who clearly weren't functioning based on the good of the community, but on their own personal form of "justice."
So, in light of that, my bigger question is the following:
Do we really want to ban meaningful debate on this site with members of the other side? Do we want this to be the same sort of echo chamber we accuse the right of having, or do we want to challenge their absurd claims as they surface?
To me, attacking a preposterous claim head-on is more productive for our side than acting like it doesn't exist at all.
So, on a separate note, another commenter suggested I had some sort of quid pro quo with Jay Tea:
the uprater invited this user here on a wager that they'd be banned, see down thread. To his credit, Jay Tea said he wouldn't ban VPB at his blog, what a nice guy.
Please send prayers/good thoughts Gingers way.
by Drewid on Mon Sep 06, 2010 at 06:57:00 PM EDT
First of all, that's a pretty broad interpretation of the link he provided. In reality, Jay Tea claims constantly that rants like mine won't be banned on their site. Truth of the matter is they have. As far as a quid pro quo, I've NEVER made any promise like the one this commenter suggests. I dare him to find anything like that.
Furthermore, and to be perfectly clear, I've got nothing going on with ANYONE anywhere (want evidence? search my back posts). For a moment a few months ago, it looked like Jay Tea and I would do back and forth blogs (here and his site) where we'd comment on his right-wing idiocy and WizBang would comment on ours, but Jay Tea got all high-maintenance and diva-ish on me and I just didn't have the energy to take on anything more than what I currently do. So that, as they say, is that.
I have no time nor motivation to "plan" anything with anyone on this site or any other, adversarial or otherwise. I have no monetary gain from my posts. I write when I'm inspired to. Say what I want - and that's that. My complete LACK of obligation to anyone other than myself and the readers, I feel, gives me the kind of moral high ground I find necessary for an honest discussion about issues.
Other than that, I try to make a contribution to the cause - and keep my personal issues and "politics" out of the equation. The only one I have to answer to here is myself and you. And that's the way I like to keep it.
So, in short, this will be the first and last time I will write a diary with me as the subject because there's too many big things going on in the world that need attention. My bullshit - and the personal issues of folks like kalmoth (who really needs to stop the random HR'ing) - are truly, completely insignificant. Peace out.