Monday, February 12, 2007

New Old Meta

kos indulged himself and wrote a long meta post on Sunday nite to cheers from adoring fans. Others at My Left Wing were not among them, noticably liberalamerican and peeder, both of whom became the subjects of Armando's Big Tent Democrat's bloggy napalm campaign over at dkos. pyrrho came to their defence at MLW on Monday to try to stop the bleeding. (Good luck with that).

People like BTD, whom I quote above, do have a reason to be loyal, they HAVE gotten something. But see, kos doesn't favor my type of politics. Kos wants to defund the Sierra Club. I'm not totally against his politics, but they don't align well enough with mine for me to get anything out of an organization which has no formal promise to let me vote, and also, no informal promise.

That doesn't mean I'm an enemy, and as we have the same positions on some issues, we are still, according to me, allies. But calls for loyalty to the BUSINESS of dailykos are asinine. They are illiberal.

Private businesses are authoritarian in nature... and my politics is NOT authoritarian. What is so fucking confusing to people about that?

PS: dkos is making enemies among progressives, if dkos doesn't want to face that, it will anyway.


*****************
Amanda Marcotte has resigned from her blogging job on the Edwards campaign stating, "it [the Donohue wingnut scrutiny] was creating a situation where I felt that every time I coughed, I was risking the Edwards campaign." I figure she should have realized that when she signed up for the job.

*****************

Meta communication.

*****************

Any other meta tidbits I've missed?

Update! pyrrho has been banned from Daily Kos. Wow is all I can say...

Update: Melissa McEwan of Shakespeare's Sister has also resigned from her position on the Edwards campaign.

76 comments:

Anonymous said...

MT and CabinGirl has double teamed me over at DKos. What a joke. I was accused of "hunting" Tracy down for shits sake because a posted a coment on a diary a day later when I first read it. My mistake. Must stay away from crazy people at all costs. Now CabinGirl is on the attack too.

catnip said...

Must stay away from crazy people at all costs.

That's pretty tough on these intertubes. They pop up like those little whack-a-mole thingies all over the place.

Don Durito said...

Hey Leezy! Really a shame that blogs don't have a killfile feature. As for Cabin Girl, I suppose she's acting out of loyalty to MT - misplaced loyalty imho. So it goes.

catnip said...

Now, most people could give a crap about any of this

You got that right. Just how many times do you have to beat this dead horse?

And I have yet to see anyone show any concern about correcting the record or standing up for me.

No? Not CG or Tracy or anyone?? How lonely you must be...

You bitch about how this blog is ALL about you - which it isn't - and then you come over here to make it ALL about you - like we don't have other stuff to talk about besides you, you, you.

Get over yourself and go lick your wounds back on your blog, although I guess you can't do that without violating your new rules, right? Gee, it must suck to be you.

catnip said...

Update! pyrrho has been banned from Daily Kos. Wow.

(Blogger wouldn't let me update the post. Grrr...)

catnip said...

Martin,

Stay out of my inbox. Don't you think 5 e-mails that you sent me on Friday to which I did not respond were enough? I sure as hell did, yet here you are e-mailing me again. I will not respond to your e-mails. Period. Got it?

catnip said...

Btw, I'm sure your community would just love to know that you're threatening me via e-mail. From now on, any e-mail you send me is subject to public postings. Don't say you weren't warned. I refuse to keep your threats private.

Don Durito said...

Threatened you? No shit? Ewwwww. Not cool.

catnip said...

I should have paid more attention to his history. Here I was just hanging out at my blog minding my own business for months on end. Then I stumbled into the so-called Delaware dem "outing" at dkos. Next thing I know I'm at BT, spidey is banned and Martin has this vendetta against me. Obviously, he holds grudges for a very long time. That just isn't healthy.

I'm much more interested in finding about about current things - like pyrrho's banning and Amanda's resignation - not to mention the warmongering against Iran and what the hell the Dems are going to do about Iraq. All hell has broken loose but somehow an e-mail I wrote to him last summer is much more important than anything else. Go figure...

Anonymous said...

and notice that BasTarD posts all the LIES on dkos. these lawyers arent too bright, always repeating the things they dont want talked about.

he alway bitches about being outed again. Dude, you were never outed. Your last so-called outing occured just as everyone was focused on Ykos. Your narcassistic personality disorder took over and you had to grad the spotlight. You really had to work at it too because no one cared.

If BasTard is the type Kos wants and is what a Dem is supposed to then fuck dkos and fuck the Dems. I want no part of either if he is supposed to one fo the good guys.

The entire blogosphere is very aware that he is a liar and an attention whore.

Anonymous said...

and booman is creeptacular. hey booman SYFPH while you still have a few cells of credibility left. right know you come of and an immature stalker with an unhealthy need to be accepted by your daddy figures over at kos.

why are all you geeks so socially challenged... oh... because you are geeks

Anonymous said...

Dying laughing here. Catnip, please stop acting like your falling out with Martin is recent and based on current events. You're really one to talk when it comes to "history".

Anonymous said...

I always love anonymous posters, don't you? Either side. If you can't stand up to what you write then one should not post.

Anonymous said...

James...thanks alot for the uprating. I appreciate it. It amazes me that if you read my comment history over there I have not been TRd in years. Why are just a couple of trs able to take away my tu status? I am really upset now.

Janet said...

Leezy, check your email. CabinGirl just requested that she send you a copy of several back an dforth emails she and I had during the check up on one of my diaries when she mentioned that she was dating Booman which I may have told Catnip during one of our first phone conversations. I still don't see what the big deal was.

I hadn't left BMT yet. I was still trying to be nice.

Why do people keep emails for that long? I try to clean out my inbox.

Anonymous posters are like Bush... Cowards.

Anonymous said...

Would someone who knows how, please remove my name from the list of contributors to this blog? I'd very much appreciate it. I've never contributed anyway, expect in comments, and that pretty rarely, until the lastest mess at Boo.

My decision is not in any way a judgement on anyone else who posts here regularly, or what they post. And I know this blog has served some good purposes, especially lately, in being a place where we could combine energies to start up the new space, "Everybody Comes From Somewhere."

But now I see that the new community is ALSO getting dragged into the mud (via nasty comments by CG) in the ongoing personal battles on Kos, and also that all of use who did move on to something more positive, are being being all lumped together as "the Crew",in anything BUT a complimentary way.

This makes what I would normally consider none of my business (ie other peoples personal battles) very much my business, since it personally affects my credibility online, and also the credibility of pretty valuable project I am truly invested in.

Clearly those you are battling with have no compunctions at all about marginalizing and causing whatever damage to the credibility of everyone involved here that they can, not just those of you personally involved.

You have every right to wage personal battles however you choose to, wherever you choose to. And I have the right to tell you how it is affecting me. You are not the only ones getting hit by the shrapnel, and I for one, am getting pretty sick of being "collateral damage". Yes, I can certainly can totally understand your anger and you KNOW I care about you and like you and respect you. I support you all in doing whatever you need to do with your anger.

I am simply asking you to remember that by carrying on these battles publically, on the blogs,it does NOT only affect you.

supersoling said...

IF THE SHOE FITS....

"Shut Up And Stop The War"

"I never thought I'd quote former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld without irony, but here it goes: You have to go to war with the Army you have, not the Army you want. If you're going to keep up the pretense that an illegal war based on lies is acceptable and necessary, then you can't reasonably hold back troops because they aren't properly prepped. And if you're going to try to end the war, the best way to do that is by ending the war. The Constitution gives the power to end wars to Congress. There are 535 people on the planet who can do something to end this war beyond talking about it.

And it may only require 41 of them. If a Senator can begin a filibuster of funding for the war, only 41 Senators will have to find the decency to join together for peace and reelection. But that's down the road, a road that looks likely to be altered by a U.S. attack on Iran. This week is dedicated to talking things over, at a cost of at least $500,000 of war and untold deaths and injuries per five-minute congressional speech"
....more at Tom Paine

Don Durito said...

Hi Scribe, I didn't know that CG was trashing the new place. What she sayin'?

Super - good article there. Thx for the tip.

catnip said...

But now I see that the new community is ALSO getting dragged into the mud (via nasty comments by CG) in the ongoing personal battles on Kos, and also that all of use who did move on to something more positive, are being being all lumped together as "the Crew",in anything BUT a complimentary way.

That was to be expected, even if this site didn't exist. Regardless of what others may try to do, your credibility and integrity are very much intact, scribe. Anyone who tries to prove otherwise is a fool.

Anonymous said...

And to Cabin girl, Booman and whoever else is engaged in personal, public battles with anyone who posts here, I've got a couple of things to say to you too, while I'm at it. It starts with, "How DARE you!"

How DARE you lump me in with whoever the hell you think "did you wrong" in the past, and thus, paint me with whatever ugly colors you want to paint them with?

You know perfectly well I was no part of any of that at all, but hey, who cares, right? I'm nothing to either of you, you could not possibly made that more clear to me than you have.

Well,hell. Maybe it's easy for you to "dare" to treat people very badly when they don't simply don't mean shit to you and probably never did.

I grew to feel a considerable amount of attachment to and respect for BooTrib and for you, for a long time. I contributed a lot there and did my best to be a part of keeping the waters smooth. I vowed if ever it was time for me to move on, it would be under pleasant circumstances, and with good feelings, not like it was when I got run out of Kos on a rail.

This isn't the quite the same. In a way it was worse. Because you see, I had the illusion I was actually a valuable community member to you. I honestly believed that, fool that I am.

I think I'd prefer the rail treatment to this: to discovering that for you, I simply didn't exist at all. And then discovering I'd very easily dismissed as a part of some freaky "cabal" out to "get you".

Unlike you, however, beyond this post, I feel no need to run around internet telling all about what you "did to me". Why would I? I have no need to harm you or "get even" with you and I don't need to prove my character is intact to anyone.

I will also not be making snide comments about BooTrib on other blogs, such as YOU recently spit out on Kos, Cabin Girl, about the new community we're setting up. How vindictive. How small of you. Your names have never even been referenced there, not even once. Not one comment on that blog has been disrespectful of BT or of any of you. Not. One. Freakin. Word.

What I will be doing is, in as much as possible, avoiding all contact with any of you and moving on. Which means leaving this blog now too, since you are apparently now regulars here and I an plain sick of all of this mess.

I also promise you,as long as I hold admin priviedges at ECFS (along with many others, incidentally), if any of you try to drag any of your personal battles in there, I will boot your ass clear to next Sunday and enjoy every minute of it.

Have your fun. Yours will be THE ABSOLUTE LAST "community blog" I shall ever join that is run like a little monarchy. These can never be authentic online "communities": they can only end being the "king and his court". And whenever the king wishes, he gets to cull out the subjects, dismiss those who no longer serve him, and replace them with fresh subjects, which I see you are doing quite effectively.

Good luck with that, Booman.

Don Durito said...

In fact, I don't believe Booman Tribune has been mentioned there at all. Period. There's really no need to. ECFS is its own thing, entirely independent of BT, DK, et al., just as intended.

Janet said...

((((James)))) yup, now I just have to figure out how to post diaries there. So MUCH to diary about from this past week alone.

Don Durito said...

Hi Janet. I think once you're logged in, just hit "New Post" from the tool bar, and you should be set to add content.

Anonymous said...

Thanks James, I just have to learn how. It's a new set up. Plus I had to get a google account for my PGW blog. And it's not being cool at all. I can't even post in Iowa Victory Garden or others. Most of the time my post doesn't enter. Tried to post at Manny's blog just now. Nothing.

I just want to say that I will miss Leezy. She needs some time though. Many were called horrible names, reputations shot to hell. People at Kos now think I spit on the troops and their families... But the people who believe that... I don't need in my life anyways.

I think you'll see more of my stoff at ECFS in the peace and action/resistance diaries. I do need the "Fluffy" stuff too some days but my days are getting so crammed now. EVERY DAY someone I know or love is being arrested. Going out. Going in. I have to truly remain focused now on what I head out to do or I'd be in jail every damn night.

Anonymous said...

Scribe, I think some of us still need that Mo beta place to vent. Some didn’t know of it’s exhistence till this last flare up. Also, some of us have been called horrible names and some awful things were attributed to us.

I mean, people on one BIG site now probably think I eat dead babies of military families while spitting on them and their wheaties. And that’s just for my morning breakfast. By nightfall, I’m a one woman freak show.

I remember after the first flare up. I didn’t know others had blogs and were able to discuss their feelings, shock and outrage. It wasn’t untill Manny or Super or both sent me a link to one of the other blogs. That was the first time I didn’t have sit through it all alone.

I hope Leezy will be back soon. Because just out of plain self-pity.. I NEED HER around. She’s one of the few that can understand some of my ramblings… and I consider her a dear dear friend.

catnip said...

Janet,

Have you tried logging out of Blogger and logging in again? There's also a Blogger help group that might have some answers for you.

I agree with you that leezy's presence will be missed but I understand the need for a break too. Been there, done that. I wish her the best and hope she finds some peace.

Anonymous said...

Thanks Catnip! I'll check that out tomorrow. I'm off to work. At least Valentine's day isn't a total retailers nightmare.

We've been doing wine and chocolate tasting all fucking week :) WHOOOOOOOOOOT

catnip said...

MSOC weighs in again about the recent drama.

XicanoPwr said...

I looks like the christofascists knocked down Panadagon. Very very Christian of them don't ya think.

Anonymous said...

I don't see MLW, which I diary at, as being fucked. I see it as more of a liberation :)

catnip said...

They're not satisfied with that though. Now they're going full tilt against Melissa McEwan too.

Donohue is a vicious bastard.

Anonymous said...

Wow... the Catholic League.

Did Jesus carry a sword?

catnip said...

Righty Jesus did, apparently.

Anonymous said...

Let me try to clarify a few things,ok?

My feelings about mo betta are just that: only my own. Everyone else has their own, too, and that the way it oughta be. Just as everyone here decides for themselves if being here is a good thing for them, or not.

It doesn't bother me at all to be around "venting" or blowing off excess steam. I do it myself on a pretty regular basis. I do see a need for places to do this, too.

But one reason I've never participated much here very is that lots of what goes on here doesn't feel like "venting" to me, as I understand it, anyway. Sometimes it seems more like a sort of launch pad for guided missiles fired at other blogs, sometime even when no one here is involved personally in a in any conflict.

Granted,I wasn't here when this thing was set up so maybe that was what it was intended to be, I dunno. Maybe that's what "venting" was intended to mean and I just didn't get it.

Then lately, this interminable war between Booman and some people I care a lot about, came home to this space too,and before I knew what hit me, I had a gun in my hand too, and was firing away.

I am not trying to control what happens here. I got pretty ticked at seeing the new blog get dragged into it, and said how I felt about it. That doesn't mean anyone else has to feel the way I feel. But I did need to say, straight up, how I felt.

I'm leaving here based ONLY on what I know "I" need to to, in order to keep MYSELF in some kind of balanced perspective. Not because I am mad at anyone here (who is usually here, I mean!) I simply know it's better for me to stay out of unnecessary wars, and away from other peoples battlefields, unless it's a war I feel it's necessary for me to suit up for. I been "at war" out there in my career, for over 40 years: I want to do something different with my retirement! And the best part is I don't have to ""leave" any of you, because you're all where I going to be spending my time from here on!

I'm just checking out of this one "space", like I had to step out of Kos space and Boo space, because they were not a match for who and where I "am" now.

I did asked folks to please consider that ongoing public warfare can affect more than just themselves. But it's only that: a request everyone is free to consider or not. Not an "order". Not a scolding. Not a negative judgement. Just a simple request from someone who is no more important than anyone else here.

Enough! I'll see you all over at ECFS

catnip said...

Sometimes it seems more like a sort of launch pad for guided missiles fired at other blogs, sometime even when no one here is involved personally in a in any conflict.

Granted,I wasn't here when this thing was set up so maybe that was what it was intended to be, I dunno. Maybe that's what "venting" was intended to mean and I just didn't get it.


DTF set this blog up as a place to talk about meta issues away from the ratings and bannings and groupthink of the blogs etc. (see the META-Rant Inspiration list he put up at the time on the sidebar). This was his welcome post. Since that time we have also had many philosophical discussions about topics like what "progressive" means, what "community" is and many other issues that we had on our minds. (Scan the archives.)

It's not about lobbing "guided missiles". It's about freedom of speech for those who felt they'd been stifled somewhere and/or who wanted to continue blog conversations so as not to take up more space at the places we talked about.

It's also a place that has never had rules, so it definitely has devolved into free-for-alls at times but the thing is that it has all been public and no one has ever been stopped from posting whatever they wanted to here.

I can understand why you don't want to spend your time here scribe, and I might suggest that you take Mo Betta off the blogroll at ECFS if people want a clean break.

We (those of us who post here) have no control over what people say at other blogs (like dkos) where some choose to continue their "ongoing warfare". You do have control of what happens at ECFS, as you said. That ensures that community will be free of most of the things that go on here and elsewhere. That's as it should be.

Anonymous said...

Let's talk about "outing" people ok? I am getting a ton of emails demanding an apology from CabinGirl. Hmmmm....wonder who gave her my email address seeing it is not published in any of my online profiles. Martin?

catnip said...

Melissa McEwen has also resigned from the Edwards campaign.

Anonymous said...

Wow..that didn't take long. So much for hiring bloggers huh?

Anonymous said...

What the explorers before me have learned is this: Human strength lies not in resistance, but in giving. - Will Steger

Kindness it is that brings forth kindness always. - Sophocles

The world was always yours; you would not take it - Archibald MacLeish

Doubt is not a pleasant state but certainty is a ridiculous one. - Voltaire

catnip said...

Wow..that didn't take long. So much for hiring bloggers huh?

Unless you're McCain's blogger hire. Apparently he has skeletons in his closet that the right-wing just couldn't care less about - of course.

catnip said...

Scary. Yikes.

Don Durito said...

Scary is right.

Arcturus said...

ah, now I git why you were going on about "revolution" this morning, james! well, liberals have already co-opted the word "progressive," guess we can give 'em "revolution" too - I dunno about skkery, but clueless & pathetic would certainly apply

guess Martin's gonna have to get a real job soon ow that he's been de-linked - mebbe Biden's campaign? it would be the perfect career track . . .

Anonymous said...

That may be scary, but this is scarier.

Anonymous said...

Me, I was banned at dKos during the Libanon War last summer for posting a diary entry that, without breaking any of the posting rules, said some unfriendly things about the USA's enabling of the Israeli war machine. Here it is, for those who care. It wasn't more pugnacious than that BooMan reco'ed the BT incarnation.

I went on commenting at dKos for a full week more, until I suddenly couldn't log in properly; so I e-mailed a front pager to ask what was going on, and heard back that I was banned for "over-the-top rhetoric" or some such.

So there was neither warning nor explanation back then, but now they have ameliorated this situation -- they don't call themselves 'progressives' for nothing! Now you apparently get a 'warning' for offenses such as uprating those who disagree with Armando (under his current nome de guerre). Your account is then locked until you acknowledge that you have "understood" the nature of your transgression, even if you happen to think that Quantum Crystal Astral Dolphinology makes a lot more sense.

This also has the added virtue of ensuring that only the appropriate obsequious users persist on the site; the rest, upon being put on notice for some unconscionable act of dissent, effectively ban themselves by declining to accept the warning. Good egg! My sincere compliments to Markos Non-Aurelius, his Praetorian Guard, and his "people-powered movement." They are the last best hope for restoring sanity to this troubled world.

catnip said...

That may be scary, but this is scarier.

What? You don't recognize brilliance when you see it?
;)

They are the last best hope for restoring sanity to this troubled world.

If you equate "sanity" with towing the conformity line. I sure don't and I think a lot of people are waking up to that now. What they'll do about it, however, remains to be seen.

All of this jockeying for control of the political message and the bullying by those who can't wrap their heads around the fact that what they've been fighting for - the right of people in a democracy (ie. the US) to dissent - is something that they discourage on their blogs. Community blogs like those are not democracies, obviously, but it's ironic that they don't practice what they preach and that they choose to marginalize the minority opinion instead.

When it all comes down to it, as many people have said in the past while, those blogs are private businesses and the bottom line is what drives whatever happens on them. Their bouncers are very effective at keeping the undesirables out of the k3wl kids scene so the business can run smoothly.

catnip said...

OMG:

Armando (3.33 / 3)
I have not mentioned this before, but you are a beautiful human being.

ProgressiveHistorians: History and Politics Of, By, and For the People
by: Nonpartisan @ Wed Feb 14, 2007 at 11:01:27 AM PST
[ Reply ]


You'll note that Nonpartisan is also the same person who insists that Bowers is "brilliant". Suck up much??

Anonymous said...

If you equate "sanity" with towing the conformity line.

I was being ironic.

supersoling said...

A guy like Armando, who spews some of the filthiest abuse I've ever heard, wouldn't dare do shit like that in real life, to a real person, on a real street, because he's have his real teeth knocked out of his real (big) head.

As for PH, Ross perot described that giant sucking sound a long time ago, and I doubt there's an industrial strength chemical strong enough to remove his lips from Armando's ass.

catnip said...

I was being ironic.

I know. I should have added a smiley. Sorry.

As for PH

PH?

Nonpartisan said...

Is there something wrong with my liking Chris Bowers? Armando?

I like who I like. You'll find that, with some lapses, I'm among the most circumspect bloggers you'll ever meet. Be careful what larger issues you read into my choice of friends.

Catnip, I apologized to you a long time ago, heartfeltly and sincerely. I'll do so again now: I am sorry, deeply sorry, that I unfairly accused you of blogwrecking. You can bury the hatchet any time you like.

catnip said...

I did bury the hatchet! This has nothing to do with what happened between you and I in the old days.

I just thought your perceptions of Armando and Bowers were quite...dramatically overblown. I certainly didn't see Bowers' post as the most brilliant post on the intertubes and Armando as "beautiful"? Nope. Not something I can agree with. Sorry.

Nonpartisan said...

Oh, okay. Good. I was never sure, because I know you deleted that diary right after I posted the apology, and I wasn't sure you saw it. I'm glad you did.

As for the two diarists -- I study mass movements from a historical perspective, and have been trying to say what Bowers said on my own site for about four months, and never as well as he did in that post. So you can perhaps see why I felt as I did about it. As for Armando, well -- you either love him or hate him. I have friends on both sides of that particular aisle, and I think it's often a needless division.

Be well.

supersoling said...

PH
I meant Non Partisan, Catnip.

As for Armando, well -- you either love him or hate him.

Well, I sure don't love him, but do I hate him? Nope. What I do hate is that people like him have a large voice in what is passing for the opposition these days. And if you can't see the damage that he and his entuorage are doing to those oppositional efforts, and how those who enable him, like you, are also responsible for the rightward shift of the left, then I imagine when the day comes that you're inevitably cast off the island you'll be left wondering why you wasted your time, but too late to make yourself relevent.

Nonpartisan said...

I am beginning to think that Armando, despite his continuing popularity, speaks only for himself. He seems to have less and less influence at the Big Orange place. You're right, there are others there who are participating in that rightward shift. But I don't think Armando has any power any more.

catnip said...

I know you deleted that diary right after I posted the apology, and I wasn't sure you saw it. I'm glad you did.

Actually, it's still up because eugene ressurected it under his name after I deleted it.

As for Bowers, it makes sense then if you feel the same way he does and had tried to express it but were unable to that you would admire his post. I'm just far removed from that kind of thinking about my role in this world.

I don't love or hate Armando. I don't "hate" anyone - even Bush (gasp!). Hating people is highly overrated and just destructive in my books.

"Beautiful" just isn't a word I would use to describe Armando - especially considering the way he stomps all over people, including his friends. I think he's probably done more to alienate people from dkos than anyone else there while others who enable his behaviour (as super pointed out) just let him get away with his verbiage of mass destruction. It's totally unnecessary and only serves his ego. (And that, btw, is a conversation I have had in the past with him several times so he knows exactly how I feel about it.)

catnip said...

But I don't think Armando has any power any more.

Ah but he does. Otherwise he would have been (rightly) troll-rated into oblivion a long time ago. The double standard there is glaringly obvious.

supersoling said...

He's got plenty of power. How else can anyone explain his voice being tolerated there, let alone not being banned? And how to explain 5hearts getting a warning yesterday? They're behind him.

Nonpartisan said...

If I read it correctly, this is is a threat to ban Armando, is it not? I understand it's also a threat to ban MSOC. But still -- I think Kos sees Armando as a "troublemaker" now, despite his ties to the front page.

catnip said...

I didn't see that kos comment as a threat to ban Armando. I just can't see that happening.

catnip said...

Although...that could be why he was over at MLW with his non-apology apology today. Maybe he thinks his time is limited at the Big Orange. I can just imagine the shockwaves through the blogosphere if he was banned from dkos.

Anonymous said...

Hi everyone, weighing in here...

Nonpartisan: Armando is an extraordinarily abusive, manipulative individual who makes shit up. Either that or he's mentally-ill and/or a substance abuser and doesn't have complete control over what he says or does. You shouldn't be encouraging him. If you care about him, you should be advising him to get help.

Also, the Bowers thing, which I found through Marisacat's quote/link to IOZ's critique of it, is utterly ridiculous. Embarrassing, in fact. It's like a bad parody of a clueless, pretentious, self-obsessed left-winger. A wannabe left-winger at that. My take on it is on www.feministsupervixens.com.

Anonymous said...

Hi everyone, weighing in here...

Nonpartisan: Armando is an extraordinarily abusive, manipulative individual who makes shit up. Either that or he's mentally-ill and/or a substance abuser and doesn't have complete control over what he says or does. You shouldn't be encouraging him. If you care about him, you should be advising him to get help.

Also, the Bowers thing, which I found through Marisacat's quote/link to IOZ's critique of it, is utterly ridiculous. Embarrassing, in fact. It's like a bad parody of a clueless, pretentious, self-obsessed left-winger. A wannabe left-winger at that. My take on it is on www.feministsupervixens.com.

catnip said...

You know...I don't think I'd want to be a part of any kind of revolution Bower would oversee from the comfort of his little "clique".

Meanwhile, there are people out there on the streets who have been staging a revolution against the Iraq war and this administration for years now. But that kind of people-powered revolution isn't what he's interested in at all.

I mean, really:

I want working for a candidate to give me a taste of the revolutionary feeling for which I long, and I want my regular job to do the same thing.

Good fucking luck with that!

And it totally contradicts this part of his little essay:

I want to be there at the moment when history happens, when the world changes, when consciousness shifts, and when the people rise up and throw off the shackles of the elite, the status quo, and the comfortable.

You can get a lot of things from a job and a candidate. Revolution ain't one of them.

Anonymous said...

It makes my skin crawl, it's so... so... lacking. But then again, I don't know Bowers - he could be 13 years old. Stuff like that makes sense when you're 13.

catnip said...

Over at Big Orange:

I 'm taking a dkos break for a while (3+ / 0-)

I wrote about this at Talk Left.

You can find my stuff over there for a while.

More at TalkLeft

by Big Tent Democrat on Wed Feb 14, 2007 at 10:16:44 PM MST

Anonymous said...

If I read it correctly, this is is a threat to ban Armando, is it not?

No. Nor DHinMI or Delaware Dem in his new Roman incarnation or any number of other idiots.

Anonymous said...

Off topic here. Over the past few days I did as Catnip suggested and spent some time with the archives here. There really has been a lot of great discussions, and I was surprised at how many of them I participated in in days gone by. And it all made me miss Ductape so much; his wit, wisdom, and solid steady, solid presence. And yes, it did remind me of the original intent of mo betta, which I did and do support.

I am not pleased with myself for allowing myself to get stuck in a moment of present anger and spewing it like I did up thread. I broke my own rule of never posting in the heat of anger, because I know I tend to scatter shot where I didn't intend it to go. I apologize for this and will continue to comment when I've got something more intelligent to contribute!

Anonymous said...

A propos of nothing, but there's one individual I feel is being unfairly neglected in many discussions of the Fedayeen dKos: the aptly named Plutonium Page, who's every bit as vitriolic as Armando, and nearly as mentally unstable.

catnip said...

I appreciate that scribe. Thanks.

sirocco,
It's quite ironic that those who insist "there is no cabal" at dkos that piles on those they've targeted as being disruptive are the very ones who are a part of it. It's the same bunch that runs in to reinforce each others holier than thou attitude whenever they think someone is getting out of line. They, however, face no consequences and can't seem to understand (or care) why others get upset when the bullying goes on. And yes, PP has been a part of that for a long time - which is really unfortunate since I used to be a fan of her writing at one time.

Janet said...

A real threat... my friends are being arrested at Sen Smith's office this past week and probably tomorrow. I've been told that my calling was seen as a threat...

I'm having major computer probs right now and have to run to work soon. Coudl someone link or post this

http://www.soapblox.net/myleftwing/showDiary.do?diaryId=14692#192762

to Everybody site??? Thanks! The writer of the emial is "the lone vet"

C of CodePink is forwarding on this link to the coordinator of defundthewar.com

Sorry, running around with my hair on fire.

And yeah I'm going in to the office on Monday with C :)

catnip said...

Hey Janet!
I posted your a request for someone at ECFS to put that diary up for you. I don't have time right now. Sorry. I hope you get your computer problems fixed quickly!

I hope Senator Smith's office receives that flood of faxes and e-mails you're calling for. He can run but he can't hide forever.

catnip said...

Janet,
Apparently wordpress was having some problems earlier (h/t mcat's place) so maybe you could try again?

spiderleaf said...

Hey Janet, I posted it to Everybody for you.

Anonymous said...

Now THIS is what we should all be doing instead of blogwars huh?Just sent a fax to Smith's office Janet.

catnip said...

***new thread***