Ductape Fatwa Memorials

It was about seven years ago this week that Ductape Fatwa, the person who founded this blog, stopped posting altogether.

Ductape Fatwa may no longer be with us, but there are a couple tributes that were set up posthumously: one on twitter, and the other on Tumblr. I have no idea who set up the former tribute site. The latter is my doing. I really should jazz it up a bit at some point. I sometimes wonder what Ductape Fatwa would have thought of today's social media.

Actually, his blog, Enemy of the State is a tribute of sorts as well, to the extent that it still remains as an archive. Regrettably, that blog's comments were deleted when the third-party vendor that hosted its comments (Haloscan) closed shop. There was quite a community there, too. I would be remiss if I did not mention the short work of fiction that he and dove were collaborating on prior to his passing, Artichoke Circus. Although there is a second part that never got published, the first part stands sufficiently complete (although I do hope one day that dove chooses to publish that second part - if only as a gesture of goodwill to those of us who still remember).

As the by-default caretaker of this blog, I have often struggled with what to do with it. My choice is to leave it as it is (and periodically clear out the spam comments), and if others with the keys to this place still wish to use it, they are of course more than welcome. Beyond that, think of it as an archive, not only of some of the last written words of a fallen friend, but of a probably doomed attempt to maintain a sense of community in his absence.

I miss my old friend, as do I suspect a number of former bloggers here, and many people elsewhere across the Internet and in non-Internet existence.

For those who remember, be well.

A new Ductape Fatwa tribute at Tumblr

Since someone beat me to the punch on Twitter, I thought I'd create a tribute blog for our fallen friend on Tumblr: Enemy Of The State (A Ductape Fatwa Memorial). I don't quite know what I'll do with it yet.

Who knows, maybe a few of you who are on Tumblr will be kind enough to follow it, or even better, offer to contribute. He was, after all, not only thought-provoking, but arguably a major force in bringing us together (and in whose absence we flew apart).

A memorial for an old friend on Twitter

Ductape Fatwa, whose presence once graced numerous blogs until the fall of 2006, was one of the most thought-provoking writers I’ve had the privilege to know. He was arguably a force who brought many of us together, and who would no doubt have nurtured this blog had his life not been cut short just weeks after its inception. His ability to bring together people of diverse and sometimes divergent viewpoints and personalities is one I have often admired, and is one talent I wish I had. I digress however.

As a few of you may have sussed out, I do spend a little time on Twitter. I’ve had my account for ages, but really didn’t much use it. Anyway, I’ve been on a bit more as of late, and just for kicks decided to see if anyone had made mention of our old friend. Much to my surprise, I found Ductape Fatwa’s Twitter profile. Of course it’s not his per se. It is a memorial set up by someone else. Whoever set it up doesn’t seem to update it very often – seems he or she comes by about once a year since setting up the profile a couple years ago. I would love to thank whoever set it up. In the meantime, check it out, add yourself as a follower, and perhaps we can incite the person responsible to update it a little more often.

Quick update: if you don't have a Twitter account, you can access Ductape Fatwa's profile here.

Everything Went Black

I wanted to take a few moments to pay tribute to a few of our compañeros in blogtopia who've gone silent. I chose today for a reason: it marks the last date that an old blogging friend, Ductape Fatwa, posted so much as a comment. After that point, his blogging stopped and he stopped answering his emails, leaving many of us who had grown to consider him a dear friend to wonder about his whereabouts and well-being. Anyone who knew him will recognize him as a rather unique presence – at once a radical gadfly tweaking the noses of Democratic and Republican bloggers and a folksy elder gentleman telling anecdotes of his grandchildren; a devout Muslim with a keen intellectual curiosity and fascination with pop culture; a storyteller weaving dystopian narratives and yet unwaveringly optimistic; a stirrer of controversy who yet built something of a community among a diverse and divergent cast of internet characters. Words outlive their authors, and although he may have been just another obscure blogger among obscure bloggers, his words – scattered as they are throughout blogtopia – continue to live on and inspire.
This goes out to Ductape Fatwa and other bloggers whose voices have gone silent.