Wednesday, October 5, 2011

Conversation with a Gun-Rights Advocate

Over on the Daily Kos, I made some interesting friends. To my surprise, the fanatical gun-rights contingent that considers itself liberal and democratic is as nasty and contentious as their conservative counterparts. Incredibly, I ended up banned, not them.

Here's one of them writing me personal e-mails because he didn't like what I had to say about responsible gun ownership.

Mike

From: jermoe@3rivers.net
Subject: Pot and Guns..
Date: Sat, 1 Oct 2011 12:20:40 -0600
To: mikeb302000@hotmail.co.uk

What about all the drunk hunters roaming the mountains and plains of Montana? Cat got your tongue? Mike you are a jack ass. And obviously you do not know what you are talking about. I have looked at you web site it seems to be nothing but a narrowly focused rant page. Most of the people with Medical Marijuana cards are average citizens, just like everybody else. You seem to be a hating, raging idiot. So screw you Mike. Forever yours, Jerome

Jerome
On Oct 1, 2011, at 1:01 PM, M B wrote:

Jerome, You haven't read enough of my blog to know what you're talking about. I've written far more against drinking alcohol and guns than I have about pot and guns. I have my opinions and I think I back them up pretty well and consistently. What the fuck is your problem that you can't accept that?

Mike, you are a fuck head and after reading the comments and replies to your shit on Daily Kos I can see why you are so unpopular. You are a true asshole, have a good day fucker. You are wrong about how the body reacts to meds when the body is stressed by pain. Most people function normally when taking pain meds if they are in pain and stressed. The body adapts to them and most people do not bob and weave around stupidly, as you seem to think. You are a total fucktard really. And you should keep your opinions to yourself.
Jerome is fairly typical. What conclusion can be drawn? Is it the love of guns that makes people this way? I mean, regardless of political alignment, the gun-rights characters are absolutely interchangeable when it comes to the gun argument. Does anyone else find that surprising? I wrote about the Democratic Underground diaries - same thing.

What's your opinion? Please leave a comment.

33 comments:

  1. You were banned from Daily Kos for being a lying, bigoted, ghoulish, victim-playing asshole. And don't try and lay your banning off on RKBA. You pissed off the military community with your trivialization of PTSD. Your enemies on Daily Kos extended far, far beyond the gun rights community.
    More lies from you. but at least you're doing them here, where very few people have to tolerate your whiny ass bullshit.
    Fuck you, you excreable piece of shit. You are a lowlife, and a poor excuse for a human being.
    I, among many, am glad to see that your bullshit no longer infests Daily Kos.
    And, in your typical, cowardly fashion, you won't publish this comment. But at least you'll see it.

    "Over on the Daily Kos, I made some interesting friends."

    Most of your so-called "friends" got the boot before you did.

    What you made at Daily Kos were enemies, due to your lies, your bigotry, your transparent victim-playing, and your exploitation of personal tragedy to advance your fucked-up anti-rights agenda arisen from your mental disorder.

    Have a nice life, shitbag.

    ReplyDelete
  2. It should be pointed out Kestrel9000 is a Republican posing as a liberal.

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  3. Kestrel, I'm happy to post your comment. It speaks well for you and your side of the argument.

    You're welcome to come around here some more too, but you'll have to tone down the personal attacks and name calling.

    Come to think of it, I never heard much from you other than that. I'd love to hear what you think about gun control laws, whether you're one of the true extremists that believes ANY of them violates the spirit of the 2A, or if you think the Supremes got it right with that "reasonable restrictions" allowance.

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  4. Why is it that all of the FreedomLovin'SKKKrotalPatriotiKKKMurKKKins(TM) like kestrel9000 have the courage to print some pretty hateful shit (while decrying other's printing of what they think is hateful shit) and yet don't have the courage to use their real names or even a photo of themselves? Some might call it paranoia.

    Mikeb302000:

    Could you provide the link to your "trivilization of PTSD" screed?

    And watch out for kestrel9000, he sounds like a very bad mofo.

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  5. Kestrel's right, it was this one that got me kicked off DKos, but I still think he and his influential RKBA buddies had something to do with it.

    http://mikeb302000.blogspot.com/2011/10/iraq-vet-beats-up-girlfriend-and-shoots.html

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  6. Jadegold, the day I care what two banned trolls say about me, I will let you know.

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  7. democommie, go to my dKos profile if you want to know my real name.

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  8. Actually, Kestrel9000 has changed his "real name" in order to disguise his GOP tracks.

    It's very well known that Kestrel is a Repug--even at dKos. Certainly most progressive sites understand this to be the case.

    BTW, most of his "RKBA buddies" are dyed-in-the-wool NRA or GOA members.

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  9. Kitteh9000:

    Nah, why give you the hits at your site. You can out yourself here, or not. DKos, btw, has become a little too strident for most people who think that there might be some merit in at least listening to the other side--when they're not lying through their teeth.

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  10. Mikeb302000:

    I thought that the Iraq Vet post was the one that was being cited.

    This:

    "I've know tough ex-Marines like this, perhaps you have too. They all suffer from PTSD after they're caught doing something stupid. But before that they have enough on the ball to pick their fights carefully."

    is the part where you "trivialized" PTSD? I see it more as "trivializing" the bullshit defense that is used by cowardly pieces of shit who bully their wives, girlfriends, gays and others they perceive as being weak or inferior to themselves. I'm gonna go out on a limb and say that the PTSD was not diagnosed previously. If I'm wrong, I'll apologize in advance.

    You're right on the money about cowards and bullies (often the same persons) who, after committing some bad act, immediately look to escape responsibility.

    PTSD is a serious and underreported malady in the military ranks--going back as far as they've been fighting. Killing people, whether GOD is on your side or not, is highly stressful and many, many people do not react well to performing that task or being in the crosshairs of a fanatical and resourceful enemy.

    If the veteran you talked about in your original post does indeed suffer from PTSD, he should be disqualified from owning or using firearms (unless and until he's demonstrated that he has recovered) and certainly should be receiving meds/counselling and other support by the VA.

    It's nice to know that reasonable folks like Kittyhawk9000 can say things like:

    "You were banned from Daily Kos for being a lying, bigoted, ghoulish, victim-playing asshole."

    and still hold the moral high ground.

    BTW, birdbrain9000, "victim-playing asshole"? WTF are you even talking about? I don't recall Mikeb302000 saying anything about being victimized by the Iraqi veteran. What meds are YOU on?

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  11. Not my real name said:

    Gosh, no, that's not my real name, but it sure is my real picture, weer'd beard.

    ReplyDelete
  12. I'm the admin who has done the most recent deletions, not because of some power trip, but because I wished to know MikeB's side of the story before publishing anything.

    I kept an email notification of those comments for subsequent reposting; blogger has a setting for getting copies of them via pending comment alerts.

    I don't think that should qualify as a power trip by any fair metric.

    Beyond that, if I find a comment offensive - like the one that appeared on a post of mine calling ME a blog whore, posted by someone who apparently mistook the post for one by MikeB, I'm going to delete it. I don't believe my admin duties require me to put up with that, much lest post it.

    This recent exchange has me thinking that if my co-bloggers mikeb and jade have been banned from the DailyKos, that perhaps I might like to take their places.

    I'm very careful of my factual references, and I don't tend to engage in the poo throwing abusive language that seems to afflict the gun loons. I'm willing to risk having my ladylike sensibilities abraded a bit by the rude behavior of the opposition, in support of the blog POV. I'm betting I can survive there without being banned quite nicely.

    What think you, co-bloggers and commenters? Your opinions, please?

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  13. I prefer to keep it civil, factual, and to the point.

    Some people want to divert the topic away from the issue, which is a trick used by someone who is losing the argument and can't provide a cogent response.

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  14. Fair enough Dog Gone. But what I don't understand is why a post of Democommie's deriding another for using a pseudonym still stands, yet when I hassle him for the exact same thing, the post is deleted. If you're going to set a standard for the blog, is it too much to ask that it be followed evenhandedly? The focus on deleting nearly every pro-gun post is why you are often accused of trying to frame the discussion and being on a power trip.

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  15. I welcome your challenging both myself and co bloggers, and our commenters for any inconsistency you see here, or anything you find fault with that can be substantiated factually and verifiably.

    Some comments I have simply held for consideration and subsequent moderation, rather than completely deleted. And sometimes I disagree with deletions made by Laci, and on rare occasions will even subsequently repost something he has deleted. Contrary to popular supposition, we are not in lockstep agreement on everything.

    I don't recall exactly which comment you refer to my deleting that responded to democommie, but given the amount of offensive language in a number of recent posts, including the f-bomb, I would posit that there were other reasons for the deletion than trying to stifle argument or opposition.

    Let me go on the record here, that I will support oppositional comments and vigorous argument. But if that is what you wish to do, do it articulately - as in without the foul and abusive language. I have a cumulative threshold past which I exceed my tolerance for that, and begin deleting more readily. That explains what happened to the accumulated abusive comments I had saved for consideration.

    I'm looking for logical argument and reason, and I'm looing for verifiable sources, and for comments which stay so far as possible on topic. If you want to be absolutely sure of seeing your comment here, keep to that format and I promise you, those comments WILL be posted.

    I believe that what democommie was castigating is the attempt by a banned person to use another ID here, rather than the innocent use of a pseudonym, btw, which I think is a fair position, not an inconsistency at all.

    So -- no comments, from anyone, readers or my co-bloggers, on taking up the blog mantle over on the Daily Kos? Come on guys! Your advice and opinions, please!

    ReplyDelete
  16. I have some questions.

    MikeB - did anyone ever tell you WHY you were banned from the Daily Kos? Can this be appealed? Do they give warnings of what it is to which they object?

    The posting of a private email, including the address, poses a problem for me. I would understand an excerpt, but not the full email, and especially not the address.

    So, what was it that got you bonced? Because unless I've missed smoething - and I haven't looked at all of it - this seems to be pretty much just a heated disagreement, but no grounds for being banned.

    ReplyDelete
  17. Unless I'm mistaken MikeB, you've also occasionally posted something I've written here on the DailyKos, correct?

    Not a complaint; if I've posted it here, my co-bloggers have my permission to post it where they like, (with author attribution to me of course).

    Just curious as to what kind of response and comments - if any - my writing might have received over there.

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  18. Nope. No f-bomb or other offensive language. Democommie said of Kestrel9000:

    kestrel9000 have the courage to print some pretty hateful shit (while decrying other's printing of what they think is hateful shit) and yet don't have the courage to use their real names or even a photo of themselves?

    And I ask if Democommie is his real name. Apparently, that offends one of you in some fashion.

    ReplyDelete
  19. That should have passed moderation Kes9. If it didn't originally, then clearly it has the second time around.

    I would like to call attention to my objection as a woman to the repeated use of vulgar slang for female genitalia, and demeaning slang for women being used here by those who share your Point of view. Anything with the word bitch, pussy, or similar language I will delete, either while it is awaiting moderation, or after publication.

    It is unacceptable.

    This is not directed specifically to you kes9; that was a general comment, so please do not feel singled out by it being posted in this thread. It was not direct to any one person.

    ReplyDelete
  20. Again--I would note note Kestrel9000 has changed his real, birth name, legal name so as to disguise his affiliations.

    ReplyDelete
  21. Kes9, would you please respond to Jadegold's comment.

    Have you tried to hide your real identity beyond simply using an innocent pseudonym?

    It is a legitimate question to raise the issue here of intentional deception.

    ReplyDelete
  22. "Fair enough Dog Gone. But what I don't understand is why a post of Democommie's deriding another for using a pseudonym still stands,"

    I'll answer that. My policy, which I've encouraged the co-bloggers to use, is to avoid deleting comments as much as possible. Yet, I have deleted many myself. Each one of us who posts and moderates this blog can make these decisions. We don't need to justify anything to you or anyone else. The fact is, a nasty and antagonistic commenter who comes here to attack us may receive a slightly different treatment than one of our supporters, even if the language used is more or less the same. That's just the way it is.

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  23. I would add to that MikeB that I take into consideration the difference between those who are the initiators of provocative or offensive language, from those who are responding and reacting to it.

    Not because two wrongs make a right; they don't.

    But rather because the person who initiated that language has somewhat set the tone for what comes after, and it can be hard to address that even handedly.

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  24. Kes 9, and Not My Real Name, and of course the ubiquitous 'Anonymous', I'm still looking for a response to the challenge that one or more of you are using a pseudonym to circumvent being banned here - in other words, for purposes of intentional deception rather than a more innocent reason.

    ReplyDelete
  25. I think there is a big difference between referring to an extremist as a gun loon, as distinct from those who are more moderate opponents of my position, and those who use much more abusive and foul language.

    But then I think you know the difference, and were trying to unfairly conflate the two.

    Or do you think the term 'gun loon' equates to (as it conveniently appears parallel to the comment form) an extended string of phrases like "Fuck you, you excreable piece of shit. You are a lowlife, and a poor excuse for a human being." or being called a blog whore?

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  26. dog gone:

    Kestrel9000 (a "handle" that, absent explanation, is silly) uses a blognomen and a gravatar of a usefull little birdie for his "ID". I use "democommie" which, considering my comments, here and elsewhere, can be considered a hyperbolic, sardonic, sarcastic or comedic intertwining of "democrat(ic) and "communist".

    I use a photograph of myself. I am not interested in having any of the asshats that troll here or elsewhere harassing me at my home or interfering with my meatlife in any other way.

    I do not post under any other blognomen, except in rare cases at two or three other blogs where people know that I'm doing it.

    I also don't post as "anonymous" without using my blognomen at the end of my comment. When I do that, it's because of issues with commenting under my blognomen not, for whatever reason, working.

    I don't know what Kestrel9000's real name is, nor do I care. I'm not intersted in bothering him, confronting him or entangling myself with his life in any way. Otoh, when he makes comments like hte ones you highlighted in your last comment WHILE refusing to post a genuine likeness or his real name it stinks of cowardice.

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  27. kestrel was the nastiest character I met at DKos. There's not much more to him than that. But, his is pretty slick in his insulting way. I guess that's something.

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  28. I'm receiving an unfortunate silence on the proposal that I take up the gauntlet over on Daily Kos on behalf of this blog. I had hoped at the very least for some response from my co-floggers, at best, some comments as well from the pro-gunners who have recently been commenting here.

    I feel like Ben Stein in the Ferris Buehler movie.....

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  29. Oh come on. You know the blogging and blog comment stuff is not my thing, Dog Gone.

    Anyone who makes a comment that blog comments are like watching his dog out for a walk is not too enthralled with the whole process.

    It's more than enough that I post here.

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  30. Ah, Laci, my friend, I will hit you up for your opinion in one of our conversations, if I don't get your thoughts here. But I have ful respect that any opinion will rank second - possibly a distant second - to attending to the needs (and wants) of Laci the dog.

    I'd still like some advice on proceeding to contend over on Daily Kos ON BEHALF OF this blog with an oppositional opinion onfirearms.

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  31. Dog Gone, I didn't know you were considering "taking up the gauntlet" over at DKos. Go for it. I found it to be time consuming but it does bring some visitors back here. You can read some of my posts over there to see what to expect.

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  32. After hearing your suggestions on responsible gun ownership I fail to see how it poses a threat to liberty. To be fair, I haven't heard the other side speak their piece as rationally yet. I finally had a chance to go with some friends in LA to a shooting range over the summer and fire some handguns. It was fun, and as it turns out I'm a damn good shot. At the same time it became clearer than ever that these things are more dangerous people realize, and careless gun ownership is all too common. Furthermore, if some comments on a blog make a gun owner so irate that they loose their shit just in responding to them- then I am a little more worried about that idiot owning a gun.

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