Wednesday, February 07, 2007

Aggrandizing aggregation aggravations

At Capitol Talk -- a blog new to me -- there’s a post by Terry Carter about the never-ending effort by some to promote themselves by attacking a blogger whose top shelf status in the Virginia blogosphere makes them green with envy. Here is an excerpt of it:

“...Let’s get a few things straight here, first of all, the blog aggregator is OWNED by Waldo, it is maintained by Waldo, and it is a great service he provides to bloggers within the state of Virginia. The aggregator accepts blogs from BOTH sides of the political aisle, and is USED by both sides of the aisle. I’m sick and tired of visiting the aggregation site, and seeing post like this show up on what seems like a daily basis. If the juvenile right wing bloggers of Virginia have such a problem with everything Waldo does, obviously stemming from his decision to remove a conservative blog from his aggregator, they need to remove themselves from the VA Political Blogs aggregation system. PUT UP OR SHUT THE HELL UP!”

While I can sympathize with Carter’s frustration/irritation with the campaign that’s been underway for the last six weeks by a handful of bloggers obsessed with harassing Waldo Jaquith, I disagree with what seems to be Carter’s solution.

That’s because I’m glad Jaquith’s aggregator accepts/displays posts from both sides of the aisle. While I don’t miss the nose-out-of-joint Waldo-harassers from the so-called “Castle” blogging team -- who left his aggregator in a huff over a bogus freedom of speech angle -- it would be a shame if all the conservatives pulled out.

But that appears to be what the Castle bloggers would like to engineer. They left and they want to dupe others into following them. Having little constructive or persuasive to say about politics, they spend their time talking amongst themselves and patting one another on the back.

Yet, with good reason thinking Republican bloggers have distanced themselves from the Castle Kooks. So, the sulking Kooks attack Republicans, too, if they can’t pass the first-of-all-you-must-hate-Waldo purity test. It matters not how much any of them might agree with Republican-to-bone Shaun Kenney on real political concerns, so long as he won’t jump aboard their imaginary bandwagon.

But the discussion of real political concerns at Waldo’s eclectic aggregator goes on. And, the Kooks have a bully platform at Blognet News. Actually, I’d say they are featured at that aggregator, for whatever reasons. If it weren’t for Blognet News magnifying their reach I’d say they would have few, if any, readers outside of their own thin ranks for their steady flow of bile.

Still, in the long run, such loutish tactics -- which mimic the bloody fetus placard-waving, right-to-life abortion clinic harassers most of us have seen and cringed at -- probably say all most grownups need to know about the Castle Kooks to get their drift.

Here at SLANTblog I’m happy Virginia’s blogosphere has two aggregators that draw from both sides of the aisle. Because I enjoy honest lively debate, I hope we’ll see a third such aggregator and a fourth. That, rather than all the Democrats off to themselves, and all the Republicans the same.

If that does happen the Virginia blogosphere would then be as bad as Congress.

Update (9:50 p.m., same day):

For an overview of the most recent brouhaha in a series of ‘hahas in the saga of the Castle bloggers’ pathetic cry for help, click here for “As The Virginia Blogosphere Turns,” a revealing post by The Krehbiel Strikes Back.

12 comments:

Spank That Donkey said...

Sure Terry (Rea):

It's all a plot, certainly not our right to refute Waldo's posts? Do you mean to censor our views also?

How about answering some of the questions here in my post.

http://www.spankthatdonkey.com/spankthatdonkey2/2007/2/6/when-bloggers-seek-to-intimidate.html

and maybe the discussion can be moved forward. As for CASTLE, you know we are political discourse 100% of the time.

You seem to leave out, this round of so called "Waldo Bashing", has to do with Waldo's assertions that Rep. Goode should be financially liable to the City of Martinsville, but I guess that just slipped your mind...

As for Shaun Kenney, it will be interesting to see how he reacts to my post, which is just a sampling of Waldo's 'style' of blogging, that supposedly sets the 'Tone' for civility in the VA Blogosphere?

F.T. Rea said...

spankthatdonkey,

The way you and your cohorts have conducted yourselves in the last six weeks, to do with this Waldo bashing, is indefensible. While I haven’t kept up with all of it, from what I’ve seen, you guys have been talking in circles in a pathetic effort to get attention by annoying people.

That, while very few people outside of your little clique are paying you any mind. You issue challenges and no one cares! Then you issue another challenge...

Your beef has nothing to do with free speech. Your speech is not being prevented by Waldo, or Shaun Kenney, or me. Write what you like. Put it on your blog. Nobody is stopping you. And, nobody is obliged to carry what you write on their web site.

Over the years, I’ve been to court three times as a defendant in trials over free speech. Thankfully, I won all three times.

Those cases were about censorship because it was the government that hauled me into court to shut me up. That is censorship. Either you are pretending to not see that obvious truth, or you should maybe check into some sort of bloggers dry-out clinic.

What Waldo did when he deleted that beheading post which started this business was a matter of him using his own sense of right and wrong, not politics. And, I agreed with his decision to not force-feed that horrific/nightmare image onto unsuspecting/innocent eyes.

Spank That Donkey said...

Terry:
I rest here assured that if you guys had a shred of credibility on us 'attacking' Waldo, with profane language, innuendo and the like ya'll would have been all over it!

Give that a break... or maybe you're just mad that you said we attacked Waldo, but you were not able to 'put up'...

and for the umpteenth time... our point has been, Waldo said the aggregator was for all... He did not warn GGD, he snuffed GGD out, no hearing, no trial (at least Max provided some kind, if not fictious trial)

So much for a bi-partisan aggregator, and that is our point to re-emphasize, we raised up the volume on the issue so everyone would see that Waldo is not any where near Bi-partisan...

That is what has you so worried that even more Conservatives will leave his aggregator. You hope that the MSM can continue to point the public into that forum, so the left can overwhelm it again come the last two weeks of elections.

As people (the public) come to hear both sides of the argument...

Sorry for throwing a stick into the wheels of that bicycle...

BTW:
The other Terry (Capital Talk) has accused Ward of attacking Waldo in my comments section

http://www.spankthatdonkey.com/spankthatdonkey2/2007/2/6/when-bloggers-seek-to-intimidate.html#comments

which again reinforces another one of our points, when you disagree with a lefty blog you are an 'attacker'

F.T. Rea said...

After reading your semi-creepy, paranoid post (the above link you left me in your first comment), which objected to Waldo calling you and others on the Castle team by their first names, I’m wondering if you’re trying to “intimidate” me by calling me by my nickname, “Terry.”

We haven’t met. Most bloggers who don’t know me personally call me “F.T.” What are you up to, Spanky?

Anonymous said...

" spankthatdonkey said...
Terry:
I rest here assured that if you guys had a shred of credibility on us 'attacking' Waldo, with profane language, innuendo and the like ya'll would have been all over it!"

Am I missing something here? Or is the author of this blog named Terry too?


"At Capitol Talk -- a blog new to me..."

I used to blog at theliberalprogressive.blogspot.com - but moved to CapitolTalk.com a few weeks ago :)

Anyway, I'm not saying ALL Conservative bloggers should pull out of the VA Political Blogs site, just the ones who have consistantly been making it a point to attack Waldo Jaquith over the past few weeks. It's hypocritical to loath him over his decision to remove a blog, and then attack attack attack, but still use the wonderful service he provides to Virginia bloggers. That was the point I was trying to convey.

While I personally think the Swaction is perhaps one of the biggest jokes in the entire blogosphere, I commend them on their decision to WALK THE WALK when it comes to this whole situation.

F.T. Rea said...

Terry,

Although I've been called many things over the years -- to some I played sports with, I was known as "No. 9" -- my friends usually call me "Terry," at least to my face.

My byline has always been F.T. Rea.

Anonymous said...

Okay, just making sure. :)

Anonymous said...

The SWACtion can be ignored: the mainstream press ignores them, so can we.

When the Richmond Times Dispatch receives a letter that is poorly written and from someone who is obviously dranged, they drop it in the trash.

The Virginia blogosphere should do the same to the SWACtion whenever practical.

The next step will be to exclude them from blog conventions and seminars. I suspect these events will become "invitationals," rather than open forums, because who would want to spend time with these blog terrorists?

Spank That Donkey said...

Terry (oopps F.T) Says:
"After reading your semi-creepy, paranoid post (the above link you left me in your first comment), which objected to Waldo calling you and others on the Castle team by their first names, I’m wondering if you’re trying to “intimidate” me by calling me by my nickname, “Terry.”"

We didn't meet at Sorenson this past conference? Regardless.. That is so lame.. You and I have gone back and forth on your 'home court' blog here, and you have never objected....

You can do better than that... & it leaves me the opening to tell you like it is... If I were to do the research and find out what the 'F' is for... That would show you someone is snooping where they shouldn't be, wouldn't you agree?

For people put up on a pedestal and as the 'pillars' of the VA Blogosphere... I am afraid some are not matching the rhetoric they themselves espouse, and are attributed too by fellow admirers....

Spank That Donkey said...

Just as a follow up, was that information (my first and legal name) garnered from my credit card I used to pay my Sorenson bill, by someone very, very, very close to Waldo?

What if I am now targeted by some crazed left wing computer hacker bent on doing me financial harm, or other mischief and that information was divulged by a fellow blogger?

Is this setting the 'Tone' in the blogosphere? Is there other issues beyond that... At the very least, that is pretty uncool...

F.T. Rea said...

maestro,

“Blog terrorists.”

That’s on target. But I’d say the “SWACtion” style of terror is tantamount to the burning bag of manure, left on the front porch of a victim after the doorbell is rung. Their substance is what’s in the bag.

spankthatdonkey,

Although I met several people at Sorensen, I don’t believe you were among them. Still, if you want to pretend otherwise, I don't care.

F.T. Rea said...

Waldo,

Do you have anything to say about the comment “maestro” left above?

“...The next step will be to exclude them from blog conventions and seminars. I suspect these events will become ‘invitationals,’ rather than open forums, because who would want to spend time with these blog terrorists?”

Do you think the blogger confabs will become invitation-only? And, “blog terrorists” seems an apt observation to me.

A stink bomb was tossed into your aggregator. At first it appeared to be mischief. Then came the squeals and what looked to me to have been an orchestrated walk-out. After which, the “terrorists” demanded all conservatives follow them.

A few did, most didn’t.

Now I have to say that either from the start, or somewhere along the way, this Castle bloggers group decided that bipartisan aggregators work against their agenda, so they are out to undermine them. One of the several reasons I use your aggregator more than Blognet News is that I would rather not see the same silly graphics, over and over, that the SWACtion “terrorists” continue to force-feed onto that space.

How long Dave will be patient with that abuse of his page is anybody’s guess.