Diary comments have been down lately. Try to show our diarists some love. Put down your mimosas for a sec and take a walk through the threads… Writers need encouragement…and feedback.
About The Author
BooMan
Martin Longman a contributing editor at the Washington Monthly. He is also the founder of Booman Tribune and Progress Pond. He has a degree in philosophy from Western Michigan University.
Notwithstanding the lack of comments in this thread. 😉
Interesting….when did this trend start?
maybe when a cetain passionate contingent was made to feel unwelcome?
Just a guess.
but probably can’t prove a damned thing…gotta have no disrespectin’ ya know (‘cept, of course, if you’re one of those ones who “over-sensitive” about such things, then you can just STFU).
How ya been?
last final of the semester on Tuesday, last paper handed in yesterday (and I got an “A” on a brief that I thought I’d COMPLETELY fumbled!!! woo hoo!!). So things are really good.
How ’bout you? Kicking butt on that dissertation, right? 😉
Oh, and anybody who was wondering, our latest technical difficulties have been corrected and Liberal Street Fighter is back up and snarky.
Kicking ankle, anyway! 😉 I gave two chapters to my chair yesterday and she was all smiles (she gives great hugs too), so that’s all good!
And things are really good with YOU! yeehah!! Do you remember when I told you I felt a connection with you that I couldn’t articulate? Still can’t, but it seems that we are both on a personal yippie at the moment, so I’m doubly happy!
Whatcha doing for the next three weeks?
nuthin’ much. Winter Solstice/Christmas/whatever at my sisters, gonna spend new years visiting an old college friend in Chicago. Trying not to say anything bad about Tejas in front of a Texan (ducks and runs …)
;P
oh, and congrats on the reception for your chapters!
that “White House near deal on proposal banning torture”…translation: We’ll still torture, but we’ll find some nicer name for it, and won’t talk about it anyway…
Zen Koan of the day: If a prisoner is tortured, and no one knows about it, is it really torture?
Well, it’s only really torture if it’s done to white people. Otherwise, it’s just advancement of the GWOT.
I share your cynicism.
The Senate has to fight the White House tooth and nail — torturing the WH! and Scottie! and the Preznit! — only to find their fight appropriated and suckled on by the WH as if it were their own momma all the time.
Torture, only twice as nice sounding. Perhaps a Luntzian “Healthy Humans Initiative” or “No Terrorist Left with a Behind”.
Maybe it’s the time of year, but there’s a lot of diaries I’ve read where I really haven’t felt like I have anything to add. I’m guessing it’s the time of year, because I’ve done the same thing with my writing — staring at a blank Word document trying to put something on it (doesn’t even have to be profound, at this point, just some phrases that remotely connect to each other). Also, a lot of companies are extrabusy winding down for the year (here in Silly Con Valley, quite a few companies shut down for the holidays), so people may have time to read but not post comments, and by the time they get home they might forget what they were going to say.
Just a thought…
Yeah I have been having the same problem. Only really time enough to read and post just a comment or two. Between the MIL’s going on dialysis and the GMIL’s legs bothering her, oh and the 2 year old as well….that and with the holidays…..
</sigh>
But I will try to do my portion. 😉
about the in-law health crises. Just found out that dad-in-law is going to have back surgery in early February; they wanted to do it in January, but that would mean he’d miss 2 symphonies (Symphony Silicon Valley and/or SF Symphony performances) and my mom-in-law’s birthday, so he’s hoping to postpone it. Told mom-in-law today that I would come stay with them if necessary during his recovery to help with cooking and such — the spouse can come help out on the weekends. She said she’d let me know.
Just a sign of getting older — the parents falling apart, or leaving altogether (this is the first Christmas since my mom died, so I’m a bit conflicted about my feelings about the season).
Oh! My heart goes out you this Christmas! What’s that phrase I keep hearing?
Oh yeah…One day at a time love. 😉
And good luck to the FIL. I hope that he’s able to what he wishes.
I think he will — he was able to delay his kidney surgery last year till after the presidential elections so he wouldn’t miss working for the Democrats. 🙂 (My in-laws are unreconstructed liberals; one of many reasons I love them. 🙂 )
Mom-in-law is talking about hiring someone to come in and help with dressing changes and such; she’s going to call the senior center, and I suggested she check with some of the local colleges for students who are going into home health care who might be looking for experience. I’m also going to see if dad-in-law’s interested in possibly some sort of wireless setup, so he can use his laptop in bed; the spouse and I might volunteer to help cover the cost as part of his Christmas gift…
Sounds like he’s got the hook-up then. 😉
It may not be a bad idea to look into the local colleges, sounds like that would be a sure fire bet lol. I wish you all luck. 😉
I’m in the midst of catching up on all the letters and e-mails I neglected to respond to over the past year – trying to cram my lengthy replies into personalized greeting cards. 23 of ’em mailed this morning, and 5 multi-pagers in the works today. After that – I have no writing left in me. Oh yeah – and I’m working on setting up a retirement plan for my business by 12/31 – which has been leaving me less than enthusiastic about reading/commenting. (Not that I’ve ever been all that prolific in my writing prior to now ;^)
Heck – I’ll have to get a good night’s rest just to vote for the Koufax awards on Friday.
And with that – good night!
I have trouble keeping up with so many diaries….much less coming up with a somewhat intelligent comment….you know like this one.
shit, mattes, you’re forcing me to go pedantic on you again…
Feuchtwanger
Feucht= “damp”
F.E.U.C.H.T.
(sorry 😉 but I guess it’s better than no comment at all, eh?
(don’t feel too bad, tho, I always have the same problem with n.i.e.t.s.z.c.h.e. =s before z, h after c, and don’t forget the e, especially in nietszcheeeeeeeee)
LOL…Better? Your talking to a person that never learned to spell…and it’s a little late now! Thank god for spell check!
oops, somehow my response to this ended up way at the bottom …. anyway…feuchtwanger.
Peter Lance’s “Cover Up: What The Government Is Still Hiding About The War On Terror”?
I’m about half way through, very interesting.
is it a diary or an article or a book?
Published in 2004, traces the history of terrorism through 9/11, with the emphasis on how and why the government “failed” to connect the dots.
I am notorious for reading a diary, recommending, and moving on. I will make it a point to leave more comments. Damn, so much for my master plan of becoming a lurker.
.
and write more comments?
Perhaps spend less time outdoors …
“Treason doth never prosper: what’s the reason?
For if it prosper, none dare call it treason.”
▼ ▼ ▼ MY DIARY
I have to finish and hand in a paper tonight. I’d rather not. Instead I want to pick up my mandolin and go to a jam session. Feh!
comments on comments. And ratings, which I think are pretty useless, but something of an index nonetheless. For all BT’s attempts at bonhomie, we pretty much deal with heavy stuff and a lot of bad news. I suspect the holiday season, even for us nonsectarian, puts an extra burden on delving into the political horrors, and even such political hopes exist, of the day. Tis the season to be jolly. We’re not so good at that, mostly, at least not online.
Look for a revival during hangover season early January.
It’s the time of year for me. I’m too busy trying to stay on top of all the family obligations, to do much more than lurk on diaries and buzz through the cafe once in a while.
Larry Johnson was mentioned on the Ed Schultz Air AMerica program as that “ex CIA guy that writes outstanding editorials”. Ed said he would talk about him later in the show. Props to Larry!
As fart as comments go Booman, don’t worry it is that time of year. Here in apartment complex land the phone isn’t ringing and no one is moving. So don’t worry your pretty little head. People are out bustling around. Things will pick up after Christmas.
Ewwwww…I said fart…lol! Sorry about the usual typos gang.
of this trend was not addressed, I’ll go ahead and give my opinion on it (while it’s still allowed):
comments of mine have decreased massively since the beginning of the month, the bannings combined with the reactions to them, combinbed with some people I really like leaving, and the overall “bloggitude” of, let’s just not talk about it and all will be well, has really dampened my enthusiasm for posting comments…
I can see why many people post in the cafes and action threads and nowhere else.
But hey, that’s just me.
Fight, then.
AG
BANNED???
lol
Fight what who where when and why? “Here” is not all that important — the people behind the posts certainly are: important, unique, worth fighting for and etc. but “here”?
Fight what?
Well, brinnainne, here is my take on it.
If a blog bans me for expressing my considered opinion on the truth of the matter…expressed fairly jntelligently and certainly with no more belligerence than is the common practice on that blog…and CONTINUES to feature people who are to my mind totally off the wall in certain respects…then that blog is already over, and my banning is of no great consequence.
So it goes…
Fight the necessary battles, and if you lose…then it is THEY who have lost.
So it goes.
AG
and of the heart that, if people know me, they do, and if they don’t or they pretend to and then jump my shit for it — I will already not be there.
In other words, agree 113%.
We shall see, right?
it’s not just you.
Especially after I went through the horror of public defamation and character assassination (including posting and re-posting of “sensitive” information that I’d never posted anywhere online myself, but which was “investigated” by google-sleuths) at that other place, requested much-needed assistance from several members of this forum (both publically and behind the scenes, i.e. in private email) and got near ZERO response, I haven’t been too enthusiastic about commenting on much; haven’t been blogging much either, but I just assume a lot of people (my hubby included!) will consider that a good thing.
Since moving into our new house, I hardly have time to read much less comment. I’m unpacking, organizing, cleaning, AND running around trying to put together gifts for family. Hubby came up with a cute idea; we bought everyone little LED flashlights and he wanted to send a message with them: This year, because we moved twice, your Christmas present is a little light… har.
So then I came up with a cute way to wrap them. The flashlights fit snug inside 2″ diameter mailing tubes cut down to 5″ lengths. I created a candy cane stripped wrapper that makes them look like big pieces of peppermint and has the message printed right on it. Unfortunately, I didn’t realize how hard it is to saw thru a mailing tube… I only made one so far; now I’m waiting for Hubby to come home and find his jig saw to cut the rest of them.
Duncan Hunter SUCKS, Man!
I posted this at DKos last night on an open thread but I think its so funny I’m posting it again here. An Ohio police dog named Andi is one of the partieys named in a suit filed by a convicted drug dealer. They served Andi with papers and he acknowledged with his paw print. Here’s the link. Don’t ask me how you sue a dog or what you get if you win. But I still find it funny today. (And I saw film of Andi on TV last night– he’s a cutie for a police dog.)
FARM SANCTUARY is a VERY cool place …. and the Web site is just wonderful.
I’ve been tryig to do a bit more than just read & recommend, but suspect that I get there too late for many to even see the comments. Like now. 🙂
I realise many are sick to death of reading about the Stanley Williams execution, but I just wanted to point to a letter to the editor of the Daily Journal by John Burton that takes Schwarzennegger to task for not even getting the facts right when he went off on William’s book dedication to George Jackson in his denial of clemency statement. George Jackson was not even present during the Marin courthouse shootout Arnie cites. The letter is posted separately here.
As I’ve mentioned, MoveOn had a highly successful petition drive to support bringing our troops home now, that culminated yesterday in hundreds of volunteers delivering more than 330,000 signatures to our elected Representatives yesterday.
It may have helped. I count 23 U.S. Representatives who signed on yesterday to cosponsor Jack Murtha’s H.J.Res 73, “To redeploy U.S. forces from Iraq.” That’s a big improvement.
Check out the details on Thomas here:
http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d109:HJ00073:@@@P
We can make a difference.
has everything to do with the time of year and nothing to do with the banning. Trying to stir the pot and rehash that is BS. This place is all the better since the troublemakers are gone.
well, when it comes to bs, you’d be the expert …
Who is trying to stir the shit???
BooMan? He’s the one who posted this.
It was your draaay-ma that got the whole thing started, please, you give ME a break. Or not, fine by me, just don’t whine when you get what you give.
Delusional….I guess that would be the reason they have been banned and I am here. I enjoy a little peace during the holidays. I guess you don’t. Chip meet shoulder.
I am not the one who is delusional, and if this sin’t name-calling, I don’t know what is, the same way that Parker was called a troll and absued by this person.
It’s your site, and you need to do as you will, but I cannot let this kind of holier-than-thou crap go unremarked.
Hey, Chmonix1 — welcome, to the NO SLACK cafe — you may be well protected from any and all of its consequences though, this remains to be seen.
Accuse not, before you look honestly in the mirror.
Brinnainne, I love you and your spirit. But this isn’t … well, it’s not nice.
If you have issues about some things that have occurred, that’s reasonable … but please talk about them in some sort of balanced way that also reflects what you love about the site and about us! A lot of us here are pretty damn cool and loving people, who really CARE about YOU!
If you’d like to talk more, send me an e-mail. You always can. You know that.
feel that it is WAAAY fun to make bullshit implications about vaguely worded accusations …
Not nice = prick? Right? well, ban me too — this is all part and parcel — yeha, chip meet shoulder
And NO I will not email you, for the same reason that I didn’t email StephenD, email is for private communication — if this blog and its denziens/community cannot talk about things that relate to the blog, its rules, shared norms, goals or whatever, but must have “backroom negotiations” then this is not communitity ANYthing.
I wish you all ALL the best, blogwise and individually, but really — what up?
Then I will be more blunt.
I’m trying to have some good days … I’ve been very depressed and grieving and also very worried about if i’ll have a roof over my head…
I like to come here and feel the love, hear the laughs, rub against the warmth.
When I read your posts that are angry, I get very upset and distressed … I can’t be the only one … and I wonder why it’s only your venting that matters, and not the effect your venting has on other people?
You’ve asked me many times, by private e-mail, to help you with certain things, and I’ve gladly done so. And I would again. And you know that, Brinnainne. Just as you know it’s nobody’s business but yours and mine.
But I don’t think I deserve a reply such as the above.
So, though I am sorry for what you are going through, and, what you think you desreve, in case you have forgotten, have offered my support, so I am not trying to add addtional wieght to your burdens…the response you got above was to you teling be to “be nice” — sorry, no. Go and read…
As far as asked for your help with many things? I apologize that I imposed on you to remove some posts that I made about my family life, other than that, I have no idea what you are talking about.
I wish you well, and I’m sorry that you thin you deserve more from me, I do disappoint. Especially when I’m honest.
Never mind. It was small of me to express my own feelings.
it seems to me, to be fair, that that same comment could be applied to chamonix. Seriously.
Are you crazy??? Her comment above was to Susan. My email is nowhere to be found here. I don’t even know who Stephanie D is. Her comment was clearly to SusanHu. I understand your friendship with Bri but this comment of yours is just foolish. Bri was clearly being rude to Susan. Now even after Susan asked her to be civil and that Susan is having problems…Bri is still rude. Don’t try and turn the tables here.
your comments are hilarious, your depictions of me even more so.
Again:
Cham meet MIRROR — too ugly for ya or what?
Anmf for a ll chastisers, paid an not paid:
I am fully aware that this was NOT NICE
neither is Chamonix
Stop with the rating abuse.
the turdbomb that started this:
There are many people I read, here and elsewhere, who I disagree with. Many of them, though, still TEACH me something, if only to help me sharpen my own thinking.
You, on the other hand, offer weak snark and mean-spirited attacks, yet with little wit or humanity. You seek only to prop up folks you “like” based on some sense of “niceness”, and to attack those you don’t. You remind me of the prissy bitchy cheerleaders in “Heathers”, only nowhere near as clever.
So, yes, it should be directed at you. “Deep, dark truthful mirror …” and all that.
frankly I am not impressed with the posts of any of the parties to this dispute. It’s like an invasion of 2nd graders. None of you should be wasting your time with this stupid dispute.
self-rightous, holier than thou…
I pick the secnd graders….
here is my advice. It is advice that you are under no obligation to accept. I recommend that you take a computer break. You have obviously not been enjoying your stay here today. It might be a good time to step back and take a break.
I’ve done my best to pay attention to and respect your concerns, and to discuss them with you. But you are getting snide with me and with Susan and I’m not sure we should continue down this road tonight.
You have either NOT read my entire stay here today or you are completely “unimpressed” with “my concerns” as you understand them.
You call me out EVERY time there is any kind of conflict — hell, you even took ME down in my altercations with Parker, yet she ended up the banned one… what I do not understand and am “unimpressed with” is your tolerance of Chamonix1’s 2nd grader-ness, his lashing out at other people, accusing them, etc, etc. Yet you choose to jump down my throat.
chamonix should chill out too. see you tomorrow
Giving me a super troll rating? I believe that is rating abuse. But whatever…Look, I have seen your past comments and your nastines to other members here. I know I am not alone. If you read the past diaries and comments I think it will be clear that I had nothing to do with Parker being banned. Nor have I sent emails to any front pagers requesting that she be banned. You can even see that I wrote to Diane101 to even give Parker a break in some of her comments in Diane’s diary about her friend in Africa. Diane thought about it and even apologized to Parker. I have no idea why you think I am a Super Troll, I am not even sure you know why. I don’t know what your problem is but it may be better for you to work it out before you come on line and start yelling & cursing at people. Are you not aware of the angst you cause people? Your threats…your yelling? Why can’t you work to make this a more peaceful community instead of trying to divide it? I could pull up links to your past comments but if anyone is interested they can find them for themselves. I no longer wish to fight with you.
but calling someone delusional does seem a bit prickish, don’t you think? When you offend someone, are you always surprised when they bristle back? Is it always THEIR fault when they take exception to YOUR rudeness?
Also, who exactly is trying to divide this community? I recall your accusing me of being part of a “gang of Kos-bashers.” I am not. And there was not any such gang outside of your imagination. Have you ever apologized to me for mis-characterizing my complaints about your self-appointed diary policing?
If you would provide a link an answer would be forthcoming.
on 12/5 thru 12/6. Have you accused so many people of being Kos-bashers that you don’t recall me? Did you ever read my comment or diary history before slapping me with that broad brush? Or were you so caught up in your melodrama that a mere pedestrian like myself is forgotten?
As I wrote..If you provide me with a link of the exact names of the people that you accuse me of accusing, I will respond. You cannot just give me a blanket “So many people.” I am not sifting through hundreds of comments when it is you that should give me the proof. The people I had problems with have either be banned or have apparently left. If you are going to make accusations I would appreciate a link or a copy of my post with the names that you say I wrote about. Thanks.
You can’t look thru your own comment log for responses to my ID on 12/5 thru 12/6? You are being ridiculous. I’m not talking about anyone else. You accused ME of being “part of a gang of Kos-bashers.” I haven’t left or been banned. I was always respectful in my responses to you. You weren’t. You are the one who made accusations and I am still waiting for my apology. Play all the games you want but the situation remains the same. You accused me of being something I am not and I require an apology.
If you require me to go to the effort of link and paste then I will post a diary tomorrow calling you out for the troublemaker you are. Wanna go there? Since you’re all for peace in the Pond, wouldn’t it be easier to apologize here and now instead of blowing up into a bigger stink, mabe tat’s what you want? Your response will be viewed by all as to whether you are really a peacemaker or a troublemaker.
is a diary about me and/or rehashing a flame war that won’t seem to die and still causes people pain. For any past hurt or pain I may have caused you I apologize. I am sincerly sorry. I hope we can move forward and focus on the problems facing America, it’s people and the world. I also hope we can get along in the future.
to know THIS IS NOT ABOUT YOU??
Oh, wait….
Stop with the rating abuse. Now.
your willful stupidity. NOW.
a dialogue is one thing..Rating abuse is not allowed here. Stop it.
Please.
Stop.
You would never talk this way to your own beloved children … how can you talk this way to any other human being?
And I clearly need to stay away from all of this — so bash me again, and I won’t reply because I was reading your hurtful posts at the same time I was striking a match and managed to burn three fingers, and the pain is killing me. I need to stay away from negative vibes.
on your fingers. Tie it there. It will not sting. It will take the pain away.
to my own children?
Of course I would. What the hell are YOU about this evening Susan?
I’m sorry you cut yourself, I’m sorry you’re hurting for other reasons, but you are NOT a child and I don’t appreciate the guilt trip.
Come back and read this thread in a day or two..you will be ashamed.
the ratings. I appreciate it a lot. Let’s try and bury the hatchet and be civil and friendly. The last thing I would want would be to upset Susan…it has only been a week or two after her mothers death and the last thing she needs is getting in the middle of our argument and then getting bashed herself. Thanks again for your gesture.
This place is all the better since the troublemakers are gone.
I’m not that frequent a poster anyway, and I’ve stayed out of the shitstorm. But this comment really bothers me.
If we ban the “troublemakers,” if we shove people out of the room because we don’t want to hear what they have to say, then what right do we have to criticize Bush for closing himself off inside a bubble? And even if it is sometimes necessary to draw the line and to deny someone access to the podium, we sure as hell shouldn’t celebrate it. Any decision that curtails free speech–in a public or private setting–is an unfortunate one.
So please think more carefully before celebrating the banning of the “troublemakers.” Because you may discover that a lot more people have quietly left the room–and you wind up talking to yourself.
Well said and I (obviously) agree.
freep this poll on the left side of Lou Dobbs page.
I am hoping that one of you — just one — will buy any song or album or book or whatever through iTunes and tell me that it worked for you. (Send me an e-mail.)
I need to know if it’s working.
It’s been very, very hard on my po’ little brain to set up those ads, and verrrrrrrry confusing too.
It’s not iTunes’ fault…. they’re going through one of those humungous conglomerate affiliate dealers, which probably is a huge help to them, but which intimidate the likes of me.
it makes me love Emily at Powell’s all the more. But it’s also a lot of fun to add iTunes, the wine companies, etc. to the site … those, btw, are like Powell’s. We don’t get anything for clicks, just for sales, although I am guessing that the “impressions” will keep us on their list — if we don’t get enough clicks or sales, we’ll get dropped. I think. I don’t know. The woes of being a neophyte. (However, all of the ads above the Advertising Liberally button count clicks too…. so that activity is cool.)
I have a question.
Congressional District 26 in Texas still does not have a Democratic candidate. I live here and could still file by January 12.
However. It costs $3250 as a filing fee. I don’t have it. I am age 63 and retired. I also am paying off a chapter 13 bankruptcy and have a student loan in default. Those are my big negatives.
Republican Michael Burgess is an MD running for his third reelection in a district that was gerrymandered in 2002 to absorb some of us Democrats in a highly Democratic area previously represented by Martin Frost.
It looks like no one is going to file to run against Burgess. Should I try it?
For non-public replies, write jayray21@hotmail.com
As I say, I have until January 12th to decide and get the money somehow. If someone can front me the filing fee, I’ll do it.
Also posted on dKos.