Pie War Anniversary

163 Comments

1. 

   olivia on June 7, 2006 at 4:06 pm

   … if I say that I’m a little grateful for the pie. Don’t get me wrong — it was not a pleasant experience at all — but after a year and on some reflection look where we’ve come: I delurked b/c of pie, and I’ve met a lot of absolutely wonderful people who every day make me think and laugh and dream and fill me with hope … And no, I didn’t watch … 🙂

   • 

     AP on June 7, 2006 at 7:02 pm

     In fact, I thought at the time that it was for the better, and a year later (seems like longer–wow!) I know it was for the best.

     Alas, I’m cable-free, so I didn’t watch. Was never into the whole Gilligan thing when you could actually catch reruns on TV.

     Maybe I should go somewhere and find some sweet potato pie, just because.

   • 

     Kidspeak on June 8, 2006 at 1:35 am

     I have to give you a 4, just because someone gave you a 3. I like the person who gave it to me, soI’ve chosen to interpret it as a slip of the finger rather than a flip of the finger).

     I don’t think the pie wars were a good thing – but then, I want to know how people really stand on women’s issues.

     And I appreciate your contributions here, Olivia, a great deal, even if I wish that the pie wars had never been a possibility

     • 

       supersoling on June 8, 2006 at 11:42 am

       I have to give you a 4, just because someone gave you a 3. I like the person who gave it to me, soI’ve chosen to interpret it as a slip of the finger rather than a flip of the finger).

       Hi Kidspeak,
       Considering your comment here, is the 3 you gave me in my comment here a slip, or a flip? ;o)

       ps
       I like the person who gave me my 3 too.  

       • 

         Kidspeak on June 9, 2006 at 2:44 am

         A slip! And fixed!!

         Mea culpa, Super, no 3 intended!

       • 

         Kidspeak on June 9, 2006 at 2:48 am

         I’ve been having trouble with my hands – the comment is incomplete. What I was saying was that it was at Booman that I got my first Troll rating (a 0!). It was never explained to me, although I asked, but I still like that person anyway, and I chose to think her hand slipped.

         It certainly slipped in rating you, and I’m still chagrined! you’ve never said anything here that I’ve read that deserved anything but a 4!

2. 

   Second Nature on June 7, 2006 at 4:07 pm

   I always wanted to be Ginger.  Alas, I am always Marianne.

   • 

     boran2 on June 7, 2006 at 4:09 pm

     Brains last a lifetime, big boobs sag after a few years.  😉

     • 

       Second Nature on June 7, 2006 at 4:18 pm

       Thanks, boran2 – way to look at the bright side. 🙂

   • 

     olivia on June 7, 2006 at 4:10 pm

     Marianne is so much better SN … at least imo … 🙂

     • 

       Second Nature on June 7, 2006 at 4:17 pm

       Yeah, but just ONCE, for one day, I want to be a brainless sexpot.

       • 

         CabinGirl on June 7, 2006 at 4:31 pm

         New username: “Bimbo Deluxe”?

         • 

           boran2 on June 7, 2006 at 4:33 pm

           Name: TheBlogginBimbo

3. 

   boran2 on June 7, 2006 at 4:08 pm

   I was actuallly in the original pie thread when it had perhaps 20 comments.  Things multiplied quickly and there were hundreds more and many more threads.  I believe that it was TheresainPa that put up that first thread.

   Fast forward one year.  Although that incident was sad, I’m glad that so many fine writers and contributers came here to us at the pond.

   Happy Anniversary(?)

   And, no, I’ve not seen the show.

   • 

     Tehanu on June 8, 2006 at 12:13 am

     I thought it was Boudicca?

     • 

       kansas on June 8, 2006 at 1:21 pm

       That sounds right to me, too.

4. 

   susanw on June 7, 2006 at 4:19 pm

   Thank you, Booman, for this safe haven where ideas are more important than ideology, where clear-eyed logic trumps blind loyalty, where questions are welcomed, not banned, and where the watchword is “Don’t be a prick.”

   I am one of the refugees who came later.

   I was so disheartened at the pounding women took at the hands of those self-identified men on the left, that I felt thirty years of political activism had been for nothing, and I retreated into depressed silence.

   The Frog Pond has saved my sanity. (And now you can’t shut me up!) I am in awe of the articulate, informed, compassionate voices I read here. <getting weepy>
   I love you gals/guys.

   And I don’t feel alone anymore.

   • 

     BooMan on June 7, 2006 at 5:30 pm

     Actually, I see you right near the top of the list.

     • 

       susanw on June 7, 2006 at 5:35 pm

       Really ?????
       I must have stopped in here to whine before retreating to the back of the cave.  Thanks, Booman.

       • 

         kansas on June 7, 2006 at 5:44 pm

         I knew there was a reason I liked you, susanw, besides  your wise comments, I mean. Whine First is my motto, too.

         • 

           susanw on June 7, 2006 at 5:59 pm

           A good whine stimulates the appetite, calms the stomach, banishes cramps, and puts me in the mood.

         • 

           kansas on June 7, 2006 at 6:02 pm

           lol! You forgot goes well with fish or chicken.

     • 

       bood abides on June 8, 2006 at 10:55 am
       • 

         kansas on June 8, 2006 at 1:22 pm
5. 

   Man Eegee on June 7, 2006 at 4:39 pm

   I had it marked on my calendar, does that make me weird?  That was a week-long period of no sleep and fingernail biting, hoping that all the newcomers would have a chance to vent and heal without bringing the fire of the DKos threads over here.  I thought everyone did a fantastic job of realizing that respect was key to keeping this site civil.  We also focus alot more on community-building, which was/is evident by the 19+ Welcome Wagon diaries and the birth of the Froggy Bottom Cafe.  (The 1 Year Anniversary is next Wednesday)

   Ahhhhhhh, memories

   • Froggy Bottom Cafe? – first ever FBC, name is chosen, first hosts volunteer
   • Booman Community Center – The Froggy Bottom Cafe is suggested by….(guess)
   • Part 19
   • Part 18
   • Part 17
   • Part 16
   • Part 15
   • Part 14
   • Part 13
   • Part 12
   • Part 11
   • Part 10
   • Part 9
   • Part 8
   • Part 7
   • Part 6
   • 1000 User Mark – Tell us about you
   • Asian Welcome – Part 5
   • Part 4
   • Part 3
   • Part 2
   • Part 1
   • Where do you live? – lots of cool pics

   • 

     boran2 on June 7, 2006 at 4:43 pm

     Yes, you’re weird.  😉

     • 

       Man Eegee on June 7, 2006 at 4:59 pm

       to figure out how to de-blogger my blog.  I can’t access the controls today!  grrrrr

       • 

         hekebolos on June 7, 2006 at 5:01 pm

         blogger is down

         • 

           Man Eegee on June 7, 2006 at 5:06 pm

           that more lately than my nerves can handle.  Good to see you over here hekebolos.  I’ll have you know that I’m using your Friday Creature threads over at DKos to work past my arachnophobia (even though I think it’s getting worse)  🙂

   • 

     diane101 on June 7, 2006 at 4:54 pm

     down memory lane, I just read the first FBC diary and what a kick, doesn’t seem like it’s been a year, sure went by fast.
     Guess we will need an anniversary party on the 14th for the cafe.

     • 

       Man Eegee on June 7, 2006 at 4:58 pm

       was just gonna shoot you an email to see if you were around the internets today.  Not enough praise can be lavished in your direction (and shirls!) for your patience and work to make sure everyone has felt welcomed here at the frog pond.  {{{diane and shirl}}}

       • 

         ask on June 7, 2006 at 8:45 pm

         An amazing few days it was.  diane, shirl and Man E (and there were others) made such an incredible effort to make everyone feel welcome.
         A few newcomers were a bit shell shocked and there was the occasional impatient, overly harsh comments.  A few 2’s were dispensed and in all cases I saw accepted gracefully once the site rules were explained.  The trib increased by 50% in membership – but those that arrived were more active than the average previos members, so traffic really picked up.

     • 

       CabinGirl on June 7, 2006 at 5:44 pm

       You and Shirl were amazing through that!

       • 

         Second Nature on June 7, 2006 at 5:53 pm

         Yeah they were.  They felt like the mothers I never had.  (Don’t tell my mother.)  Funny thing about reading those first welcome wagons – I had PMS then too!  Some things never change.

   • 

     kansas on June 7, 2006 at 4:59 pm

     You guys were heroes during those days. Really, your diplomacy and patience and friendly welcoming attitudes can’t be overstated. Bet you’re sorry now! 😛 Kidding!!

     • 

       Man Eegee on June 7, 2006 at 5:11 pm

       It was a two-way street, only with hundreds of lanes in each direction.  Like I said above, everyone did an admirable job at talking things out instead of flinging peas and arrows.

6. 

   kansas on June 7, 2006 at 4:41 pm

   A year??!! Like Olivia, I’d have to say that in some ways I’m glad it happened. Well,in most ways. Hm, is there any way I’m NOT glad it happened? Only in the way that wishes certain allegedly-leftwing jerks weren’t jerks. I’d change that, but even so,I’d still stay here now. So many new friends here, and I would probably never have participated there the way I do here.

   Thanks, thanks, thanks.

   • 

     kansas on June 7, 2006 at 4:45 pm

     And p.s., I never even watched the original Gilligan’s.

7. 

   Brementown Musician on June 7, 2006 at 4:52 pm

   And also to the BooMan community.  You all were incredibly patient and sensitive while we refugees rippled your calm waters.

   Of course, now, with the benefit of 20/20 hindsight, I am eternally grateful to Kos — I’m not sure I ever would have found this site otherwise, and I find it much more suited to my temperament.

   Kerplop ))))))

8. 

   spiderleaf on June 7, 2006 at 5:02 pm

   This stinks. First it’s the one year anni of the site and  I get missed out because I’m at like 629 or something.

   Then it’s the pie wars, and it starts at 1019.

   What am I, chopped liver or something?? Or maybe I’m the middle child. I dunno, but when am I getting my name in lights??

   🙂

   Happy Anniversary all, I really, really can’t believe it’s been a year since pie.

   • 

     kansas on June 7, 2006 at 5:06 pm

     Yes, dear spidey, you are chopped liver.

     The good news is, we really like chopped liver. 🙂

     • 

       spiderleaf on June 7, 2006 at 5:08 pm

       eeeewwww…

       I mean… you like me, you really like me! 🙂

   • 

     Man Eegee on June 7, 2006 at 5:09 pm

     

     🙂

     • 

       spiderleaf on June 7, 2006 at 5:15 pm

       now THAT’s more like it.

       At least someone is still on top of things around here.

       🙂

       Man E, you rock

       • 

         Man Eegee on June 7, 2006 at 5:18 pm

         I’ve been on top of lately is the pony keg during happy hour in the Lounge.  Oh, and You Rule!

         

   • 

     dada on June 7, 2006 at 5:27 pm

     can’t get no respect…

     
     398…:{P

     But in all seriousness, BT really is home to a whole bunch of intelligent, interesting, funny and cool people who’ve all worked very hard to make it the community that it is. I’m proud to be a part of it…Thank you all for being here, and to Boo for enabling and encouraging it.

     Peace

     • 

       olivia on June 7, 2006 at 6:28 pm

       … in the face of all the tumolt. Seriously, you all welcomed us in and made us newbies feel comfortable enough to want to stick around and even more, keep the community functioning exactly as it was when we arrived. You guys all deserve big thanks — don’t think it wasn’t noticed or appreciated!!!

   • 

     Emma Anne on June 7, 2006 at 5:37 pm

     Because I was too slow to join after pie wars.  🙂

     • 

       kansas on June 7, 2006 at 5:41 pm

       Chopped liver, chopped liver. . .
       Don’t we have anybody who’s crackers?

       (Waiting for a punch line here.)

       • 

         spiderleaf on June 7, 2006 at 5:42 pm

         awww, nuts.

   • 

     James Benjamin on June 8, 2006 at 2:38 am

     I did give your name in lights over at my humble blog for your deal on Amnesty International’s ad campaign. I don’t know if that elevates you from chopped liver or not – perhaps to chopped ham? 🙂

     And of course since this is Torture Awareness Month, I would be remiss if I did not suggest that Booman Tribune should join the Bloggers Against Torture.

     Gotta stir up something as one of the “Pie Wars” refugees, after all.

9. 

   BrotherFeldspar on June 7, 2006 at 5:42 pm

   … of sounding like Dr Pangloss, I’d say it was all for the best, for all concerned. Lots of key names are on that list.

   • 

     Militarytracy on June 7, 2006 at 6:06 pm

     I thought that Kos was so neat when I first discovered it.  So Cool, a whole site full of people like me running around with all of this “secret” kind of thinking in their heads and nobody to share it with!  The sheer noise though, so much static to glean facts from sometimes.  I love it here.  I have been able to keep up with really important issues too that different people here have adopted and research daily and report on when things happen.

10. 

    Cake or Death on June 7, 2006 at 5:44 pm

    Wow a year already huh? I am also a refugee…though i came here just a little late to be on the list. Like I always say…i am always lurking…sometimes i pop in and sometimes i don’t, but am always here.

    thanks boo

11. 

    Iowa Victory Gardener on June 7, 2006 at 5:48 pm

    Since it took me so long to de-lurk, but I sure did lurk long and hard here shortly after the beginning.  I may have only “officially” signed up months ago, but I feel like this has been home for a lot longer… I was just too shy/lazy/intimidated to jump in and get wet!  

    Sure glad I did, and I’ve gotten so much more from the site since I became visible.  Best. People. In. The. Blogosphere!!!

    • 

      Second Nature on June 7, 2006 at 5:51 pm

      You shy?  Hahahahaha!  🙂

      • 

        Iowa Victory Gardener on June 7, 2006 at 11:46 pm

        Until I get comfortable and you get to know me, then watch out.  Hehe.

12. 

    Raging Hippie on June 7, 2006 at 5:59 pm

    As a Pie War refugee, I’m proud to be in some damned fine company. I’ll have to locate the single malt and toast the occasion!

13. 

    Militarytracy on June 7, 2006 at 6:08 pm

    Posted my first diary here.  It took the pie wars though for me to call Booman home.  I can’t imagine hanging out any other place to get my news and debate the finer points.

14. 

    nine on June 7, 2006 at 6:19 pm

    Can someone give me the thumbnail history of the Pie Wars? I only looked at Kos for headlines back then…

    • 

      ejmw on June 7, 2006 at 6:25 pm

      All the pie you can eat.

      • 

        nine on June 7, 2006 at 6:29 pm
      • 

        Man Eegee on June 7, 2006 at 6:29 pm

        how’s yer week going?

        • 

          ejmw on June 7, 2006 at 6:32 pm

          Pretty well so far.  Ultimate frisbee season just kicked into high gear as of last week, so I don’t have as much time to blog as usual.  I still lurk and occasionally post from work (don’t tell ;).

    • 

      BooMan on June 7, 2006 at 6:42 pm

      http://www.dkosopedia.com/wiki/Pie_fight

      • 

        Tehanu on June 8, 2006 at 12:18 am

        If I can brag a little- the Diary Boudicca mentions at the start, “The Democratic Women’s Insurrection Forum”  was mine.  What can I say- I was a bit miffed.

15. 

    mlr701 on June 7, 2006 at 6:24 pm

    I’m pretty quiet these days (not that I ever really stood out), but a year later, I’m still thrilled to be part of this community.

    Thank you BooMan.  You’ve done a great thing with this site, and I appreciate the civil tone, the plethoria of interesting topics, and the many insightful comments.  I’m enriched every time I come here.

    And thank you to all of diarists and commentators for your insight, wisdom, and humor.

    </sap&gt

16. 

    Cali Scribe on June 7, 2006 at 6:38 pm

    you announced it over at the Orange Empire…but it took the Pie Wars for me to be more active over here, so I guess this is an anniversary of sorts for me too.

    I find that green is a much more calming color than orange…maybe that contributes to the general atmosphere over here (that and the “don’t be a prick” meme). And we’re still small enough that diaries move slowly, giving much more time for thought before responding.

    There’s a lot of names there I’ve not seen for some time, if ever…what happened? Did they get fed up with politics? Did they turn off their computer and go off and find a Real Life somewhere outside the Ether(net)? Did they craft new identities and go back to the Orange Empire, ready to fight again? I don’t know…

17. 

    Kahli on June 7, 2006 at 7:01 pm

    Orange is my favorite color, but green is my favorite blog.

    Thank you all.

18. 

    on June 7, 2006 at 7:02 pm

    I was chased out of Dkos during the recent Troll wars.

    If you missed it, it was pretty entertaining. Bands of “kossacks’ formed into gangs and would group troll rate anyone into oblivion who they disagreed with. It was like a cross between Survivor and Lord of the Flies with Armando in the role of Richard Hatch/Jack.

    I got autobanned through this process (I stupidly decided to debate Armando with intellect & logic and got the favor returned by a stammering hail of 0’s instead) even though i’ve been contributing since well before 2004.

    For those out there thinking “oh he probably deserved it, writing ALL CAPS diaries and typing BREAKING before all his titles etc”, I include my kOS user page link for the pleasureof anyone who cares to scrutinize

    To Kos’s credit, he fixed the problem by limiting troll rating to two a day. To his discredit, he has refused to undo my banning (as well as many other users I know of) or even respond to my request to do so with a simple yes or no, I’m presuming because he does not like my at times anti-establishemt opinions.

    Anyway,
    BoomanTribuneKicksAss!

    • 

      Second Nature on June 7, 2006 at 7:14 pm

      You mean Armando was spear-fishing in the nude?

      • 

        AP on June 7, 2006 at 8:00 pm

        OMG, the visuals. Ew.

        Especially after reading this piece from Dana Milbank today:

        “If we didn’t believe in miracles, we wouldn’t have spent our vacation money to come here,” said Sandra Rodrigues of Utah, who with her family has been standing outside the Russell Senate Office Building all week, shouting at senators and displaying signs urging “Stop Same Sex Marriage: It Endorses Masturbation.”

        “If same-sex marriage is endorsed,” she explained, “then you’re going to have children think it’s just another option to have pleasure.”

        Bat. Shit. Crazy.

        • 

          Second Nature on June 7, 2006 at 8:02 pm

          Did Sandra’s husband have big Coke bottle glasses?

          • 

            AP on June 7, 2006 at 8:25 pm

            Doesn’t say. Of course, she may want to check his palms, though. Also check for razors and depilatories in case he tries to conceal the evidence.

          • 

            Cali Scribe on June 8, 2006 at 2:27 am

            line: “Don’t knock masturbation — at least it’s sex with someone I love.”

        • 

          supersoling on June 8, 2006 at 12:12 am

          Having said that, all options are on the table ;o)

19. 

    blueneck on June 7, 2006 at 7:42 pm

    Hey, the Pie Wars refugees lasted at least ’til UID 1325!  I guess I tried the reason and logic and conflict resolution thing a little bit too long over there, hunh?

    Nickname: blueneck
    User ID #: 1325
    Country: United States of America

    You are a trusted user.

    It didn’t work out, OF COURSE, so I came over here and have been VERY GLAD ever since.

    • 

      Second Nature on June 7, 2006 at 7:43 pm

      And we’re glad too!

      • 

        blueneck on June 7, 2006 at 8:03 pm

        Thanks, Second Nature!  And thanks for all that you do to help make this such a great place to hang my blog-hat (not to confused with Foghat.)

        :O

    • 

      BobX on June 8, 2006 at 9:43 am

      Yeah, me too user id 1315.

20. 

    Limelite on June 7, 2006 at 8:00 pm

    Frogs.  Blog wars.

    It’s all good.  Glad to be here.  And there, too.

21. 

    Nancy LeTourneau on June 7, 2006 at 8:02 pm

    Call me late to the party as usual. My user id is 1400 – but it was definitely the pie wars that drove me here. However, I caught on fast. After never posting a comment, much less a diary in orange, my first diary in green was dated June 12th.

    I love seeing that list of names. Lots of folks that have been wonderful teachers to me. Some that I miss seeing here. Like MAJeff – anyone know whats up with him?

    One of my friends last week asked me if spending time here didn’t make me more cynical. I told her nothing was further from the truth. Although there have been times when the maddness that passes for our political system has felt overwhelming – at a minimum I don’t feel so alone, and most of the time I feel challenged and inspired.

    Thank you to all

    • 

      blueneck on June 7, 2006 at 8:08 pm

      “challenged and inspired”

      As we are by YOU!

      The party is still goin’ on!

      

      • 

        librarylil on June 7, 2006 at 8:26 pm

        Happy Pie Day everybody! This is a swell party and I’m glad to be here.

        • 

          kansas on June 7, 2006 at 8:40 pm

          Were you ears burning today? Your name came up in one of the Cafes (remember finding out for me the history of the phrase “hot chick”?) and I wondered where you were, and here you are! All’s well?

          • 

            librarylil on June 7, 2006 at 9:34 pm

            heh. I remember that! Practically peed my pants laughing in front of the computer that morning, and can’t stop smiling thinking about it — which is a good thing since my darling daughter and I just had a fight.

            In the middle of this comment we have made up. Anyway such is my life recently- devoted to job and volunteer stuff and adolescent offspring. It’s been a mad mad mad couple of months but madness is winding down with the end of the school year.

            I do get to read in bed at night and Kansas, I so enjoyed The Virgin of Small Plains! Those characters really resonated off the pages if you know what I mean.

          • 

            kansas on June 7, 2006 at 10:55 pm

            What a nice thing to say! Thank you. And I do know what you mean. 🙂

22. 

    Teacher Toni on June 7, 2006 at 8:28 pm

    Let me just take a quick break from grading papers to say that I am thrilled that I leaped over here.  Thank you to everyone.

23. 

    Arthur Gilroy on June 7, 2006 at 8:45 pm

    “Did anyone actually watch that piece of shit Giiligan’s Island remake?”

    Yes.

    I did.

    To put some real information into that thread.

    One of the most unpleasant experiences I ever stood still for.

    Wanna read it?

    Here it is:

    Deconstructing “The Real Gilligan’s Island”

    In order to prove my thesis that the REAL problem w/the Pie Fight ad on dKos is the implicit support of a program the subtexts of which…and the subtexts of its ADVERTISERS also…are regressive in terms of their effect on society, I promised yesterday to actually WATCH “The Real Gilligan’s Island” in its entirety and bring back the bacon for Kozakstan.

    Oh BOY!!!

    THIS is going to be DIFFICULT.

    To SIT through.

    (Sorry…I don’t have the patience to for this kind of crap.)

    But I’ll do it anyway…because I said I would.

    A FULL deconstruction of something this rancid would probably produce enough material for a book. But this small effort will have to do…

    Before we begin…remember the Marshall McLuhan line? “The medium is the message”?

    Well. MY take on this is that our attitude must be that the message is the MEDIA.

    Our message…that it is the media that CARRIES the message, and if that message is wrong, then we must oppose that media.

    Any which way we can.

    Kill the messenger?

    Yes, if he lies.

    And now…on with the show

    —

    First,…the competition!!!

    How to choose, how to choose…what ELSE is on?

    “THE KING OF QUEENS”!!!??? WOW!!! (ZZZZzzzz…)

    “Law and Order”? Right. Like in Iraq.

    An FBI drama? “Inside”. Like Mark Felt + J. Edgar??

    “Dancing With the Stars”??? Clomp clomp.

    Larry King having a long, in depth conversation with George Lopez about Lopez’s  kidney surgery? And, inevitably, King’s 174 heart procedures? MMMMmmmm!!!

    I just CANNOT choose!!!

    8 ball games? Fake BBQ with a NY Irishman on the hustle? Chappelle reruns because he’s split the country to get away from the awful pressures of fabulous wealth? “”Queer Eye? For the STRAIGHT Guy???”{ Talk about gender confusion!!!

    CHANNEL confusion.

    “History Explorer”? Exploring ARISTOTLE??? Ain’t he dead? For a LONG while now? Oh. I guess that IS “history”. Unlike say the Downing St. Minutes or something. (Or is it about Aristotle Onassis??? Naaaahhhh…THAT’S Conspiracy Theory. Not history.)

    Poker?  Get rich quick. (Or at least WATCH…)

    And ENDLESS bullshit news, reruns, failed movies and overexposed hits??

    OH GEE!!! It’s SO hard to choose.

    SO much socially worthwhile programming!!!

    Prime Time!!! 9 PM!!! In New York City!!! Center of the Universe!!!

    But I’ve made a commitment.

    “The Real Gilligan’s Island”{ it is…

    (Sigh…)

    THINK about it!!! All the possible stations available to us during prime time…and what de we have available?

    SHIT.

    Mostly.

    They are ALL regressive.

    But I have a suspicion that THIS one is the worst.

    —

    Well…I did it. I actually watched a whole hour. The most humiliating experience I have had in years. So THIS is what they use to make people into BushZombies!!!

    All those OTHER shows above…the ones I was making fun of?

    Any ONE of `em would have been easier and more enjoyable to sit through than this one.

    So now… on with the (no) show!!!

    Since I do not have a TV recorder (Why? What’s on worth that’s keeping? Do you keep your chewing gum after it’s been thoroughly chewed?) I had to take notes on the fly.

    It’ll be a little disjointed, but here it is.

    —

    Opening ads. (After the TERRIBLY badly produced teasers. And the MUSIC!!! I’ve been a studio musician in NYC since the `70s, and baby…they didn’t waste a DIME on THIS shit.):

    Starts right off with a bang. Bud Lite. Cedric the Entertainer in a skit where he dreams of being stranded on an island with all the Bud Lite he can drink and TWO beautiful women…both of whom immediately turn into nagging shrews. Sexist AND racist. (Everybody’s black.) Wouldn’t want a black guy on an island with a WHITE shrew, right? Let ALONE TWO!!! Miscegenation and all that? SELL that awful beer!!! SELL that dream of money and power. SELL the idea that women inevitably turn into assholes after the sex dream ends. To black people particularly. Nice.

    Good start, eh? I am not entertained, Cedric.

    Bowflex. Work out and turn into a male or female muscle model. That is, a muscle model WITH visible muscles (male) and one without (female). AND you don’t have to pay until sometime far, far away. Get laid on the lay-away plan. Dream on. Go FURTHER into debt. Now THAT’s sexy!!!

    Jiggle promo for “Gilligan’s Island”, followed by one for “Sex in the City” reruns. Ever notice that there is NO sex in “Sex in the City”? Just talk. A bitter, bitter little series.

    On with the show. All my notes say is “Dirty + Rich + Fake”.

    “Fake Fake Fake Fake Fake Fake Fake!! “

    “Ménage á trois? Fake Fake Fake!!!”

    “Bad haircuts, too.”

    “Dreams of money. Fake.”

    First batch…(There are TWO batches of characters., In competition w/one another. Reality show style. For “A quarter of a million dollars!!!” Chump change, after taxes. And bullshit as well. They are ALL getting paid. Probably have to join the Screen Actor’s Guild to be on a “reality” show. They won auditions. Since when do you have to audition to be real?)

    Gilligan I-“I’ve always had heart.” Could’a fooled me…

    Skipper I-Ex-navy officer. Stiff. TERRIBLE.

    Maryann I-Pigtails. AND…she can COOK!!!

    AND…she has short SHORTS!!! (Slaver slaver drool drool. What Pres. W. jerks off to.)

    Professor I-Black, loud + obnoxious, Billed as a real-life professor of Psychology and Sexuality. Must’ve gone to Ebonics U., if he is. A real stereotype. Muted for acceptable mass consumption.

    Millionaires  I…EWWWWWWW!!!!!

    Movie Star I-EWWWWW!!!!

    Dyke jokes.

    Topless jokes.

    Gender switch jokes.

    Submoronic jokes and fake lightning.

    WHY WOULD ANYONE WATCH THIS VOLUNTARILY!!!???

    Second batch:

    Gilligan II-Asshole. School clown. Effeminate.

    Skipper II- Louisiana redneck trailer trash talker.

    Professor II-Also effeminate. Skipper’s boy?

    Millionaires II- EWWWWWW!!!!! May/December jokes. Older guy, younger woman. Only “real life” identification…??? “Worth 4.5 million.” Right. That’s why they’re on this show.

    Movie Star II-used to be on Baywatch? (Neverwatch.) All tits and bleach and the slightest HINT of middle aged spread from the rear. Needs some Bowflex work, but probably all out of credit. All out of credits, for sure, or she wouldn’t be doing THIS sad show. Nowhere.

    Supposed to be that they don’t know about the competition between the groups (Thus the “REAL” in the title. Reality show style. Until there is only one left of each character. But since NONE of them can act except MAYBE one of the MaryAnns…Fake Fake Fake Fake Fake Fake Fake!!!!)

    And…a fake storm.

    Ads: More Gilligan’s hype.

    Snapple. Black people in the city., MUST be “real” because they are black. Natcherl, you DIG!!! Just like Snapple. (Ever drink a Snapple? Dead for two years on the shelf. All natural, maybe…but all dead, too. EWWWWWW!!!!!!)

    Lowe’s. Giant hardware chain. Something I KNOW about. I bought a fixer-upper once. Shopping at Lowe’s is like dealing with PermaGov bureaucracy. Nobody knows NUTHIN’. Plus…I have a a good friend who invented a fine tool for do it yourselfers. Tried to get Lowe’s to carry it. YEARS of middle management, cover your ass bullshit plus a good dose of “Can we steal it from this fool?” Shop  at your local hardware store and put these nasty BushCo hustlers out of business.

    In the ad…lovely young (white) couples trip gaily through Do It Yourselfland to fix their houses, Something about another mortgage or two…NO PAYMENTS for a year. Go DEEPER in debt!!! Thieves.

    Of course…they ARE better than Home Depot…

    Then a remake of an originally pretty bad movie. “Herbie the VW”. “Lovebug XXIX”? EWWWWW!!!!! DISNEY!!! Need I say more? Is he DEAD YET???? Of course…no animatrons, no George W. Butch or Ronald Reagan. So DisneyCorp DID do SOMETHING other than Mickey Mousify America.

    Orbitz…white folks find a hotel. Online. On credit. Bet on it. Pay NEXT year…

    Hanes . Underwear and clothes, FINALLY. A real woman!!! Marisa Tomei. First reality of the hour. Ten or fifteen minutes in. I hope she made a FORTUNE. She can ACT!!! (Not on THIS ad…much…but she can act…) Hanes. Where are all of those clothes made again? North Carolina? Nope. SOUTH Carolina? Nope. S.E. Asia + Central America? You BETCHA!!! At slave wages. Wear `em in good health. In good conscience, too. I hope Ms. Tomei’s not BROKE or something? Why ELSE would she be appearing in slave labor ads? Oh well…maybe she’s just stupid. (Unlike the people who run dKos, who have NO excuse.)

    Nokia multi-phone. Spend more for a phone that has features you will probably NEVER use. Or even figure out. Buncha smart Finns, though….

    MMMM!!! Olive Garden!!! REAL fake Italian food!!! For three secretaries. “Warm up that microwave, Julian. We got ANOTHER three suckers!!! Got them cooking directions handy?”

    Pauly Shore In ANOTHER show? He’s STILL TRYING?

    Back to the program.

    And that’s all I’ve got to say. It’s just another 3/4 of an hour of the same lame shit. Followed by ANOTHER hour that I did NOT watch.

    The only thing even REMOTELY “real” happened when one of the Movie Stars cut her finger. Bad. Real blood, real emotion, real fear. One minute or so and out.

    Same jive ads, same lame jiggle shit.

    Quick survey.

    Winners of some fake competition get a shower. Peek peek, giggle giggle.

    Vibrating toothbrush.  OOOOOOOO!!!!! What you can do with THAT!!!

    Coconuts in the pants. Like big balls., On one of the less masculine men. Plus female ass crawling through the bushes. See? She CAN act.

    Feed the girls first. (Dick implied). Tee hee.

    Reminiscences among the 20/30-something males about the Baywatch star. Seems they ALL used to tape her part of the show and then jerk off to it.  As teenagers. So when is that? 10, 15 years ago? What? That was the only available sexual content in ALL their houses? In the 1980s? No WONDER the birth rate is going down. How can she let herself be used like this? Oh. No talent and broke. Duh!!!

    And so on ad nauseum.

    Enough.

    You get the idea.

    Lame like a MOTHERFUCKER!!!

    Now…several questions.

    Q. #1-Who WATCHES this shit?

    A-Drunk and/or stoned and/or terminally bored men, and early adolescents in desperate need of jerk-off material. Plus whatever consorts they may have who have surrendered their individuality enough to get to the point where they will sit through it. I’m telling you…ANY impressionable child who lives in a house where THIS is the evening’s entertainment…male OR female…is simply getting the wrong pictures for their future sexual and psychological good health. And a psychologically infantilized human being is a good subject for PermaGov dominance. Bet on it.

    This show turns out little Nazis and other good citizens, BushCo style. Good workers. They can work for Lowe’s and other corporate minimum wage chains, then go home and drink Bud Lite so’s they can be in a good head to be FURTHER programmed by watching OTHER shows with the same content and subtexts.

    Clomp clomp clomp clomp clomp clomp CLOMP.

    BushZombies.

    Q. #2-Why would Lowe’s PARTICULARLY…AND Bud Lite AND the rest…put their advertising money on the line to finance a loser like this?

    I really don’t know. Maybe they are simply incompetent…most of the ad people that I have met in the music business are WELL beyond any help (We call them “The Hamsters of Doom”.)…or maybe they know that the same stupid, depressed, tranced out motherfuckers who consume this shit can be lured into spending their money on inferior products and lame service and/or working for said corporations at incredibly low wages.

    Whatever…they’re making a profit, so they’re can’t be  ALL wrong.

    Right?

    Q. #3-Why would Markos accept their advertising revenues?

          a-Needs money to run the site?

          Ok.

          b-Thinks that his audience is too hip to be fooled?

          Maybe.

          c-Doesn’t UNDERSTAND the way the system works on
          people?

           I HOPE not.

          d-WORSE?

          God forbid.

    Those who do not “get” my posts will probably not get this one, either.

    But I DO keep trying.

    Gotta go clean out my mind now.

    EWWWWWWWW!!!!!

    WHERE’S THE MIND FLOSS?

    QUICK!!!!!! I feel a cavity coming on!!!

    Later…

    AG

    You asked…

    Have fun in mindless fucking Las Vegas.

    Home of the REAL losers.

    The ones who think that they are winning.

    And…wake the fuck up.

    AG

    • 

      BooMan on June 7, 2006 at 9:00 pm

      I’m sorry you won’t be in Vegas.  It would be amusing to watch you rank on that scene.  I hate Vegas.  The only thing it is good for is exactly what Hunter and his Samoan lawyer did to it.  Except that part with the poor girl that painted portraits of Streisand.  There is no excusing that behavior.  

      • 

        AP on June 7, 2006 at 9:38 pm

        Oh wow–you hate Vegas? Isn’t that unAmerican or something?

        :<)

        Vegas is just so … garish. It isn’t a city, it’s a set piece. A gigantic one, and as fake as they come. Think Cecille B. DeMille. Its over-the-top tackiness is actually a marvel in itself.

        And it’s a shame, really, because if you look there’s lots of natural beauty to be found.

        • 

          BooMan on June 7, 2006 at 9:42 pm

          Vegas was cool in the seventies when it was counterculture and outlandish in its decadence.  Now it’s as whitebread as Times Square and DisneyLand.  

          I hate it.  

          But I will revel in its awfulness while I’m there.

          • 

            AP on June 7, 2006 at 10:05 pm

            But I will revel in its awfulness while I’m there.

            See? That’s the spirit!

            :<)

            That was my exact reaction, too. If I don’t ever go back, it won’t be too soon.

        • 

          ejmw on June 7, 2006 at 9:45 pm

          I’ve only been through Vegas once, and it was in the daytime.  Not much to look at during the day.

          The surrounding countryside, however, is beautiful.  This is a shot I took of Lake Mead, which is the lake on the backside of the Hoover Dam.

          

          • 

            AP on June 7, 2006 at 10:00 pm

            See…beautiful.

            The Riviera across from Circus Circus? Horrible. Rancid, even.

            I had to go to the Riviera for a conference, but it was sold out on the day I arrived, so I had to stay in another, nearby hotel. Something told me to take a look before heading over the next day, and OMG–what a dump! The whole friggin place was just depressing–worn, dim, sad, awful. Not to mention very sanitary. I BEGGED the hotel where I was actually staying to let me stay another 2 nights, and I stayed cheaper than the published rates, too (my hotel rates had to match everyone else and they were more than accommodating)

      • 

        Arthur Gilroy on June 7, 2006 at 9:54 pm

        I’ve been there often enough. As a performer. When it was at its height,  and now that it is Las DisneyWorld. Much like the old NYC 42nd St. vs. the new one…I liked the old one better.

        I was there as part of a headliner show at the Sands in 1966. We rented a pink ’56 Caddy convertible with a white top, scored for some good speed (disoxin ) and some Thai stick, hooked up with a few showgirls and drove to the mountains most days to go sledding on pieces of cardboard.

        There were real musicians there then, and the hang was on.

        24/7.

        The black neighborhood was thriving.

        Also 24/7.

        We had a good time.

        Clean, and innocent in a certain kind of way.

        All gone, now. Last time I was in Las Vagas, we were booked into another hotel for a weekend, and the convention there at the time was the NRA.

        Hard faced future Blackwater Rangers steroiding around the pool with “Soldier of Fortune” magazines clasped between their shriveled-up balls. NO musicians to speak of…almost all prerecorded or synthesized.

        As were the breasts of most of the showgirls.

        As were their sex lives, no doubt. Wouldn’t touch ’em with a ten foot condom, myself.

        No there there, anymore.

        Which is why it is the PERFECT place for a dKos convention.

        No there left there either.

        And where is the Dem convention going to be held in 2008?

        They want to win?

        In some collapsed American industrial city.

        Dearborn, MI might be nice.

        But it won’t happen.

        In some Las Vegas of the soul, no doubt. No matter WHERE it is.

        Have fun.

        And…mind the buffets.

        They’re full of chemicals.

        Bet on it.

        That’s why they look so fresh.

        Like Dkos.

        Later…

        AG

        • 

          BooMan on June 7, 2006 at 9:58 pm

          You and feel the same way.  I think they are going do the same to Nawlins.  Las Nuevo Orleans (c.o. Walt Disney).   Bet on it.

          • 

            Arthur Gilroy on June 7, 2006 at 11:30 pm

            No doubt.

            And to the Democrats,too.

            Disneycrats.

            AG

        • 

          canberra boy on June 7, 2006 at 11:52 pm

          Agree with you Arthur about it being the perfect place for a dKos convention.  I almost died laughing when I heard it was in Vegas.  Then I realised – must be a good deal on the convention rooms…

          • 

            Arthur Gilroy on June 8, 2006 at 12:12 am

            Betcha the downtown Holiday Inn in someplace like Buffalo NY or Camden, NJ would cost half as much.

            Less.

            The fix is in.

            It’s all hype, now.

            Already.

            America the Beautiful.

            Spamerica now.

            AG

          • 

            canberra boy on June 8, 2006 at 12:41 am

            No, the reason people hold conventions in Vegas is because they are cheap.  The convention facilities are subsidised by the casinos.  In fact the only reason there are convention facilities there at all is because they were built by the casinos to bring people in…

            dKos has been all hype for a while, IMHO.  Markos is a respected player, now, with growing power… sought out for interviews and embraced by politicians.  Not a bomb-thrower any more…  Still, this does not mean that dKos is all bad.  I’m sure I would agree with Markos on many issues.  Just not as many as I would like…

        • 

          James Benjamin on June 8, 2006 at 2:52 am

          DKos as the Vegas of blogtopia. “Fear and Loathing in Big Orange”. A savage journey into the heart of the American Dream. Indeed.

          And man, I’m awake – blood type espresso.

          • 

            Arthur Gilroy on June 8, 2006 at 6:33 am

            Awake?

            Blood type espresso?

            Good on ya.

            Then keep on stirring the other cups.

            AG

    • 

      Gaianne on June 8, 2006 at 7:08 am

      So now I know what I missed.  🙂  

      Ever notice that there is NO sex in “Sex in the City”? Just talk. A bitter, bitter little series

      True.  Wasn’t that the point?  Both times I saw it it was very funny.  

24. 

    chocolate ink on June 7, 2006 at 8:47 pm

    I signed up with booman on the very first day and never went back to the big orange and I don’t feel like I’ve missed one dam thing.

    As for the pie war-to this day some people just don’t ‘get it’ do they.  I did go over there to see the stupid add and was like many disgusted by the fact that dumb adds like that seem to prove we haven’t come a long way baby after all….but it as has been said the fallout of lots of stupid justifications for the add that drove women and some men nuts.  Sexist, ignorant and clueless and still are.

    This was one of those good news/bad news deals.  Bad news that so many  over there just didn’t get it and the good news of course, the very good news was that so many strong voices ended up over here at the Frog Pond and have stayed around to help make this site what it is today. The fairly equal combination of women and men’s voices here is what truly does make being here informative, interesting and just plain fun at times.

    Happy Anniversary to All…sometimes it is easy being Green.

    • 

      olivia on June 7, 2006 at 8:52 pm

      Thank you for welcoming us all in when we invaded … 😉

      • 

        chocolate ink on June 7, 2006 at 11:31 pm

        You’re more than welcome olivia, you and everyone who ended up over here has benefited me greatly with your wit and wisdom and passion…to say nothing of gracing us with your truly awesome flower power.

25. 

    KMc on June 7, 2006 at 9:43 pm

    and even still have an active user account, though that’s at least in part because I pretty much stopped posting over there when I finally made the trek to BooTrib. It was Armando who made me do it. Trying to have a conversation with him, if you happen to disagree on a point is like trying to push a bobcat through a brick wall.

    Thanks, Booman, for creating such a rational and calm blog pool.

    • 

      kansas on June 7, 2006 at 10:59 pm

      I’ll be laughing about “bobcat through brick wall” for days.

      • 

        Kidspeak on June 8, 2006 at 12:53 am

        That’s been my experience, exactly!  

26. 

    myriad on June 7, 2006 at 11:05 pm

    I’m too sensitive for my own good, and too greedy for information too. So I just went and looked at the Kosopedia link on the Pie Wars, and a couple of the diaries, and damn I wish I hadn’t.

    I’ve spoiled my own sense of celebration for BooTrib.

    I’ve recovered enough that I still look around on Kos, but not only is there still far too much vile sexism floating about, as a non-USA-er, it has become less and less relevant because it’s just so focussed on domestic primary races etc. There’s very little contextual posting about the USA in the world. Unlike BooTrib & its partner EuroTrib.

    Happy Pie Anniversary Bootribbers. I do enjoy it here very much. And my partner Keres makes the best_pie_ever.

    cheers, Imogen (Myriad)

27. 

    Tehanu on June 8, 2006 at 12:26 am

    I’ve loved my number for a whole year now!  Anyone else remember the  temporary “woman Kossaks” site that led us to BooTrib?  THANK YOU whoever did it.  

    • 

      kansas on June 8, 2006 at 12:49 am

      It was NYCO, wasn’t it? And where’d she go anyway? I think it was there that Diane offered an invitation to all of us to come here, and that’s what brought me this way.

      • 

        Tehanu on June 8, 2006 at 12:54 am

        I think you’re right.  I remember that temp blog feeling like a little, white waiting room.  And there was no way in hell I was ever going back where I came from!  I even get a gut reaction whenever I see an ad for the book.  

        But being in that waiting room with all you amazing women was one of the best blogging bonds of my life.

        • 

          kansas on June 8, 2006 at 1:02 am

          “waiting room.”  That’s exactly it. It was wonderful. Remember there was some guy who came over and wouldn’t stop bugging us? Just couldn’t leave us alone so we could talk among ourselves. Had to argue, etc.

          • 

            Tehanu on June 8, 2006 at 9:31 am

            I know!  And do you remember how some people kept bringing it back to the titilation when it was really about haing a respectful place for both genders to be taken seriously!  99% of the people still don’t get it, even though our arguments have been there for a year now.  

          • 

            kansas on June 8, 2006 at 11:05 am

            Yes! Every time I see somebody STILL saying it was about boobs I want to scream, and then I make myself calm down and remember that not everybody actually read the worst of it. I suspect that most of us would have stayed if it had been a civil argument about the appropriateness of an ad. Even progressives are still feeling our way through sensitive gender stuff. But it wasn’t a civil argument, to say the least, and it wasn’t discouraged by the people who could have stopped it, and it revealed. . .a lot.  

28. 

    Kidspeak on June 8, 2006 at 12:38 am

    I signed up here just to get a really low number (#56). Unfortunately, Chocolate Ink hangs around to trump me at the head of every list!

    Seriously, I was already here but just lurking when the pie wars broke out.Posted a diary here and there – one of my very first, right after the the pie wars broke out –  as an attempt to explain something Armando did not understand about what he thought women should be doing (I was nicer then than I am now in dealing with being told what women “should” be doing!). The response to that diary from big A at the big O, in contrast to its reception here, encouraged me to read there but stay here with most things I’ve written.

    And as others here have seen, there are many branches now, and a wider perspective that is much due to the fine people I’ve met and read here.

    Oh, and if Chocolate Ink likes something, I generally like it too.

    • 

      chocolate ink on June 8, 2006 at 2:39 pm

      Hey Kidspeak….that last sentence of yours could get you into trouble you know.

      • 

        Kidspeak on June 9, 2006 at 2:51 am

        Maybe. But if you’re out standing in front,  you’ll get picked off first!

29. 

    kansas on June 8, 2006 at 12:53 am

    It seems strangely karmic that Armando did his his GBCW diary tonight at DKos on the anniversary of Pie Wars. I don’t actually remember his behavior (at DKos) during that episode, but I do recall that he led a rather wonderful and civil diary a few days afterward on the front page over there.

    • 

      Shalimar on June 8, 2006 at 9:43 am

      I went to dKos read his diary after you mentioned it, and agree with the poster who said it was the longest goodbye ever.  Armando is a drama queen to the end.

      I may be way off base, but I wonder if the problem with revelation of identity isn’t conservative corporations might object to a liberal working their accounts as it is conservative corporations might object to being billed for time a liberal spends blogging.  Armando probably isn’t that unethical, but I have noticed in the past that he spends a huge amount of time posting weekdays but not weekends and seems to respond to any mention of his name on dKos within minutes.

      At least they have finally found a reason to ban members that I agree with.  Posting personal information about another member is reprehensible regardless of who it is, and I assume most of those who despise Armando would never stoop that low even for him.

      • 

        kansas on June 8, 2006 at 9:57 am

        The whole thing seems weird to me, especially the timing, which seems disruptive of their convention, but what do I know? Nothin’. One thing for sure–he will get even more attention by not being there than he would have by being there.

        • 

          KMc on June 8, 2006 at 10:16 am

          I’m not sure why he’s bothering to have a GBCW diary at all. The cat’s out of the bag and no one’s ever going to be able to put it back. He’s blogged enough that if people want to try to tar him with conflict of interest they’ve got all the ammo they’re ever going to need. It would seem to me that by doing what the people who outed him want, i.e. quit blogging, he’s getting the worst of both worlds, no anonymity and no blogging. But hey, I’ve never chosen to be anonymous on the web, so my issues are different.

          • 

            Shalimar on June 8, 2006 at 5:37 pm

            I’m not sure why he’s bothering to have a GBCW diary at all.

            I would bet money that Armando will allow others to convince him over the next few days that he should stick around.  He acts too much like an addict to give up the thing that gets him high.

          • 

            Kidspeak on June 9, 2006 at 2:57 am

            I find it odd, also. He’s a big boy, and should be able to handle the heat.

            I have wondered, however, about his ability to post so frequently and carry on his work simultaneously. His firm may object to the time he has put in on this, plus the potential objections he will get – not from the Kos community, but from their corporate clients.

            What I expect, however, is that he will not be silent. I don’t think it is in his character to be silent. He could take on  a different name and come back with anonymity renewed – but the personality would come through pretty quickly, I think.  Or he could simply be encouraged to come back by the outpouring from his supporters.

      • 

        maryb2004 on June 8, 2006 at 10:44 am

        I don’t think his GBCW has anything to do with conservative corporations not wanting to be represented by him because he’s a liberal.  If that was true he would have stopped blogging long ago.  And I doubt that he in engaged in unethical billing practices.

        I think it has everything to do with the fact that once he’s consented to represent a client(corporation or human) that client shouldn’t expect to be dragged through right wing mud slinging just because he or his firm represents them.  A client would be justifiably upset if their name and reputation were dragged into a fight between their lawyer and a third party.

        The right wing has now named one of his clients and talked about his relationship with them.  He has to assume that that all of his firm’s clients are now considered fair game to be dragged into this fight that the right is picking.  That isn’t fair to the clients or to his partners.  

        He apparently thinks that the only reasonable option is to stop blogging.  If he stops blogging there shouldn’t be much incentive for the right to keep this up. Why fight with someone who isn’t there.

        And, frankly, I can’t really think of another reasonable alternative either if he wants to continue to practice the kind of law he practices.  

        • 

          kansas on June 8, 2006 at 11:08 am

          Thanks, Maryb. It’s very helpful to get an explanation from a lawyer whose viewpoint I trust. That would be you.

        • 

          Raging Hippie on June 8, 2006 at 11:25 am

          I agree. There might also be some concern that any diary he posts could open up discussion, speculation, and accusations concerning positions he’s taken in representing clients, which is something any lawyer would want to avoid. It’s easy to search court opinions to find cases in which a particular attorney represented one of the parties.

        • 

          Shalimar on June 8, 2006 at 6:22 pm

          But this is what I’m basing my possibly irresponsible speculation on.  I looked at Armando’s comments for the last few weeks during the RFK blowup over the weekend.  His habit for those 2 weeks and I assume before was to post at all hours roughly between 10am edt and 2am edt during the weekdays, with very few hours passing when he didn’t comment on anything at all, and post very little during the weekends.

          If you look at his last 100 comments at dKos now, Monday he was going along with the normal weekday pattern until mid-afternoon when his comments stop abruptly.  The next thing he posted was his GBCW diary Wednesday night, and the only comments he has made today have been for a period of a little over an hour this afternoon, which suggests a lunch break.

          There are many other possible explanations, but the most likely it seems to me is that a higher-up at work ordered him to stop blogging on law firm time sometime Monday afternoon, which is why he is so pissed.

          • 

            maryb2004 on June 8, 2006 at 6:44 pm

            Sorry, but the scenario you envision is an employer/employee scenario and it just isn’t how law firms work on the partner level.  A partner is judged by the amount of revenue he brings in not by the hours he sits at his desk working.  

            He can bring in revenue in ways other than sitting at his desk.  Trust me.  Some partners do nothing that even RESEMBLES what you and I would call work.  They play golf with potential clients.  The client gives them the business, some other lawyer does the work, the golfing partner gets part of the credit.    

            And even if his revenue comes from doing desk work, he doesn’t have “law firm time”.  Lawyers work all the time.  They work in the middle of the night.  They work on weekends.  All time in your day could be “law firm time” if you are a lawyer in a big firm.  And sometimes is.  As long as you get your hours in, they don’t usually care when you do it.

            Here’s how it would work in my firm.  When the client got named in the wiki etc.  Armando would have had to disclose this to his partners.  He has a fiduciary obligation to his partners and it’s probably covered in his partnership agreement.  He would have had a full and frank discussion with the managing partners or the ethics committee partners or both about the issue and the effect on the partnership and their clients, and they would have come to a mutual decision as to how to deal with it. True, his partners may have forced him into the right decision, but it is usually mutual.  As I said, I can’t think of any other reasonable solution they could have come to other than for him to stop blogging.   I can’t guaranty that it happened this way but it seems very likely to me.

            He’s not pissed at a “higher up”, he’s pissed at the idiot who posted inappropriate information about him and his clients.  If someone had done this to me I would be pissed too.  

        • 

          Spit on June 8, 2006 at 8:07 pm

          but I have to admit that I think it’s kind of funny how much he’s probably increased the amount of attention to his personal info by choosing to have a dramatic GBCW diary.

          Oh, Armando.

          Anyway, it really does suck that somebody pulled this shit on him. I think he could’ve been a lot smarter about a lot of stuff if he needed to remain anonymous, but that doesn’t in any way excuse the behavior.

      • 

        on June 8, 2006 at 4:45 pm

        Armando probably isn’t that unethical, but I have noticed in the past that he spends a huge amount of time posting weekdays but not weekends and seems to respond to any mention of his name on dKos within minutes.

        Armando is always on there during the day during the week, ready to respond to sleights at a seconds notice.

        The dirtiest fighter I ever saw on the internets is crying foul because he got outed blogging at work.

        Hilarious.

        I really don’t understand how anyone could like that guy. I’d write a lot better quality stuff too if I could spend all day at work blogging and getting paid for it.

30. 

    Mirrorshade Mind on June 8, 2006 at 2:02 am

    The pie war on Dkos was a pointless exercise in restricting the exposure of an advertisement that some people found offensive. I was offended by those who wished to “censor” that ad. In a Democracy you have to take the good with the bad sometimes. The fact that many people failed to understand this is what kept me from getting involved in the pie fight.

    I moved over here from Dkos just recently because Dkos seems to becoming monolithic in the diaries that get recommended. Diaries that are well researched or offer factual information are getting glossed over or troll rated by what seems to be a organized effort to suppress those diaries.

    I popped over to Dkos before I came here and on the rec. list is Armando telling everyone that some one is outing his real identity on some other site. Apparently Armando is a big shot attorney or something. Who cares? I don’t. I could care less about who Armando is since most of the stuff he’s written really makes me wonder how he got to be an attorney.

    This is the problem with Dkos. It’s getting to be a self inflating group of egotist who write more for the kudos they get from each other than honestly examining viewpoints that are not as popular or not that well written but still should be given a degree of merit.

    If they keep it up Bush will not be the only one living in a bubble.

    This site seems to at least give a person a chance to present a subject or viewpoint that runs contrary to the assumed facts or popular viewpoint. At least here it doesn’t seem like the only thing people write for is to get on the rec. list. I had a number of really good discussions with several writers on this site. Some agreed with me some didn’t but the discussion was civil without all the snide snarking that occurs on Dkos.

    Thanks Booman for setting up this site as a result of the pie war on Dkos. It’s a nice neighborhood to hang out in.

    • 

      ask on June 8, 2006 at 7:10 am

      Thanks Booman for setting up this site as a result of the pie war on Dkos.

      Misunderstanding.
      The site was already a well-functioning blog with 1,000+ registered users when the pie-fight broke out.

    • 

      Arthur Gilroy on June 8, 2006 at 8:06 am

      You write:

      ‘The pie war on Dkos was a pointless exercise in restricting the exposure of an advertisement that some people found offensive. I was offended by those who wished to ‘censor’ that ad. In a Democracy you have to take the good with the bad sometimes.”

      I have one question for you, sir or madam, and one question only.

      But before I ask that question, go up a few comments and read the reprint of my “The Real Gilligan’s Island” deconstruction if you have not done so already..

      Read it?

      OK. Here’s the question.

      Would you have been bothered if dKos had accepted an ad from a TV show that cast Hitler and the Aryan supremacist Nazi Party in a sympathetic light? Even as a so-called comedy? That cleverly REconstructed say “Hogan’s Heros” into a subliminal advertisement for the correctness of the Nazi way of life? That used an image of two Aryan-looking god types stripped to the waist doing calisthenics in the sun on a Nazi meeting ground, surrounded by all of the usual Nazi/Goebbels/Reifenstahl visual cues? Swastikas, Reich eagles, etc.?

      That’s my question.

      I breathlessly await your answer.

      “In a Democracy you have to take the good with the bad”, my ASS!!!

      No one was trying to ‘censor’ that ad. Not many people, anyway. Most of us were simply trying to get dKos to put its money where its mouth was.

      And we lost.

      Because the people who were running dKos were NOT living where their mouth said they were. It was a rude awakening. But ALL awakenings are good.

      It wasn’t about the use of sex in advertising.

      It was about the us of sex in advertising to promote an evilly regressive, sexist show on a supposedly PROgressive political site.

      Had some mild jiggle image…preferably male AND female…been used to promote say the Daily Show or Michael Moore’s work, the uproar would have been minimal. Hell, a good looking woman gets MY attention every damned time. (Good looking by MY standards, which the Pie ad critters were not. We all have our own pictures, and silicone has no part in ANY of mine.) It’s advertising on a glandular level, and it is both perfectly natural and perfectly understandable for pro advertisers to get people’s attention any way they can that is not in violation of community standards. But when it became perfectly obvious that said ad WAS in violation of the community standards of that blog at the time, its controllers made a decision…consciously or just because that’s the way THEIR glands work… which in retrospect was the turning point that led to dKos becoming the left wing blog of record for the PermaGov. They said “HELL no!!! We LIKE this ad!!! Go fuck yourselves.” They used the “freedom”card, but in reality it was all about money and where their own secret little pecker dreams lead them when they think no one is looking.

      And…Presto chango!!!…one short year later they have a good selling book out, are appearing on national TV as paid poundits, and are running a big convention in Silicone Central where Presidential wannabes are courting them in ways the Skipper and Ginger never ever DREAMED of flirting.

      “I want you.”

      

      “In the worst way!!!”

      So by their own lights…and in the last analysis they are just mainstream “Get mine now. With ICE CREAM on top!!!” centrist American entrepreneurs running a left-wing shtick, whether they actually know it or not…they were quite right.

      Only thing is…mainstream America is headed right down the tubes.

      And some of us are actually trying to REVERSE the process.

      We shall see how successfully the attempt turns out.

      So far…not so good. The promise of left blogtopia has in the last year been co-opted on a national level into a mindless celebration of weak liberalism in the most mindless of ALL American cities, Las VegasLand. Founded on the greed and stupidity of the new middle class by those wise predators, the Mafia, it has now been institutionalized into an American way of life by the even WISER predators who have succeeded in out-Mobbing the Mob on every level of American society.

      The BIG criminals.

      The ones who do not break the laws, they just make new ones to suit their purposes.

      Pie fight?

      

      I got yer “pie fight” right HERE!!!

      

      I would have paid to see THESE two assholes hit the sack backstage.

      Whadda lovefest THAT would have been.

      “Whadda buncha maroons!!!”-Bugs Bunny,early ’40s.

      Yup.

      “Th-th-th-th-That’s ALL, folks!!!”

      

      Yup.

      Later…

      AG

      • 

        Arthur Gilroy on June 8, 2006 at 8:30 am

        a diary.

        Pie Fight? Prophecy. Las Vegas? Culmination.

        Comment there,  if you want.

        Later…

        AG

      • 

        on June 8, 2006 at 4:57 pm

        the other night?

        The only thing I could think after seeing those two together was they should rename their book, “Crashing out of the closet“

        Not that there’s anything wrong with that, but it may be a clue into how women’s views might get short shrift over there whenf they conflict with their views.

        • 

          Man Eegee on June 8, 2006 at 5:00 pm

          to attacking ideas we may differ with instead of the person, shall we?  It has helped keep conflict at a minimum around here.

          • 

            on June 8, 2006 at 5:31 pm

            I really did not mean that to be an attack….
            Well shit, I guess I did kind of….
            but to me saying someone is gay is not an insult. It’s just who they are.

            Now I do have a problem with repressed people who take out that repression on other people in the form of gay bashing, women bashing etc.

            I’m not saying that’s the case there, just speculating but c’mon. If Markos ain’t gay well then I guess I’ll believe Richard Simmons claims that he isn’t either.

          • 

            BooMan on June 8, 2006 at 5:35 pm

            I’ve got to tell you…

            Markos is married and has a child.  Calling him gay is inappropriate.  I don’t care whether you mean it as an insult, as a hunch, or as a compliment.  No one like to have their sexual orientation misrepresented.  

            Your comment is out of line and inappropriate.  

          • 

            on June 8, 2006 at 7:12 pm

            In deference to you and your site.
            I really did not mean to be offensive and don’t wish to exhibit the insensitivity that brought many people here and is the subject of this post.

            You have my apology.

    • 

      canberra boy on June 8, 2006 at 9:29 am

      Welcome to BT, Mirrorshade Mind.

      Have to say I disagree on the objections to the ad that sparked the pie wars.  But I understand exactly what you are saying about the monolithic nature of Big Orange – and the rest of your comment!

      Ask has pointed out that BT was going before the pie wars broke out – BooMan started it in March last year.

    • 

      kansas on June 8, 2006 at 9:30 am

      For many, it was not the ad, it was the astonishing abuse within the threads about the ad.

      • 

        kansas on June 8, 2006 at 9:33 am

         I forgot to say welcome to the pond! Come on into the Cafe any time you feel like meeting some frogs in a casual way.

    • 

      Militarytracy on June 8, 2006 at 11:17 am

      It was how the people who thought that the ad was exploitative of women were treated by others.  And then Kos’ “women’s studies” shit that basically put him right on board with the other abusive males over there.  That was it for me and I was SO SO SO mad.  I think that the series of rape stories that came up over here helped to really bring to light the issue of objectification of women in our culture……and  rapists are huge objectifiers.  America has an enormous problem with rape in comparison to many other cultures…..it isn’t just shooting each other with guns that reveals us to be one of the most violent cultures on earth.  When a woman expresses her desire to be respected and not objectified on a “progressive” website, and then is beaten severely about the head and face by males to include the website owner……..that is a female abusive environment.  Because it was the leading progressive website in America it was adding to the problems concerning the abuse of women in our culture in an exponential fashion and it needed everything it got and then some!  

      • 

        scribe on June 8, 2006 at 11:35 am

        Completely agree, Tracy, this was the primary cause of my anger (and sadness) too: to see this all reflected on such a widely read “progressive” blog. It really points outy, to me, the need for there to be a desire for effective communication between the generations..espeially for those who wish to be leaders today.

        If you don’t know how bad things were once ..or don’t want to know, it is far too easy to assume that what you DO know,(based only on your own shorter life experience, gender, position) ..etc..is all there IS to know.

        Which makes it very easy for some to “dismiss” whole groups of people and thier opinions and experience  you might just benefit from having now, in your chosen leadership roles.

        Boo and Kos have both chosen to take on leadership roles. Kos chose to shut us down and invite us to leave.

        Boo, and the other men here,  chose to listen to and learn from the women who came here and told their stories.  

         

        • 

          susanw on June 8, 2006 at 1:02 pm

            scribe and Tracy, it’s as if you both live in my head.

          For forty years I’ve a card carrying member of the “women’s studies set”.  I have volunteered most of my adult in civil rights causes. I was often mad, but never discouraged. Even working rape crisis lines, going to court with survivors, facilitating domestic violence groups, doing research on racism, sexism and homophobia in text books, collecting data on pornography, sexism in advertising (!), and just listening to hundred of women talk about their rape and incest experiences, or the sad stories of wives who finally worked up the courage to tell their husbands what they needed sexually, only to have him “forget” a week later–in forty years, I was never knocked down by disappointment until the pie wars.  

          It broke my heart that so many men on a liberal/progressive/Democratic/left leaning blog were just as bad, just as conveniently clueless as the right wingers from whom I’ve always expected paternalistic, patriarchal obliviousness, disrespect, and cruelty.

          Were it not for the fine men and women of the Pond, I truly don’t know what I might have done.
           

          • 

            scribe on June 8, 2006 at 1:18 pm

            Well, bless you for holding on till you found another doorway, and a renewing of hope to balance out that betrayal..(at least thats how it felt to me)..and for all of your dedication over all these long years, to make this world a better place for women.  And for the men who are not threatened by the concept of equal worth and respect for women as well as for themselves.

            I still find it hard to read causal “dismissals” of what happened then, as no big deal. It was a big deal to many of us…a very big deal, indeed. It is not necessary to fully understand this or even to agree with us..to respect and accept that simple reality and to respect us by doing so.  

    • 

      blueneck on June 8, 2006 at 12:49 pm

      For me, it didn’t seem that the issue was censorship, but appropriateness.  I didn’t like the ads and I thought they should be removed if they also offended other users.  I don’t believe in censorship, but I do believe in “consensus-sorship” within a community that I choose to be a part of.

      When the proprietor of the site insulted groups of people with nasty comments rather than seek to accomodate or compromise, I knew it was time to leave – that I wasn’t wanted or needed there.  For me, basic respect and human decency are first principles.  So, here I am, a proud member of the Sanctimonious Women’s Studies Club, if that’s what you want to call it.

      • 

        kansas on June 8, 2006 at 1:11 pm

        “consensus-sorship”. . .that’s a great word, blueneck. I guess there was consensus-sorship there, and it was of us. Which none of us expected, or at least I didn’t. Surprised then, not surprised now.

31. 

    James Benjamin on June 8, 2006 at 3:04 am

    I will certainly say it’s been a more interesting ride here than at Big Orange – my last visit there left me flat. So it goes.

    Quite a few familiar names on that list. Some I still see here regularly or from time to time (and a few I see elsewhere). There are a few on that list who’ve disappeared whom I genuinely miss. If any of them still lurk, I hope they’re well.

32. 

    glitterscale on June 8, 2006 at 7:23 am

    to the original pie war, but I was fascinated by Booman’s comments about the absinthe thing “when did it get cleavage?”

    However subsequent flame wars drove me nuts.  I really get tired of being challenged on every little comment, and since I am not that great a writer most of my comments are pretty lame.  Plus these little macho princes really have no interest in trying to understand any other pov.  And they seemed to like to nitpick every little thing to the point of absurdity sucking the fun out of threads for me.

    • 

      Militarytracy on June 8, 2006 at 11:25 am

      What a crock….since I am not that great a writer most of my comments are pretty lame.  I can’t believe that you said about your comments.  Everybody has personality deficits and taking in a different perspective for a moment can be very very needed.  You have always been that for me!  I always read your comments because they speak to me.  You are the voice of wisdom and experience in life that I need to hear.

      • 

        glitterscale on June 12, 2006 at 10:43 pm

        Thank you MT.  I love your posts too!

    • 

      Gaianne on June 9, 2006 at 12:17 am

      really have no interest in trying to understand any other pov  

      That is the whole thing right there.  Some times they would pretend to long enough to “win points.” But really they could not be bothered to open a single ear.  

33. 

    Gaianne on June 8, 2006 at 7:44 am

    on the page of the diary in the list of pie-fight refugees.  Could not decide what I thought about that.  

    And then to see the names of all those great people, some still around, and some who we haven’t seen in a while.  

    And then to read through this thread and realize that commemorating this anniversary (which after all was a disaster, and rather painful) is something I can hold with because of the people who are here, to celebrate it.  

    I too am greatful for what Markos accomplished in creating DailyKos, which was after all, my first blogging experience.  A year since the pie-fight, I am feeling less strongly about the Orange empire in all ways.  Oddly, I think Markos is accomplishing what he wanted–an electorally focused political blog.  That it is becoming shallow is my problem, not his–it does not worry him at all.  

    I am even more greatful that there was a  better place to move to (BT) when that became needful, and where deeper thought is possible, and greater civility encouraged.  

    I’m one who is still around.  

    And liking it.  

    Thank you very much for welcoming me here, then.  

34. 

    scribe on June 8, 2006 at 10:43 am

    The Pie episode was very painful for me, a pail of ice cold water flung right in the face of the delusion I was busily fostering,that the sexism and misogeny of the sort I grew up with, was essentially a thing of the past at least in mixed liberal settings.  Ha. There it was again, as ugly as it ever was,in the last place I ever expected to find it.  That was bad, but it got worse when we were told pretty clearly by management that if we didn’t like it, hey, there’s the door.

    I was really affected, even depressed by this eye opening experience. What the hell had all the years of hard work we’d done towards equal standing and respect for women been for, if even liberal men and even some women, were still reacting like that?

    I came here with a determination to never again trust anyone, specificaally males on line, to be who they presented themselves to be, liberal, progressive or whatever. I can’t NOT know how deep subconscious misogeny can go, and that it can re-appear anywhere, anytime, with or without intent.

    But I had my time of ‘separatism” when I only hung out with women. It was a necessary, healing time for for me, but now I want to live in the world as it is, filled with both men and women.

    I want a place where I can get to really KNOW my brothes, and where they really want to get to know who I am also, across the vast gulf of the gender gap that has always separated us.  I want to build bridges between now, not more walls.

    This site is a bridge-building site. I find people here who DO want to know and understand each other, in spite of all the existing “walls” and are willing to take the risks this always entails, and do the hard work this requires.  Hee I have found so many of what I call my “gentle brothers”: men who have chosen NOT to let cultureal pressures cut them in two parts, and discard thier softer, gentler sides. And I have found very powerful, wonderfully whole women, who have embraced all of who they are too.

    There is maturity here, thoughtful people secure enough to dare to really communicate in meaningful ways, and tackle together the hard and necessary stuff of building bridges and creating a movement toward unity. People who really do want to come to the understanding that we are indeed all more alike than we are different.

    So now I am quite grateful the Kos door slammed in my face,  even it it did hurt like hell, because it led me to this doorway, and others , where I can really feel hope for the future of us all.

    Thanks to all who have contributed to making the pond what it is and for your warm welcome.  

    • 

      kansas on June 8, 2006 at 10:47 am

      I agree with everything you said and I admire the way you said it.

35. 

    snappy on June 8, 2006 at 10:53 am

    sorry guys (and gals), but national pie day is january 23rd.

    apparently i missed the whole pie fight thing … i stopped reading kos long before the pie fight started and didn’t stumble over here for a little while after the pie fight.

36. 

    Damnit Janet on June 8, 2006 at 12:08 pm

    Our sanctuary.

    I have found friends, family and guides here. Thank you.

37. 

    Spit on June 8, 2006 at 8:02 pm

    You know, I actually managed to miss the bulk of the Pie Wars, entirely because I was too busy to be online for the period of time when it exploded.

    That little timing thing might be the only reason I ever still post over there, though I’m notoriously hard to offend, particularly to the point of leaving. I’m too stubborn or somesuch.

    What I found really funny about it from a personal POV, honestly, was that when I went back and read some of that stuff (mostly out of a rubbernecking kind of curiosity), I wasn’t particularly offended by the ad (I have a complicated opinion on stuff like it) — but the escalation of the thing as people defended the ad (poorly) and its explosion when markos opened his mouth and inserted his foot were both predictable and deeply, deeply offensive.

    At any rate, I think it wasn’t long after that — there were a few more weird wars, some pushed by markos’s foot-in-mouth-disease — that I decided to come check out over here, at least as a sort of refuge when that place got too stupid and aggressive for me to take. Life’s too short to interact with so many assholes. Plus, I found many of the folks I’d been missing horribly since the Exodus.

    I like this place so much better on so many levels. Problem is, I usually post the most when somebody says something that pisses me off a little — which means I don’t say a whole lot over here.

    • 

      Emma Anne on June 8, 2006 at 8:46 pm

      “I wasn’t particularly offended by the ad (I have a complicated opinion on stuff like it) — but the escalation of the thing as people defended the ad (poorly) and its explosion when markos opened his mouth and inserted his foot were both predictable and deeply, deeply offensive.”

      Yep.  Spit calls it.  🙂