GM Is an Anti-military, reactionist, no good rotten bum!

To those of you who know me, the title of this post may be a little difficult to understand, but if you give me a chance I'll explain.

A couple of days ago, I received an e-mail from someone I'll call PDD (pretty-danged-dim). PDD was surfing the internet a couple of days ago and found this entry from February of 2005 and sent me an email which I post in here:

I was out on the Internet gathering information when I ran across your story on Brad Kasal posted on February 2, 2005. Have you seen the comment that someone put out there on January 15th? That's horrible. Just plain sad.
Why do people stoop to this level? I think it would be more than appropriate to remove that comment.

The "January 15th" date was this year, so the post kind of stayed in limbo without much comment for almost a full year. PDD aparantly thought badly enough of the comment to ask me to remove it.

Any of my regular readers know that I'm an outspoken advocate of the 1st Amendment and have posted on that very issue a number of times here, here, here, here and here. Oddly enough, the first link was published on the same day PDD e-mailed me. My response to PDD is as follows:

Hi, and thank you for your thought, however, I'm a major believer in free speech, even when I violently disagree with it (you should have seen the tantrum I threw when this comment went up)

I have a better idea, how about you posting your comment and take that fellow down a peg or two? I sent the author an e-mail telling him what I thought of him and his comment, but it was in lanugage I won't put on my blog ;-)

The good news is that that particular story has enjoyed massive exposure in a number of blogs and the vast, vast, vast majority of comments were very positive.

Thanks again for taking the time to email

GM Roper

Now, that sounded pretty fair minded didn't it? But, not everyone sees things the way I do and I shortly received an answer to my email. Obviously PDD doesn't see things the way I do:

Free speech. Pfft. Whatever. I disagree with your decision, but it is your website.

I did type in a reply, but my language was not suitable for publishing so I deleted it. Besides, I'm sure that's the only reason this imbecile posted.
I will not give him the gratification of a reply.

Brad does not deserve that garbage to be written about him and it makes me sad and VERY ANGRY. That's the only reason I even bothered to contact you.
If you won't remove it, I've wasted my time.

"Free speech. Pffft?" What the blankety blank is that all about. Wasted time in expressing closely held beliefs? Wasted time in a free exchange of ideas? What kind of person is PDD?

Again, let me say what I told PDD...."I'm a major believer in free speech, even when I violently disagree with it..." What part of FREE SPEECH doesnt PDD get? At any rate, I responded to his (her?) latest email with:

I'm sorry you feel that way, but don't ever forget that freedom of speech is one of the things Sgt. Kasal risked his life for repeatedly. That and all the other freedoms we enjoy.

GM

Not content to let it alone, PDD responded with:

Well, I'm sorry you feel the way you do too. There is such a thing as right and wrong no matter what freedoms we have.

If you have no shame in leaving such trash, I'll classify you in the same group with the person that posted the comment as you obviously have ulterior motives.

I will steer clear of your site, not mention this matter to anyone and try to forget it myself.

If I have no shame? My-oh-my. Well PDD, I'm not going to respond to you in an email, but I will let you know a few things about me. 1) I'm a third generation Army Brat my father and grand father career soldiers; my father fought in WWII, Korea and Vietnam, my Grandfather in WWI and WWII where he was a POW for a thousand days, supporting that very right of free speech. 2) I am a veteran and damned proud of it. 3) I took an oath to defend the constitution against all enemies, foreign and domestic and I stand by that oath. 4) Part of that constitution, and this includes the same constitution that Sgt. Kasal risked his life to defend, is the First Amendment which guarantees the right of free speech. 5) My so called "ulterior motive" is to be a good American, to support and defend the constitution and to be true to the ideals of the founding fathers, including the First Amendment.

I'll also state catagorically that those who do not defend the right of free speech include the very same points of view held by the islamofascists; what do you think the rioting in the Middle East over cartoons was all about - they do not want anyone to have that right when it comes to their belief systems.

Do the rioters include the vast majority of Muslims? Of course not, but silence in the presense of evil tends to support that evil. If we do not believe in our constitution, where pray-tell does that leave us? Lets say that I did delete that comment, since it was so old and since no one besides you made note of it, what would that prove? That I freely censor other points of view? If you read my rules for commenting especially towards the bottom where I clearly state:

Finally, I reserve the right to interpret any of these rules to mean whatever I choose, and may at any point revise, retract, or remove them at my whim. If you don't like it, then get your own blog and make your own rules.

I disagree with the commenter as posted, but to be honest, I had forgotten it was there. If someone else wishes to add to the comment either taking that commenter down "a peg or two" or in support of that commenter I will likely leave it there unless it egregiously violates the other rules.

My blog, my rules, and I reserve the right to interpret or change the rules at any time based on a solid bit of evidence the rule is wrong, or based on a whim. Get used to it. So, if that makes me a member of "... the same group with the person that posted the comment as you obviously have ulterior motives," so be it. But you know what, freedom of speech does not mean freedom from consequences for that speech.

As to whether or not you ever come back to this blog, you would be surprised at how little I care.

Sincerly,
GM

UPDATE: Marc Schulman at American Future has a different bit of info, but the same focus, i.e., the 1st Amendment.

Posted by GM Roper at March 16, 2006 07:27 AM | TrackBack