Or How I Learned to Stop Worrying

Tue Aug 1 2006 1:43 pm

Death To Hezbollah!

Click here to see an Hezbollah collaborator getting what he deserves.

hezbollah

israel

lebanon

Pre-paid phone card. Pre-paid calling card.

23 Responses to “Death To Hezbollah!”

Zebster Says:
August 1st, 2006 at 2:47 pm
Thanks for the link, Mash. What can anyone really say about that? No words seem adequate.
BTW, I’m blowing smoke up your butt at Inside Zebster. :d
Mash Says:
August 1st, 2006 at 7:59 pm
Zeb, you should see the ruckus this caused at Daily Kos - none of it good. Click here to read the diary and comments.

I am rather concerned by the mob mentality there and have decided that I will stop posting there after tonight’s diary. I think some of the readers there are turning that place into a mirror of Michelle Malkin’s site. If you become what you are fighting than you have lost the fight, me thinks.
MHB Says:
August 2nd, 2006 at 5:06 am
I don’t read Kos regularly - and apparently I still don’t quite understand the diaries and trolling. What rules did you break?

When I saw this post here, I thought, WTF? Then I clicked on it, went to the picture with the CAPTION and thought it was pretty self explanatory (and ironic, not in support of killing children - guess I’d better say that since this is on the internet and so many people don’t get the post…).

So help me with the diary. You’re a troll because you’re only promoting your blog with a one-line diary? Were people more pissed at that or the Death to Hezbollah title, or the picture, or what? They thought you were advocating killing civilians? Please help me understand what happened here. Sometimes I’m so naive despite my advancing years.

As I mentioned, I don’t read Kos that much - are the front pagers still not writing much about Israel? I did a search on the front page and only found a reference to Israel in a diary.

Booman wrote this about a week ago
http://www.boomantribune.com/story/2006/7/24/205033/358
about Israel dividing the left in the US and references Kos not wanting to write about Israel. That seems like ignoring the elephant in the room.

And isn’t Booman a split from Kos? Reminds me of the Life of Brian… The story of the left since way back - fighting more with each other than the common enemies.

Please educate me - why were they so pissed?

Hopefully you’ll find more support. Hang in there and keep writing. Zebster’s right, even if he thinks it’s just smoke up your ass…
Jamie Stern-Weiner Says:
August 2nd, 2006 at 7:23 am
Haha. I read through a few of the comments there. They were getting all angry and insulting at first because they were too thick to understand the point, and then because it was only one line long instead of a few paragraphs. It had to be short to make the point!

Stupid, stupid people.
Mash Says:
August 2nd, 2006 at 10:35 am
Jamie, its the usual suspects there. I thought the point was quite clear. Apparently not. It kind of like a bunch of people running around picking fights. I used to post there because mostly you get very intelligent comments and a good discussion. But every now and then, someone who takes this stuff way too seriously, starts harrassing people. This was the first time it was me. So, I added a note to my diary last night saying I was done with posting diaries there. A lot of my usual readers were quite sympathetic in the comments - and it will be disappointing not to engage with them. Then there were those who thought I was putting my ego before the borg. Its that hive mentality that annoys me. You expect that from the wingnuts, but its disturbing on this end.

The funniest comments were from a couple of folks who said that I was abdicating my responsibility to the community. I almost fell out of my chair laughing.
Mash Says:
August 2nd, 2006 at 11:01 am
MHB, I need to have a talk with Zeb about this smoke in my trousers. I need to know that it is not carcinogenic! :-w

About DKos, trusted users (I am one of them, by some magic and secret formula) have the ability to mark someone as a troll. A troll is someone whose only purpose is to be disruptive. The idea is a good one - the community can police itself. However, I have also seen it used to stifle opposing points of view. There are a bunch of nuts on the site who go around insulting people and doll out troll points like candy. Its childish, but mostly they had not harrassed me. Most people who read my diaries actually were there because they were serious about the subject matter. You get enough troll points, and your comment is hidden by the system. You get some more, I think you are banned from the site.

I knew my post was going to raise controversy. But I thought it would raise discussion, not the insult fest that ensued. The saner people came in later, but in the initial period it was incredibly hostile. They were mainly upset because they found a good target. One guy was the ring leader, and the rest followed like lemmings without reading the post.

I think the points that pissed them off are:
- diary was too short. It breaks Rule #4 of posting which says that diaries should have substance to them. I felt my diary had plenty of substance even though very few words. As for the link to my site, I always include that at the end of all my diaries as a matter of custom. This was no different. But, I had broken a rule, and HAD to be punished. |)
- a lot of people thought I was advocating killing babies. I thought my point was pretty obvious, but apparently not.
- I noticed the pro-Israel crowd there (in fact, the ring leader is one). They try to incite a flame war in every diary that is critical of Israel. Mostly they don’t succeed. This one was an exception.
- Some people I think were shocked with being confronted with a visual for their assertion that the civilians in Qana are culpable (the Dershowitz argument). This diary was meant specifically for them. So, if I made them uncomfortable, I did my good deed for the day.
- Mostly it was about jumping on the bandwagon for a lot of them. One insisted that he/she would not read my diary - but I was the devil incarnate anyway. These people would fit right in in Jonestown.

As for Kos and Atrios and others who are ignoring this conflict, I wrote about that in an earlier post here. The Daily Kos front page has no mention of it. Its like a surreal bubble of illusion, very much like Bush’s bubble. I am surprised if they don’t see the irony of their positions. But, its their blogs, they can choose to ignore the topic.

There are plenty of liberal blogs discussing the issue from both sides of the conflict. Some, notably AmericaBLOG and Taylor Marsh do quite well. HuffPo has had it as the top story since the conflict started. So, I think the rest of the blogosphere has picked up the slack. I think Atrios and Kos are so afraid they will piss off their readers by taking a position, that they dont want to lose their ad revenue (income) by writing about it. Its a very corporate mentality - but, also proves that principles are usually trumped by dollars.
Mash Says:
August 2nd, 2006 at 11:14 am
MHB, btw, I just gave Booman a good read. My response is that he says it a lot better than I can. His analysis is on the mark.:)>-
Zebster Says:
August 2nd, 2006 at 11:50 am
Even though I do smoke, this smoke is not toxic. It’s all love and peace, Mash.
I don’t get people sometimes. Even if one were confused or assumed a position by the one line, the picture should clear that up.
Those that tag along as happend at Kos prove that it’s hard to keep an open mind (true liberal) and that both sides are susceptible to the herd, which defeats the purpose of this whole idea of open discussion as a means of change and progress.
Maybe I’ve found my next topic.
cyberotter Says:
August 2nd, 2006 at 11:52 am
DKos and thier ilk. You keep doing what your doing Mash. Did you happen to catch all of that info about 9-11 hitting the web?
MHB Says:
August 2nd, 2006 at 12:32 pm
Thanks Mash.
jeremiah bullfrog Says:
August 2nd, 2006 at 12:58 pm
Dangit Mash you are making it hard for me to continue this Jeremiah thing with pictures like this!

:-<
Mash Says:
August 2nd, 2006 at 1:07 pm
Sorry, Jeremiah. If you stop being a ninja, we won’t know where to go for some sanity and perspective. I recommend your site to practically everyone I know.

I think you even have a fan club here with the ladies (I think the ninja thing works for them…you, the power of life and death in the palm of your hands thing).

Besides, what would the President do without your prayer team? What would Mel Gibson do, he needs a lot of prayers now. :d
Mash Says:
August 2nd, 2006 at 1:12 pm
cyberotter, thanks. Lots of good stuff to read on DKos - and I intend to keep my daily reads.

Zeb, I look forward to your post. I had the same thought, but I’m kind of part of the story now and it wouldnt work too well from my now.
Zebster Says:
August 2nd, 2006 at 1:43 pm
It’s up, with help from Booman and the Fallen Monk.
Now off to read more blogs, since you keep recommending them.
doro Says:
August 2nd, 2006 at 1:47 pm
Mash,

The picture and the caption got to me as well. And although I consider myself Israel-friendly, that doesn’t mean I endorse all of their actions. Having read many of your posts here, I would never have thought it possible to misinterpret what you’re saying like in those comments on DKos. Don’t these people think? Can they read (I mean read and understand)?

Keep up your work. You’re doing a very valuable job!
Group Captain Mandrake Says:
August 2nd, 2006 at 4:30 pm
Just goes to show kiddies…stupidity is not the sole province of any political affiliation. Nor is groupthink. :d
Ingrid Says:
August 2nd, 2006 at 5:21 pm
I am with the poster above, way above..Daily Kos is too confusing for me. Plus, as someone else mentioned, it’s the group think. I could never get into it. I think that picture would greatly disturb Israelis if they saw it..
Ingrid
Zeb..smokin’ Mash..hmm…gotta check that out..
Avila Says:
August 2nd, 2006 at 10:11 pm
Mash, what a nice place you’ve got here.

Just came by to tell you I am sorry for the circular firing squad yesterday at DK, but they (pardon me) shoot blanks. And they regularly shoot each other. :p

Your voice is missed already.

Want a pony?
Mash Says:
August 3rd, 2006 at 2:43 am
Hi Avila, thanks for stopping by. Dont torture me with ponies though! I am sure its against some article of the Geneva Conventions…its the often overlooked pony article.

Some of the folks on DKos really frighten me. It really reminded me of the time when Malkin sent her trolls in my direction. They just kept coming like lemmings for weeks. To this day, a few head on over here.

Zebster had an interesting post on the groupthink that is emerging on the left. Not a healthy trend. As for me, I want to have meaningful, even provocative, discussions on the serious issues. In the process, maybe I will learn some things. What I don’t want to do is get pulled down into petty food fights. I think there is a good chance that posting on DKos can and will devolve into food fights, at least in the near term.

We have a small group of commenters and a larger group of readers here. Most of it is civil, although lately there’s been some reports of smoke. We even have the occasional visit from a country ninja. Sometimes even a reasonable conservative stops by.

Please join in on the conversation. We could use your voice here too
Robbie Says:
August 3rd, 2006 at 6:02 am
Mash, I understand why you won’t post on DailyKos anymore. It’s the same reason why I left Democratic Underground.

As for DailyKos, another reason why I don’t go there is because there’s a couple of trolls posing as “progressives” on there that are quite popular. They harassed me on a website for writing a tribute on voting rights activist Andy Stephenson last summer on a different progressive website.

I’ve thought about confronting those thugs and outing them on DK but why waste the energy? I don’t post there anyway, but it tells you what kind of people inhabit that place.
doro Says:
August 3rd, 2006 at 6:48 am
http://news.independent.co.uk/world/middle_east/article1211289.ece
Jamie Stern-Weiner Says:
August 3rd, 2006 at 11:39 am
By the way I noticed you’re right about Atrios/MyDD/DKos: they are virtually completely ignoring the crisis in the Middle East.

It seems amazing to me that supposedly liberal blog networks find it in themselves to ignore such an important event, particularly since the country most of their readers come from is heavily responsible for it all.

I’ve tried to address it by posting a couple of article on MyDD, but still…can it really be that they’re putting readership ahead of principles?
Group Captain Mandrake Says:
August 3rd, 2006 at 1:11 pm
I have to concur with a lot of the above…I’ve gone to DailyKos many times in the past, but I WILL NOT register or comment because of ridiculous stuff like this. It’s like the stepford posters over there. Mash’s page (at least so far, ) seems to be a lot more civil and informed bunch. Keep up the good work Mash, Ingrid, Zebster and all the other REASONABLE people on Dr. S (you know who you are, sorry if I left you out!) who can engage in a civil exchange of ideas without starting a flame war or throwing excrement out from between the cage bars.