Dude, why the bleached white backdrop? Was there something wrong with a sky-blue background? This set-up looks like cocaine was spilled all over the blog. I thought you wanted to reflect a calmer setting, no?
Like I told pollo in an email, I believe I contributed a great deal to the Althouse shutdown. I feel I should own up to that. Man up, as Althouse is fond of saying. I had not done the owning up, because I feared retribution. Still do. I spent a great deal of time shearing with all of you. I felt a connection. The idea that I contributed to the destruction of something I enjoyed is incomprehensively demoralizing. For all of those things and whatever else I'm leaving out, I am sorry.
Lem, that is completely NOT the case. In no way did you do anything to cause the closing of the comments at Althouse. And you have no reason, as far as we are concerned, to feel sorry or demoralized in any way. You were always a large part of what made comments there worthwhile. You should feel proud of that and proud of what you are now doing here.
Lem said... Like I told pollo in an email, I believe I contributed a great deal to the Althouse shutdown.
Well, unless there's something you're not telling us, like you are "Mary" I don't see it that way. You've kept the thin raft of commenters afloat. This blog probably captured as many hits as Althouse lost, which is a stark fact of equilibrium. It's hardly your fault though.
Lem, I don't think you should flog yourself about the shut down of comments. There were a great many others who, from what I read, deserve a much greater share of the 'man up' pie then you ever would.
Alas, many who contributed a great deal more will never own up. They are either willfully ignorant or stupid. And you can't fix stupid. Actually, the willfully ignorant are blind by choice. You can't give sight to someone who doesn't want to see, either.
And then there are the craven abusers who hide behind the anonymity of the internet and purposely choose to wreak havoc and destruction. You can't stop them. Even 'confronting' them won't stop them if they're determined.
The fact that you lament any role you feel you played speaks volumes to the kind of man you must be. Don't beat yourself mercilessly over this. Forgive yourself and move on. Your place *here* is the beginning of something new. Sometimes good things fall apart so better things can fall together, as Marilyn said.
In a my words against yours I win and you in your head you win.
But the problem is however, that there is no narrative for me other than my acceptance for what I did that could even begin to make some kind of restitution for what I've done.
Lem, no - it is in no way your fault. I would name the two individuals who "broke the camel's back" but it would only give them more pleasure in having destroyed something many of us felt was good.
ps: please check your paypal, pal. $ where my blabby mouth is.
I know I don't. But I do. I said I would. And I will continue to. (Good thing the rest of your commentariate didn't take me up on my $1/comment challenge. I would have had to shut up days and days ago.)
Karen of Texas wrote: Lem, I don't think you should flog yourself about the shut down of comments. There were a great many others who, from what I read, deserve a much greater share of the 'man up' pie then you ever would.
With all due respect, Karen (this may be our first exchange) but I think Althouse's call to "man-up" was bullshit. If that is what Lem is alluding to at all then I call BS on that too.
OMG, Lem, please-- you have nothing at all for which to feel guilty or blame yourself!
On the contrary! You were always one of the bright lights over there, as you are the guiding light here-- bringing people together. You were one of the elements that cemented that (and now this) community.
And you provided a place where that community could still hold together, as opposed to dissipating into the internet aether. It's because of your character, the kind of person you are, that so many-- including so many ex-antagonists, who fought nastily over there-- have come together, happily and cordially, and made peace with each other here.
She (or they) closed comments for her (or their) own reasons. Her/ their decision. That's it.
And any further alienation or hostility being created, fomented, intensified in the aftermath, is coming not from *this* side, but that.
One of the problems with the way the comments shutdown has been handled (over there and by the messenger here) is that the (ongoing) accusations, the blame, the contempt, the anger, the disparagement, the insults, were/ are being cast so broadly, so indiscriminately, so vehemently, so bitterly, over virtually all those who were once regulars @TOP.
And it turns out that that hurts the absolutely innocent, like Lem, most of all.
Meade said... Lem, that is completely NOT the case. In no way did you do anything to cause the closing of the comments at Althouse. And you have no reason, as far as we are concerned, to feel sorry or demoralized in any way. You were always a large part of what made comments there worthwhile. You should feel proud of that and proud of what you are now doing here.
@pollo -no disrespect meant to any of the males on here at all pollo. I only used the 'man-up' term because Lem had used it. I read a lot of that exchange and I confess, it left me a bit cold because it became so ugly.
I jumped out of that one after only a short while because, well, it really went downhill fast and was a bash-fest that I didn't want to participate in. And by participate, I mean read. I wanted some perspective because I tend to yell first and think later. I wasn't a commeter over there really anyway, and I'm not sure I would have put together anything coherent or useful.
We all know that Lem provided this space for us, because of his love for the Althouse community. For Althouse herself and those who commented there.
It would help if her messenger-- or one we can only assume is her messenger (I still find that hard to believe)-- would stop trashing this place and insulting everyone in it.
What is your fault is that the various posters on this site cannot figure out how to all post in a consistent style. Please create some style guidelines and make them conform. It would be good if the posts were kept short, with longer posts requiring a click to read on. That way you can quickly skim the site more easily. Also, there should probably be some daily limit on the number of posts by a given blogger.
You have a window of opportunity in which to make the blog work. Currently you have a captive audience almost entirely made up of ex-Althouse posters. This audience will gradually decline if you don't create a professional blog to attract replacements. You have had an incredible start to the blog but normal market forces will come in to play over time.
There is currently a lot of good will directed towards the blog and no doubt others will have different opinions. Ultimately you should follow your gut but it is not a bad to crowd source some feedback. If I sound too critical I don't feel this way. I am impressed that things have gone as well as they have.
I won't say more (in that vein) because I don't want to go against Lem's intentions here. He seeks reconciliation. (Whereas I'd like to move on.)
I will just repeat what others have said: there's nothing you need to apologize for. On the contrary, *all* of us-- all the commenters *and* the hosts at the other place-- had reasons, big fat reasons, to feel grateful to you.
So... I linked my grammar post to my Google+ and I get back a comment that I'd been treated poorly in the comments to that post. I was alarmed and went to look. Then I posted that, oh, those were my friends and the grief they gave me was all in good fun.
And that's why I didn't want to lose the commenting community I was a part of here. Where else on the internet can I actually get *teased* by my friends? Or where could I have an argument over some minute difference of opinion without getting immediately attacked for being on the wrong side as if everything is automatically us vs. them?
It takes a long time to build that up, so that people know who you are and can give you heck and have it all be in good fun.
Lem you have nothing to be ashamed of and nothing to apologize for in any way shape or form. You generosity in letting so many talented people contribute to your blog will make it a great success if you continue. Unlike ARM, I think the contrasting style can be a lot fun with each person displaying their quirks and personality. It is going great so far for the most part.
Lem, no - it is in no way your fault. I would name the two individuals who "broke the camel's back" but it would only give them more pleasure in having destroyed something many of us felt was good.
ps: please check your paypal, pal. $ where my blabby mouth is.
No, please name them. I'd like to know who destroyed that which was good.
That may not be dinner that Synova heard. There is a pretty good storm bearing down from the north. It is also a wide one, so we all should get some rain. Last night, I barely got a trace in my rain gage, though Ch. 13 said somewhere in the NE Heights got 4". Must have taken the media by surprise, since they do not seem to have pictures from the arroyos; just of the lightning flashes that viewers sent in.
The way things have been going, the TV stations have been reporting rainfalls by the street intersections where they occurred, but this one looks to be a major one coming down.
Lem, for crying out loud, stop thinking you had any contribution to certain peoples animous for taking their ball and going home. Criticism is a two way street. Some people can't take it, but love to give it. Some people have thinner skins, while others don't give two shits about anything you say. You did nothing, so don't give into the survivors guilt over it. You are here now, giving people who care a venue to express their thoughts and ideas. I think this is a much better format than the scripted manipulative dictats from that once great place.
Site meters aside, if you don't care about any of that and do it for the love of the game, then you aren't missing anything you never had to begin with. Run with it, don't let certain cock-baskets manipulate you. Be your own blogger. Drive it the way you think it should go.
Trooper York said... Unlike ARM, I think the contrasting style can be a lot fun with each person displaying their quirks and personality.
One of my favorite books is 'The Visual Display of Quantitative Information' by Edward Tufte. The main focus of the book is on the presentation of scientific data in an easily readable form. He focuses on eliminating anything that distracts from the data, in large part by creating a quiet and consistent background. The books are relatively old now but they also influenced early web design. I realize it is not the only way to approach graphic presentations but it is worthwhile approach.
Hey, Hagar, I keep forgetting that you're in town. It's not raining out here yet, though it might. We seem to live in a dry pocket or something. It's consistent, too. Our vegetation is pure pinon and cedar high desert while a couple of miles closer to the mountain there are ponderosas, maple and (what looks to me like) boxelder.
We all need the rain so badly but the flash flooding in Albuquerque when it's all coming right off the mountain can be intense. I don't know how to explain it to people who aren't here. The last one undermined city streets in at least one place so that it had to be dug up and fixed. That was just last week. The size of some of the rocks that had been washed down were as big as a man's fist... it's not just dirt.
They've had all the arroyos in town go under roads since I've been here but I met someone who'd had a friend killed when the water caught her car and swept it away back not too long ago when some roads in the city just dipped down into them and up again.
I don't often agree with AReasonableMan, but here I think he's right.
Now, I also agree that disparate voices and opinions in posts are good. That was one of Althouse's strengths -- she could write about politics, law, pop culture, science, whatever seemed interesting; and she could come at issues from the right or left.
I don't think any other single person could do that, with her quality and quantity of writing.
But a team can. So it's good to have a multi-faceted team.
But: Her posts also had a consistency of form and format. She'd often begin a quote in the headline, and finish just below.
She didn't use the "jump" page break often, but that's because her posts were usually concise and efficient. I'm not, and I've tried to improve, but I'm using the page break feature where I can. But a style guide, like ARM describes, would have to go deeper than what I've just described.
Maybe Freeman or Chick could come up with something and bounce it off of you, Lem. It would be beyond me to synthesize such a thing; I can only tell that, in my opinion, it's needed.
@Synova, That was the July 9th, 1987 storm when they got 8" at Supper Rock nd more generally 4"+ over the whole NE Heights. The young lady you are talking about tried to cross Indian School at Juan Tabo or Chelwood when there was an estimated 1000-1200 cfs coming down Indian school. Not a good idea.
I think a public service announcement might not be a bad idea. But obviously it would have to be ironic and involve a lot of pics of what not to do, right?
The red part of the storm is now down in the South Valley and just reaching Los Lunas. so it was a fast mover. Got an even 1" in my gauge from the heavy part, and it looks like drizzle rain for a couple of more hours at least, since the north edge is still up in the Jemez around Los Alamos.
Number One: I Love Reconciliation. Slow Sweet Smooth Back-and-Forth Reconciliation. Reconciliation Candles, Reconciliation Ferns and Macrame. I Love the Reconciliation Seventies.
I Will Say This with an Honest Heart: Everyone is Wrong Except for Me and Darcy.
Darcy:
Do you like Pina Coladas?
Do You like getting Caught in the Rain?
Okay, Maybe I'm Wrong, Too: Synova Always Seems to have the Handle the Vandals Didn't Took. Poor Grammar But Dylan Reference Overrides.
All of This is Making Me Re-Think of My Eight-Year Grudge with My Former Lead Singer / Best Friend / Ex-Brother-in-Law.
Another Story: I am a Shallow Man.
I Look Forward Unto the Day That We All Join in the Commenters' Hall of Fame Ceremony and Sing "Knockin' On Heaven's Door". Althouse Can Play Harmonica; I Claim Kazoo. We Will Force Bass Player Number Three To Stay in the Audience. Bass Player Number Three Always gets the Short End of the Stick.
Lem, You Get the Prime Solo: you Are a Man amongst Men. I Do Not Mean That in the Context of Physical Proximity: I have No Wish to Revist Shaky Themes.
Although You Haven't Invited Me to Guest Post. I Figure the Check is in the Mail, Followed By A Comment I May have Already Deleted.
To Those Who Have Read this Far: Must B3K Be Your Moses? 'Cause I Suppose My Toes-es Are Roses: I Like Singing in the Rain.
Gene Kelly Vs. Fred Astaire: See Lem? That is the Kind of Unity-Based Discussion I Would Bring: Does No One Remember Gene Kelly in 'Xanadu'? Olivia Newton-John or Olivia-Newton John: Not Sure Where the Asterisk Goes (and Not in the Confused Sexuality Asterisk Context, either). Also: Michael Beck, the Guy From "The Warriors.". Do People Remember the Violence in the Theatres? Warriors, Not Xanadu, But Maybe Both Anyway.
Freeman Hunt, Set Me Straight: Again, Not in Confused Sexuality Asterisk Context, either. By Saying This I am Pulling Your Metaphorical PigTails: You Are Also Right, Regardless of Your Opinion on Pina Coladas.
I Would Go into a Riff on Pina Colonics But I Have Restraint.
Incidentally, the "Weather Underground," which I have used for years and even sent money to, now have a statement up next to their Google title whatchamacallit stating that they were founded at Ann Arbor in 1995 by Bill Ayers & Co. Yes, that Bill Ayers. I would guess he provided the start-up money, and the other guys were the computer nerds.
She (or they) closed comments for her (or their) own reasons. Her/ their decision. That's it.
No one knows, really, but here is my take. Whether it is actual or not, who knows, it's food for thought. Read as "My thinking" in front of everything.
The relationship between Ann's "Losers" post, and her "we women can use men's sperm, and you have to pay for it" post and the comment shutdown argues something more was going on.
She does not like it when people disagree with her. There are instances of merciless attacks by her, and to me, bizarre defenses of her words, often using legal outs when the meaning is plain. The community as a whole rejected her approach and views on these two topics, and that, and that alone, led to the shutdown. She said "Follow me," and the community said "No."
So she killed the virtual townhall forum she created. What was so amazing about what she did? So many different views. Liberals (who I frankly wish could have defended their positions better, but that's my bias). Plus a large number of unique perspectives developed over a lifetime talking about the problems of the day in a very straight-forward manner.
That to me is the very sad thing. I don't see how her actions have benefited anyone. Nor do I see how I could go back to Althouse even if she restored comments, because she might do it again, and I don't think she has it in her to convince me the investment in the fine folks here isn't in jeopardy.
The bickering and the ad hominems are unfortunate, and I wish the liberal perspective were better presented (I still don't get it!) But that's no reason to shut down a very successful blog, and to hurt both the blog and the community supporting it.
Larry Yoko Meade: It sure is a blessing that your opinions transcend truth and can be summarized with the power of subatomic particles (unlike EBL's own, many long posts).
But not every thought is one that calls for the sentence structure of Dick and Jane.
Give me a short answer (or any answer) on this: Why are you still here?
Is it true that you can use the set the internets to tell you when someone is talking about you somewhere? That is seriously messed up. Kind of like that Joe Pesci character in Goodfellas. "You talkin' about me?"
"I don't see how her actions have benefited anyone. "
The one accurate statement in that entire worthless comment. This is the kind of thing we had to put up with day after day.
Life. is. too. damn. short. and. too. valuable. to. waste. on. such. crap.
And yet, you are still wasting your short time on this. Not very perplexing, since you still wish to continue this back and forth to pacify your suckers bet, made a sucker, that wishes to suck those into his vortex of suck.
You mentioned you didn't want to mention names, but eluded that there were a couple of people that you don't want to name, but dropped it for all to know that there were. So my question for a third time, who are they? Or is it more of your suckage?
Regarding My Earlier Comment: Darcy, I Do Not Mean to Scare You. I Am Not the Creepy Guy in Front of the Seven-Eleven, I Am the Creepy Guy On an Entirely Different Bus. I Am Also Not Creeley23: I Do Not Know His Bus Route.
Is it true that you can use the set the internets to tell you when someone is talking about you somewhere? That is seriously messed up. Kind of like that Joe Pesci character in Goodfellas. "You talkin' about me?"
I think a public service announcement might not be a bad idea. But obviously it would have to be ironic and involve a lot of pics of what not to do, right?
I am totally mystified by this thread in general. Lem, of all people, you did nothing to cause the change at TOP. I'm sorry, maybe I am insensitive, but I do not understand.
What you have started and enabled to evolve, by inclusion, here has great potential. More power to you.
This Would be My First Guest Post if I Knew How to Do So:
Forgiveness Is Just Another Word For Nothing Left To Lose.
Because Dylan Has All of the Thematic Bases Covered (see 1992's "Froggie Went a Courtin"), But Kristofferson Could Hit a Ground-Rule Double.
Already Derailed: in the Streisand 1976 Version of "A Star Is Born" the Hard-Drinkin' Hard-Rockin' Song Kristofferson Sings to Set His Hard-Drinkin' Hard-Rockin' Bona Fides -- Watch Closely Now -- was Not Written By Him, But Rather By Paul Williams.
Paul Williams:
Co-Writer of the Muppets Song "Rainbow Connection"
Played "Little Enos" in the Film "Smokey and the Bear." Called "Little" Most Likely Because He Was Short: Five-Foot-Two Short. The Seventies Were a Different Time.
That Said: 'Watch Closely Now; is a Darn Fine Song:
"You're comin' with me girl, I'm gonna show you how When it's scary, don't look down"
Note: This is Not Directed at Darcy or Synova or Freeman Hunt. Mostly.
But Back to Forgiveness:
We All Like To Believe We Can Forgive, if the Circumstances are Right and the Stars Align, But the Topic Here is:
Is There Someone (or Something) That You Have Previously Forgiven That You Now Believe Was an Error of Judgment or Generosity? What Forgiveness Would You Take Back?
van Susteren has been going off the rails about Obama's "phony scandals" speech this week. One would think that after 4½ years of this she would realize that this guy reads off whatever they put in front of him, and they put whatever the speechwriter of the day thinks sounds good; nevermind if it 180 degrees off what the president said last week, or just yesterday, if he is making a campaign swing.
I have never seen a White House treat the American people with the utter contempt that this administration trears us.
The one accurate statement in that entire worthless comment. This is the kind of thing we had to put up with day after day.
I've never liked argument by authority. And, having watched nearly the entirety of the Zimmerman trial and testimony of nearly four weeks, which focused on the decisions over 1 minute, I think most people have a very hard time understanding how they arrive at decisions. Science tells us, for instance, that decisions are made before we are aware we have made them.
She is your woman, and she is a great woman, and I suspect you are adding a lot of value to her life. All good. But that doesn't mean she has not made bad decisions, and hurt people she should not have.
I think I understand some of the reasons she did. Argue why it's wrong, but don't argue by authority. Don't argue by association. It is, to use Ann's phrase, Bullshit.
I can't recall Lem making any unkind comments about anyone. It's a kind of negative grandiosity to blame himself for the demise of the comments section on Althouse. However, if he is, as claimed, a heavy drinker, then he can undoubtedly lay claim to many sins of far greater severity than disrupting a blog journal....After a few drinks, it's possible to imagine yourself the most horrible criminal imaginable. This is far better than accepting the banality of a sodden life.
I was a heavy drinker, off and on, over the years. I don't think I ruined any part of my life with booze. For all I know, maybe I would have been a worse person if I had tried to negotiate life as a teetotaler. But, for all that, it must be said that self evaluations are rarely precise or accurate when in the cups.
Zeus and I were out on the lake this afternoon on paddleboard. Setting sun. Big clouds. Post thunder shower. Almost crisp breezes. Three small sailboats. Canoes. Kayakyakyakyaks. And a group of about 12 people on paddleboards in the middle of the lake, all doing yoga in unison. Downward Dogs on Paddleboards. Zeus dove, swam, rode, shook. dove, swam, rode...
When we floated in and then got to the parking lot, someone said, "I love your dog. We were fishing from the bank and watching you two the whole time. It made me jealous, wishing I had a dog like that."
I said, "Yeah, if someone else had him, I'd be jealous too and I'd wish I had a dog just like him"
In a mean abode On the Shankill Road Lived a man named William Bloat And he had a wife The bane of his life Who always got his goat Then one day at dawn With her nightdress on He slit her bloody' throat Now he was glad He had done what he had As she lay there stiff and still Til suddenly thought of the angry law Filled his soul with an awful chill And to finish the fun so well begun He decided himself to kill So he took the sheet from his wife's cold feet And he twisted it into a rope And he hanged himself From the pantry shelf T'was an easy end let's hope With his dying breath And he facing death He solemnly cursed the Pope But the strangest turn Of the whole concern Is only just beginnin' He went to hell But his wife got well And she's still alive and sinnin' For the razor blade Was British made But the rope was Belfast linen
I just want to say, I really liked what was going on in the first 2/3rds of this comment thread. A lot of good humanity on display. Unfortunately, it fell back into the abyss we have been wallowing in since The Event.
Ultimately, the hate-fest, on the part of commenters towards A&M for what they did (or other reasons), and on the part of M, in defense of A's decision...does nothing but spiral us down, further. A self-sustaining cycle of mutual indignation that only retrenches hate, anger, and a desire for vengeance (through lashing out).
The first rule of holes -- stop digging.
The first rule of forgiveness -- let it go.
I think that's a bit what Lem was doing with his comments. He was letting go...of his anger at A&M for ending the Althouse community. And in that letting go, in acknowledging that A&M are not the villains, nor the heroes, in this story, he was able to own his responsibility for his part in the tale (even if it was only in being an innocent part of the community...which itself became the problem).
Lem's comments reflects an understanding that there was nothing inevitable about the break, and acknowledging a failed opportunity to do something about it. Everyone failed here. And now everyone is angry and pointing fingers. It isn't until you let go of that anger, and acknowledge responsibility for your own actions and inactions, that forgiveness and "moving on" is possible.
Lem isn't taking responsibility for the Break. He is taking responsibility for himself, as a commenter at Althouse. Responsibility in the failure of that community to solve a problem which proved fatal. And that is a very healthy place to be. And very courageous, in its ego-denying nature.
It opens the door to reconciliation. Just look at Meade's reaction. This is a step down the right road. More should take these steps (many did, in the wake of the Break). Inception-style walls have been built. Marley-esque chains have been forged. Breaking them down, dropping those chains...it's something we can all do. If we're willing to swallow the pride and give it a chance.
Maybe you think this is all a bunch of feel-good nonsense. But here is what I see: feelings hardening. Righteous anger expressed. Hurt transformed into rage. Lashing out. These are all very human reactions. It is human to err. It is also human to forgive, forget, and reconcile.
I hope, someday, to see that with A&M and the commenter community.
Gooch, I like what you said. I think there's a balance, and while maybe Lem looks too much at himself, there's a pretty good example there. If instead of looking to blame, we look at our own role, it becomes a learning experience rather than an anger inducing experience.
That's a key bit to marriage or any relationship. If you're always looking to how the other did wrong or failed, there's a constant spiral downwards and away.
"It opens the door to reconciliation. Just look at Meade's reaction. This is a step down the right road."
Really? Because from here it looks like some of you are bending over backwards to get screwed again. Really kinda sad, especially after the way Meade showed his ass here.
I'm with Crack. Its like you guys have battered wife syndrome. Let it go? Sure. But move back in? Pathetic.
Evi. L. BloggerLady, you are missing the point. Re-read my post. Did I say Lem did anything wrong?
yashu,
!!??!!??!!??!!??
Paddy O, thanks. It's a lesson that has certainly helped my own marriage through some difficulties.
Fen, see, that's what I'm talking about. A&M aren't serial domestic batterers. That you use that analogy just shows that you have failed to remember that A&M are human. They are not monsters. You have stripped them of good intentions, "otherized" them, caricatured them beyond all recognition. There's a lot more grey here than you seem prepared to acknowledge.
Donald Gooch, wise man. I want to be able to forgive certain people, but those certain people do not recognize the wrong they've done. So instead I'll forgive them their willful blindness.
222 comments:
1 – 200 of 222 Newer› Newest»I don't have to tell you to be safe. How do you keep safe and not shut yourself up to the world?
I sensed a theme emerging from the topics we selected to touch on.
That's all.
Oh, no, not more themes!
FWIW, a nice rebuttal to Choom's calling all his scandals "phony":
The mother of the State Dept aide killed in Benghazi says, My son is dead how could that be phony?
Well, freedom is messy.
Or, can be messy.
Dude, why the bleached white backdrop? Was there something wrong with a sky-blue background? This set-up looks like cocaine was spilled all over the blog. I thought you wanted to reflect a calmer setting, no?
I think people were having problems with their iPhone apps.
I don't have to tell you to be safe.
Lem, You mean runner getting to the plate or base before the opposing player with the ball?
I really do like this blog. Each day I come back and find something I like better about it.
Like I told pollo in an email, I believe I contributed a great deal to the Althouse shutdown. I feel I should own up to that. Man up, as Althouse is fond of saying. I had not done the owning up, because I feared retribution. Still do. I spent a great deal of time shearing with all of you. I felt a connection. The idea that I contributed to the destruction of something I enjoyed is incomprehensively demoralizing.
For all of those things and whatever else I'm leaving out, I am sorry.
(Please feel free to mock)
Well maybe not entirely incomprehensible.
Incomprehensible in the sense of how incomprehensible it is for an alcoholic to drink in amounts that causes him harm. its insensible.
Lem, you are being too hard on your self!
I abused the Althouse hospitality.
And for that I am sorry.
Really, and save some booze for the other booze hounds around here.
Lem, that is completely NOT the case. In no way did you do anything to cause the closing of the comments at Althouse. And you have no reason, as far as we are concerned, to feel sorry or demoralized in any way. You were always a large part of what made comments there worthwhile. You should feel proud of that and proud of what you are now doing here.
Lem said...
Like I told pollo in an email, I believe I contributed a great deal to the Althouse shutdown.
Well, unless there's something you're not telling us, like you are "Mary" I don't see it that way. You've kept the thin raft of commenters afloat. This blog probably captured as many hits as Althouse lost, which is a stark fact of equilibrium. It's hardly your fault though.
It's hardly your fault though.
But it is my fault.
Lem, I don't think you should flog yourself about the shut down of comments. There were a great many others who, from what I read, deserve a much greater share of the 'man up' pie then you ever would.
Alas, many who contributed a great deal more will never own up. They are either willfully ignorant or stupid. And you can't fix stupid. Actually, the willfully ignorant are blind by choice. You can't give sight to someone who doesn't want to see, either.
And then there are the craven abusers who hide behind the anonymity of the internet and purposely choose to wreak havoc and destruction. You can't stop them. Even 'confronting' them won't stop them if they're determined.
The fact that you lament any role you feel you played speaks volumes to the kind of man you must be. Don't beat yourself mercilessly over this. Forgive yourself and move on. Your place *here* is the beginning of something new. Sometimes good things fall apart so better things can fall together, as Marilyn said.
In a my words against yours I win and you in your head you win.
But the problem is however, that there is no narrative for me other than my acceptance for what I did that could even begin to make some kind of restitution for what I've done.
Lem, no - it is in no way your fault. I would name the two individuals who "broke the camel's back" but it would only give them more pleasure in having destroyed something many of us felt was good.
ps: please check your paypal, pal. $ where my blabby mouth is.
Thanks Meade but you don't have to do that.
I know I don't. But I do. I said I would. And I will continue to. (Good thing the rest of your commentariate didn't take me up on my $1/comment challenge. I would have had to shut up days and days ago.)
I don't know what else to say.
Karen of Texas wrote: Lem, I don't think you should flog yourself about the shut down of comments. There were a great many others who, from what I read, deserve a much greater share of the 'man up' pie then you ever would.
With all due respect, Karen (this may be our first exchange) but I think Althouse's call to "man-up" was bullshit. If that is what Lem is alluding to at all then I call BS on that too.
I'm late for somewhere where I want to be.
Will check the phone when I can.
@Lem: Let me replay her words to you: chirbit. Those were not the words of a teacher/scholar; they were the words of petty pedagog.
OMG, Lem, please-- you have nothing at all for which to feel guilty or blame yourself!
On the contrary! You were always one of the bright lights over there, as you are the guiding light here-- bringing people together. You were one of the elements that cemented that (and now this) community.
And you provided a place where that community could still hold together, as opposed to dissipating into the internet aether. It's because of your character, the kind of person you are, that so many-- including so many ex-antagonists, who fought nastily over there-- have come together, happily and cordially, and made peace with each other here.
She (or they) closed comments for her (or their) own reasons. Her/ their decision. That's it.
And any further alienation or hostility being created, fomented, intensified in the aftermath, is coming not from *this* side, but that.
One of the problems with the way the comments shutdown has been handled (over there and by the messenger here) is that the (ongoing) accusations, the blame, the contempt, the anger, the disparagement, the insults, were/ are being cast so broadly, so indiscriminately, so vehemently, so bitterly, over virtually all those who were once regulars @TOP.
And it turns out that that hurts the absolutely innocent, like Lem, most of all.
Who's voice is that? Hold me. I'm scared.
Meade said...
Lem, that is completely NOT the case. In no way did you do anything to cause the closing of the comments at Althouse. And you have no reason, as far as we are concerned, to feel sorry or demoralized in any way. You were always a large part of what made comments there worthwhile. You should feel proud of that and proud of what you are now doing here.
**************
Meade
Thank you for letting Lem know that.
@pollo -no disrespect meant to any of the males on here at all pollo. I only used the 'man-up' term because Lem had used it. I read a lot of that exchange and I confess, it left me a bit cold because it became so ugly.
I jumped out of that one after only a short while because, well, it really went downhill fast and was a bash-fest that I didn't want to participate in. And by participate, I mean read. I wanted some perspective because I tend to yell first and think later. I wasn't a commeter over there really anyway, and I'm not sure I would have put together anything coherent or useful.
Mass had 30 of the top 100 colleges on the Forbes List.
Congrats 1) Stanford and 2) Pomona.
tits.
It's a good voice, don't get me wrong...
We all know that Lem provided this space for us, because of his love for the Althouse community. For Althouse herself and those who commented there.
It would help if her messenger-- or one we can only assume is her messenger (I still find that hard to believe)-- would stop trashing this place and insulting everyone in it.
@AprilApril: It's a composite -- like one of our President's old girlfriends he wrote about.
"Thanks Meade but you don't have to do that."
Lem, if I may, the proper phrasing is "We don't need you to do that."
Then maybe he'll get back in the truck and wait on the police so that Crack can't come out of the bushes and coldcock him.
Like Lem, I also feel very guilty. Something I probably said, or didn't day, or just my daily lurking, could have set off the Althouse kerfuffle.
I feel I have contributed to this mess, and would like now to atone. Publically.
Meade can jump in now.
Meade? ...
yashu,
You expressed what I think beautifully.
Rabel,
LOL!
I felt guilty too and I apologized to Meade via email to Ann.
I was mean to Meade and I feel bad.
I realize my comments were very destructive. It's kind of gross seeing him getting piled on now.
I apologize to you too chick. I just got bugged about all the Sullivanist stuff.
I am watching District 9 now and it is fucking good.
tits.
I feel I must take the lion's share of the blame.
I also blame rh.
District 9 is excellent.
Tell us what you think when you get to the end of it Titus.
It's offputting that someone here keeps making money, cash, symbolic of our relationships to each other, as human beings or fellow commenters.
I know where my money has gone. I know whom I value and trust (and don't).
I don't feel the need to announce (let alone keep announcing) either of those things. Or to equate them.
I blame David Icke.
Lem said...
But it is my fault.
What is your fault is that the various posters on this site cannot figure out how to all post in a consistent style. Please create some style guidelines and make them conform. It would be good if the posts were kept short, with longer posts requiring a click to read on. That way you can quickly skim the site more easily. Also, there should probably be some daily limit on the number of posts by a given blogger.
You have a window of opportunity in which to make the blog work. Currently you have a captive audience almost entirely made up of ex-Althouse posters. This audience will gradually decline if you don't create a professional blog to attract replacements. You have had an incredible start to the blog but normal market forces will come in to play over time.
There is currently a lot of good will directed towards the blog and no doubt others will have different opinions. Ultimately you should follow your gut but it is not a bad to crowd source some feedback. If I sound too critical I don't feel this way. I am impressed that things have gone as well as they have.
@deborah: Maybe rh recused himself out of remorse.
I am also to blame. My name is Spartacus.
Evening penitents service at 9.
I won't say more (in that vein) because I don't want to go against Lem's intentions here. He seeks reconciliation. (Whereas I'd like to move on.)
I will just repeat what others have said: there's nothing you need to apologize for. On the contrary, *all* of us-- all the commenters *and* the hosts at the other place-- had reasons, big fat reasons, to feel grateful to you.
It's offputting that someone here keeps making money, cash, symbolic of our relationships to each other, as human beings or fellow commenters.
It is designed to be off-putting and to drive wedges between people.
Titus said...
I felt guilty too and I apologized to Meade via email to Ann.
I was mean to Meade and I feel bad.
I realize my comments were very destructive. It's kind of gross seeing him getting piled on now.
I apologize to you too chick. I just got bugged about all the Sullivanist stuff.
I am watching District 9 now and it is fucking good.
tits.
**************
Actually you were atrocious to Ann and she rewarded you for it.
District 9 sucks.
dicks
So... I linked my grammar post to my Google+ and I get back a comment that I'd been treated poorly in the comments to that post. I was alarmed and went to look. Then I posted that, oh, those were my friends and the grief they gave me was all in good fun.
And that's why I didn't want to lose the commenting community I was a part of here. Where else on the internet can I actually get *teased* by my friends? Or where could I have an argument over some minute difference of opinion without getting immediately attacked for being on the wrong side as if everything is automatically us vs. them?
It takes a long time to build that up, so that people know who you are and can give you heck and have it all be in good fun.
Lem you have nothing to be ashamed of and nothing to apologize for in any way shape or form. You generosity in letting so many talented people contribute to your blog will make it a great success if you continue. Unlike ARM, I think the contrasting style can be a lot fun with each person displaying their quirks and personality. It is going great so far for the most part.
Cheer up. The Red Sox are still in first place.
(but not for long)
Although--it did take him about two paragraphs.
I may be related to this guy.
"Maybe rh recused himself out of remorse."
Nah. He's corrugated.
I blame Bob Dylan.
But then I always do.
Lem, I hope you are kidding. Because you seriously have nothing to apologize for. Your blog is fun and you do great posts.
If you want to blame someone, blame me. Even though I was not even on Althouse when the whole nervous breakdown event happened.
Oh... I think I just heard dinner get home.
:)
El Pollo Raylan - Thanks for the funny audio.
Plus thanks for tipping me off to: "War Letters of Fallen Englishmen" - just ordered it from Amazon.
I think Ritmo caused it. He is the one whose only purpose was to hijack the threads and ruin the blog for everyone else.
ARM and some others may set my teeth on edge, but they generally have something they want to say, and do not just slash and burn like Ritmo.
edutcher said...
Oh, no, not more themes!
FWIW, a nice rebuttal to Choom's calling all his scandals "phony":
The mother of the State Dept aide killed in Benghazi says, My son is dead how could that be phony?
Obama calling anything phony is ironical and stuff. No one takes this punch clown seriously anymore.
Rabel @8:05
Meade said...
Lem, no - it is in no way your fault. I would name the two individuals who "broke the camel's back" but it would only give them more pleasure in having destroyed something many of us felt was good.
ps: please check your paypal, pal. $ where my blabby mouth is.
No, please name them. I'd like to know who destroyed that which was good.
Evi L. Bloggerlady--
Who were you originally when you commented at TOP?
rcocean said...
El Pollo Raylan - Thanks for the funny audio.
Plus thanks for tipping me off to: "War Letters of Fallen Englishmen" - just ordered it from Amazon
I was mean to you once, rc. I'm sorry for that.
Get the German one too: link. They were edited and reissued by the same guy.
Thanks Synova @8:42
That may not be dinner that Synova heard.
There is a pretty good storm bearing down from the north. It is also a wide one, so we all should get some rain.
Last night, I barely got a trace in my rain gage, though Ch. 13 said somewhere in the NE Heights got 4". Must have taken the media by surprise, since they do not seem to have pictures from the arroyos; just of the lightning flashes that viewers sent in.
The way things have been going, the TV stations have been reporting rainfalls by the street intersections where they occurred, but this one looks to be a major one coming down.
Lem, for crying out loud, stop thinking you had any contribution to certain peoples animous for taking their ball and going home. Criticism is a two way street. Some people can't take it, but love to give it. Some people have thinner skins, while others don't give two shits about anything you say. You did nothing, so don't give into the survivors guilt over it. You are here now, giving people who care a venue to express their thoughts and ideas. I think this is a much better format than the scripted manipulative dictats from that once great place.
Site meters aside, if you don't care about any of that and do it for the love of the game, then you aren't missing anything you never had to begin with. Run with it, don't let certain cock-baskets manipulate you. Be your own blogger. Drive it the way you think it should go.
Freeman Hunt said...
"I blame David Icke."
LOL
Meade said...
Freeman Hunt said...
"I blame David Icke."
LOL
Names Meade. You seem to have zero issue divulging things, so spill.
Where else on the internet can I actually get *teased* by my friends?
You could try whatever site Carlos Danger and Sydney Leathers was using.
I only used the 'man-up' term because Lem had used it.
Or you could use the term that is more common in my area of the world Cowboy up!
Lem.
I have said before you are a Gentleman and in no way did I ever observe you being anything but at TOP and probably everywhere else in your life.
Do not put yourself through any mental anguish. We all appreciate your open house here.
Chip is understandably upset. I think. He stuck his neck out on porpoise and run him over with my pity bus.
I'm sorry to you too Chip.
Chip stayed up all hours. And now I bad Park.
I blame Bob Dylan.
But then I always do.
I blame the lead singer from the Pogues. The only guy in the Universe with a worse voice than Bob Dylan.
Trooper York said...
Unlike ARM, I think the contrasting style can be a lot fun with each person displaying their quirks and personality.
One of my favorite books is 'The Visual Display of Quantitative Information' by Edward Tufte. The main focus of the book is on the presentation of scientific data in an easily readable form. He focuses on eliminating anything that distracts from the data, in large part by creating a quiet and consistent background. The books are relatively old now but they also influenced early web design. I realize it is not the only way to approach graphic presentations but it is worthwhile approach.
Hey, Hagar, I keep forgetting that you're in town. It's not raining out here yet, though it might. We seem to live in a dry pocket or something. It's consistent, too. Our vegetation is pure pinon and cedar high desert while a couple of miles closer to the mountain there are ponderosas, maple and (what looks to me like) boxelder.
We all need the rain so badly but the flash flooding in Albuquerque when it's all coming right off the mountain can be intense. I don't know how to explain it to people who aren't here. The last one undermined city streets in at least one place so that it had to be dug up and fixed. That was just last week. The size of some of the rocks that had been washed down were as big as a man's fist... it's not just dirt.
They've had all the arroyos in town go under roads since I've been here but I met someone who'd had a friend killed when the water caught her car and swept it away back not too long ago when some roads in the city just dipped down into them and up again.
Well Larry thought I was Mary for a while. But I am AA's kid cow sister.
TOP software.
top is useful for system administrators, as it shows which users and processes are consuming the most system resources at any given time.
Man... was I a TOPER over there or what?
I'm not sure but I think I did 12 hours one time.
It not something I want to look back with... what was that word again?... pride?
That shit is there for ever.
I'm doing it again... aren't I?
Huh? Are you talking about some of the late night serial comments?
It's not as though those were flooding active conversations or putting anyone out. I can see how they'd get your numbers up though.
I don't often agree with AReasonableMan, but here I think he's right.
Now, I also agree that disparate voices and opinions in posts are good. That was one of Althouse's strengths -- she could write about politics, law, pop culture, science, whatever seemed interesting; and she could come at issues from the right or left.
I don't think any other single person could do that, with her quality and quantity of writing.
But a team can. So it's good to have a multi-faceted team.
But: Her posts also had a consistency of form and format. She'd often begin a quote in the headline, and finish just below.
She didn't use the "jump" page break often, but that's because her posts were usually concise and efficient. I'm not, and I've tried to improve, but I'm using the page break feature where I can. But a style guide, like ARM describes, would have to go deeper than what I've just described.
Maybe Freeman or Chick could come up with something and bounce it off of you, Lem. It would be beyond me to synthesize such a thing; I can only tell that, in my opinion, it's needed.
@Synova,
That was the July 9th, 1987 storm when they got 8" at Supper Rock nd more generally 4"+ over the whole NE Heights.
The young lady you are talking about tried to cross Indian School at Juan Tabo or Chelwood when there was an estimated 1000-1200 cfs coming down Indian school. Not a good idea.
Thanks, Madawaskan.
I think a public service announcement might not be a bad idea. But obviously it would have to be ironic and involve a lot of pics of what not to do, right?
;-)
I blame it on El Nino.
(The topic of this post, that is).
I blame it on Rio...
The nocturnal monosyllabic soliloquies were addictive... I don't know.
I did it, the first time, I didn't suffer any cognizable consequences. Id imagine the second and subsequent times were easier.
It's raining now.
People always do ask, though, if flash floods are real and if they're really dangerous.
Mostly what anyone knows of flash floods they saw in a cartoon or something.
Rio is the cause of many regretful things, but you're still glad you did them. ;-)
When I was a kid, we barely missed the 1972 flash flood in the Black Hills.
The red part of the storm is now down in the South Valley and just reaching Los Lunas. so it was a fast mover. Got an even 1" in my gauge from the heavy part, and it looks like drizzle rain for a couple of more hours at least, since the north edge is still up in the Jemez around Los Alamos.
I take it is in bad form to comment too much on your own blog.
@ Lem
I, for one, always loved your music video links. Very different from many that are commonly posted. Sort of like free association poetry with music.
Not if you're yourself
I take it is in bad form to comment too much on your own blog.
Not on THIS blog. Remember this is a blog for commenters and that includes YOU.
Hey, Lem, put up a jazz thread and teach us about jazz.
Number One: I Love Reconciliation. Slow Sweet Smooth Back-and-Forth Reconciliation. Reconciliation Candles, Reconciliation Ferns and Macrame. I Love the Reconciliation Seventies.
I Will Say This with an Honest Heart: Everyone is Wrong Except for Me and Darcy.
Darcy:
Do you like Pina Coladas?
Do You like getting Caught in the Rain?
Okay, Maybe I'm Wrong, Too: Synova Always Seems to have the Handle the Vandals Didn't Took. Poor Grammar But Dylan Reference Overrides.
All of This is Making Me Re-Think of My Eight-Year Grudge with My Former Lead Singer / Best Friend / Ex-Brother-in-Law.
Another Story: I am a Shallow Man.
I Look Forward Unto the Day That We All Join in the Commenters' Hall of Fame Ceremony and Sing "Knockin' On Heaven's Door". Althouse Can Play Harmonica; I Claim Kazoo. We Will Force Bass Player Number Three To Stay in the Audience. Bass Player Number Three Always gets the Short End of the Stick.
Lem, You Get the Prime Solo: you Are a Man amongst Men. I Do Not Mean That in the Context of Physical Proximity: I have No Wish to Revist Shaky Themes.
Although You Haven't Invited Me to Guest Post. I Figure the Check is in the Mail, Followed By A Comment I May have Already Deleted.
To Those Who Have Read this Far: Must B3K Be Your Moses? 'Cause I Suppose My Toes-es Are Roses: I Like Singing in the Rain.
Gene Kelly Vs. Fred Astaire: See Lem? That is the Kind of Unity-Based Discussion I Would Bring: Does No One Remember Gene Kelly in 'Xanadu'? Olivia Newton-John or Olivia-Newton John: Not Sure Where the Asterisk Goes (and Not in the Confused Sexuality Asterisk Context, either). Also: Michael Beck, the Guy From "The Warriors.".
Do People Remember the Violence in the Theatres? Warriors, Not Xanadu, But Maybe Both Anyway.
Freeman Hunt, Set Me Straight: Again, Not in Confused Sexuality Asterisk Context, either. By Saying This I am Pulling Your Metaphorical PigTails: You Are Also Right, Regardless of Your Opinion on Pina Coladas.
I Would Go into a Riff on Pina Colonics But I Have Restraint.
Commenting is all I wanted to do. but if I skew the numbers we cant compare our numbers because I indulge.
I don't know about you, but I couldn't care less about the numbers.
Agree with others. I loved and miss seeing more of commenter Lem.
It actually lightly rained this morning and I heard thunder at 6 AM.
This is what becomes of Don Draper in the next season of Mad Men *He even kinda looks like Jon Hamm)
Incidentally, the "Weather Underground," which I have used for years and even sent money to, now have a statement up next to their Google title whatchamacallit stating that they were founded at Ann Arbor in 1995 by Bill Ayers & Co. Yes, that Bill Ayers. I would guess he provided the start-up money, and the other guys were the computer nerds.
I too really like the odd music videos. Even when it's something truly horrible. It's still always something I'd never have seen otherwise.
My skills do not include finding music, so I must rely on others.
She (or they) closed comments for her (or their) own reasons. Her/ their decision. That's it.
No one knows, really, but here is my take. Whether it is actual or not, who knows, it's food for thought. Read as "My thinking" in front of everything.
The relationship between Ann's "Losers" post, and her "we women can use men's sperm, and you have to pay for it" post and the comment shutdown argues something more was going on.
She does not like it when people disagree with her. There are instances of merciless attacks by her, and to me, bizarre defenses of her words, often using legal outs when the meaning is plain. The community as a whole rejected her approach and views on these two topics, and that, and that alone, led to the shutdown. She said "Follow me," and the community said "No."
So she killed the virtual townhall forum she created. What was so amazing about what she did? So many different views. Liberals (who I frankly wish could have defended their positions better, but that's my bias). Plus a large number of unique perspectives developed over a lifetime talking about the problems of the day in a very straight-forward manner.
That to me is the very sad thing. I don't see how her actions have benefited anyone. Nor do I see how I could go back to Althouse even if she restored comments, because she might do it again, and I don't think she has it in her to convince me the investment in the fine folks here isn't in jeopardy.
The bickering and the ad hominems are unfortunate, and I wish the liberal perspective were better presented (I still don't get it!) But that's no reason to shut down a very successful blog, and to hurt both the blog and the community supporting it.
lol pollo.
I'm laughing on the outside, but I'm crying on the inside?
I Love Reconciliation. Slow Sweet Smooth Back-and-Forth Reconciliation.
Je t'aime… moi non plus
Crack bait!
I wanted all of you to know my favorite movies are All About My Mother and Requiem For A Dream.
I have two huge wallpaper posters of the movies on 30 foot walls in my loft.
The Requiem poster is a huge fucking eye. Rough trade and tricks love it.
Be excited, be excited, be be excited.
Marion Goldfarb from Coney Island, love you so much.
Jennifer Connolly fucking beautiful.
The scene on the pool table with the double dildos tour de force.
tits.
To explain the excitement, we are likely to get more rain here on the west side tonight than what we have had total since last July.
"I don't see how her actions have benefited anyone. "
The one accurate statement in that entire worthless comment. This is the kind of thing we had to put up with day after day.
Life. is. too. damn. short. and. too. valuable. to. waste. on. such. crap.
And that includes the 1/2 inch we got last week.
Although You Haven't Invited Me to Guest Post.
You are invited forthwith?
I never used that b4, I haven't looked it up in the OED I might be wrong usage NO!!
Bad park me.
Like Milk I am Easily Skimmed.
(Not Sean Penn as 'Milk' to Clarify. Again: I have No Wish to Revisit Shaky Themes.)
Re: "And that includes the 1/2 inch we got last week."
Insert Obvious Innuendo Followed By Juvenile Comment: That is What I Do.
Thanks Pasta @9:57
Larry Yoko Meade: It sure is a blessing that your opinions transcend truth and can be summarized with the power of subatomic particles (unlike EBL's own, many long posts).
But not every thought is one that calls for the sentence structure of Dick and Jane.
Give me a short answer (or any answer) on this: Why are you still here?
Rain. last week. 1/2 inch. shaky
I'm lost.
Is it true that you can use the set the internets to tell you when someone is talking about you somewhere? That is seriously messed up. Kind of like that Joe Pesci character in Goodfellas. "You talkin' about me?"
Meade said...
"I don't see how her actions have benefited anyone. "
The one accurate statement in that entire worthless comment. This is the kind of thing we had to put up with day after day.
Life. is. too. damn. short. and. too. valuable. to. waste. on. such. crap.
And yet, you are still wasting your short time on this. Not very perplexing, since you still wish to continue this back and forth to pacify your suckers bet, made a sucker, that wishes to suck those into his vortex of suck.
You mentioned you didn't want to mention names, but eluded that there were a couple of people that you don't want to name, but dropped it for all to know that there were. So my question for a third time, who are they? Or is it more of your suckage?
El Pollo Raylan:
"I was mean to you once, rc. I'm sorry for that."
Well, I probably deserved it.
"Get the German one too: link. They were edited and reissued by the same guy."
Funny you should write this, I bought it with the "English War Letters"
Regarding My Earlier Comment: Darcy, I Do Not Mean to Scare You. I Am Not the Creepy Guy in Front of the Seven-Eleven, I Am the Creepy Guy On an Entirely Different Bus. I Am Also Not Creeley23: I Do Not Know His Bus Route.
I Need to Think Before I Think.
sydney said...
Is it true that you can use the set the internets to tell you when someone is talking about you somewhere? That is seriously messed up. Kind of like that Joe Pesci character in Goodfellas. "You talkin' about me?"
Yup, it's not hard to do. Dog whistles and all.
Evi L. Bloggerlady said...
Well Larry thought I was Mary for a while. But I am AA's kid cow sister.
*********
Heh.
Good to see ya, Beta.
This thread could use a little levity.
Rhythm and Balls said...
Thanks, Madawaskan.
I think a public service announcement might not be a bad idea. But obviously it would have to be ironic and involve a lot of pics of what not to do, right?
;-)
*******
Nooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!
LOL.
This thread could use a little levity.
The sox have lost two in a row, no levity at comments.
"The sox have lost two in a row, no levity at comments."
Are they still in first place?
"To explain the excitement, we are likely to get more rain here on the west side tonight than what we have had total since last July."
I should actually get a rain gauge. There just has never seemed a point to putting one up.
I am totally mystified by this thread in general. Lem, of all people, you did nothing to cause the change at TOP. I'm sorry, maybe I am insensitive, but I do not understand.
What you have started and enabled to evolve, by inclusion, here has great potential. More power to you.
Are they still in first place?
no.
When it rains one needs an umbrella. that was huge back when Obama asked a marine to hold one open covering him from the rain.
so what?
Re: "You are invited forthwith?"
This Would be My First Guest Post if I Knew How to Do So:
Forgiveness Is Just Another Word For Nothing Left To Lose.
Because Dylan Has All of the Thematic Bases Covered (see 1992's "Froggie Went a Courtin"), But Kristofferson Could Hit a Ground-Rule Double.
Already Derailed: in the Streisand 1976 Version of "A Star Is Born" the Hard-Drinkin' Hard-Rockin' Song Kristofferson Sings to Set His Hard-Drinkin' Hard-Rockin' Bona Fides -- Watch Closely Now -- was Not Written By Him, But Rather By Paul Williams.
Paul Williams:
Co-Writer of the Muppets Song "Rainbow Connection"
Played "Little Enos" in the Film "Smokey and the Bear." Called "Little" Most Likely Because He Was Short: Five-Foot-Two Short. The Seventies Were a Different Time.
That Said: 'Watch Closely Now; is a Darn Fine Song:
"You're comin' with me girl, I'm gonna show you how
When it's scary, don't look down"
Note: This is Not Directed at Darcy or Synova or Freeman Hunt. Mostly.
But Back to Forgiveness:
We All Like To Believe We Can Forgive, if the Circumstances are Right and the Stars Align, But the Topic Here is:
Is There Someone (or Something) That You Have Previously Forgiven That You Now Believe Was an Error of Judgment or Generosity? What Forgiveness Would You Take Back?
-b3k
van Susteren has been going off the rails about Obama's "phony scandals" speech this week.
One would think that after 4½ years of this she would realize that this guy reads off whatever they put in front of him, and they put whatever the speechwriter of the day thinks sounds good; nevermind if it 180 degrees off what the president said last week, or just yesterday, if he is making a campaign swing.
I have never seen a White House treat the American people with the utter contempt that this administration trears us.
Jesus, Joseph, and Mary.
Re:
Rabel said...
Good to see ya, Beta.
This thread could use a little levity.
Levity is What I Do. Picture a Young Virile Marlon Brando Playing Chandler Bing.
That is My Cross to Bear.
OMG. chandler?
Oh come on Meade. Can't we all put this behind us instead putting it in our backs?
Lem: the First Post is There. Throw Me a Bone. I Guarantee It Will - On Its Own - get Three comments, Even if I Make Them Myself.
Cross - religion the pope in brazil
Plus: You Can Riff on Songs By Or About Short people in the seventies. The First Selection is Obvious.
ok i'm posting it.
Bad, ampersand! Bad boy! Bad!
Just thought I'd save M the trouble of responding.
its on.
Lem, You are My Hero. Thank You. As Pinnochio Said: I'm a Real Boy Now.
And Then He Bragged About How All the Ladies Loved the Size of His Nose.
Nose Job Acquired a Second Meaning. Or Third. I Am Not Up on the New Stuff.
Where is Chip. Did I loose Chip?
@Aridog
More power to you.
yikes.
The one accurate statement in that entire worthless comment. This is the kind of thing we had to put up with day after day.
I've never liked argument by authority. And, having watched nearly the entirety of the Zimmerman trial and testimony of nearly four weeks, which focused on the decisions over 1 minute, I think most people have a very hard time understanding how they arrive at decisions. Science tells us, for instance, that decisions are made before we are aware we have made them.
She is your woman, and she is a great woman, and I suspect you are adding a lot of value to her life. All good. But that doesn't mean she has not made bad decisions, and hurt people she should not have.
I think I understand some of the reasons she did. Argue why it's wrong, but don't argue by authority. Don't argue by association. It is, to use Ann's phrase, Bullshit.
@Synova
I should actually get a rain gauge. There just has never seemed a point to putting one up
I don't know how to write.
I said so in one of the first Althouse Great Gatsby posts.
"I need to learn how to read and write" I said.
I can't recall Lem making any unkind comments about anyone. It's a kind of negative grandiosity to blame himself for the demise of the comments section on Althouse. However, if he is, as claimed, a heavy drinker, then he can undoubtedly lay claim to many sins of far greater severity than disrupting a blog journal....After a few drinks, it's possible to imagine yourself the most horrible criminal imaginable. This is far better than accepting the banality of a sodden life.
I blame Richard Nixon.
Well put William.
I blame Hanley Ramirez.
I was a heavy drinker, off and on, over the years. I don't think I ruined any part of my life with booze. For all I know, maybe I would have been a worse person if I had tried to negotiate life as a teetotaler. But, for all that, it must be said that self evaluations are rarely precise or accurate when in the cups.
I blame Andre Dawson.
I'm hoping I can blame Jay Bruce.
From the email bag. This one addressed to a local listserv. "Need help locating organic food."
Oh good. I do blame Jay Bruce.
I blame betamax3000.
Now I'd like to blame Todd Frazier. If he hits a dinger, I'll blame him from here to kingdom come.
Re: deborah said...
I blame betamax3000.
Blame Beads on My Stainless Steel Skin and Pours Down into a Blame-Recycling Receptacle.
I Then take the Recycled Blame and Boil it Down to a Minty Treat.
Zeus and I were out on the lake this afternoon on paddleboard. Setting sun. Big clouds. Post thunder shower. Almost crisp breezes. Three small sailboats. Canoes. Kayakyakyakyaks. And a group of about 12 people on paddleboards in the middle of the lake, all doing yoga in unison. Downward Dogs on Paddleboards. Zeus dove, swam, rode, shook. dove, swam, rode...
When we floated in and then got to the parking lot, someone said, "I love your dog. We were fishing from the bank and watching you two the whole time. It made me jealous, wishing I had a dog like that."
I said, "Yeah, if someone else had him, I'd be jealous too and I'd wish I had a dog just like him"
You ass, you made me laugh.
"She played it light and loose,
She played more ways than one"
I think that's it.
Todd Frazier is blameless so far. Darn.
Derrick Robinson stikes me as blameworthy. Let's see.
Okay. Now Shin Soo Choo could use a little blame.
Still a gentle rain here, so that's nice.
But noo. Noo blame for Choo.
Agh. Looks like I'll have to blame Clayton Kershaw.
Agh. Looks like I'll have to blame Clayton Kershaw.
Blame the decision maker.
Blame without Buckner is like a Sundae without a cherry on top.
yyyep. Clayton Kershaw gets the blame tonight. Kershaw and Kenley Jansen.
Those bastards.
I have never seen a White House treat the American people with the utter contempt that this administration trears us.
Given that the American public elected the bastard TWICE, they deserve it.
In a mean abode
On the Shankill Road
Lived a man named William Bloat
And he had a wife
The bane of his life
Who always got his goat
Then one day at dawn
With her nightdress on
He slit her bloody' throat
Now he was glad
He had done what he had
As she lay there stiff and still
Til suddenly thought
of the angry law
Filled his soul with an awful chill
And to finish the fun so well begun
He decided himself to kill
So he took the sheet
from his wife's cold feet
And he twisted it into a rope
And he hanged himself
From the pantry shelf
T'was an easy end let's hope
With his dying breath
And he facing death
He solemnly cursed the Pope
But the strangest turn
Of the whole concern
Is only just beginnin'
He went to hell
But his wife got well
And she's still alive and sinnin'
For the razor blade
Was British made
But the rope was Belfast linen
I have to admit though that are Inn, which is dog friendly, costs 450.00 for one night.
My barber, who is Greek, got a place on one of the Greek Isles for $600.00 a week, which included meals.
Oh well, New England is pricey bitches.
Synova, I am sorry if I was ever mean to you too!
I am gay Synova, please love me!
I just want to say, I really liked what was going on in the first 2/3rds of this comment thread. A lot of good humanity on display. Unfortunately, it fell back into the abyss we have been wallowing in since The Event.
Ultimately, the hate-fest, on the part of commenters towards A&M for what they did (or other reasons), and on the part of M, in defense of A's decision...does nothing but spiral us down, further. A self-sustaining cycle of mutual indignation that only retrenches hate, anger, and a desire for vengeance (through lashing out).
The first rule of holes -- stop digging.
The first rule of forgiveness -- let it go.
I think that's a bit what Lem was doing with his comments. He was letting go...of his anger at A&M for ending the Althouse community. And in that letting go, in acknowledging that A&M are not the villains, nor the heroes, in this story, he was able to own his responsibility for his part in the tale (even if it was only in being an innocent part of the community...which itself became the problem).
Lem's comments reflects an understanding that there was nothing inevitable about the break, and acknowledging a failed opportunity to do something about it. Everyone failed here. And now everyone is angry and pointing fingers. It isn't until you let go of that anger, and acknowledge responsibility for your own actions and inactions, that forgiveness and "moving on" is possible.
Lem isn't taking responsibility for the Break. He is taking responsibility for himself, as a commenter at Althouse. Responsibility in the failure of that community to solve a problem which proved fatal. And that is a very healthy place to be. And very courageous, in its ego-denying nature.
It opens the door to reconciliation. Just look at Meade's reaction. This is a step down the right road. More should take these steps (many did, in the wake of the Break). Inception-style walls have been built. Marley-esque chains have been forged. Breaking them down, dropping those chains...it's something we can all do. If we're willing to swallow the pride and give it a chance.
Maybe you think this is all a bunch of feel-good nonsense. But here is what I see: feelings hardening. Righteous anger expressed. Hurt transformed into rage. Lashing out. These are all very human reactions. It is human to err. It is also human to forgive, forget, and reconcile.
I hope, someday, to see that with A&M and the commenter community.
Such gods of the internet taking credit for evolution, and imagining themselves the intelligence in intelligent design.
Donald Gooch, that is a bunch of twaddle.
Lem has nothing to feel sorry about. He did nothing wrong.
It opens the door to reconciliation. Just look at Meade's reaction.
????????!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I just think Althouse is crazy but it's not more crazy than any crazy girlfriend.
@Betamax
Yes, I like Pina Coladas and getting caught in the rain - as long as it's not cold rain.
I don't believe I've regretted forgiving. I know that I've regretted re-trusting, but that's on me.
So nice to see you here. Are we all accounted for now? I've just realized what a big deal that is and I'm all mushy inside.
Gooch, I like what you said. I think there's a balance, and while maybe Lem looks too much at himself, there's a pretty good example there. If instead of looking to blame, we look at our own role, it becomes a learning experience rather than an anger inducing experience.
That's a key bit to marriage or any relationship. If you're always looking to how the other did wrong or failed, there's a constant spiral downwards and away.
Right Paddy.
"It opens the door to reconciliation. Just look at Meade's reaction. This is a step down the right road."
Really? Because from here it looks like some of you are bending over backwards to get screwed again. Really kinda sad, especially after the way Meade showed his ass here.
I'm with Crack. Its like you guys have battered wife syndrome. Let it go? Sure. But move back in? Pathetic.
Sorry, wrong thread.
It's like some of us are reading a different set of words than others.
Evi. L. BloggerLady, you are missing the point. Re-read my post. Did I say Lem did anything wrong?
yashu,
!!??!!??!!??!!??
Paddy O, thanks. It's a lesson that has certainly helped my own marriage through some difficulties.
Fen, see, that's what I'm talking about. A&M aren't serial domestic batterers. That you use that analogy just shows that you have failed to remember that A&M are human. They are not monsters. You have stripped them of good intentions, "otherized" them, caricatured them beyond all recognition. There's a lot more grey here than you seem prepared to acknowledge.
Donald Gooch, wise man. I want to be able to forgive certain people, but those certain people do not recognize the wrong they've done. So instead I'll forgive them their willful blindness.
I want to be able to forgive certain people, but those certain people do not recognize the wrong they've done.
All the mates are stale.
I enjoy the letters here as much as "War Letters from Fallen Englishmen" and "German Students' War Letters"
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