Kathy Sierra advice

Kathy,

Fame carries a price. Staying in public life requires dealing with the risks of criticism and potenially disturbing feedback.

You wrote:
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I needed a lot more information about who was behind the threatening and harassing comments, posts, and graphics, and this seemed like the best way to provoke people into coming forward, and/or to get their co-authors to ‘out’ them. This worked, and although it is still not over for me (there is still one person responsible for the *worst* of it, who is still unidentified), I have gotten all the information I could possibly get from having made this post, and at this point, moving forward is my top priority.
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I suggest you stay the course and decide if you are ready to re-join the noisy interplay of personalities that is the blogging ‘verse.

Have strong coping skills is important… or it escalates to a food fight.

Consider this small idea: “Madame Levy” may have injuries of her own to justify (to herself and others) for her rants. She is so much more than what you allow her to appear here.

Her coping skill is to fight back with skills you cannot match. That’s not a threat. It’s an assessment based upon seeking her take down many poorly considered posts. She may not be nice… but she’s perceptive regarding self-serving excuses for poor reasoning. At least respect the body of the work and try to forgive one unfortunate attempt at blogging art.

Forgiveness and understanding are the path to healing. Time heals… too.
You met Rageboy and saw that words without human contact are subject to misinterpretation. Contact with madame levy might however not help much. She is angry… maybe with reasons hidden in her work. Read on.

A Modern Man – George Carlin, a comedic genius

“I’m a modern man, a man for the millennium. Digital and smoke free. A diversified multi-cultural, post-modern deconstruction that is anatomically and ecologically incorrect. I’ve been up linked and downloaded, I’ve been inputted and outsourced, I know the upside of downsizing, I know the downside of upgrading. I’m a high-tech low-life. A cutting edge, state-of-the-art bi-coastal multi-tasker and I can give you a gigabyte in a nanosecond!

I’m new wave, but I’m old school and my inner child is outward bound. I’m a hot-wired, heat seeking, warm-hearted cool customer, voice activated and bio-degradable. I interface with my database, my database is in cyberspace, so I’m interactive, I’m hyperactive and from time to time I’m radioactive.

Behind the eight ball, ahead of the curve, ridin the wave, dodgin the bullet and pushin the envelope. I’m on-point, on-task, on-message and off drugs. I’ve got no need for coke and speed. I’ve got no urge to binge and purge. I’m in-the-moment, on-the-edge, over-the-top and under-the-radar. A high-concept, low-profile, medium-range ballistic missionary. A street-wise smart bomb. A top-gun bottom feeder. I wear power ties, I tell power lies, I take power naps and run victory laps. I’m a totally ongoing big-foot, slam-dunk, rainmaker with a pro-active outreach. A raging workaholic. A working rageaholic. Out of rehab and in denial!

I’ve got a personal trainer, a personal shopper, a personal assistant and a personal agenda. You can’t shut me up. You can’t dumb me down because I’m tireless and I’m wireless, I’m an alpha male on beta-blockers.

I’m a non-believer and an over-achiever, laid-back but fashion-forward. Up-front, down-home, low-rent, high-maintenance. Super-sized, long-lasting, high-definition, fast-acting, oven-ready and built-to-last! I’m a hands-on, foot-loose, knee-jerk head case pretty maturely post-traumatic and I’ve got a love-child that sends me hate mail.

But, I’m feeling, I’m caring, I’m healing, I’m sharing– a supportive, bonding, nurturing primary care-giver. My output is down, but my income is up. I took a short position on the long bond and my revenue stream has its own cash-flow. I read junk mail, I eat junk food, I buy junk bonds and I watch trash sports! I’m gender specific, capital intensive, user-friendly and lactose intolerant.

I like rough sex. I like tough love. I use the “F” word in my emails and the software on my hard-drive is hardcore–no soft porn.

I bought a microwave at a mini-mall; I bought a mini-van at a mega-store. I eat fast-food in the slow lane. I’m toll-free, bite-sized, ready-to-wear and I come in all sizes. A fully-equipped, factory-authorized, hospital-tested, clinically-proven, scientifically- formulated medical miracle. I’ve been pre-wash, pre-cooked, pre-heated, pre-screened, pre-approved, pre-packaged, post-dated, freeze-dried, double-wrapped, vacuum-packed and, I have an unlimited broadband capacity.

I’m a rude dude, but I’m the real deal. Lean and mean! Cocked, locked and ready-to-rock. Rough, tough and hard to bluff. I take it slow, I go with the flow, I ride with the tide. I’ve got glide in my stride. Drivin and movin, sailin and spinin, jiving and groovin, wailin and winnin. I don’t snooze, so I don’t lose. I keep the pedal to the metal and the rubber on the road. I party hearty and lunch time is crunch time. I’m hangin in, there ain’t no doubt and I’m hangin tough, over and out!”

~George Carlin, a comedic genius and poet extraodinaire

Food Fight at Frank’s (I comment)

Food Fight at Frank’s (I comment from my highest horse without a dog in the actual hunt)… but it’s early I could get pulled into the real name calling, yet.

Wow.

If you asked me to name my top 5 bloggers in 2006 I’d have listed:

Madame Levy – (Leslie Winer, no relation to Dave)
Shelley Powers
Frank Paynter
Charles Follymacher (*in a previous incarnation)
and Jeneane Sessum

There’s always information that just isn’t represented in the page and often not volunteered by the writer:

One of the participants here is a black male.
One is a Jewish female.

You mix race, religion and gender with your politics and your going to find a new source of energy that produces heat. I hope Frank doesn’t delete the words. They are like a social version of Rubik’s cube in 6 dimensions.

The potential for text to inflame an otherwise reasoned conversation is enormous.

But, I stopped reading most of these bloggers because I was an aggressive commentarian.

So, I stopped by this joint after a month’s absense and found the most profound social disconnect of recent memory. This type of political social melt down is common on the political “shared blogs” I frequent currently.

I need to suggest that my daughter who’s studying psychology review this sequence of text exchanges as a possible source for ideas for a master thesis.

I’m going to go away now… before Tree Shapiro shows up to take a crap on my head… again.

If there’s anything to be learned here it’s:

“Different is NOT difficient.” – Rev Wright

NOTE: I waded into a HRC stronghold and mentioned I thought she was “cold”. Cold is apparently another sexist code-word that cannot stand. I meant that she did not convey a believable sense of empathy.

Obama suggested that it might be time for an honest conversation about Race in America and he went first. I wish HRC had offered a constructive speech about gender. Leadership offers openings to new levels of understanding. Political manipulation seeks to increase the distance between groups of people – divide and conquer.

In the end we are all victims of the abuses of power. Words are the bullets of the web.
(Images even more so…) Use them as you might a loaded gun. People were hurt here and the justifications presented are somewhat self-serving, IMHO. I’m not naming names… I’m just sayin’. After being a flaming asshole I try this:

“I’m sorry. I lost it when you said… _____________.”

If the other says anything close to: “It’s OK. We’re all human.” then we move forward.
Otherwise. Fuck ‘em.

I’m on a roll… the comment was moderated and hasn’t appeared. Go figure… high horse and all.

When the shit hits the fan Frank likes to let it die and NOT stir it vigorously.

Writing Prompt: “How Does Obama Inspire You?”

Yet Another Blog Comment:

This has been a primary that focused on real dialogue around character and issues… Yes, race and gender politics have been discussed but people seem to be voting based largely upon the value of the person and not some tribal or gender-based association.

It is amazing to see a black man and a white woman fighting for the nomination. I choose the black man based, I believe, entirely upon the man’s character, intelligence and demonstrated display of moral courage.

I can’t think a democract candidate in my lifetime that I voted for that I could say that about… including Bill Clinton. Bill’s negatives made me hold my nose and vote against the republican… again.

I hope Hillary’s supporters will adopt the same “less of two evils” approach that I’ve had to use for many rounds of Presidential selection.

Obama stands for some changes I’d love to see implemented:

In conclusion, Obama is hope for change that can start to fix the “no tax and overspend” politics that has become the hallmark of Republican greed and manipulation of a once great nation.

Debt and fear are terrible forces upon the human and public body… they lead to a failed economic system and an early grave.

They will attack Obama for spending money to fix problems for “those who won’t care for themselves” but that great lie needs to be confronted honestly and with great passion: it’s a hard fight to get people to see the consequences of socialized greed and indifference and it will take a great orator to help more people see the value of giving to make a better world.

“Obliterating Iran” is NOT the message I’d like to see America share with the world right now. The world would hope we could manage Iran emergence into power in their region and NOT force them into becoming excessively hostile to our interests. We can have a positive role in the world and we lost that leadership through our ill advised actions.

What we’ve been doing for 8 years has made our people and nation less safe and Obama has the original vision to find a better path to confront hatred… at home and abroad.

Hope? Yes, we should.
Fear? No, not any longer.
Change? Yes, we can.

Count on it.
Make it happen.
Be that change.
Join us… don’t stay home. Vote for the possibility.

Will he fail? Only if we let it happen… and even then, he will have stood for something that can only be termed a success: trying to make the world better.

• avoiding a politics of divisiveness and character assassination that drives good people from the process and leaves it to the most deceitful and manipulative personalities that can work those strategies to great effect
• reducing the effect of lobbyists on the legislative decision process
• focusing on issues that divide the very wealthy from the least of us
• improving the perception that a strong country does invest in good governance and regulation that benefits and contributes to the greatest good

In conclusion, Obama is hope for change that can start to fix the “no tax and overspend” politics that has become the hallmark of Republican greed and manipulation of a once great nation.

Debt and fear are terrible forces upon the human and public body… they lead to a failed economic system and an early grave.

They will attack Obama for spending money to fix problems for “those who won’t care for themselves” but that great lie needs to be confronted honestly and with great passion: it’s a hard fight to get people to see the consequences of socialized greed and indifference and it will take a great orator to help more people see the value of giving to make a better world.

“Obliterating Iran” is NOT the message I’d like to see America share with the world right now. The world would hope we could manage Iran emergence into power in their region and NOT force them into becoming excessively hostile to our interests. We can have a positive role in the world and we lost that leadership through our ill advised actions.

What we’ve been doing for 8 years has made our people and nation less safe and Obama has the original vision to find a better path to confront hatred… at home and abroad.

Hope? Yes, we should.
Fear? No, not any longer.
Change? Yes, we can.

Count on it.
Make it happen.
Be that change.
Join us… don’t stay home. Vote for the possibility.

Will he fail? Only if we let it happen… and even then, he will have stood for something that can only be termed a success: trying to make the world better.

YABC: Yet Another Blog Comment

I left this one here -> http://truthabouttrinity.blogspot.com/2008/04/my-name-is-nicole-and-i-stand-with-my.html

Nicole,

“Can’t we all just get along?”

The media loves to see all questions as “Yes or No”, “True of False” or…
sorry “Black or White”. But, the best questions are nothing more than a request for us to think… to think deeply.

I desparately want to see a change in the US Government. It will become a Yes|No question in November.

What Barack Obama was forced to do this week was take a “Yes or No” stance on a relationship that has lasted 20 years… It was obviously painful for him.

Reverend Wright has taken a stance on race and American Politics that has it’s roots in the Black Liberation Theology and it raises a simple question that the media will return to over and over:

Does Barack Obama believe in the fundamental stance of Balck Liberation Theology?

I don’t think he does. I think he sees another path to improve the lives of all Americans and he’s a trascendent political figure. He is asking us to jump into Martin Luther King’s dream and judge him by the strength of his character and not the color of his skin.

For me, that’s a question worth asking America… the time is now and the opportunity to move beyond race and inot a generation of character is here.

Let’s take the opportunity and talk about character. Reverend Wright and Barack Obama are men of solid character and watching them fight over their egos and their approaches to social justice is sad. The rest of us need to say “Stop”.

The people that prefer to see us divided and easily manipulated are enjoying the self-inflicted lever that has been created to prevent the rise to power of a good man who seems committed to making changes that will benefit all Americans without regard for the color of their skin, their gender or the religion they choose to practice.

What ARE we waiting for? Who do we think can take us to the next level? Why would we continue to fuel the flames of argument between people that need to join hands to see the changes they have been waiting for for so long?

Finter-pointing, name calling and trying to prove someone if more rigth than someone else is becoming a pawn in the game that is controlled by those in power.
When the pawns realize they have strength in numbers then the opportunity will be made clear… and the question will be
“Yes or No” to make a change.

I say Yes.

PS> I really enjoyed the Reverend’s speech to the NAACP. He’s not as “us vs them” person. He’s in many ways trying to get us all to accept that we are different but those differences are like the spices in the soup. They make the quality of the lives richer by expanding the creative possibilities of our lives.

May God bless you and your church. You have paid for the sins of others in this process.

How Voters Rate a Debate

Hillary supporters are going to find out that Democrats look for political behavior that is DISTINCT from Sean Hannity, Bill O’Reilly and Ann Coulter. They reject “politics by character assassination”.

She used these “memory” linkages:
Rev Wright -> Farakahn – > Hamas -> 9/11
Ayres -> 9/11 -> “wish we could have done more”

That’s why Hillary will loose votes from this debate. Most people watch these debates to get a sense of the person’s character. The policy issues just leave them numb. Important to you and I maybe but most people don’t have the time to following the discussion… who do they believe? who do they trust?

It’s a chance to prove character.

Did George Bush EVER mention the Swiftboat slur in a debate with Kerry? No. Because he was coached that it would only cost him in the eyes of the voter to pull the conversation into a mud pit.

Hillary’s supporters are ALL ABOUT POLICY and they think Republican “stink bombs” are FAIR. That’s why she’s loosing because on issues of substance she should have won support but on issues of character she’s coming up short.

Democrats are becoming polarized around the issue of what the party stands for:

empathy or win-at-all-costs?

George Bush based his first “win” on compassionate conservatism: it worked!

In round 2 he was more considerate and respectful with John Kerry than Hillary was with Barack and that’s pretty hard for a lot of us to take.

But, it’s why she’s going to loose: it’s a character flaw.

If you don’t agree with me then you have an empathy deficit. I hope you have coverage for counseling because these next 90 days are going to drive you absolutely crazy. Seriously, check into it.

PS> I am not elite or superior. Just smarter than the average Hillary supporter. Deal with it. It’s called “Social Intelligence”. Look it up. It’s the number one attribute of successful people. They use empathy to get people to do what they want. They have empathy. Like the Dali Lama.

“I feel your pain” (bites lower lip). Bill could fake it.

Hillary maybe “right” but she’s not effective in a debate.

Here’s the problem Hillary has with voters.

Bill Clinton would say “I feel your pain” (bites lower lip) and be believed. Hell, he could say “I did not have sex with that woman” and be believed. Faking sincerity was his most effective tool.

Hillary says “They are really hurting.” She’s smart enough to detect the pain but she cannot convey empathy that convinces the voter than she feels it too. She right but ineffective.

If she could just tap into that ability to connect on the basis of humanity that wants a leader with some heart: she’d turn it around and take it all the way.

But, it just may NOT be in her essential character to connect on that level… she did it ONCE just before New Hampshire when someone asked her “How are you holding up?” She connected to some real pain… hers and choked up a bit. She was sincere that “This is really hard.” Her numbers went up!

But, she hasn’t exposed many feelings since. And it’s a fatal flaw. As a politician she hasn’t been vetted with enough tough races to know what works. She’s learning on the job. Obama has connection down cold. He’s catching up with issues and other “less important aspects” of the job.

Would Obama rather be right or effective? Hillary would take “right” and just work harder on the effectiveness gap. She’s probably going to work herself into a hospital before she quits. I may join her. I’m exhausted by this process.

Did I mention that the color of her suit looked awful against “Red White and Blue?” It looked like a 1980’s sofa fabric. Sorry. Just an observation to go along with all my other opinions.

Am I right? or effective? (or ideally… both).

Huffington Post comment (and subsequent site block)

Every 4 years I make this humble request:

Please, God, let the democratic party identify a champion that can win against the republicans and not so damage the champion in the nominating process that he/she becomes unelectable.

And every 4 years I have such strong hopes that this will be it.

I have had strong hopes for Howard Dean, John Edwards, and many more… I typically can barely stomach the actual candidate as being a good person or even moderately gifted politician. (I suspect the republicans have been engineering our candidate selections since Nixon).

I currently am hoping Barack Obama gets the full support of his party. I hope still. He gets knocked down and he gets up again. Before he can unite the nation he’ll need to unite the party while the snipers within the party continue to overthrow the leading candidate using ammo borrowed from the real enemy.

The more you get to know about Barack Obama the more you see that he is anything BUT an elitist.
He wrote two books explaining who he is and what values inform his political service. They are worth reading.

His real crime is that he’s… wait for it… an intellectual. You know… like on the West Wing… a smart and principled politician. Do they ever really win? It would certainly make it harder for government to continue to serve the needs of the few over the needs of the many. Smart, principled people would block those deals.

UPDATE: I have been blocked from commenting at the Huffington Post. Does the comment violate any of these “rules” in your view?

A commenter will be blocked for any of several scenarios:

1. A comment is extremely abusive, off-topic, uses excessive foul language, or includes an ad hominem attack.

Ah, well. They probably did me a favor. Own your own words.

Answer to a Question about Obama’s Politics (a blog comment)

Words of Texas Senator Kirk Watson from http://www.kirkwatson.com/media/whats-new/2008/02/20/msnbc-and-me/

Had I not lost my mind, here are the accomplishments I would have mentioned:

* Senator Obama’s fight for universal children’s health care in Illinois.
* His success bringing Republicans and Democrats together (a huge selling point for me in general) on bills such as the one in Illinois requiring police interrogations and confessions to be videotaped.
* His leadership on ethics reform in Washington (the bill that lobbyists and special interests are complaining about right now has his name on it).
* His bill to make the federal budget far more transparent and accessible to Americans via the Internet – we could use that openness in Texas.
* And his vital work with Republicans to lock down nuclear weapons around the world.

But, what’s interesting about Obama is not these senatorial accomplishments, it’s the life path that got him there. You imply any moron can be elected to congress… but can any other “moron” get this far in the process to be elected? I think not. Many tried this year.

Obama didn’t have a parent in politics like Hillary, Romney or GWB. No head-start in the system. Everything he has accomplished was his own effort… Education, professional accomplishments and political career. He’s been working on this path for 45 years.

I’m amazed you discounted all evidence that this is a man of substance. It tells me more about you than it does about Obama. Look at what you value and consider what Obama would have to have doen to meet your standards… resolve conflicts in the middle east? Prevent the loan scandle? Prevented GWB from occupying Iraq? I can’t imagine. One man can only lead. Alone we all fall short. If Obama unifies the country and gives the young a reason to believe in the power of democracy then that will be his lasting legacy. You may stand on the sidelines and shake your head but you may at some point get the feeling that something good is happening this year. A change that matters.

Another Comment at the Eye On Winer . Org Blog

“With reasonable men I will reason; with humane men I will plea; but to tyrants I will give no quarter, nor waste arguments where they will certainly be lost.”

• William Lloyd Garrison

“Look, we are all reasonable men here. We don’t have to give assurances, as if we were lawyers.”

• From one of the Godfather Movies (F F Coppola, Mario Puzo)

For me: a truly liberal person is reasonable. Now some might think the ability to change position is wishy-washy but for me it is the power of an intellect that it can accept new evidence and produce new findings.

The most effective critical mind does not criticize: it observes, adapts and investigates the mind of others.

The joy of debate is the potential to discover something we would have never considered and be improved by the experience.

Are we not reasonable (wo)men? Sometimes.

I do see that Dave will often withdraw after getting upset and return with a new vision for getting what he wants. He wants a different government and he’s going to work hard to get one. He just might learn to persuade in the process. In politics that is the true capital: persuasion. It can defeat vested interests by showing people that they can unite behind an idea and make this change. The mechanisms are right there… they just need a leader to define the options.

It would be really nice to see Dave Winer lead: because all I think he really wants is to make a difference and be respected for the contribution(s) he is/has made.

Dave has made a lot of contributions but he hasn’t actually acted as a leader… yet.  Many will agrue otherwise. I’m just sayin’.