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Wordpress 2.5 question

Have any of you who use Wordpress done the upgrade to 2.5 yet and encountered problems?

I upgraded my test database when it first came out, and a bunch of plugins weren’t ready. Have any of y’all upgraded more recently without plugin problems? What about the file uploader?

(Linking to McCain Blogs to see if I can drag in some answers from the trackback people.)

Hillary Supporters Defect from Kos

Because “racists” and “Republicans” aren’t accepted at Kos, of course, and as we all know, if you aren’t for Obama, you must be either a racist or a closeted Republican!

This is a strike - a walkout over unfair writing conditions at DailyKos. It does not mean that if conditions get better I won’t “work” at DailyKos again. As a regular contributor to the discourse in our community, I would certainly hope to take part in the conversation at DailyKos again some day if we ever get to the point where we’re engaging each other in discussion rather than facing off in shouting matches. But not now. Writers need a safe place to reach out and exchange ideas, to communicate and challenge one another. DailyKos should be that place, but its tone, its essence has evolved into something ugly and destructive. Good writers can’t survive in that kind of atmosphere. Democrats shouldn’t have to put up with that from fellow Democrats.

Get a load of this:

No, I won’t post specific attacks here. That would just be repeating the lies and the hate, but I will note that one of my fellow Kossaks (someone with whom I thought I could agree to disagree) went so far as to suggest that others try to dig up real life information on the pro-Hillary members of our community. To what end? Was his aim to find enough information on us to try to get us fired from our jobs and leave our families homeless – or worse? Suggesting that they dig up real life information on us is the lowest form of intimidation and goes way beyond the limits of all things civil and reasonable. It’s nothing more than the worst form of thuggish, hateful and intimidating behavior toward other members of our community.

Now in all fairness, that diarist saw just how far over the line he went with that post and eventually took it down. But the fact that he posted it in the first place shows us the kind of mob mentality that has been allowed to develop, grow and fester at DailyKos.

Welcome to reality, Alegre.

I know the Hillary supporters don’t want to hear it and don’t want sympathy, but they need not worry; I have little sympathy. I do empathize, however. I also find it amusing that they’ve just now figured out that the Daily Kos is an echo chamber. So are most blogs (including blogs on the right!), but Kos is a joke. It’s the largest blog (if you call it a “blog”) of all, and you’d think there would be some tolerance for various points of view, especially considering the fact that “liberals” (scare quotes intended) are always going on about how open-minded and tolerant they are. Of course, they aren’t. This is certainly not news to anyone to their right, either.

Now, I wouldn’t vote for Hillary or Obama, but one thing is obvious: Hillary is the more serious candidate, and anyone with two eyes can see that her supporters are more serious and reasonable than the feverish Obamessiah disciples. I’d say it’s an age thing, but how would you explain Chris Matthews and “thrills” he feels when Obama speaks? The fainting? The ovations for snot? Hillary has kooks supporting her too, but that’s the case with any candidate, and it’s quite obvious that the kooks are marginalized far more in her corner than they are in Obama’s. Even Bill Clinton has been silenced. Of course, that’s because you’re not allowed to criticize the Obamessiah on anything without it being seen as a racist attack. I still haven’t figured out how Slick Willie saying “fairy tale” is an appeal to racism. And see, that’s becoming a real problem with Obama. What’s that going to be like if he’s elected? Are people not going to be able to oppose anything without being called a racist or demonized in some other way? Is that really what this country needs? What kind of totalitarian BS is that? I thought Obama was supposed to be about “unity.” I guess that’s “just words.” And here’s a free tip to Hillary supporters: just as you (and we) don’t like being called racists for opposing Obama, Hillary’s opponents’ supporters don’t like being called misogynists, either. Besides, the cry of misogyny runs counter to what I thought her campaign is all about. I didn’t think her campaign was about “elect me because I’m a woman.” I thought it was supposed to be about issues, experience, and judgment. (She loses big-time to McCain on that, but still, she’s way ahead of Obama at least in experience and judgment.)

Via the Moderate Voice, Tom Watson, a Clinton supporter, gets real:

The resentment among non-Obama backers is growing rapidly - you can see it in the comments here, and I can see it in my emails. There’s a real split among party activists, and it’s getting wider. Some of it is motivated by the media’s love affair with one candidate - and hatred for the other; Keith Olbermann’s embarassment drove many over the edge. But much of it comes from boorish, Stalinist behavior online - the kind of “you’re either with us or against us” attitude we saw so much of when the Bush crowd was flying high. It’s disturbing, particularly because so many of the targets are women. This is not the Democratic Party many of us have worked for; this is not the progressive blogosphere we’ve supported. Without blaming the worthy candidacy of Senator Obama in any way, this is not a progressive movement - it’s a harsh, echo-filled politburo bathed in faux post-racial hosannas and the gauzy camera lens of “hope.”

Stalinist. Politburo. Hey, we’ve been saying that for years.

Anyway. I wonder what Hillary’s supporters will do when Obama officially gets the coronation (and I have no doubt that he will). I wonder if they’ll remember that Obama isn’t ready for that 3am call. I wonder if they’ll remember that he has not passed the Commander in Chief threshold. I know what I think they ought to do, but I’m biased. We would, of course, welcome them.

Sorry, I can’t give one here either

I had to steal this gif from my Bratty Brother, ’cause it suits me. :mrgreen:

don't give a damn

Meh. Blogging. Bored with it.

You Are 82% Burned Out

You are extremely burned out.
You work too hard, and you’re not getting the results you deserve.
It’s time for a life change, as soon as you can manage it.
You’re giving away most of your energy to something you don’t even enjoy.

Are You Burned Out?

Anyone wanna start a pool to guess when I’ll finally stop complaining about blogging and finally close up shop?

Eh, nevermind. I don’t expect anyone will answer, and I don’t have ESP. :eyeroll:

Today is a special day for MVRWC

Why, you ask? It’s because I have officially hit a new low in Blog Apathy™. I only tell you this because until I realized it, I couldn’t even have been bothered to post “I’ve got nothing.”

So there you go. Today, June 22, 2007, is the day I have officially cared the least about blogging. No reason, no crisis, no worries; it’ll pass. I think I’ll declare this the First Official (as opposed to the regular daily):

Blog Apathy Day™.

Here, go laugh for a bit. Forget politics for an hour.

UPDATE, thanks to John (Stansbury): An official banner! w00t! :clap:

Since it would be a crime to update this after Blog Apathy Day, as I’m doing now (it’s after midnight), I’m extending Blog Apathy Day™ to Saturday as well. Unless I feel like posting something. (OK, I do have a post that’ll publish in the morning, but that sorta doesn’t count.)

Blog Apathy Day 2007

Now why didn’t I think to make up a cool banner?

Oh yeah. Apathy.

Milly Molly Mandy Mary getting married?

We had a two-minute-hate directed against this idiot sometime last year, but guess what?

OMG, OMG, O M G!!!! Jackie Mackie Paisley Passey….might be getting………MARRIED!!!!!

In other news, I got along with all the future in-laws and they seem to like me well enough despite me not being a Christian (which didn’t come up this weekend, but his mom and sister had both fretted about it to him when we started dating). GK had told his mom before our visit that he was going to marry me and buy a house with me soon and by the way she treated me this weekend (very nicely) she seems to be OK with that.

Exit question: Could you care any farking less about anything? anything AT ALL?

Good. Me neither.

stein hoist Dan Collins

OHNOES! Joe Klein hurt the lefty bloggers’ feewings!

Awwww. How dare that big meanie Joe Klein, right-wing fascist that he is, say people should “beware” the happy, sunny liberal blogosphere? It’s all rainbows and kittens there! Surely he must have them mixed up with the wingnuts! Waaaahhh!

But the smart stuff is being drowned out by a fierce, bullying, often witless tone of intolerance that has overtaken the left-wing sector of the blogosphere. Anyone who doesn’t move in lockstep with the most extreme voices is savaged and ridiculed—especially people like me who often agree with the liberal position but sometimes disagree and are therefore considered traitorously unreliable. Some of this is understandable: the left-liberals in the blogosphere are merely aping the odious, disdainful—and politically successful—tone that right-wing radio talk-show hosts like Rush Limbaugh pioneered. They are also justifiably furious at a Bush White House that has specialized in big lies and smear tactics.

Bush-bot! Fascist right-winger! Silence him!!!

Really, he’s just now writing about this? Pardon my American, but no shi’ite, Sherlock. Funny how liberal journalists only object to the lunacy when it’s aimed at them. Also, it’s a bit of a stretch, to say the least, that talk radio hosts are like leftard bloggers. You could make the case for Ann Coulter being that extreme in her rhetoric (although she keeps her language clean!), but other than that idiot Michael Savage (and I never see RW bloggers riding on his bandwagon, ever), the only thing “odious” about conservative talk radio that I’ve ever heard is the conservative politics that are “odious” to the left. But whatever; I’m not going to go out of my way to stick up for talk radio ’cause it’d require my listening to it more often than on rare occasion, to know what I’m talking about.

So basically, Joe Klein gets little sympathy from me because this happens all the time. I’d list examples, but there are so many it’s hard to know where to even start. That said, nobody deserves the vile abuse heaped upon the left’s latest targets (like this one). But you know, that’s the power of anonymity and being a not-so-anonymous nobody–you can be as hateful as you want, with no fear of being held personally responsible for your words. That’s why the talk radio example fails–if, for example, Bill O’Reilly said “screw ‘em” about Americans killed in Iraq, radio stations would drop him like a bad habit. I know Michael Savage has suffered loss of station coverage because of his nastiness. But what happens when Markos Moulitsas says “Screw ‘em?” A bunch of right-wing bloggers and (presumably, but I don’t know) talk radio people point it out and complain, but has it hurt his bottom line? I’d say not one bit. How many NEW readers did Firedoglake and Steve Gilliard get when they put up blackfaced pictures of their targets of hate? How many others have ended up losing (or quitting) their jobs after facing the wrath of the angry mob? How many angry right-wingers go around stalking and threatening the families of other bloggers or anyone else?

Have I mentioned that I think the blogosphere pretty much sucks mud?

Welcome to reality, Joe. Bring a friend or two.

That giant sucking sound you hear is the blogosphere, folks.

CoComment tells me I am hating the blogosphere

I dunno, maybe I need to take a break from other blogs again so my crankiness will dissipate. ;-)
Just a sample from last night–

At Sister Toldjah’s post about immigration:

To see conservatives use arguments on one another that have in general been used almost exclusively towards the far left is disappointing and is one of the reasons I haven’t been blogging extensively on the issue. … But this time around, I’ve taken a decidedly low-key approach to talking about the issue.

You and me both. I loathe the issue because of the way people have behaved. And yes, your inbox would be filled with (absurd) accusations of treason, sympathy with La Raza (!), and other ad hominem fallacies. And this being the blogosphere, you’d see some of the ugliest language used (”wetback,” “spic,” etc., all while complaining that SOME are called bigots!). :eyeroll:
This issue has shown that stupidity really has nothing to do with political affiliation…you can see it on full display on all sides of this issue. Our own side has made me uncharacteristically apathetic about this issue–and it’s too bad for the hard-liners that they just don’t understand how repellent their rhetoric is, or the effect it’s having.

I still can’t believe the reaction to last week’s Linda Chavez column, where she rightfully called out those who are making it an ethnic issue. I wasn’t offended, but then to me, immigration isn’t just about Mexicans. I’m a lot more concerned with people like the Fort Dix Six and the 9/11 hijackers(!) than I am with a bunch of freakin’ day laborers and blue collar workers.

Pffft. Life’s too short to be so damn angry. I thought we, as conservatives, knew as much.

(Don’t even get me started on the “Imp**** Bush” morons–they’re DEAD to me.)

Comment by Beth @ 6/5/2007 - 12:00 am

Stop right there for a second. NO, I am not defending the stupid immigration bill, OK? (I’m so tired of explaining that.) End of story. Moving right along…

At Captain Ed’s post about civility, specifically surrounding (shocker!) the immigration issue:

:sigh:

Typical blogosphere BS; an appeal for civility ends up being met with a round of incivility. Well, let me pile on, then.

Captain Ed, you know how everyone talks about the toxic political climate we have these days (or for the last few years)?
You know what it coincides with–the rise of blogs. I’m convinced after three years blogging that the mentally disturbed (or at least personality-disordered, or maybe it’s just plain old Tourette’s) are vastly overrepresented on blogs. It’s spread to the MSM and the Beltway, and infected the whole country.

And this stuff Bush said last week: Good grief, y’all need to GET OVER IT. Like y’all don’t say worse things every single day about him and everyone else? Is freaking out about a tossed-off comment really helping anything? Do y’all REALLY think he meant you don’t want anything good for this country? Please. It’s not like Bush is the most eloquent speaker, you know.

Posted by: Beth at June 5, 2007 12:46 AM

I was trying to be civil there.

And at Allah’s post about Fred! and the internet campaign:

Dean thought he had a winning strategy and it collapsed on him. As AP pointed out the blogosphere is just not that heavily populated yet. Personal opinion is that the debates will be what makes him take off or flop.

Bradky on June 4, 2007 at 11:13 PM

Ditto that. I don’t think using teh innertubes indicates laziness, though. Of course, what matters is what the stupid media thinks. I think it indicates interest in what the grassroots (as opposed to the nutroots) are saying; a good link to the voting public.
That said, UGH. I hope he isn’t too heavily involved in the internets. It’s loaded with landmines (aka loud-mouthed, spoiled amateurs who will end up embarrassing him sooner or later. I seriously doubt he’d invest that much time in the internet, anyway. Even if he wanted to, I would hope his advisers/handlers/whatevers would set him straight. I personally don’t care about the conservative blogosphere getting a boost; I care about the right candidate being elected.
And frankly, the conservative blogosphere, of which I am a part, doesn’t really deserve any favors, IMHO. We SUCK at fundraising, organization, and using available technology, as a whole, and I’m tired of trying when most people just have excuses why they can’t donate, plan, or act. Sign an online petition? No problem. Write a blog post? Yay. Cough up $20 to help keep a GOP majority or support a worthy political candidate? Blasphemy! (How many of the people here have pledged to never donate?) Why should Fred Thompson or anyone else come to the conservative blogosphere for support?
I hope he knows what he’s in for, ’cause 2008 isn’t going to be easy for any Republican–and it won’t be because of the laughable Dummocrat candidates.

bamapachyderm on June 5, 2007 at 2:37 AM

I dunno, I think I might have a little bit of an attitude problem these days. Bah humbug. The blogosphere sucks! Blogging sucks! I think I need to do something fun with this, or whatever. Lately all my laughs online have been coming at others’ expense or in morbid humor via email. Like this:

Frank Lampard is a soccer player who was awful against Brazil last week. A letter-writer at ********.com sent the following, which only you will get:

In the England match on Friday I thought Frank Lampard went missing for such long periods that his parents might get asked to meet the Pope.

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

OK, obviously “only you will get” didn’t work out that way. I laughed so hard at this that I didn’t even ask if I could post it–I have to. See? Morbid humor via email. Seriously, though–you think Frank Lampard’s parents would be blogging their visit with the Pope? (Sorry, no link–if you don’t know what I’m talking about, don’t ask. I’m already going to hell for laughing about it.)

Y’ever have those ~~days~~ ~~weeks~~ months where you sort of wish for another Mohammed cartoon or Jesse MacBeth incident, because it provided such unending laughs?

Here’s something else that cracked me up–I found it at a nasty Christian-bashing feminist site (Feministing, which I won’t link because of the painfully stupid, hateful comments there), but it is absurd: Virtue Perfume. Perfume for Christians. Because it’s “spiritual fragrance” that “mimics the spiritual process.” All fragrance elements are “drawn from Biblical text.” Yours for the low, low price of $80! HAHAHAHA. Crass commercialism at its best! (What, no fake testimonials from the Virgin Mary?) See–how pathetic is the conservative blogosphere lately that I had to find a laugh through an angry leftard site? Come on, people…lighten up! (Not you regulars here; I mean the rest of the stupid blogosphere.) The LEFT is the angry, humorless side, remember?

Thank God for Something Awful, for putting it all in perspective.

We live in an exciting age, the era of the Internet, where mass communication allows people of all colors and creeds to interact and speak out in a variety of ways. Today I have decided to present some notable quotes from the visionaries who help shape our online world and drive it towards new horizons. Hopefully it will put this whole Internet thing into perspective just as it did for me.

Not that shi’ite; it’s in the rest of the article, ya goons. :2orly:

Absolutely must-read update: The Anchoress is FED UP with blogtards, too. Go read!

I hate the blogosphere

Well, I’ve had it. I’m going to hang out at Sadie’s and some other apolitical blogs for a while. Maybe here, too. Frankly, both sides of the political blogosphere make me sick right now. Bunch of farking hysterical moonbats.

Most political bloggers are just clueless and embarrassing.

[Uncle Sam - I want you to grow up]

UPDATE: Anyone who uses the words “wetback,” “beaner,” “Messican,” “Jorge Arbusto,” or any other slur about Hispanics here will be dealt with exactly as I deal with those who say “nigger” or “kike.” 403, baby. Test me.

You bloggers who allow it (worst example: Polipundit, but that’s old news) need to clean up that shi’ite. It’s not only offensive, it’s self-defeating. Think about it.

And when threats of violence and rape aren’t vile enough…

You can always attack the dying and/or dead.

No, that link’s not about the soulless sociopaths celebrating Tony Snow’s cancer, it’s about a petty, vicious little bottom-feeder taking a dump on Cathy Seipp in her final days. And even a so-called friend of hers with some ugliness (no link, you can find it) after she died.

Somebody please remind me why we even bother with blogs. Is it even worth it? ‘Cause I’m just not seeing it, and every day I lose a little more faith in humanity. If people are as hateful in real life as they are on teh internets, we’re in deep shi’ite.

[Related]

Anonymous Cowards and Social Retards in the Blogosphere

Tags: Kathy Sierra, Matt Sanchez, trolls, anonymous cowards

The blogosphere makes me f’ing sick. I know, nothing new. But I’ve really about had it with the whole thing.

You may remember a few weeks ago the “story” about Matt Sanchez, the Marine reservist who has fought against the liberal thought police at Columbia University, where he’s a student. The story, of course, being the “outing” of his past in pornography. I was disgusted by the whole thing–it was a total witch hunt conducted by some really hateful people, who to this day still troll his blog leaving nasty anonymous (cowards) comments and are trying to put up a hit piece article at Wikipedia about him (which I will not link, because it’s a travesty).

When that hateful witch hunt hit the blogosphere, I seriously thought about quitting blogging. I am sick and tired of the asinine behavior of people who feel free to say whatever they want about anyone they want because they’re sitting behind a computer screen, and I don’t want to be associated with them AT ALL. Sure, most bloggers anyone’s heard of are just fine, but there’s that ugly minority that makes all bloggers look like smear merchants. And make no mistake: there is a large segment of the population that thinks exactly that–that blogs exist to trash people and have no accountability (in fact, most of the mainstream media seems to believe it). Sorry, but ethics and honesty are extremely important to me, and even though I’m not much of a mainstream “serious” blogger most of the time, ethics and honesty still count. I don’t want to be lumped into a group that’s thought to be unethical and dishonest, period.

But I pressed on anyway, because I won’t relinquish my spot in cyberspace to yet another unethical shi’itebag like these hateful attackers.

And then yesterday, I found another story at CNet. Kathy Sierra, a tech writer and blogger who’s well known in the tech community, has been the recipient of some really nasty threats of violence and sexual slurs. Why a tech blogger who writes helpful articles was targeted is a mystery to me, but there it is. She was actually forced to cancel a trip to a large tech conference due to the vicious things said about her. And these threats and attacks weren’t even from some anonymous coward in comments–they were from other bloggers. Not that it’s OK from the anonymous cowards; it’s not. And now, the story has even made the BBC. Nice work, blogosphere.

Robert Scoble (for you non-techies, he’s one of the biggest and most respected tech bloggers, and has been around forever) is taking a stand–he’s boycotting blogging for a week to register his disgust. Sure, it’s a minor gesture (although it isn’t to his large audience), but he’s called for a solution to this crap. It’s long overdue.

Of course, we in the political blogs are used to a lot of nastiness. WE SHOULDN’T BE. It’s time for people who wish to be taken seriously to act like it. The death wishes on politicians (Bush, Cheney, etc.), the bullshi’ite with digging into other bloggers’ personal lives and histories, attacks on their children, the vile sexual attacks verbalized against female bloggers (we’ve ALL experienced that!) are UNACCEPTABLE. Period. I had no idea this sort of thing was an issue on tech blogs, mainly because I don’t spend as much time at them as political blogs, but also because I forget that some people are as passionate about their tech opinions as we are about politics. (Just look at the comments in some of the digg tech posts.)

So you’re saying, “right, Beth, we shouldn’t be used to it–now what?” I know you can’t make hateful people just disappear, but we can make their comments disappear. Honestly, I’m amazed at how many bloggers allow hateful trolls to pollute their blogs, and in many cases, I rarely even read them because the comments disgust me. I understand that some don’t want to be accused of running an echo chamber–that’s not the point. There is a way to disagree without being disagreeable, though. I have several readers who don’t agree with a lot of what I say, but they’re adults about it and can argue their positions without being hateful. Regular readers of this blog know I don’t put up with any stupid shi’ite in my comments, and I like it that way. My blog, my rules. And really, I believe that if more bloggers would just get rid of nasty comments, they’d save themselves a lot of grief. I’d like to name the blogs I can’t stand reading because of the toxic atmosphere in the comments, but I won’t because I do believe it reflects poorly upon them, and I actually like what the bloggers in question have to say.

A lot of people, prompted by Scoble’s post and also by Howard Kurtz, are talking about not allowing anonymous comments, and many disagree with the concept. Well, I’m going to go against the grain and agree with Howard Kurtz, because anonymous comments rarely, if ever, add to the conversation. Most often, they’re used to attack. Sure, I can take retarded comments from anonymous cowards, but why should I? If you’ve got something to say, cowboy up and put your damn name to it. Otherwise, STFU because your opinion means precisely nothing to me or anyone else. I despise cowards.

As for actual bloggers doing this crap, all we can do is shun them and not read them any more. Don’t read them, don’t link to them, don’t blogroll them. But if you do find them making these outrageous personal attacks against others, call them out on it, even if you’re basically on their side of the original argument.

So good for Robert Scoble and the others who have followed his lead. I’d say I’m taking a week off as well, but I need a week off anyway because I’m working on something more important this week. Besides, it wouldn’t really have the same impact, if I’m the only political blogger doing it. What I’d like to see is people outside the tech blogs start talking about this nastiness as well, and start doing something about it. It’s time for the blogosphere as a whole to clean up its act.

F.E.T.E.™

.
UPDATE: Michelle Malkin has picked up on the story, and asks where the techblogging elite were when she and Jeff Goldstein were threatened. Hmm. Where was she when I’ve been on the receiving end of such things? The answer: she didn’t know about it. Which I suspect is the same answer Robert Scoble and others would have to her question.

Sorry, Michelle, but I respectfully disagree with your angle. This sort of thing happens every single day, it just doesn’t always make the news. That’s life. We can’t all be everywhere, and asking “where were you?” seems to minimize the fact that it happened to Kathy Sierra and anyone else whose story isn’t the blog buzz of the week. This kind of thing shouldn’t be brushed off no matter what sector of the blogosphere in which it occurs, even if it’s not a daily occurrence as it is in the political sector. It’s a good thing that more people are now taking an interest in online harassment, and I encourage the techbloggers to look at it seriously. I suspect that in the past, it was treated as sort of a joke, an infringement on “free speech” among them. It’s not about “free speech,” it’s about acting like a civilized human being. And it’s not about who is harassed, it’s about the fact that it goes on with such frequency and has become commonplace.

Video: Why Vote Republican

(Gawd, if I have to tell y’all at this point “why vote Republican,” I may as well quit blogging!)

stein hoist William Teach

By the way, sorry about being AWOL. I’ve been busy all day, and I’m not even gonna try to catch up. I’m just gonna start fresh tomorrow.

Funny shi’ite: O’Reilly’s on now, and he and Larry Sabato were just talking about some shi’ite and they both bitch-slapped the blogosphere. “The bloggers are all far, far left, and far right. The things they say, the vitriol, they’re paid to smear.” (Paraphrasing.) Hey, they’re not lyin’, although I don’t know of any but one blogger who’s working for a Republican campaign and he’s about as far from “vitriol” as I’ve seen yet. (That would be Jon Henke, of Q&O, at the George Allen blog. Completely professional and above-board.) Compare that with the assbags like Jane Hamster and that douchebag working for Hillary or whatever, and KOS. And for all I know, Mike “Gay Terrorist” Rogers is working for someone, too. Wouldn’t surprise me.

That said, I know I’m not ready for prime time, but I’m not being paid by anyone. (Unfortunately!) And really, I’m about as potty-mouthed as you’ll find on the right side of the blogosphere. Of course, I don’t make up shi’ite or spread rumors and innuendo, as is commonplace on the leftard side, and with VERY rare exception, I don’t go after others on “our side.” I wish I could say the same for others on our side, but hey, that’s their problem. I got some ~~email~~ spam AGAIN from some farking far-right website/blog that I’ve NEVER visited, yammering about how Senator So-and-so is a “traitor to America,” and that they’re supporting some retarded nobody from the stupid, irrelevant Constitution Party instead. And yes, it was full of vile race-baiting shi’ite. (Proud to hate those farkin’ dirty wetbacks, ya racist? Vote Constitution Party!) Maybe those farktards are the “far right” clowns O’Reilly and Sabato were talking about, although I’d think these jerks would be way under anyone’s radar outside those on their spam list.

Anyway, I digress. I just thought it was funny that O’Reilly AND Larry Sabato were kvetching about the Stupid Blogosphere. I can’t say it isn’t warranted–especially after this election season, especially looking at the left. And don’t forget! That’s who’s funding those Democrats that’ll be in the majority starting in January! Hail, hail, Speaker Pelosi, Chairmen Conyers, Rangel, Kennedy, blah blah blah. Thanks to the nutroots and crabby, apathetic “conservatives!”

OMG, HAHAHAHA!!!!! Hannity and Colmes just showed Slick Willie saying “we don’t demonize our opponents!” HAAAAAAA!!!!

Can you hear me laughing out loud all the way from Alabama?!!! Does he know what “demonize” is? Hey, Clinton, “that depends on what the definition of the word is, is.”

BWAHAHAHAHA!!! This election shi’ite is getting just hilarious. Seriously hilarious!

Got any spare cash? Rub those leftards’ noses in it. Send money to one of these people, or to the RNC (YES, the RNC. The Demotards are whining about RNC money kicking their asses, so they get all theirs from George farkin’ Soros and the nutroots. Or borrow it.)

What’s Wrong With Blogging?

I can’t believe I missed THIS when it was written over a year ago, but then again it’s not like I’d be learning something I didn’t already know.

I especially agree with this comment:

Well, shoot. It’s all been said.
* Blogs are nothing new, except the name
* Too many bloggers all saying the same crap
* Pressure to blog leads to carelessly blasting opinion about stuff bloggers don’t know enough about
* Pressure to get links leads to needless controversy instead of reasoned discussions
* Bloggers don’t know web design or web etiquette, or ignore them
* Blogging is getting too commercial

So here’s my original contribution to the list:
* If you come too late to the party, everyone else will already have said what you were gonna say :-
* Blogging is supposedly making traditional journalism obsolete. Baloney. Bloggers are taking themselves far too serious.

Need I say more?

I know, I know–you’re gonna say, “why don’t you just quit, then?” I have no idea, honestly. I guess I haven’t just because it’s a hard habit to break, or something. And at times, I do feel the need to write something. Beats the hell outta me why, though.

So, now it’s your turn. Got a beef with blogging or blogs in general? (You do NOT have to be a blogger to speak up!) You know me, I’m the worst blog-hating blogger of all, so this is your place to vent. Misery loves company! :mrgreen:

This is why I hate the blogosphere: The Polipundit Purge

I am stunned. Lorie Byrd:

I received a lengthy email from Polipundit tonight alerting us to an editorial policy change that included the following: “From now on, every blogger at PoliPundit.com will either agree with me completely on the immigration issue, or not blog at PoliPundit.com.” I would provide additional context, but Polipundit has asked that the contents of our emails not be disclosed publicly and I think that is a fair request. There has been plenty written in the posts over the past week alone to let readers figure out what happened. Polipundit ended a later email with this: “It’s over. The group-blogging experiment was nice while it lasted, but we have different priorities now. It’s time to go our own separate ways.”

You know what? I know I’m a control freak about the content at this blog–John, Martin, and Vinnie will be the first to tell you about that, with my 11th Commandment thing–but we’re pretty much on the same page anyway. But if you’ve seen the fever swamp that is Polipundit lately, you probably agree that Lorie has been a desperately needed voice of reason there. I really think that with this whole stupid immigration issue, those who haven’t been harsh in our rhetoric have been mischaracterized as “soft” on the issue, and Lorie is no exception. She actually agrees with Polipundit on the basic points, but she’s not Bush-deranged like he is.

Take heart, Lorie. It’s his loss, and everyone knows it. To be blunt–I don’t see ANYONE asking the nameless Polipundit to write columns for Townhall, fill in for Michelle Malkin, be suggested as the new Washington Post blogger, or any of the other accomplishments you’ve had. There’s not a blogger to be found from right of center–and probably quite a few from the other side, even–who wouldn’t love to have her on board, myself included.

This is exactly the kind of nonsense that makes me hate the blogosphere, though. Once again, extremism dominates. To quote in inimitable Walter Sobchak, “These guys are a bunch of farkin’ amateurs.” You can’t be pragmatic or reasonable without either taking heat for it (about which I couldn’t care less) or being mischaracterized. Color me unsurprised.

I know I’m breaking my own rule about slagging other bloggers (other than D.S.) on the right individually, but this is ridiculous. Lorie Byrd has better things in her future than hanging out with kooks.

F.E.T.E.

Update (already): Well, I just made my last trip to Polipundit. He’s revoked posting privileges from the others too. I’ve got others here too–Martin, John, and Vinnie (as well as others on occasion)–so I do understand the desire for a relatively cohesive message, but DAMN, not bashing the other bloggers and all those with whom they share opinions. What an infant!

Jay Tea pretty much says what I think in this comment.

I don’t think Alexander McClure and Jayson have blogs (yet), but DJ Drummond has Stolen Thunder. Add it to your blogroll too.

Others on this:

HAHAHAAA!!!
Consider this my position, word for word. Thanks, Anchoress; you saved me at least an hour of fumbling around looking for the right words.

UPDATE 2:
What’s it say about a blogger when he disallows opposing views, but allows comments saying:

I admire the President on most things but am consumed with rage about this wetback crap.

Comment by mnw | Email | 5/16/2006 - 11:29 am

This isn’t an isolated incident there, either–there have been several other commenters making similar remarks in other threads.

The socially retarded blogosphere

Parental advisory - language warning

Gaaaaah. It’s not even 9am on a Monday and I’m already aggravated.

What the fark is wrong with people on the internets? Where’s the goddamn rule book that says it’s OK to be socially inept and rude just because you’re sitting at home (or work, whatever) on your computer?

I can’t believe the shi’ite I see left at some people’s blogs. I’m not even talking about my own–I’m talking about the social retards that leave unsolicited public critiques on how you run your site. “I don’t like the content you’ve been doing lately,” “you swear too much” (that one’s come here before, obviously), “you should write about x,” etc.

Hey, farkwit, you want to read a blog that has what you like to read? GET YOUR OWN.

Here’s an example. Obviously, nobody needs me to come to their defense, but that shi’ite pisses me off. Put it this way: if you wouldn’t say it face to face in the other person’s home, don’t farking say it, asshole.

Here’s another thing done by social retards: Leaving a link to your crappy and off-topic blog post in comments. That is called SPAM. Let me break it down to you like this: unless the point is relevant and important and YOU KNOW I would find it interesting, don’t farking do it. I will kill it, just like spam. You know that annoying pain in the ass captcha thing I’ve got in comments? Well, that’s only one of five measures I have implemented to keep spam off the blog. Don’t be a farking human spammer. That means you, dickhead. And you’re just the latest offender. And yes, I do mess up the URL you attach to your name as well when you do that, especially when you’re a troll.

Here’s a tip: if you can’t debate intelligently and coherently as though you were in a blogger’s house, shut the fark up, or expect to be treated likewise.

Tags: social retards, stupid internets, stupid blogosphere, trolls

Blogging About Blogging

First off, I can’t stand blogging about blogging. Everyone’s got their own opinions about any given element of blogging, and it’s a waste of time trying to resolve those differences. You may not agree with my opinions, and that’s fine. Just don’t go freaking out about it; IT’S JUST A BLOG.

I used to like blogs and being a part of the blog world, because most bloggers are much better-informed than the general public, and I can discuss things with others who actually know what I’m talking about. To some extent, I still do, but I guess I’ve become disillusioned by it after only a year and a half. Some decidedly negative thoughts on recent blog buzz:

Pajamas Media.

Why does everyone care so much about what someone else is doing? Why has it become such a target? I’m not in it, and I know my blogging style isn’t in the “mainstream” of what they do. So what? Why do so many people sound so bitter that they aren’t included? I mean really, first (~~some~~ many) people bitch that they weren’t invited, then they rip on the whole idea. If it sucks, why do you even want to be a part of it? I just don’t get it–but then I’ve never understood the point in complaining about exclusion and then talking about how bad the “exclusive” (whatever) entity is. I also don’t get why some people have started ripping on individual bloggers in PJM, when they clearly used to like them. Now you don’t, because of PJM? WTF?

PJM bloggers, you’re not off the hook, either. SOME of you are acting like jackasses, calling all of your critics “jealous.” Please. There are, believe it or not, some things that warrant criticism, such as the non-existent mission statement or roadmap–IOW, the details. Just because some people question this or the “OSM” mess, doesn’t mean they’re jealous. Get over yourselves.

And that’s all I have to say about Pajamas Media. I wish them well and hope they can have some beneficial impact on the media or the internet or whatever it is they’re trying to do.

Open Trackback Posts.

I was sick of this subject about two minutes after I got the first breathless, hysterical email about N.Z. Bear not counting empty “trackback parties” in the ecosystem. Don’t like it? Write something worth linking to. Some of us used to do open trackbacks because we’re lazy or didn’t have time to write anything else, but it’s patently obvious others had different goals. Quit trying to deny it–you look foolish. Nobody’s buying it, in some of your cases. I’m amused by the “it’s not fair to smaller blogs” whine, where the whiners are missing the obvious point that 99.9% of bloggers have gotten their places in the ecosystem due to having link-worthy posts or by actually linking relevant content to another blogger’s post. Is it fair that you, Mr. Trackback Party, have catapulted to the upper echelons of the ecosystem above them? I vote NO, emphatically so.

I’m only even writing about this because I need to vent. Otherwise, I couldn’t care less. It’s just more damn whining–and worse, anyone whining about “it’s not fair” makes me want to vomit. Life isn’t fair. Deal with it.

Stuff like this is what prompted the “Bad Blog Awards” post, which has some interesting comments, to say the least–although shockingly fewer than I would expect from bloggers and commenters. (Chicken?) Basically, blogging about blogging, blog-fights (to include asinine “de-linkings”) and bloggers trying to claw their way to the top of the ant hill by being a pain in the ass totally disgust me. In many ways, I’m embarrassed to be thought of as a “blogger.” If someone were to ask me In Real Life if I were a blogger, I’d hate to answer the question.

Why? Because of a few reasons:

Most blogs just suck. (I don’t exclude myself from this.)
Most bloggers take themselves WAY too seriously.
Many bloggers thing they’re going to be famous by blogging. HA! Ask your mom, “who is Glenn Reynolds?” Or better yet, ask who Markos Moulitsas Zúniga (or even just plain “Kos”) is–he’s got the most traffic, after all. You could even ask a lot of people who Michelle Malkin is and get a blank stare (which is a shame, really, but it’s true).
Too many bloggers have ridiculously thin skin. In fact, they far outnumber those who don’t. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: If you can’t stand the heat, get out of the damn ~~kitchen~~ blogosphere. Nobody likes a self-pitying crybaby or someone who constantly bickers with other bloggers or commenters.
This is a huge gripe of mine: too many damn extremists. Even the so-called “moderates” or “centrists” are extremists. It’s such a JOKE. And worse, as the Commissar has noted before, the blogosphere rewards extremism rather than rational thought and logical thoughts that reflect a grasp of reality. Maybe it doesn’t bother you, but I personally think pure ideologues of all stripes are a bunch of clowns that need to get out and experience reality rather than the “what ifs” that exist in their daydreams. Snap out of it! And what’s going to happen with this point? I’ll be called “wishy-washy,” a “RINO,” or worse. Heh.

OK, I’m dragging this out too much because I’ve already written something like this before. The whole purpose of this is to basically explain some of the reasons for the “Bad Blog Awards” and the accompanying bad attitude I have about the blogosphere. So now that I’ve blown off a little steam, maybe I can get back into this thing.

F.E.T.E.

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