"Somehow it seemed as though the farm had grown richer without making the animals themselves any richer— except, of course, for the pigs and the dogs."
"No question, now, what had happened to the faces of the pigs. The creatures outside looked from pig to man, and from man to pig, and from pig to man again; but already it was impossible to say which was which."
Since my blog post concerning the coup at Ann Coulter Official Chat (ACOC), I have visited that forum a number of times. Whether my posts were on-topic or simply banal observations it seemed as though every post became an opportiunity for a member of the "new team" or their supporters to take a personal shot at me. No big deal. I’m a big boy, I can defend myself. And in light of my blog entry here I can understand why they’d be a little on edge.
However, one of main reasons given for the sudden change in leadership at ACOC was that the previous administration was too touchy and too quick to lord it over the posters. Having posted nothing at ACOC worthy of a banning in the months since my blog entry on the topic (despite the personal barbs directed at me), I was surprised to receive an angry email damanding a public apology for my "vitriol" and "wild accusations". I’m glad to see that they’re scouring the net for independent thought (i.e. the offending comments were here, not on ACOC).
Worst of all, I was accused of "slandering" Ms. Coulter herself. I was told at the start of the week that I had until today to post my apology (what prompted this sudden need for an apology was not explained)… yet I was, without explanation, banned two days before the deadline.
What was the offense that precipitated the banning?
Well, on a conservative board I posted an article about the practice of internet sock-puppetry being used at The New Republic. I posted the article (by Cathy Young at reason.com) without comment. This begs the question, Why would an article critical of a Leftist magazine’s unethical behavior lead to a banning at ACOC?
Hmmm…
If you’ll look back at the comments from my orginal entry on this topic, you’ll notice a very fierce defense of the new moderators who are referred to (glowingly) in the third person.
Hmmm…
As for the supposed "vitriol" and "slander" here that apparently weren’t enough to get me banned there in October, I report, you decide (with apologies to Fox News).
Here is my "slander" of Ann:
It may be just another internet board to some, but when you attach your name to it and provide a link on your web site, you must bear the responsibility for what happens in your name. These changes did not happen without approval from Ann. She may not owe anyone an explanation, but I believe both a "Thank You" and an apology are in order.
Wow, how did I get that through the Townhall filters?
Ann, regular pratictioners of sock-puppetry are now in charge of your board. They have now banned a long-time poster for posting an article about a despicable practice usually associated with the Left. We have looked through the window at Ann’s Farm and it’s getting hard to tell the pigs from the, well, the pigs.
"All animals are equal but some animals are more equal than others."