Last week, I informed my editors that after August 31st, 2011, I will no longer be a regular contributor to Room Eight New York Politics. I am taking my columns to a select and semi-public audience. You will just have to subscribe to get them. And there will be no comments-section, since serious readers know how to get their feedback to me: they have been doing it for years.
Let me explain that further.
During the latest flare-up on Room Eight, I have tried to stay out of the threads and the predictable circus atmosphere. This was deliberate and calculated on my part. Over the years, I have been subjected to vicious and erroneous info as to my character, personality, motives, ethics, personal history, ideology and the like. I know in the past I have mixed it up, and probably given as much -and as well- as I have taken; but it is boring. It has always been boring.
And that’s why I have repeatedly asked for it to stop. It has never been productive on any level. At times I have had to close my comments-section to get away from all the bull-crap. It had nothing to do with fearing criticism or refusing to defend the assertions of said columns; but if one repeats this (as Gatemouth has), then others are apt to believe those are the real reasons I have closed my comments-sections. And regardless of what Gatemouth has opined the fact is this: I do not relish all the bullshit.
I have requested a permanent closing of my comments-section on more than a few occasions now. This goes back at least four years. My editors -in whose hands all this continues to be placed- have done it temporarily in the past, but they usually succumb and re-open. There is something about blogging and lively threads that seem to fascinate folks. Go see what goes on Politico when Ben Smith writes his blog columns: mama mia!
Unlike most contributors here, I always submit my columns for acceptance, posting, editing and formatting before publishing. Ben Smith and Gur Tsbar have always had censure-rights on my columns. If they ever felt a column was “over the top”, then they could nix it. Not once have they axed a column: not once. Think about that for a minute; while you digest Howard “Gatemouth” Graubard’s latest diatribe against my columns: relative to their timeliness, veracity, integrity, relevance, import, quality, and etcetera.
Back in the day, I always tried to defend my columns via the comments section, since I saw it (and still see it now) as a blogging-responsibility. But as the years go by -and as the invectives increase- I now see it as a ridiculous spectacle into which I usually get drawn. I hate to take a punch without punching back; that’s the old amateur boxer in me. However, the continuous spectacle has to end sometime, thus I am putting things in motion for its demise. I guess Gatemouth will now try to find new ways to obtain my columns, in order to disrespectfully open a thread for comments. Since he fancies himself the G-D of the blogs, he believes it his divine right to open up a comment section alongside any column an author (only done with my columns so far/I think) chooses to keep closed. That’s the Rodney Dangerfield (no respect) bag he loves to climb into.
In the past, my responses included choice words and phrases, spiced with the some testy rebuttals, and intermittently flavored with some profanity along the way. This time around -and since these attacks are nothing new really- I let them slide. Even when an old friend called me in the middle of the night, admonishing that I address false information being posited by persons who have no idea as to who I am, or what I have done or contributed; I still refused to get into the nasty threads; disrespectfully drawn up by a person having no clue as to what the intellectual-property-rights of another means.
My decision not to respond to comments made in the threads -maliciously placed- is now being taken a step further. I am not even going to read the comments far less respond. I also intend to stop reading anything Gatemouth or Mary Alice Miller post here. They can say anything they want about me: fine. I do have folks who report back with the morsels of crap or the drips of bile; but it is time for some significant action. I really don’t need this anymore. And since I have always promised to go out on my own terms: here I go, here I go, and here I go.
August 31st is a historic day for me; since it was the day Trinidad (my birthplace) obtained independence from Britain. Back in 1973, I first arrived in NYC one day earlier. I am a Virgo: we love August and September. What can I tell you; I am silly that way. Bite me!
A little over six years ago I first started seriously engaging the blogosphere beyond the cursory engagements prior. On the Politicker, I was immediately greeted by hostility from one Howard Gatemouth Graubard: who has been nothing short of an eccentric blog-terrorist since. His perverse obsession with everything I write has reached psychotic proportions. For a little over the next six weeks I MAY respond to that fool while I finish off a few other columns I have been working on. I will also fill out the public record as to the things I have done with my life -while living in Trinidad and now the USA- since no one will define me: I will define myself on these here blogs.
So to all the detractors who insist on reading my columns: ENJOY. Have fun. I hope it bores you to death. LOL. And do let Gatemouth open a column for your comments. Hopefully one day soon he will re-discover his creativity. Also, do let Ms. Miller explain the meanings of said columns since she says that I am not in her league as a writer. Between both of them (G&M) my sad and sorry columns sure get a lot of attention don’t they? What a duo of crock-creators?
As a foundation member of this writer’s colony -during the past five and a half years on R8NY- I have averaged about three columns every fortnight here. Come September I will revert to a “Tom Brokaw” role: whereby I will make irregular contributions if an issue or column so moves me. In the meantime, I am considering letting my regular column be made into a newsletter and supplied to an esoteric group of subscribers only. This is something similar to what one of my mentors (Maurice Gumbs) started doing as a pioneer in this contemporary media/art form many years ago. I do want to see to what lengths the trolls will go to savage my columns then.
If my regular columns do appear on the blogs, it will be a site where the comments-section is permanently closed. I will no longer open my comments section to fools. As much as I regret doing this, I see it as best. After years of trying to solicit intelligent conversations, I am now forced to conclude that assholes are just that; and will always be that. I have had offers to publish on other blog-mediums and I must say that I have considered them. I am still to decide on that however since I am not pleased with this R8 experience. Until I could get some iron-clad guaranties that the circus-atmosphere of my comments-section will be controlled by the powers-that-be, I will just have to find ways to control it myself.
Anyone can click on my photo and get into my archives, in order to ascertain the veracity of the numerous vicious statements made by these two terrorists (G&M). I have always tried to engage those who made comments; always. Go see for yourself. Go back to my early columns if you so choose; and if you are really interested in finding the truth. I don’t shy away from critique. I only do this when the attacks get ridiculous and personal as they eventually do.
When you have one man, spending inordinate amounts of time to write garbage with thousands of words, based on columns I have written; examining every undotted ”I” and every uncrossed “T”; examining every nuance and what it really implies or means; capturing and reprinting things I said in comment-sections at length and verbatim; lifting long paragraphs of things I have written; in order to primarily denigrate what I wrote; in order to trivialize and ridicule what I created; then it is time to get far away from that sick fool. That man is Howard Gatemouth Graubard. Go look at the numerous things he has written about me from day one.
I recently saw a column he wrote on same sex marriage, in which used thousands of words. A significant number of them were direct quotes from columns I had written; or words from threads on which I made comments. Can anyone say this is normal? Why this obsession? Even if my columns stink; even if my columns suck; do you need to attack near everyone to make this point?
Why continue to read an author you denigrate and despise? A writer you have openly and publicly chastised and castigated. Why continue to read a writer you have attempted to discredit over and again? Can someone really make sense of this nonsense? You keep putting someone down but you keep reading his stuff!
When this person feels that his G-D gives him the right to critique every single piece I put out on the blogs; and examine them for truth and facts; and search them for libelous or slanderous content and the like; and put them under microscopes of language rigidity; and under the cameras of language purity; and bi-sect them; and dissect them; and psycho-analyze them; and upon all this, still question their virginities; well then it’s time to seek a licensed firearm (or hide an unlicensed one). If I were a coward it would probably be scary.
And yet I have tried to befriend this person. This is the same person who was hired more than once, by unknown agents of the powers-that-be, to knock me off various ballots in political races I was trying to contest. (YES: IT IS TRUE). A man who pored through my petitions with one malicious and vicious intention: to deny me the right to run for public office. After thousands of voters had signed for me to make the ballot, this man was willing to undermine their civic right. By the way; he was successful in knocking off two of my running mates (2000): but he couldn’t get me off; and to this day it sticks in his craw, since he prides himself as a master political technician.
This is the same man who attacked my credentials and my professional experiences; thrashed my political acumen, my ivy-league education, my political and historical knowledge, my political contacts and acquaintances et al. And this started from the first day I started seriously engaging bloggers on Politicker.
It was as though he hated the fact that so many people -daily and continuously- engaged my views, positions and ideas. It was as though his infantile mind saw him losing prominence as some kind of blog-king. It was as though his blog predominance and preeminence needed protection from a perceived threat. This blogger-extraordinaire (in his warped mind) should decide who is respected on blog-land.
This is the same man I placed on my mailing list for years. And after I lost a draining election contest , he had the nerve -less than a week later- to send out a blast all others on the e-mail list: with the observation that I had more people on my mailing list than the votes I got in the election (near twelve hundred). Some sensitive brother is he. And I forgave all this to hopefully try to peacefully co-exist with someone whose motives (relative to blogging) I kept wishing and hoping could be deemed as solid.
The other person I have mentioned is a man-hating weirdo who is also a member of this writer’s colony. A person I lobbied to be part of the group; a person who now says that I am more dangerous (violent/fearful) than Senator Kevin Parker. Talk about a non-rocket-scientist.
Howard Gatemouth Graubard and Mary Alice Miller are to me, the blog-versions of Dracula and his bride. He is a vicious, conniving, envious fool, who would carry a grudge forever. He is haughty, arrogant and conceited. And he truly believes he is more intelligent than any other New Yorker (especially when it comes to political analysis). The other obviously has had a history of horrible experiences with men (and possibly women too). I will say no more for now. Just know that I do my homework and I can research.
Over the years, I have directly (and indirectly) introduced thousands to the blogs -and especially to Room Eight and the Daily Gotham. The overwhelming majority were students I lectured to at various universities, programs, educational institutions and schools (both public and private). I have been involved in education near all my life. In NYC, I have spent more than a quarter century in this area. I have lectured in Political Science, Black Studies, Public Communication, Communication Theory, Writing, English, Marketing, Social Studies, Economics, History, plus other subjects as well. Many of these students come up on the blogs from time to time. Usually they defend me against the ridiculous attacks that Gatemouth has led.
How do I know this? They call me and tell me when silly stuff takes place here. Many have refused to come up on the site because of all the nonsense. So this site could have grown more over the years. The fact that we have had around twenty thousand virgin hits on a good month is only an indication of what could have been. If we didn’t have these silly meltdowns (“de vez en cuando”), I am sure we could have been a larger and more popular blog-site.
My detractors accuse me of being libelous and slanderous; fine. And yet, after almost four hundred columns here, not once have the editors of Room 8, or the Daily Gotham, or any other newspaper, magazine, periodical or website -where my columns have been published- been threatened by anyone with legal action. Not once has anyone written a letter, or made a phone call, or sent an e-mail claiming to have been so harmed, or used a lawyer as an intermediary in coming at me. Not once has any public official sent a warning relative to my columns. Not once: almost six years later.
The truth is this; Ben Smith has told me on more than one occasion about folks asking about me near all the time Room 8 comes up: in a “fan-type of way ” of course. He is one of the two editors/founders. He also happens to be an eminent national journalist/blogger.
These two writers (G&M) have gone to extreme lengths to attack my writings, and they continue to do it at every opportunity. In the meantime, congress members, state senators, assembly members, city council members, city and state wide elected officials, academics, et al, have all commended me for the things I have written here. So do tell me the true motivation folks?
In 2008, the campaign manager of a presidential candidate (Hilary Clinton) could tell me, that wherever and whenever he was travelling in the country, he still had to get up to the blogs to view my coverage of the primary contest: since he thought I covered (and called) it better than any other writer in the COUNTRY. At the same time, Mr. Gatemouth and his cronies were claiming that the Clintons will sue me for my horrible coverage and analysis. Go see these threads yourself.
When I was invited to appear on NBC’s (NY Channel Four) News Forum program in 2008 (Jay DeDapper/ Gabe Pressman), it was because I was told a survey taken of NY bloggers found me to be one of (if not)the most popular out there. Do you really think they would showcase a blogger who routinely slanders and libels? Do you know who was another guest on that particular show with me? It was Billy Thompson -then comptroller of NYC.
When the DNCC chose me as one of two credentialed NY bloggers to cover the 2008 Democratic Party national convention, do you think it was because my columns suck as badly as my detractors complain daily? Do they really? This is just some food for thought; since one of my fellow writers here claims to only read me to see what the comments say (talk about honesty). So one refuses to read a column but jumps right into the comments: yeah; right!
These are the ones who say I am “not in their league”. These are the folks who are always putting down my columns and their quality (or lack of) yet read them no end. These are the same folks who attack the quality of my product(s); the same folks who attack my style, content, facts, credibility and so on. You name it and they will attack it once it comes from me. And yet time after time folks come up on the threads to express how much they enjoy reading my columns; as if to passionately contradict these virulent smears. However the attacks continue.
Look; why read someone’s column only to attack? Why? What’s the real motivation? It is obvious that my editors see fit to publish me; so why not stop reading me and go your way? How many times do you have to point out how badly written a column is, and etcetera? Enough already! Attempts to make this point have long past the saturation level; get over it.
I don’t have to write a column on these or any blogs; I don’t. I have said many times before that representing your country as a teenager in any sport (as I have done), is enough ego-gratification to last a lifetime.
When I don’t send out a column after a few weeks, I get more than enough phone calls and e-mails from folks wanting to know why. They profess to miss what I have to say. I know my columns have been reproduced, e-mailed, faxed, tweeted and xeroxed around for years. I have had calls from all kinds of strangers -from all parts of the world- relative to my columns. The overwhelming responses have been supremely positive; so what is the real motivation for all these silly attacks? What’s really behind all this? One commenter recently said it was my “diversity” which is appreciated. Whatever the reason some folks like my columns I can’t be attacked for that. If you like them than read them; if you dislike them then don’t read them: it is that simple.
You readers (and I am not talking about my fans) need to figure out what has been really going on here all these years. I will try to help you deal with this in the coming weeks: MAYBE. I do appreciate the many fans who have periodically come up here trying to defend me, and their right to read what I publish -without all the Gatemouth-induced drama. If it is true -as Gatemouth says- I will be sued one day; then so be it. I don’t know why he is so concerned. I have never been afraid or concerned of being sued: NEVERRRRRRRR. Until, those days come (maybe) then don’t believe the hype; and please stop drinking the Kool Aid of these two jokers.
Stay tuned-in folks. The next six weeks or so should bring loads of fun.