If you can’t rebut, attack

Earlier today, a reader named “Joseph” posted a comment on “I don’t follow the logic” in which he made some general claims without backing them up. In response to this comment, which was really only an attack on some other people and myself, I wrote “Anything constructive to add?”.

Joseph seemed to feel I was writing an untrue (his word) story. In my responses (two of them) to his comment, it appears I hit a nerve. I haven’t approved his latest comment because it is nothing but another attack rant. The first part of it refers to other people, so I won’t copy it here, but the rest refers to me, so here it is, complete with foul language and misspellings:
Your saying because the police put out a warrent he’s guilty?
Wow
YOUR just a lonely little person with nothing better to do but write story’s for your friends.
You are no writer that’s for sure.
Won’t even waste my time anymore.
You must be one of the ones he told to fuck off.
All your friends but you
You angry?

No, I’m saying the police believe they had enough evidence to issue the warrants. It’s up to the Canadian courts to determine his guilt or innocence following his extradition after two years in a Jamaican jail.

YOUR just a lonely little person with nothing better to do but write story’s for your friends.
You are no writer that’s for sure. I’m not going to dignify these comments with any further comment, for your judgement would depend upon your point of reference.

Won’t even waste my time anymore. Good. Please unfollow my blog.

You must be one of the ones he told to fuck off. Actually, had he approached me, I’d have told him to take a hike. I didn’t like him on sight. I found him arrogant and thought he was nothing but a poseur.

Joseph, as I wrote above, some of my comments must have hit home or else rather than attack me, you would have attempted to rebut my points. For your information, the term for an attack on a writer, is “ad hominem”. I didn’t use it earlier because I didn’t want the big words to confuse you.

Cat.

Anything constructive to add?

“Joseph” responded to my posting ‘I don’t follow the logic” with what appears to be nothing more than attacks on myself and George Flowers’s partners. Here is the complete comment from “Joseph”, then I’ll examine it in detail:

Joseph

If your going to tell a story, that’s fine, tell the whole story. But why lie?

“The people I know who dated him never mentioned it” ?
I thought you said you knew him? Bullshit or I would know you. “Cat”
ALL these girls knew what George was about. Knew he was married. Knew he had multiple partners.
What did they think the end result would be when they go clubbing and drop their panties for everyone that asks, AND to not even use protection.

For the benefit of those who haven’t read “I don’t follow the logic” (why haven’t you?) the second sentence refers to some alleged charity work George did.

What you’re saying in that third sentence is that you know everyone George has ever met or had business dealings with, is that correct? Sounds kind of creepy to me – almost stalking. Obviously your statement is incorrect or you would know where and under what circumstances I met him. So that would also mean you are aware of every time George dropped his pants and the name of the person he was with at the time.

That would also mean that you knew Lisa – his first wife – and wife number 2, and that he on occasion had as many as three women on the side, both before and after he married. You would know then that he was diagnosed HIV positive in 1996 and had long-term, intimate, loving relationships in 1997 where he did not disclose his status.

I know three people who had long-term relationships with him after 1996, so it wasn’t a case of going clubbing then “dropping their panties” as you so crudely put it. These women all dumped him after they learned of the existence of the other two.

“Joseph”, does this sound like the dirtbag you know? I got this story from two different sources, so I’m more inclined to trust them than someone who calls me a liar and doesn’t provide proof of their claims.

I hope I’ve enlightened you a little more on your long-time friend.
Cat.

I don’t follow the logic

I received the following comment today meant for “Never going to happen”, but decided not to approve it for two reasons. First, it doesn’t advance the discussion and second, it is an ad hominen attack rather than a comment on the posting.

Joseph commented on Not going to happen

Your a coward. That’s why you won’t identify yourself. Plain and simple.
As for you knowing George, I don’t think so. Just because you met someone doesn’t mean you know them. I’ve known him for 31 years.

Why did you not disclose the work he did at the Hospital for Sick Kids. Charity concerts he did.???
Because you didn’t know him.
If you did know him you would know he was a good guy that made some bad mistakes.
What’s in your past. Bet I could find something on you if you identify yourself. Coward
P.S. That’s my real name

First, the grammar cop in me noticed the writer used the wrong “your”. It should be “you’re” meaning “you are”.

As for his charity work, save it for the judge. The people I know who dated him never mentioned it. They commented on his ego and his habit of constantly trying to borrow money from them, but never his charity work. And it was never mentioned in any interview of him that I saw or heard.

Your a coward. That’s why you won’t identify yourself. The last time I checked, “Cat” is a perfectly acceptable diminutive for my name, so this claim is baseless as I have identified myself. But since you cannot accept “Cat” as being a real name therefore I’m hiding behind an alias.
If you did know him you would know he was a good guy that made some bad mistakes. Let me get this straight. You claim he’s a good guy that made some bad mistakes. Yeah, you could say that. Deliberately (yes, “deliberately” because he failed to disclose his status) infecting some of his partners with HIV, or at least putting them at risk of contracting HIV is much more serious than a “bad mistake”. Especially when he repeated this “mistake” for several years.

What’s in your past. Bet I could find something on you if you identify yourself. Coward. Funny you should say that. I’ve held several positions that required criminal background checks from the police. My background check always comes back clean, so I doubt you could find anything.

Joseph, a bit of advice. Launching personal attacks on a writer with whom you disagree is never smart. If you have valid points of contention, that’s one thing. But calling me a coward for not identifying myself without doing any basic research casts doubt on the veracity of the rest of your comment especially when I have used my name.

Let me get this straight. You’re (note the spelling Joseph) calling me a coward because I used my real name on a post yet you, whose comment is basically an attack on me, are not a coward because you used your real name. Is that it? Can you say “double standard”?

Cat.

Not going to happen

Since January 24, I have had three requests from the same person for my telephone number so they can ask me some questions. The last request included their number so I could call them (it was long distance, so I wouldn’t call anyway). These requests have all come from the same email address, with two different names and three different ip addresses. Two of the three requests have come in attached to posts related to the “Bring him to justice” series which automatically raises my suspicions. It is believed by myself and others that the mysterious “Barbara” who commented on one post was in fact a family member trying to find out where I’m getting my information and in the process learn more about me.

In each case I have replied saying I won’t give out my phone number because I’ve been bothered by stalkers and suggest they ask their questions by email at the address with which I provided them. There have been no takers on my offer.

As for giving me their telephone number so I can call them, that won’t happen because I know about call display and how it can be used to trace someone. I’ve already dealt with one stalker and that wasn’t pleasant. It never is when you realize that someone out there considers you prey. Knowing that the “Bring him to justice” series which deals with one George Flowers, who is wanted by the Toronto Police Service on several charges of aggravated sexual assault has pissed off some people, there is no way on earth I’d give my phone number to a complete stranger. It wouldn’t matter if you had sent me your complete biography, not just a telephone number, I’m still not calling you.

So, whoever the hell you really are, you can either ask your questions in an email or stop bothering me.

Cat.

I don’t believe your name is Barbara

A couple of days ago I posted a piece titled “Hey Barb! (part of “Bring him to Justice”)” in which I rip into three messages sent by someone using the name “Barbara”.  These three messages were intended as comments on an earlier piece (June 2013) called “Bring him to justice – CAPTURED”.

Some background before I continue.  The “Bring him to justice” series deals with the Toronto Police Service search for one George Flowers, aka “Mr Flowas”, who is, in my opinion, a not very good rapper.  He is wanted on multiple charges of aggravated sexual assault for failing to disclose his HIV positive status to his partners – for at least fifteen years.  Some of those partners are now positive themselves.  Currently he is in a Jamaican jail while he exhausts all avenues of appeal against his extradition to Canada.

It was the first of the three messages that raises the most questions, not only my own, but from others who have read it. I’ll copy it here:

Barbara
10 minutes ago
You know nothing and this blog is discrediting his reputation as any logical person would know they have to prove that he gave it them and that can not be proven so… , your friends were so quick to bus it open and now that have something you want to call him a monster no one told you to have sex , he is no monster he made mistakes and will get the proper punishment most of these woman are just spiteful that they were fucked and dumped , watch what you say about a man that you know nothing about

Obviously, from my perspective, the writer hasn’t read any of the previous posts from the series or else they would have known that I state I’ve met George Flowers and actually know a fair bit about him and also state I know some of the people he’s dated.  And as a  writer, I also find the lack of punctuation disturbing.

Some people who have read these messages made the observation that if they – particularly this first one – were in fact written by a woman, then she’s gone off her anti-psychotic meds.  They further state they cannot believe any woman could come to the defence of this man knowing what he’s done. One person wrote the following:  I can’t even begin to go there with this lunatic bitch… obviously she is under some kind of fairy tale spell.

Other people believe this was actually written by a man.  They feel the word choice and that they open the message with a defence of Flowers indicate more of a male mindset since it seems the writer is blaming the women for what happened.  That may be for it seems to be more of a male attitude to blame the victim.

Whether it was written by a man or a woman is immaterial.  What matters is that some deluded soul is defending George Flowers. You must ask yourself would they feel the same if it were their sister; girlfriend, or just a friend who was now HIV positive after dating George Flowers?    I strongly suspect they’d be searching for the highest tree from which to lynch him.

Cat.

Hey Barb! (part of “Bring him to justice”)

You don’t mind if I call you Barb, do you?

This is about the three comments you posted on “Bring him to justice – CAPTURED!” last night.  Before I start, just so you know, I began writing about the charges against, and the search for, George Flowers on August 14, 2012 and the piece you commented on was written June 11, 2013, so my question is “Where have you been hiding for the past two-and-a-half years?”

Now, your comments.  First, this one:
Barbara
10 minutes ago
You know nothing and this blog is discrediting his reputation as any logical person would know they have to prove that he gave it them and that can not be proven so… , your friends were so quick to bus it open and now that have something you want to call him a monster no one told you to have sex , he is no monster he made mistakes and will get the proper punishment most of these woman are just spiteful that they were fucked and dumped , watch what you say about a man that you know nothing about watch what you say about a man that you know nothing about

This is so full of inaccuracies, probably including your name, I don’t know where to start.  To use your own words, “any logical person would know” the Toronto Police Service must feel they have sufficient evidence to lay those charges.  “He is no monster he made mistakes”.  That must be some great ganja you’ve got.  The Oxford Dictionary describes a mistake as “an error in judgement”, among other things.  That for fifteen years he failed to tell any of his partners he was HIV positive takes his actions far beyond the “mistake” range and puts him squarely into monster territory.  Another inaccuracy (don’t worry, I’m almost done) is your “fucked and dumped” comment.  At least two women I know did the dumping, not him, which is the complete opposite of your claim.  Finally, in what moment  of clairvoyant clarity did you determine I know nothing about the man.  I’ve met him and spent time in his company.  I know he’s married and has kids and I even know his wife’s name.  I also know that rather than cross the street to hear him perform, I’d cross the street to avoid hearing him.   By the way, out of curiosity, should I consider your “watch what you say about a man that you know nothing about” a threat?

Now, your second message:
Barbara
9 minutes ago
where are you getting your information

Sorry Barb, like any respectable journalist, I won’t reveal my sources.

And, your final message:
Barbara
8 minutes ago
lastly if he is found guilty he will get less than 10 years and then be free now tell me would you be scared of a man you just convicted

No, I wouldn’t be scared.  Actually, if it were up to me, I’d have charged him with attempted murder, not aggravated sexual assault, and if any of his victims have passed on, I’d charge him with first degree murder.  Yes, first degree, because he made a conscious decision not to reveal his status.  And Barb, consider this: People convicted of the crimes he is charged with, especially if they are HIV positive, are not among the elite in the prison hierarchy.  He can expect to have a very rough time in prison.  Things happen in prisons so he may not make it through that sentence.

I hope I answered your questions and concerns.

Cat

Don’t think you’re making sense

Recently (March 9) I reposted a piece called “Don’t think you’re safe” which was based upon the fact I was the victim of a stalker not all that long ago.  Here’s an excerpt from that piece that explains the situation:  About five years ago I had to deal with a stalker.  Yeah – late sixties, trans, 5 foot 11 and (at the time) about 180 lbs and being stalked by some wacko.  If any of my readers have had the experience of being stalked, you understand the terror at knowing someone out there considers you prey and is actively hunting you. If you haven’t read it, please do.  The advice is aimed mainly at women, but men do get stalked as well and some of my advice may prove useful to them too.

There’s the background and a brief plug for that posting.  In that post, I mention using a camera to photograph anyone you consider suspicious, which is how the following, sent from some camera company, ended up in my WordPress spam folder today.

ethangreenlee
Submitted on 2013/04/02 at 12:13 pm

Ridiculous story there. What occurred after? Take
care!

First, the most sensible thing in this is the “Take care!”, which effectively boiled my post down to two words.

Can anyone explain how a brief essay on being aware of your surroundings to ensure you aren’t in someone’s sights can be considered a ridiculous story?  Having lived through the experience, I can tell you firsthand there is nothing ridiculous about it.

“What occurred after?”?  Well Ethan, or whatever your name is, I’ll tell you.  I wrote this blog deliberately titled “Don’t think you’re making sense” and posted it so people can see just how little you actually do think.

To my followers and readers, enjoy your week and remember to hug an artist – we need love (and intelligent comments) too.

Cat.

I think I’ve been insulted

The following was in my WordPress spam this morning and of course had no bearing on the intended post:

That is really interesting, You are an overly professional blogger.
I’ve joined your rss feed and look forward to in the hunt for more of your excellent post. Also, I have shared your site in my social networks

This is what the Oxford University Press, the dictionary WordPerfect uses since I have the language set as “English – Canada”, has: overly >adverb excessively.

How is it possible to be excessively professional?  I suppose another way to put that would be “how can one be too good at what they do?”  Think of the professionals we commonly deal with, such as doctors.  Would you change your doctor because they were “overly professional”?  Probably not.  You’d want him to be as professional as he could possibly be.  You’re not going to say “Gee doc, don’t you think you’re being overly professional there?”

Now, although I write, I would hardly consider myself a professional blogger.  In my writings (rants/ravings/reasoned discussions [your choice]) I try to write in a manner people find entertaining.  Topics are usually whatever catches my eye on any given day or, like today, something in which I  think I can find some humour.  Everyone needs to laugh at least once a day.  I’m biassed of course since I’m the writer, but I don’t think anything I’ve posted here has been excessive.  If it has, nobody’s ever said anything, so I presume it isn’t.  I suppose whoever wrote it intended it as a compliment, but the phrasing of the rest of the comment makes me believe they may have used “overly” in error.

Since it’s Friday, enjoy the rest of today and your weekend.  Remember to hug an artist – we need love too.

Cat.

My head hurts

Following are two comments caught by WordPress spam filter.  These were intended for “Stick to the topic” (which seems to have become spammers’ favourite target on my site) and the other thing they have in common is that although they were under different names, they came from the same IP address.

I am shocked via the company’s written content with the web log. I just read content material using bated respir, and then I feel starving, because there are too little! Create concerning!

Suitable strike the niche tackled. Earlier this week When i talked over using this peers about this idea and even put forward the proposition when camping for the reason that I really don’t currently have. When i posted them to this web page, changed their particular scene on the condition.

My head hurts because I made the mistake of trying to translate these two examples of bafflegab into reasonable English.  I have no idea whatsoever what point either of these two comments are trying to make other than hope I’ll post them and give their websites some free publicity.   Well, that ain’t gonna happen.  Instead I’ll use them as material for another posting.

It appears to me these were originally written in some other language, then translated through some online programme into something resembling English, but don’t quote me on that.  They could truly be examples of the spammer’s knowledge and command of English.  I use the singular of spammer because these were from the same source.  I must admit I really can’t believe some of these people expect there messages will be posted when the language is so bad.  Then again, there are people for whom the use of a spam filter is a foreign concept, so yeah, perhaps the spammers are justified in their efforts.  But since most email providers have built-in spam filters and they are available free online for other applications, it makes no sense not to have one.

Enjoy your day and remember to hug an artist – we need love too.

Cat.

I’m going to take something for this headache.  C.

Still off-topic

On January 29, I wrote a piece called “Stick to the topic” about the fact spam rarely has any bearing on the topic of the posting for which it is intended.  On February 15 I made mention of the fact this posting seems to have become the preferred posting on my site for spammers as I had to delete 12 more.  This morning there were another 5 comments.

Since I’m completely bored, rather than just delete them I’ve decided to use some of them as fodder for another blog and respond, through this posting, to this latest crop. I promise I won’t get obscene – I’ve already done that with my verbal responses.  I’ve removed most of the email addresses just to keep WordPress from getting upset and shutting me down again.

First we have this:

electronicsnews5.
Informative and precise…
Its hard to find informative and precise info but here I found…

I would hardly call a piece ripping into the poor English and fuzzy thought processes of a spam message “Informative and precise.”  Pay attention.

This is perhaps my favourite simply because it so precisely proves my point by being exactly what it is talking about:

DiamondClementine10512
Submitted on 2013/02/18 at 2:56 am

there is a great deal of spammy comments on this webpage. Have you ever believed about trying to remove them or installing a tool?

This actually started with words some may consider offensive, so I removed them both for that reason and that they did nothing to further the comment.  Oh yes, I believe!  That is why I have anti-virusware; anti-spam filters, and a firewall on my system.  I also believe that the WordPress spam filter does a marvellous job.  After all, it blocked your “spammy”  comment didn’t it?  The only spam on “Stick to the topic”, if you haven’t noticed, is contained in the body of the posting and is the one I’m dissecting.  Pay attention.

And finally, this little masterpiece:

Fridge2277
Submitted on 2013/02/17 at 10:14 pm

Wow! This could be one particular of the most useful blogs We have ever arrive across on this subject. Basically Excellent. I’m also an expert in this topic so I can understand your hard work.

About the only way this could be a useful blog would be if you were to use it to improve your English (and, by the way, yours could use improvement – that second sentence – ugh!).  By your last statement it appears you are admitting to being an expert in spamming, which is a very gutsy thing to admit.

Okay, I’ve had a chance to rant about something and I’m feeling much better now.  If you’re one who has a long weekend*, enjoy the extra day off.  Remember to hug an artist – we need love (and real comments) too.

Cat.

*Family Day in Ontario; Presidents’ Day in the US

**In the time it took to write this piece, “Stick to the topic” attracted four more spam messages.