Comments on: The Blogger and the Damage Done

By: Matt

Matt — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 23:31:20 +0000

See this is what separates you from most people. You believe that you always have all the facts where as most people KNOW they don't always have all the facts (thus a lot of grey). This is why you can veer off into crazy land while in the middle of what was an intelligent post..

By: Janis Gore

Janis Gore — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 02:00:17 +0000

I noticed that. The pieces in my family's set back in the early 70's (or thereabouts) were boring and opaque.

By: Deuce Geary

Deuce Geary — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 01:31:04 +0000

Am I the only one impressed by James' masterful and subtle choice of illustration for this post? Or maybe I'm just the only one commenting who plays Sorry! with his 7-year-old?

By: Eric Florack

Eric Florack — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 00:07:49 +0000

Of course it's subjective... that';s the very point of the thing, man... Some things just require more study than others.

By: Matt

Matt — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 22:29:44 +0000

If you think you're seeing grey what you're really seeing is black and white spots, which are very small, and you need to get closer to your subject to know it's true nature.

I propose that you are correct. The problem though is that due to our current state of existence facts can be subjective. Our inability to confirm facts beyond a doubt results in a lot of grey in our life :P

By: Eric Florack

Eric Florack — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 20:26:10 +0000

The problem with his behavior was not that it wasn't "charitable". The problem was that it was not decent.

You mean he actually had the audacity to return in kind what he got from his once anonymous attacker? (Gasp!) Oh, dear. can't have that, particularly since he's not a leftist. Excuse me Tano... but you show all the signs of being a team player.

By: Tano

Tano — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 19:54:12 +0000

Whelan still comes off as an arrogant SOB.
The problem with his behavior was not that it wasn't "charitable". The problem was that it was not decent.

Charity is behavior which one has no compulsion to perform - one acts charitably only because one wants to, there is no obligation.

Decency however, is an expectation that we have regarding the behavior of all responsible adults. There is an obligation to decency in a civilized society - maybe not a legal obligation, but certainly an ethical one.

Whelan's behavior violated norms of decency, and that is what his apology should have owned up to.

By: Eric Florack

Eric Florack — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 18:51:17 +0000

there is no such thing, my freind, as 'shades of grey"... no 'grey areas'. There is only black and white. If you think you're seeing grey what you're really seeing is black and white spots, which are very small, and you need to get closer to your subject to know it's true nature. 'Grey areas' is the lazy man's excuse. General statements like yours don't require or withstand close examination. So, into the small spots. In the situation you're describing, fine. But how does that compare, to the situation here? Are you suggesting this is one such time where Blevans was hiding from gangsters? That the right is a bunch of gangsters, and that Whalen writes for them? You get the pont, I'm sure.

By: Furhead

Furhead — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 18:17:01 +0000

I cannot feel sympathy for anonymous bloggers who are exposed. A man should stand behind his words with courage and conviction.

For example, when ratting out a gangster.

Not everything is black and white.

By: Janis Gore

Janis Gore — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 17:53:36 +0000

Jack Dunphy, pseudonymous writer for the National Review, has a post up at The Corner.

By: Publius-Whelan-Gate Continues: Whelan Apologizes and Publius accepts and moves on… « Political Byline

Tue, 09 Jun 2009 16:33:01 +0000

[...] Liberal, Winds of Change.NET, Balloon Juice, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, Washington Monthly, Outside The Beltway, The Daily Dish, Macsmind, Lean Left, Bloggasm, The American Scene, Southern Appeal, And So it Goes [...]

By: Janis Gore

Janis Gore — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 15:37:59 +0000

Big Tent Democrat wrote an interesting note at Anonymous Liberal's site:

It is certainly to Ed's credit (strangely enough I am friendly with him despite having had raging arguments with him on and offline. This action was clearly out of character for him imo) that he apologized.

By: Steve Plunk

Steve Plunk — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 14:36:45 +0000

I cannot feel sympathy for anonymous bloggers who are exposed. A man should stand behind his words with courage and conviction.

By: Brett

Brett — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 14:18:16 +0000

Good for Whelan. That was a decent thing to do, when you consider that his original motive for revealing the identity amounted to feeling spiteful in a war of words.

By: Eric Florack

Eric Florack — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 14:11:00 +0000

I'm disgusted. It's my considered opinion he was not in the wrong and had nothing to apologize for, and indeed treated "Publius" far too gently, if anything. But he's now given the left what they wanted; he's sounded full retreat. The only lesson being taught here in the end, is that if a liberal screams loud enough, everyone else falls over, including people who should have far more courage. Like, we didn't know that already, right?