Just a quick update on a couple of people who used to frequently comment around these here parts.
Remember "mantis?" He was a long-time gadfly here. A leftist, but a sane one and a reliable "honest critic" of the articles posted here. He and I swapped e-mails a few times, and he had a standing offer from me to sponsor him for joining the crew. We once had a reliable liberal on staff here, "Pennywit," and while they got a lot of crap, it was still very refreshing to have a decent in-house contrary voice, and I miss it.
Anyway, mantis declined, time and time again, over several years. I finally stopped pushing, but never withdrew the offer.
Well, mantis finally wigged out and utterly lost his shit over one of my proudest articles, one where I took President Obama's statement to the banking industry "I'm the only one standing between you and the pitchforks" and inverted it, stating that we moderates and mainstream conservatives are the only ones standing between the left and the crazy, dangerous right-wingers.
Well, that was too, too much for mantis. He couldn't see the parallel, and insisted that I was actually inciting violence, and -- even when I pointed out that I'd explicitly spelled out the parallel in the last paragraph, and repeatedly stressed it in private e-mails -- and he finally stormed off, not to be seen around these parts again.
Well, he's apparently found a new home, more in line with his sensibilities: he's now one of Charles Johnson's favorite new pet minions. He's even scored a few hat tips in the last few days from the Big Lizard.
This development caught me by surprise, but in retrospect it really shouldn't. mantis' wig-out is a pretty good parallel for Charles' own descent into the loony left.
Well, I'm glad he's found a new place to settle. I won't even open a betting pool on how long it takes for mantis to somehow cross Charles and end up banned -- but it's tempting as hell.
On the other hand, there's Lee Ward. I basically was his "sponsor" when pretty much every other writer here was ready to ban him. Then, when he insisted on trying to rope me into a fight while I'm on vacation, so I finally got rid of him.
But he didn't take that well. He started using new IPs to continue his personal attacks. So every time he does, I ban yet another IP. Last night, I finally dumped an entire IP block.
That's the new policy: Lee Ward comments, I delete his comment without bothering to read it and ban that IP.
So if he does post any more comments, folks, don't bother to answer him. His comments won't last more than a few minutes after I (or one of the others here) see it.
But Lee, I know you obsessively read everything written here, so I repeat my standing offer: get your own damned blog, where you can indulge your psychosis to your heart's content, and I'll give you a nice link (well, a link) to get you off on the right foot and all your fans and those who appreciate "the truth" can follow you. (Hey, maybe you could start a team blog with BryanD and talk about how awful I am.)
Anyway, folks, sorry for the "inside baseball" crap here. But mantis and Lee Ward were quite prominent here, and I figured some of you would like to hear the latest.
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Comments (15)
I didn't share your fondnes... (Below threshold)1. Posted by Oyster | July 22, 2010 8:05 AM | Score: 5 (9 votes cast)
I didn't share your fondness for Mantis. I merely tolerated him. He was consistently demeaning to you and just about everyone else in the comments while making his "honest critiques". But the day you informed us that Mantis was quite cordial in private emails to you was the last straw for me. Why you even put up with his privately-cordial and publicly-derogatory manner is your own business. I personally can't stand people that play games like that. I am the same person here and in my private life. WYSIWYG.
1. Posted by Oyster | July 22, 2010 8:05 AM |
Score: 5 (9 votes cast)
Posted on July 22, 2010 08:05
2. Posted by Jay Tea | July 22, 2010 8:11 AM | Score: 0 (2 votes cast)
Oyster, you had a fifty-fifty chance of identifying the two-faced e-mailer based on this entry... and you got it wrong.
mantis was entirely consistent in his tone in comments vs. e-mail. And when he wigged out in public, he got just as wiggy in e-mail.
Sorry...
J.
2. Posted by Jay Tea | July 22, 2010 8:11 AM |
Score: 0 (2 votes cast)
Posted on July 22, 2010 08:11
3. Posted by SCSIwuzzy | July 22, 2010 8:29 AM | Score: 3 (5 votes cast)
Mantis two faced? I just figured he was abrasive some days and on his hot buttons... but he was consistent about it over the years.
The other troll at point though... his story changed in the comments and on blue so often he couldn't keep the story and his history straight in his own head. I always figured Jay's emailer had to be him OR the truther/born again/fake marine that was banned before him.
3. Posted by SCSIwuzzy | July 22, 2010 8:29 AM |
Score: 3 (5 votes cast)
Posted on July 22, 2010 08:29
4. Posted by Justrand | July 22, 2010 8:49 AM | Score: 4 (4 votes cast)
Jay you describe Mantis as: "A leftist, but a sane one". If true (that he's "sane") then we should have him captured (safely) and studied, for that would make him a rare specimen indeed!
4. Posted by Justrand | July 22, 2010 8:49 AM |
Score: 4 (4 votes cast)
Posted on July 22, 2010 08:49
5. Posted by Oyster | July 22, 2010 8:55 AM | Score: 1 (3 votes cast)
All this time I remembered it as Mantis you talked about in one of your posts (or maybe it was in the comments) that was cordial when not in the comment section. It would take forever to find the post to refresh my memory. So I'll just leave it at that and admit the error, but I still had no fondness for mantis either way.
5. Posted by Oyster | July 22, 2010 8:55 AM |
Score: 1 (3 votes cast)
Posted on July 22, 2010 08:55
6. Posted by TexBob | July 22, 2010 9:00 AM | Score: 6 (10 votes cast)
www.LeeWardRacistAssClownBlog.com is still available.
6. Posted by TexBob | July 22, 2010 9:00 AM |
Score: 6 (10 votes cast)
Posted on July 22, 2010 09:00
7. Posted by SShiell | July 22, 2010 9:13 AM | Score: 5 (7 votes cast)
"But mantis and Lee Ward were quite prominent here, and I figured some of you would like to hear the latest."
Not really. We're glad they're gone.
7. Posted by SShiell | July 22, 2010 9:13 AM |
Score: 5 (7 votes cast)
Posted on July 22, 2010 09:13
8. Posted by Jay Tea | July 22, 2010 9:18 AM | Score: 0 (4 votes cast)
Oyster, you got mail...
J.
8. Posted by Jay Tea | July 22, 2010 9:18 AM |
Score: 0 (4 votes cast)
Posted on July 22, 2010 09:18
9. Posted by WildWillie | July 22, 2010 10:46 AM | Score: 1 (7 votes cast)
I had a hard time with Mantis, but at least I read his comments. Lying Lee's comments I just skimmed over and when the next three to five comments concerned Lee, I just moved on. ww
9. Posted by WildWillie | July 22, 2010 10:46 AM |
Score: 1 (7 votes cast)
Posted on July 22, 2010 10:46
10. Posted by 914 | July 22, 2010 11:16 AM | Score: 2 (6 votes cast)
Lee Harvey was not and still is not interested in debate. It was about disruption. Mostly of Jay Tea's post's to be the center of attention with a hair up his ass.
Very immature.
10. Posted by 914 | July 22, 2010 11:16 AM |
Score: 2 (6 votes cast)
Posted on July 22, 2010 11:16
11. Posted by Edward Sisson | July 22, 2010 11:27 AM | Score: 2 (4 votes cast)
Thanks, Jay Tea, for this update. I do recall some mantis posts in which I felt he made a good point, and I have always appreciated the ability to come here and see the true lefty perspective in comments by mantis, BryanD, and Lee Ward, however much I disagreed with the content and tone. But the reasons given for the bannings all make sense to me. I appreciate the thoughtful way the Wizbang team has thought-through these issues.
11. Posted by Edward Sisson | July 22, 2010 11:27 AM |
Score: 2 (4 votes cast)
Posted on July 22, 2010 11:27
12. Posted by irongrampa | July 22, 2010 11:34 AM | Score: 1 (5 votes cast)
Mantis will prosper at LGF, at least until he crosses Iceweasel for some imaginary reason.
What a diappointment that blog has become. It pains me to say that, having been an enthusiastic reader and commenter there, up to the point the huge lurch leftward occured.
Maybe in time sanity will reassert itself--one hopes.
12. Posted by irongrampa | July 22, 2010 11:34 AM |
Score: 1 (5 votes cast)
Posted on July 22, 2010 11:34
13. Posted by Jay Tea | July 22, 2010 11:34 AM | Score: 1 (5 votes cast)
Edward, mantis was never banned. He chose to exile himself. If he wanted to come back, he could.
That other guy, though... not so much.
J.
13. Posted by Jay Tea | July 22, 2010 11:34 AM |
Score: 1 (5 votes cast)
Posted on July 22, 2010 11:34
14. Posted by P. Bunyan | July 22, 2010 6:08 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Well thanks for banning a whole block of IP's JT. Now I can't post from the other internet connection I use (it's through ATT)-- which I use a lot more than this one. You probably see that as and un-intended benefit, though.
14. Posted by P. Bunyan | July 22, 2010 6:08 PM |
Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Posted on July 22, 2010 18:08
15. Posted by Paul | July 23, 2010 4:09 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
That's sad to hear about mantis.... I liked him because he was about as hard core passionate as possible without crossing the line to nutty. (a place I like to think I occupy on the right ;-)
But I guess he tipped to the loony side. That's a shame. Lost another soul. lol
mantis if you're out there buddy, get help ROFLMAO
15. Posted by Paul | July 23, 2010 4:09 PM |
Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Posted on July 23, 2010 16:09