Sunday, August 07, 2005

"Cowardice coupled with ignorance, topped off with a threatening tone" -- Ms. Ali, we know exactly what you mean.

In today’s New Albany Tribune:

Managing Editor Chris Morris devotes the editorial slot to a thoughtful piece entitled, “Cemeteries provide a great history lesson,” while Executive Editor Jim Nichols states the obvious in his “City officials need to communicate.”

Admonishing mayor and council alike, Nichols properly concludes, “There are far too important, costly issues facing New Albany to allow egos to get in the way of progress.”

Try telling that to the Gang of Four.

But the most interesting and timely column of all is City Editor Amany Ali’s reminder, “Beware, this girl doesn’t back down.”

It seems that Ms. Ali has been getting accusatory and threatening e-mails from anonymous senders.

Sending someone an e-mail message where you accuse them of whatever and then not sign the e-mail – well, that seems a bit cowardly … cowardice is a characteristic that is particularly annoying to me. Cowardice coupled with ignorance, topped off with a threatening tone is more than I’m willing to tolerate.

Bravo. Because one of the anonymous mailers claimed to be tapping Ms. Ali's phone, she's turned the matter over to the police, and rightly so.

Something about this sounds so familiar ... ah, I remember now.

Paging Ms. Oates, Ms. Laura Oates:
Please read the preceding paragraph and describe the ways, if any, that the phenomenon referenced by Ms. Ali differs from the behavior of your courageously, anonymous “little people” over at the Speak Out (milk) bar and grill?

Thanks to the Tribune for a fine Opinion page today … and when will you begin archiving these pieces on-line?

4 comments:

East Ender said...

The people who comment on the Speak Out Loud NA blog are people who have genuine concern for the future survival of our city and the living conditions of our neighborhoods.
If you feel threatened by some of the comments that have been made, I suggest you consider what has provoked so many people to express their dislike of you and your demeaning remarks.
No one from the SOL blog has directed any e-mails or other communication to anyone. The blog is for discussing opinions. Opinions are not threats.
Anonymity on a "chat room" blog is not an indication of cowardice, it is unfortunately a necessity of life with the good 'ol boy network that runs this town.

All4Word said...

How would East Ender be able to make such a statement?

No one from the SOL blog has directed any e-mails or other communication to anyone.

How do she know?

And has she been contacted by law enforcement authorities? Or private attorneys?

As a good citizen, she should immediately call the New Albany police and the county prosecutor to inform them so they won't waste their time investigating false leads.

The New Albanian said...

Laura, are you directing these comments to me, or to Ms. Ali?

If you begin receiving threatening e-mails from unknown individuals, and/or if unknown individuals begin attacking you in a blog comments section or chat room, are you really going to sit there and tell us that it would not be disquieting, that you would not want to know who the person is -- that you would not feel threatened?

Yet you CONDONE this sort of anti-social behavior by refusing to consistently apply your own rule, and have been doing so for months.

Will you please try to be rational about this?

The New Albanian said...

Laura's gone silent, but how about the tone of her response above: If rape is inevitable, kick back and enjoy it -- it was probably your fault, anyway.