The New Albany blogosphere continues to be enlivened, and the level of syntax impoverished, by the wacky and hysterical antics of the pseudonymous stubbed crayon rant blog that does business as Freedom of Speech.
Last week a photograph showing Mayor James Garner and his family during the Harvest Homecoming parade was inscribed with a disparaging remark and affixed to the FOS marquee for the better part of five days, not unexpectedly coinciding with the climax of New Albany’s annual autumn celebration, which ostensibly is the time each year when the city shows its best face to the world.
FOS’s auteur, “Professor Erik,” apparently didn’t receive the memorandum, but there’s a reason for that.
He doesn’t exist.
As noted previously, "Erik" is in fact Vicki Denhart. At city council meetings, she's the one seated in the back row, loudly conversing with businesswoman and future political hopeful Valla Ann Bolovschak, who has provided covert succor to the bizarrely worshipful Ms. Denhart as the latter has regularly savaged Mayor Garner within the tiny-tot confines of the FOS spitwad blogyard.
You are reading this today because I strongly believe that irrespective of one’s opinion about Mayor Garner and his performance in office, to parody his family in a tactless and typically anonymous blog attack – and to do so during Harvest Homecoming – constitutes the height of tasteless cowardice. While such twisted antics may be what we’ve come to expect from that particular corner, the predictability of Ms. Denhart's publicly flaunted symptoms should not preclude our basic human decency to strongly object to something that is plainly misguided, injurious ... and gutless.
And so, that’s what I’m doing today -- in public, on the record, and with my name on display for all to see.
Let posterity show that I'm objecting, and I'll take whatever heat that comes from doing so.
I'm objecting to the childishness, the pettiness, the animosity, the absence of boundaries, and Ms. Denhart's scurrilous practice of small-minded, small-town malice as usual.
But ... perhaps there are extenuating circumstances, after all.
Just as it isn't really the leashed dog's fault that her master permits the public sidewalks to be soiled with canine feces, so it is that Ms. Denhart’s laughable academic fantasies and embittered personal vendettas would be relatively harmless if not for the ongoing support, either implicit or explicit, of certain of her betters who possess sufficient stores of intelligence and resources to act responsibly, yet chooses instead to empower a pathetic Internet troll.
Consequently, I publicly challenge Ms. Bolovschak to disassociate herself from this FOS nonsense and from its discredited originator.
Enough's enough, isn't it?
9 comments:
Two things.
First, if a person wants to post and/or make comments on the town and the culture, etc., to do so behind a faux identity is childish and cowardly. And to pretend to be a professor, a knowledgeable well educated individual and it to be bogus. Grr.
Secondly, family and children are not fair game. Ever. Most especially children. This is cheap and crass. I'm glad you called her on it.
It is bad enough to be a liar but bringing children into it shows just how LOW class this person is.
Is there no shame anymore? How about it Erik, are you big enough to write an apology? I sincerely doubt it.
I remain confused. The jab itself doesn't degrade nor demean the Mayor's family, it is more of a deliniation of someone's (however mistaken) response to a PUBLIC official.
I am NOT disagreeing with Roger's position on the nature of that other blog, but if it was a photo of Sodrel and it said, "daddy why did that man turn his back on you," I think folks would find it appropriate.
They can put any picture of James Garner up that they want to. However, fair or unfair they are is always an issue, but any public official puts himself/herself in the line of fire. It goes with the territory. Children, be they James Garner's or Mike Sodrel's ought not be involved. Their picture on that website is totally inappropriate and offensive.
Oh, and that fool doesn't even have the testicular fortitude to allow comments on her blog.
ummm...isn't that what people are suppose to do at the parade? the last parade i went to, they were booing the lady that was mayor before him.
Not wishing to extend this as an issue, as such, especially given that I think it is funny in itself. It isn't sickeneing, it isn't a threat to female bloggers and their testicles, it is funny. The fact that it was performed by discredible people who aren't progressively democratic and barely literatre - well, that's back story. Lighten up, people!
Ummm, no, “2x4” people are not supposed to go to a parade and boo, they are supposed to have fun and celebrate. But, living in a free society such as we do, people have the right to boo. The vast majority of people that I know, however, do not boo at public events (other than at an occasional sporting event).
As for the comments by “Jon Faith,” what people find humorous varies widely. I personally do not find the comment humorous, I find it in bad taste. I have heard parodies and jokes regarding the recent death of Corey Lidle, and I find them also to be in bad taste, even though I am not a Yankee fan. I can only assume, however, that you would comparatively find them to be humorous.
Roger’s point was that fact that the mayor’s children were being used to criticize the mayor and to advance the agenda of those who are anti-mayor; and that such is in bad taste. I agree with Roger.
Neal,
I apologize, I forgot to caveat my post with a warning of impending sarcasm.
2x4
Apology accepted.
Sorry that I initially missed the sarcasm.
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