"Confessions" causing quite a reaction from the left
The far left blog crooksandliars.com has reposted my interview with Deborah Solomon of the New York Times. Although the excerpt seems fairly innocuous to me, the reaction from the blog's readers was, as you can see, somewhat less than erudite. Below is a small sample:
Wow. What to make of all this venom? I should get AIDS? I should be assassinated? I'm murdering babies??? I'm being compared to Hitler and Pol Pot?
First, remember that these are people who consider themselves liberals... those tolerant, warm and fuzzy, compassionate people.
Second, someone needs to remind these people that without political opposition research, candidates for public office could say and do anything, and they'd get away with it! Is that the kind of democracy we want? I don't think so.
And third, someone needs to remind John Amato, the blog's owner of his stated policy regarding reader comments. Namely, "Comments that are abusive, offensive, contain profane or racist material or violate the terms of service for this blog’s host provider will be removed and the author(s) banned from future comments" and "Name-calling, personal attacks, racist comments or use of profanity by any commenter...will not be tolerated and will result in the deletion of the comment and the banning of the commenter’s ISP address"
But in the midst of all the overwrought vitriol, there was one sensible comment.
"I think he should be thanked for finding and disclosing the information"
You're welcome.
- "The difference between a political hitman sleeping well and a person guilty of ethnic cleansing sleeping well is merely a matter of degree."
- "This piece of work needs to meet a real ‘hit man’."
- "Why doesn’t somebody do a political hitjob on Stephen Marks... he must also be destroyed."
- "I’ll bet that Hitler, Ida Amin, and Pol Pot all slept soundly as well"
- "It’s important to remember that the perpetrators of the Holocaust had few if any regrets."
- "One can only hope that some day he gets what is coming to him: AIDS."
- "[Marks'] actions DIRECTLY resulted in the Iraq war. His actions are INDISPENSABLE to the lying sack of shit Bushies and other lying sack of shit republicans. So, yes, he IS out murdering babies."
- "There is no corner in hell hot enough for this piece of garbage. Rot there you bastard, and soon. Eat shit and die."
Wow. What to make of all this venom? I should get AIDS? I should be assassinated? I'm murdering babies??? I'm being compared to Hitler and Pol Pot?
First, remember that these are people who consider themselves liberals... those tolerant, warm and fuzzy, compassionate people.
Second, someone needs to remind these people that without political opposition research, candidates for public office could say and do anything, and they'd get away with it! Is that the kind of democracy we want? I don't think so.
And third, someone needs to remind John Amato, the blog's owner of his stated policy regarding reader comments. Namely, "Comments that are abusive, offensive, contain profane or racist material or violate the terms of service for this blog’s host provider will be removed and the author(s) banned from future comments" and "Name-calling, personal attacks, racist comments or use of profanity by any commenter...will not be tolerated and will result in the deletion of the comment and the banning of the commenter’s ISP address"
But in the midst of all the overwrought vitriol, there was one sensible comment.
"I think he should be thanked for finding and disclosing the information"
You're welcome.
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It's amazing to me that people would think "Confessions of a Political Hitman" is about "conning" the voters. It's exactly the opposite. It's about revealing little-known (or otherwise unknown) FACTS about politicians and their records . . . so that politicians CANNOT con voters! Anyone, on the left or right, seeking to be a fully-informed voter should read Mr. Marks' book.
Stephen,
Just ignore the comments. I think you just stepped into a tidal wave of anger over the past eight years, and unfortunately, no one seems to appreciate that you could have kept quiet.
I am looking forward to reading this soon. There is another stack of books I want to get through.
I really hope the technical detail is there. That stuff fascinates me. In terms of mass calling, I guess this is all Voice over IP and automated now?
Anyways, thanks for subjecting yourself to all of the stupidity. Intelligent people appreciate it...hopefully?
Have you ever heard of the Jewish concept of "lashon hora"?
If not I would suggest the writings of the Chofetz Chaim. Though they were done originally in Hebrew they have been translated several times.
If you would care to discuss the concept and specifics, please be in touch.
Stephen, I just finished reading your book. Although I appreciate understanding more about how oppositional research works, and appreciate that the job has helped you grow up into a centrist, where as you say, most of us are, I found some of your current thinking naive and as sloppy as the copy editing of your book. (The number of mistakes hindered my taking this book very seriously.) You mention distain in several contexts for polititians who have defended certain kinds of criminals. I daresay it would be hard for a defense attorney to defend only honest people -- he wouldn't get much work. Our whole legal system is based on the right to be considered innocent until proven guilty, the right to a fair trial and the right to an attorney. For this to work for the best of us, it has to also work for the worst of us (I am not an attorney of any kind). Your thinking on this is as naive as your thinking that success in Iraq would lead to stability in the rest of the Middle East. No one has ever explained to any satisfactory extent how this would work. Have you BEEN there?