Denial of Free Speech

Do forum owners owe their fans or members the right to post whatever they wish?

Well, of course not. The community belongs to them. They can censor it as they wish.
But in doing so, let's not pretend that we have a willingness to hear all sides of an issue. Let's not advocate this is where "America Comes To Talk"

That's the current motto for the Ed Schultz show and I've recently discovered how untrue that is.

A public figure is always open to criticism, that is and has been evident since the first motion picture star had his face plastered across a screen or the first politician was met with waving of flags and cheers. We, as people, seem to love the gossip of those deemed bigger than life.

Anna Nicole Smith was one of those people. She evoked strong reactions in people. Some loved her and some found no value in her.

But most kept decorum in place when she died.

No so, Ed Schultz.
With the bluster of one who felt comfortable condemning someone he had never met, Ed called the newly dead woman a "whore". His listeners reacted quickly.

A few agreed with him. Most did not.

A few women compared their own personal demons with ANS and found themselves also labeled by this term.

Instead of doing damage control or nipping it in the bud, he dug in his heels and refused to admit he might have erred by his use of the term or apologize for his comments.

His transgression was compounded by his producer, "Holmey",who continued the rant on the ESS message board.

His transgression multiplied, in my eyes, with his phone calls to me.

I have talked to many members of the ESS board through the phone. Voice makes it so much easier to get across necessary points and solve conflicts. I expected the same thing from Holmey.

He wanted to call late on a Saturday night and after a long day of working on a house project, I didn't have the energy to start a long drawn out phone conversation at bed time. So I told him to call Sunday, after 6 as I would be working once more on that house project.

Next morning as I was quickly scanning the board and scarfing down a muffin in preparation of leaving for mass, imagine my surprise when without expecting it, Holmey called. Evidently seeing my name on the ESS board is permission for him to call.

I thought, ok, a quick convo and then I'll run quickly to mass. I started by attempting to explain how offensive the term was to women and that was the LAST full sentence I got out. I was interrupted and my words were morphed in his comments. I attempted to say that virtually every woman on the ESS board took offense to the term but before I completed the sentence he was accusing me of saying ALL WOMEN EVERY WHERE took offense. Which was BS because I didn't make that claim.

After a few more attempts to speak I asked him if he were going to let me finish a sentence and then finally cut the conversation off, telling him I had to go to mass and if he wanted to call later to DISCUSS the issue he could but that I was NOT accepting calls simply to berate me.

Imagine my surprise when a week later he accused me of playing a victim and not being willing to talk.

That was simply a LIE. Now whether it was a lie because Holmey doesn't listen well or whether he wanted to make himself a victim, it was NOT the truth OR my position.

So at ELEVEN O'CLOCK PM on a school night he calls AGAIN and wants to talk. I attempted
AGAIN to tell him it had been a long day, I get up at 5 am and I was NOT going to engage in a long conversation THAT LATE at night.

We agree to talk today, actually, and he asked I edit my post so as not to reflect he was a liar, I agreed on the condition HE edited his claim I wasn't willing to talk and wanted to play a victim.

Evidently my editing wasn't up to par for him because he deleted the thread and has deleted every other comment I've made in reference to this situation.

Holmey is a hypocrite.
He cries free speech in his ability to call a newly dead woman a whore but then refuses his critics to expound on his actions.

Edited at 11:17 pm
One of the threads has been restored but NOT the ones that discuss the phone conversations.


Edited at 10:08 pm 2/17/07
Guess who called again tonight, even after my asking him not to, to berate and threaten me again? He has been reported.

Enough is enough