More Reasoned Discoursetm
Tom King, President of the New York State Rifle & Pistol Association, has a blog at Timesunion.com that is pro-gun running counter to the PSH of Robyn Ringler. Now, Robyn has been deleting pro-gun comments faster than John Ford is stocking up on soap on a rope (see here and here). She claims she’s only deleting comments that lack civility. And that is bullshit. Just click the two previous links to see. The fact is lack of civility means eviscerates her point or makes her look stupid. So, we gun bloggers came down on her.
Anyway, Tom King, the pro-gun blogger, has banned a commenter and deleted some comments:
PLEASE!!! I don’t care that Ms. Ringler is too insecure to post opposing views, that will never happen on this site. However; Jadegold and Warvet if I find any more posts containing wishes that our children or anyone else is injured or killed I will edit it and ban your posts from this blog. Shame on Ringler for allowing posts like that.
And she does. Tom subsequently banned Jadegold. But, here’s the deal, let them say those things. And link to them to show what vile disgusting people they are. Let their vile flummery stand to show what their side is like. They’re losing and desperate. Highlight it, don’t hide it.
Now, I will say that it’s Tom’s sandbox, and he can definitely set any rules he wants for his blog. But we don’t do things like this in the gun blogosphere. Let them post their hysterics, cliches, and faulty data, an let our people tear it apart. That’s how it works.
[…]
We’ve spent a lot of time, here in the pro-gun blogosphere, trying to build a reputation of being willing to debate the anti-gun people on the merits of their arguments, and they’ve lost every time.
Ayup.
Update: Tom responds. I concur that the VPC is not a reputable source for, err, anything. But I like pointing out their hysteria and lies. They are their own worst enemy.
August 31st, 2007 at 9:34 am
In that particular case, I do not think I have anything against it. I mean, yeah, if the other side presents arguments, and sources, and gives us something to actually engage and shoot down, then that is one thing. However, unnecessarily attacking people’s families, having every post be laden with laughable ad hominem attacks, and making veiled threats this way and that way… Yeah, it illustrates just how deranged hoplophobes are, but I can also see how weblog editors would not want that kind of presence in their comments.
August 31st, 2007 at 9:35 am
Just ignore them. If you don’t play along, they have no fun.
August 31st, 2007 at 9:58 am
Now that I’m not tired and cranky, I’m hoping I wasn’t too hard on Tom calling him out in public for that. But I really don’t want to weaken our whole Reasoned DiscourseTM thing.
August 31st, 2007 at 10:32 am
Tom responded:
http://blogs.timesunion.com/guntalk/?p=16
August 31st, 2007 at 10:37 am
Exactly! My opposition to hate speech laws are along these lines as well.
August 31st, 2007 at 10:44 am
If your enemy is busy inflicting damage on themselves, stopping it would be counterproductive. Let ’em rant.
August 31st, 2007 at 10:44 am
[…] not interesting in Reasoned DiscourseTM. If that’s the case, why am I, and one of the top gun blogs, criticizing Tom for it […]
August 31st, 2007 at 10:45 am
You would think they would, but there are some seriously tweaked people out there who simply live to cause dissent and muck up the works, even if they do not get a response out of it. I still think Mr. King handled it appropriately… if Jade wants to present his information, we will have no problems debunking it. However, once he starts dragging personal stuff into it, and offensive material… well, that is the editor’s call, and he made it. I probably would have let it ride a little while longer, but the outcome likely would have been the same.
August 31st, 2007 at 10:48 am
I think this is a case where we’re just going to have to disagree, and move on. It’s Tom’s blog, it can be whatever he wants it to be. Tom seems to be a good guy, and I don’t want to make too big an issue out of this.
August 31st, 2007 at 11:32 am
Robbin’ Ringler wants to steal our freedom. I don’t intend to visit the attention whore’s site. The worst thing for a blogger is if no one visits – irrelevance is dismal.
August 31st, 2007 at 1:33 pm
Tom’s new to blogging so give him some time. Almost all of the electronic communications, e-mail alerts, etc. I do, not him. The Times Union asked him to start a blog because people were complaining about moonbat Robyn Ringer. I tried to get him to join me on my site previously, but he declined as he already spends a lot of time doing other stuff for the R&P. What you see now is pretty much what you get from Tom in person. He’s started posting with some fluff and I’m waiting for the “controversial” material he’s promised will be coming in the future.
August 31st, 2007 at 4:11 pm
Well, he definately got a baptism by fire. Hopefully this won’t discourage him from future blogging. JadeGold’s one of the worst one’s out there. Most are more like warvet and kelli.
I’ld love to hear some of the complaints against Robyn besides what we normally gripe about.
August 31st, 2007 at 5:28 pm
JadeGold is nothing. Mike Bloomberg called Tom an “asshole gunowner” to his face.
September 4th, 2007 at 9:56 am
Say Uncle,
I don’t disagree with giving any one their say but I am tired of rereading the same debates over and over. That’s right for the past 10 years I’ve listened to the anti’s and pro’s saying the same thing over and over and not one anti has changed his mind. All we do is give them a forum to air their views. I’m attempting to make my blog different and will stick with the format for the immediate future.
Tom King
September 4th, 2007 at 10:08 am
Tom, I see your point but I think allowing them to make their case while we shoot it down is better for us. BTW, welcome to blogging!
September 4th, 2007 at 10:54 am
I’d have to say that the tubes of ‘net is one of the top three best things to come along in the fight for the RKBA (along with carry permits and Evil-Black-Rifle cosmetic bans). Although there’s widespread Fear Uncertainty and Doubt among the gun-ignorant that is probably a result of years of anti-RKBA propaganda from the Mainstream Media’s near total monopoly on the news and “facts” presented to the public, the rise of blogs and citizen fact-checkers have changed the dynamics considerably (we bloggers never get tired of the “media blunders the truth, yet again” type of blog grist.)
The very concept that the anti-RKBA people even think that they can present their screed in a blog format and them thinking that their viewpoints will prevail under fair and open debate just shows you that they just don’t get it.
So when yet another anti-freedom gun bigot rolls out the Reasoned Discoursetm it’s time to celebrate. And while there may be a lot of people out in the world who are vaguely anti-RKBA, it’s clearly because they haven’t heard both sides of the issue. The actual amount of people who swallow the whole aggregated brady bunch lies (and support and fund those lies) are clearly few and far between.
September 5th, 2007 at 9:29 am
[…] have Tom King of Gun Talk a bit of a hard time for banning commenters and deleting comments here noting that we should: let them say those things. And link to them to show what vile disgusting […]