After the nasty midterm elections of 1998, I decided to do a few cartoons that might help heal some of the political wounds our local combatants inflicted upon each other. As you can see today, my efforts were a rousing success and we live in a united harmonious community…NOT! Oh well, I tried.
-RL (Pollyanna) Crabb
How very true how both sides are portrayed as “extreme” in the rhetorical war of words! That being said and only when we meet face-to-face, it becomes very clear that the “extreme” rhetoric is just rhetoric designed to divide. The internet is changing the way we communicate…not for the better I might add. Nothing beats a face-to-face where you meet the person and see their emotion and compassion instead of reading the cold and emotionless text in small non-conversational snippets.
While I do not view CABPRO as portaryed above, I certainly do not believe that all of our local groups on the left are so extreme either. While the “extremes” do participate in the ideological tug of war, we always end up pretty to close to the middle. We could not have RQC without CABPRO and they both serve a function – to keep the American ideology between the forty yardlines.
Freedom to voice your opinions (left or right) is a wonderful thing, isn’t it?
I agree, Barry, that face to face encounters are a good step in removing the walls that the internet has built up around us. In the “old days” I was usually present at most of the public meetings and got to know most of the players, which really amounted to roughly a hundred or less activists on either side. With the proliferation of blogs and Facebook, that number has grown and most of the newbies are people I’ve never met physically.
Jeff P. has taken me to task (what else is new?) over this cartoon, and claims that CABPRO is the dominant player, while the RQC is history. While he is correct in one sense, all the people who were involved in the Coalition have just moved into other organizations and don’t have the public face they used to. There’s SYRCL, the SBC, Sierra Watch, Yubanet, and a host of others. And he fails to mention that most of these people have the ear of the Governor and the legislature, so they are a potent force in local politics.
I liked the cartoon, and was particularly amused when it finally sunk in that it was drawn in 1999!
As for your point about face-to-face meetings being better, I do agree–it is harder to yell at someone face-to-face; it is much easier on-line, I guess. However, I doubt too that I would have ever actually “met” any of you except via the blogosphere, and that has indeed been a pleasure, even if the exchanges can at times get a little sharp.
Having said that, I do find the attitude that every affront must be responded to is a peculiar one. Sometimes there indeed is virtue in turning the other cheek; it is not necessary to respond to every blog posting that you find offensive. Sometimes silence is indeed golden.
It is also much easier to remain silent on-line than in person, just like it is easier to “yell.” (and sometimes silence just means you’ve been away from the computer…)
“Sometimes silence is indeed golden.” Very true, Tony, very true.
Thanks Barry (can’t let a comment like that pass with silence!).
CABPRO is a membership organization and we are not a non-profit. We pay taxes. Your cartoon is actually fairly accurate except the makeup of our members are not the pave the count types. <ost are business folks, dentists and doctors too. We are simply effective in preaching our views on freedom.
he RQC folks are all in those eco nonprofits and they draw like Steve Frisch of the SBC, $100,000 a year. Izzy gets $85,000. I get a few hundred. So, at least we get a bigger bang for the buck regarding the buck. I would think we have the moral and money high ground since we don't suck off the teet of government.
Well, it’s your unrelenting partisanship that gets in your way, Todd. Who the hell wants to talk to someone who starts off by insulting you and spouting off about his moral superiority? Doesn’t make for much of a conversation. I’ve tried appealing to your better nature, but I wonder if you have one.
No, I am similar to you I guess. I use words and you insult with cartoons. We just have a defect I guess. When I am attacked I fight back. That is how you started it and I have yet to see you say any apologies or be civil to me. Too bad.
No, I didn’t start it. You’ve been in attack mode since you first started commenting on the blogs. I don’t believe you’ve ever been in a discussion with Frisch that you didn’t immediately sink into name-calling. I have my differences with Steve and his side of the fence, but I do my damnedest to keep it civil. When it gets to the point where civility fails, I draw cartoons. If you don’t like it, either show a little respect for others or draw some cartoons of your own.
No, I and many other appreciate my ability to discuss rational issues with rational people. You are simply blind to your bias. The left never holds there own to the same standards they demand for the right. Your criticisms are always personal to the right. I cant draw a biased cartoon as well as you. But I understand you and I understand Frisch. I don’t think I have ever seen you hold him to your standards. Telling.
Todd, I find it rather funny that you want to argue about exactly what Roberts point is. This is the typical modus operandi for you, and you might want to look at the hundreds of postings as you can see exactly what Robert’s point is… Now I’m sure I’ll get callled a lefty or a hand puppet and that is exactly how you act when people try to have a “reasonible” discussion that somehow involves you.
I believe Steve (and Jeff) would have a different take on that. And you should consider that I don’t draw George or Russ. Why? Because we can have a difference of opinion without throwing feces at each other. I notice that both of those guys have had to yank your leash on their own blogs when you get going. Let’s not let it get to that point here.
Just a quick test to see if your blog accepts this kind of link. George’s does, Pelline’s doesn’t, mine does, all wordpress.
It doesn’t.
George is still using Typepad, so throw his blog out of the sample. You are correct, is appears RL’s is like Jeff’s. Did you do something special to yours to make it accept that kind of link?
I acquired a free typepad site in Fbe 2010 and never reallly used it, until I found that logging into it made me show up easily to post at other blogs. So, it is an old site, using whatever typepad has chosen to give as defaults since 2010.
Here is my test: http://keachie.wordpress.com/2010/02/10/work-to-do/#comments
I am looking into getting a copy of typepad and a template to move farstars.blogspot.com to my own site. I am torn between the ego trip of putting my stuff out their. leaving a traceable legacy, and going totally anonymous, to avoid discovery by megacorps, the government, and nutcases. The latter inherently discounts whatever you post, and makes conversation with friends harder, because you have to repeat it all.
Decisions, decisions!
Friends don’t let friends use Typepad. Or Blogger, for that matter…
So, what do you recommend instead?
“I am looking into getting a copy of typepad and a template to move farstars.blogspot.com to my own site.”
should have been written as:
“I am looking into getting a copy of wordpress and a template to move farstars.blogspot.com to my own site.”
Typepad, Movable type, wordpress, all very confusing. Three different companies or what?
For the simple blogger who just wants things to work, WordPress is the way to go. You can pay for a WordPress.com site like Jeff does, or use a domain host with WordPress support.
BTW, RL what is the engine driving this site. I don’t see any credits to the engine or the programmer. You might want to put the security question reminder higher up. And you might want to put the oops reminder with a note that suggests the back button. There are sites that totally trash your post if you forget the security side of things.
Thanks, Doug. Still working out the ghosts in the machine.