- Announce that regular commenters at your blog have had their names stolen by trolls, with racist comments posted in those names.
ALERT: We have detected in past two days a number of new readers – or old readers using new fake names – posing as racists and claiming to be my keenest supporters. This is clearly an attempt to produce trumped-up evidence for someone then to claim that this blog encourages racism, when – as you know – the reality is that I am militantly against it, whether racism of the old kind or the New Racism of the Left.
- Get your mate to re-post the announcement on his blog and make not-so-subtle suggestions about the involvement of a new blog that you both dislike.
Andrew Bolt is hit by racist fakery… Interesting that this has happened over the past two days; possibly someone is encouraging this kind of thing.
- Leave a comment at the new blog from an anonymous Brazilian IP address highlighting these racist comments.
Problem is, we’re not publishing that comment because it’s clearly an attempt to smear us with a conspiratorial sting that exists only in the minds of two rattled News Ltd. bloggers. FAIL.
84 Comments
These paranoid, underhanded bozos are making it too easy. It’s embarrassing.
Game, set, match.
Soon their readers will learn that just because they say something, doesn’t mean it’s true.
Why must it be anonymous. Maybe Tim has a twin living in Brazil.
Awww. Don’t you love the way the Rightards come over all holier-than-thou when their cage is getting rattled? There’s a comment by Elsie huffing that the fake racist poster handout that the Liberals were trying to pull days before the last election was a one-off, and anyway, it had nothing to do with the Liberal Party, it was just the misguided husband of a Liberal politician.
FAIL!!
The only thing different about 2007 Elsie my dear, was that the Liberals got caught red-handed. The fake poster trick is an OLD trick that they’d used several times before.
And what the dickens is the “New Racism of the Left” already?
Careful you don’t give their readers too much credit, John — a good proportion of them still believe an unseasonably cold day in Winnipeg means Al Gore flapped his batwings in an antipodean forest.
I Googled “New Racism of the Left” and, apart from Bolt’s quote, there were only two other hits. Both US and unashamedly RW. Bill Kristol article up in lights on one of them.
No surprises here, except in Bolts use of the phrase he capitalised the main words. The other blogs used it as a throwaway description – a putdown – but all words in lower case. Clearly, after reading it on theses US blogs, Andrew thought it was so good it deserved a pedestal.
‘The Writing Class’ and now ‘New Racism of the Left’
Look forward to next weeks effort.
No, it was satire. Hilarious satire. Just like The Chaser! Those zany Liberal Party hacks…
How long until Bolt and Blair’s despicable posts become “satire” as well? A few hours?
hilarious. andy appeals to that very small minority of the community who are total loons, who post racist, sexist nonsense because of their own individual prejudices or other shortcomings. But since andy’s become more and more unhinged in recent months he’s obviously attracting the real bottom-feeders now.
here’s a tip bolt: instead of looking for reds under the bed, take a good hard look at the racist bullshit you’ve allowed to be posted by your regular blue-rinse or joe-the-plumber type devotees who post to your blog day in day out and have done for years. i think you’ll find there’s a consistent history of racist comments that go unmoderated.
And what the dickens is the “New Racism of the Left” already?
I don’t know, but its important enough to warrant capitals
Andy Coulthart and Gezzam: exactly what I was thinking a while back.
“Conservatives are not necessarily stupid, but most stupid people are conservatives” ~John Stuart Mill
CAGE RATTLED.
What was Tim Blair doing up at 4:50 am?
Typical Boltery. One of today’s distateful threads displays another Bolt tactic: the snide insinuation hinted at but not clearly stated.
http://blogs.news.com.au/heraldsun/andrewbolt/index.php/heraldsun/comments/still_we_all_have_to_sleep_some_time/
He’s clearly learnt from his courtroom experience as a (hmm. maybe not JG)
I’d like to point out to readers that if you ever read one of my comments and it doesn’t make sense, contains spelling errors or you simply don’t agree with it – just relax and ignore, since it was written by a right-winger pretending to be me.
Further questions about pretending to be someone/something else can be directed to skepticlawyer, who is the expert in this field.
Verbatim. From “Turnbull retreats” in todays episode of the long-running comedy “Bolt vs the Barbarians”
**Abbott should be applauded for his honesty and commitment to principle, when he told pensioners that they CANNOT get any substantial increase on the amount of money they currently get from the tax on business profits (pensions).
The old age pension should only begin to be given when a person reaches 73 years of age.
It is audacious to believe that anyone deserves the pension because of ‘the tax they have paid’.
It is also audacious that healthy 60 year olds expect business owners to pay their living costs ‘in retirement’.
Employees pay NO income tax.
The boss pays it as a payroll tax and to put individual names on the returns is disengenuous socialist twaddle.
If an employer cannot pay wages plus tax, there is no jobs available.
Most, but not all pensioners, are fooled by Labor’s policy of giving taxpayer’s money away to the unproductive.
The smarter ones would realise that the ‘tent in the park’ beckons, when Labor begins to print $100 notes 24/7.
ronald reagun of Brisbane
Sat 21 Feb 09 (12:17pm)**
You deadset could not write this stuff, could you?
BTW, judging from the standard of ronnie’s usual posts I’d say he copied this one from somewhere.
The vast majority of Bolt and Blair regulars are simply mindless drones.
All Bolt has to do is claim that something is occurring and that immediately
qualifies as fact amongst these brainless dolts, who then spring into all their predictable, inane, meaningless babble about “the left this” and “the left that”.
Nobody needs to dream up straw-man caricatures of Bolt a follower, the comments by many of his usual supporters are regularly far more absurd than those of any fictional parody one could dream up about a right-wing ideologue. His site is littered by comments from his supporters that at the very least border on racism, and if he is so “militantly against” racism of all kinds, why doesn’t he ever critique the overt racism
brewed up at the blog of his great buddy and political ally Tim Blair?
And if these supposed comments are of a vile racist nature, why are he and his moderators letting them through?
Me thinks that this is just more deception and game-playing from the typically deceptive and underhanded moderators of Bolt’s site, which includes Bolt himself.
*confessions
Posted February 21, 2009 at 12:52 pm
hilarious. andy appeals to that very small minority of the community who are total loons, who post racist, sexist nonsense because of their own individual prejudices or other shortcomings….*
Consider this though. These are the ones that:
a) have a computer
b) know how to use it
c) have web access
d) know what a blog is, and
e) can construct something resembling sentences in something resembling English.
So the Boltzombies are actually the genius end of that particular demographic.
How scary is THAT?
they can’t be too bright though bertus. consider andy’s opening sentence:
“We have detected in past two days a number of new readers – or old readers using new fake names – posing as racists and claiming to be my keenest supporters.”
so despite having a computer, knowing how to use it, having web access, knowing what a blog is and being able to construct sentences in english, they still don’t understand that even though you change your screen name your internet IP address still shows up behind the scenes. if they’re bolt’s longtime, old readers then he’d surely know their IP address, especially as many of them post there every day and have done for years. hence his suggestion that people are using “new fake names”.
bolt’s mccarthyist outburst is just the latest in a number of bizarre rants. he really is becomming quite unhinged, and that’s why I tend to think what’s happening is he’s attracting a new class of rightwing extremist bottom-feeders who read his dog-whistling crap and feel as though they’ve come home.
Oh Confessions I was never saying they were bright, just that there’s a large number in the same demographic who are even stoopider. Anyway I’m starting to sound terribly elitist so I think I’ll shurrup about this.
Completely agree about Bolt becoming unhinged. I’ve been thinking that for a while now – he really is losing his marbles I think.
Verbatim:
**So AB’s blog is being invaded by the MOBY?–an insidious left wing troll who visits blobs and impersonates conervatives.
Bone up on them with LGF’s definition
HERE
This is war!! We must know how to identify this cowardly enemy!!
We have to “stiffen our sinews” as Shakespeare’s Henry V reminds us, or we are dead meat.
Cheers fay.
fay of perth
Sat 21 Feb 09 (11:14am)**
I’ve never said this on a blog before, but, here goes, ROFLMAO!! I ACTUALLY fell off my chair. Well…nearly.
Apparently dear old fay was an English teacher. Once. Sometime in the mid-Nineteenth Century I believe it were…
PS – I’ll be buggered if I can remember Shakespeare ever calling anybody “dead meat”.
I really will shut up in a moment I promise. it’s just I’ve only just discovered GrodsCorp and youse guys. Anyway….
This dude below is an example of the ones I really don’t get. This guy obviously is resourceful, has a brain, has capabilities, has talent, can think. He would probably be a good man to have beside you in a fight. He probably has a serious job and makes serious money. So how can he be so deranged and blind politically?
Is this what going to a private school does to you? Is it simply the social class he (probably) comes from? I’ll say it, is it maybe a racial thing? I really don’t understand these dudes. I don’t think you should have to have a Masters in Political Sociology from Melb U (as I have, not boasting, just sayin…much good it’s ever done me) to understand that Karl Marx was right – Capitalism contains the seeds of it’s own destruction (but even ‘ol Karl didn’t dare prophesy that Capitalism would destroy the world as well as itself, as looks increasingly likely).
Verbatim. From today’s Bolt Forum, bottom of page 5:
**Calling blacks “monkeys” and saying things like this is evidently just peachy – as long as it’s black Republicans you’re targeting, and you’re a ‘Progressive’.
The real monkeys are the three Republican analyst that the Party has selectively placed in front of the camera to explain their wicked devices, Amy Holmes, Cook-eyed Ron Christie, and Michael sell-out Steele. If you notice how they talk and what they are saying leaves me with the impression that the only thing that is missing from their reporting is a monkey grinder.
The three of them are like wind up monkey dolls that are programmed to say and think like their Republican counter-parts.
If the Republican Party members think that just because they put these three white around the mouth as Al Jolson Negro’s in front of the public, that this dismisses the fact that they are a racist regime, they are once again mistaken.
Ah, the inherent racism of the Left rears its ugly head once again. Quel surpris. Well, quel surpris to anyone but the NBRA, who are more than used to it by now.
(By the way, Paul of Hervey Bay, there’s a link to the Press Release about the “OBAMA THE MAGIC NEGRO” kerfuffle on that NBRA site which you really should read before you make even more of a fool of yourself)
TGordon
Sat 21 Feb 09 (11:18am) **
Any thoughts? I really would be most interested.
This is pretty funny stuff. I’ve just found this place, and have never seen a less self aware group (very small group obviously) in my short life.
Can no one see the similarities between yourselves and those whom you despise?
Hypocracy is everywhere I guess, though it seems this place has way more than it’s fair share :S
And no comment is more hypocritical that the one By “Bridgit Gread” above, that one is a hoot!!!
Iain, Demidenko/Darville/Dale profited from her charade and managed to con a literate audience, if only briefly.
All I did was get someone to slip a creepy dullard a false name, before sitting back to watch them implode. No comparison really. I didn’t even get a bottle of Scotch!
Hey, you still getting that fortnightly porn newsletter in your e-mail?
Hypocrisy, Evenhanded, is in the eye of the beholder. Not that you’d have the tiniest wee ticket on yourself with a name like that, and the soppy attitude that we shouldn’t comment on the bloggers and their fans that we find distasteful; no, we’re terribly in the wrong, disliking Andrew Bolt and the semi-literate, and more importantly, humourless wretches that worship him. Obviously you find his blog and his supporters marginally more self-aware than we are, but it’s a close call. It must be difficult living in such a coarse society with sensibilities as refined as yours.
v funny!
TGordon has his own blog called the “Tizona Group”. They describe themselves this way:
“… despite the diversity of other interests, we are all pretty much right wing politically, although some of us are conservative and others neo-libertarian. Either way, this probably isn’t the best place for a left winger to hang out and if it’s serious debate or more comprehensive posts you want, you’re best to take it up at with Tim Blair or Andrew Bolt.”
TGordon describes himself here:
“Spot_the_dog (who sometimes also answers to ‘TGordon’ ) is a native of North Carolina, a dual citizen, and an engineer in the West Australian resources sector. He loves children, puppies and democracy; is partial to small-batch bourbon; and despairs at the state of our school system and the proliferation of shouty moonbats, misguided leftists and bad Hitler analogies in modern Western civilisation.”
http://tizona.wordpress.com/about-the-tizona-group/
West Australian resources sector eh? Probably an oil engineer. Now there’s an unbiased authority on global warming.
Another member of the team, Dminor, is a general practitioner and author of a “young adult sword & sorcery novel”. Where does he find the time?
Timmys’ blog is becoming less and less, ( how will i put this ) well, hardly anyone goes their anymore so no-one will be taking notice of him. Bolts’ blog, i’ve had a feeling for a while now that a lot of the posts are ” planted ” just to dog whistle. Take Barry Bones for example, he’s normally the first one on, the sheep day after day call him a troll but Barry still gets the most replies from them. The flock are not too bright, are they?
this is just me but there’s something not quite right about hanging shit on individual blog commenters and what they do in real life when their not blogging. thats the kind of crap timmy engages in, and besides i really don’t care what or who these people are in real life. it’s enough knowing that they have such a bigotted world view without wanting to look anymore closer or have them anymore in my space than they already are. but that just my opinon.
I think what’s happening with andy’s ‘racist fakery’ is not that people are changing their screen names to post bile and filth, but that his foam-flecked bash a greenie commentary of the bushfires has appealed to a whole new breed of rightwing extremist sickos. desperately sick bastards who try to sheet blame for the bushfires not to the people who deliberately lit them, but to people with a particular idealogical or philosophical outlook. this prejudice has been given tacit approval in the mainstream by bolt, the australian newspaper and miranda devine so i wouldn’t be surprised if these extremists suddenly feel their hateful view of greenies has been vindicated by wider society.
as for andy playing the paranoid schizo on his blog, just shows just how ( No. JG) he has become of late.
Has anybody read John Hewson’s tirade against Costello in today’s Age? Wooo-hoo. Hewson absolutely goes for Costello. So anyway Bolt of course refers to it, and the usual parade of halfwits – the barking mad Bolt first eleven – come trotting out to defend their indefensible idol from that tewwible Hewson.
They REALLY don’t do opposition well The old Libs, do they?
evenhanded (LOL) – There is only one way to counteract a bunch of extremists and that is to floodlight their twisted half baked views. That is what this blog does, like it or not.
This is a great blog.
‘Moderation’ seems to be the name of the game this morning.
Sorry, Gary. All commenters are moderated until their first comment is approved. You’re now free to comment without moderation.
I came across this little charmer on AB’s blog this afternoon:
Of course (for anyone who can’t clearly see the link) it refers to radical Greek militants who recently issued a threat to the media.
Pointed, insightful and relevant. I’m so glad Andrew’s readers aren’t racist.
PS. I’m new here too. Hope I didn’t screw up the coding.
So much for that.. :s
Gary,
Don’t you think the Blair/Bolt commenters see you in the same light? Extremists with twisted half baked views?
I think that’s what Evenhanded was getting at. There’s really very little difference between some people here and some people there.
Most are normal, intelligent people, but there’s a few morons in both places.
However, the Blair/Bolt blogs will happily continue without this one, but this blog wouldn’t exist without Blair/Bolt.
Further to Bertus’ comment at 3:36 re “ronald reagun”
Here is another sample of ron’s “middle of the road approach”…(apologies for length but it must be digested in its entirety)…
—->”Neither Costello nor Turnbull are suitable leaders for future Coalition governments.
Costello has become too religious.
Turnbull can’t see the ‘big picture’. Just his own picture.
There are some basic policy changes required that are vital for Australia’s future, but Costello and Turnbull would NOT support them.
Taxing spending rather than profit.
All tax to be paid as a percentage of every withdrawal from a bank account, via the bank computers, straight to the ATO. No paper involved. Everyone always up to date with tax payments.
No tax money to be given for family support.
Schoolchildren should be taught by the best teachers in the English speaking world, via computer discs.
Universities to be forced to drop courses such as Arts, foreign languages etc, and only get tax money for courses that produce students that Business Australia needs.
ALL exam papers in schools and universities to be marked by private companies that have NO attachment to them at all.
All voting for Federal, State and Council elections to be via computer screens in suitable premises, with every voter having a confidential PIN code.
All of the voting to be of the compulsory full preferential type.
Every patient admitted to public hospitals should be billed for the real cost. Whether they can pay or not.
Repairing the Australian economy smashed by Kevin 07-$100notes 24/7, will need this new ‘middle of the road’ approach.
ronald reagun of Brisbane “<—
I love the “middle of the road” pisstake at the end. Of course he is joking…isn’t he?
Link to above comment…http://blogs.news.com.au/heraldsun/andrewbolt/index.php/heraldsun/comments/hewson_rants_costello_as_pm_inconceivable/P40/…page 3.
Hate to add to Bolt’s boastful 1million hits per month but this stuff is comedy gold.
To the “balanced” detractors of this site…sniff it…Boltborgs were made (a cruel twist of evolution) to be heckled & laughed at. You sure can’t get away with it by replying to them at Uncle Andrew’s.
Hilariously I’ve seen a few comments inferring that the recent technical problems at his site are a Chinese’s cyber attack (gasp!). It must be frightening to be that paranoid about everyone who doesn’t quite fit into Mark Steyn/Andrew Bolt’s vision of social Darwinism.
This comment on the “Oh No, Racist comments on My Good Natured Site are a Leftist construction” thread was poignant…
—>”Ha ! And you reckon the left are loony conspiracy theorists.
Did it occur to you that this isn’t a set up and that there is no “move” to “get” you – but instead – racist people like what you write and post crap in here ? I mean, seriously, if people wanted to set you up for a fall – there is no need to post fake stuff to try to build “evidence” – there is plenty of material out there already to prove how revolting you are ! Plenty!
I think that you are making up wacky conspiracy theories in order to avoid the harsh truth…your greatest fans are vile ignorant racist wingnuts.
How proud you must be.
PS – “The New Racism of the Left” ? Capitalising doesn’t make it real, Bolt.
PureSouth”<—
It received the obligatory derision from the wingnuts, who apparently hadn’t considered any posibilities outside of Bolt’s unquestionable paradigm. Funny.
I think that’s what Evenhanded was getting at. There’s really very little difference between some people here and some people there.
No, I don’t think so, the reason being 2 comments at bolt’s forum today and yesterday gives the game away with respect to posting racist comments. From yesterday:
Given limited time it is not possible to give a lengthy background of view and belief to colour a post – we might assume that to be accepted by those who know us. Instead I feel as if we are sitting ducks for the fly ins, now it seems we might be used to build a case for racism here for someone’s dubious purposes. I felt edgy enough before – now I shall rethink my contribution as to whether it is worth it.
Lin
Sat 21 Feb 09 (07:43am)
In other words, Lin feels that his/her comments would be appropriately interpreted by bolt’s regular racist crew, but is worried would be open to question of intent from someone who isn’t familiar with the presumably racist crap he/she normally posts (“I felt edgy before”). People who are capable of putting together logical and rational critique of issues don’t feel “edgy” about their contributions. Basically, if you have doubts about how you present your views on other races or cultures, then you must suspect they’d be interpreted in a bad light, otherwise why be hypervigilant about what you post? and then from today:
I’ve been reading your comments for a long time, Lin, and always find your thoughts to be sensible and well considered (though less numerous than they used to be). For what it’s worth, I think that you shouldn’t let anyone elses nefarious intentions interfere with your desire to contribute as you see fit.
All the best.
Greg of NE Vic
Sun 22 Feb 09 (06:21am)
or in other words I know your words will be interpreted as racist by others, but don’t let that stop you from posting what you want to. It doesn’t get any clear cut as this, and andy must know that his regulars foster racist, extremist sentiment.
So to get back to your point, in all the time i’ve been reading this blog, and its previous iterations, I’ve never seen left-leaning commenters shy away or feel “edgy” about their contributions. If they have crossed a line they apologise and admit mistake. I’m yet to see this on bolt/blair blogs from regular commenters especially to someone who is opposite view to you. You also don’t see the extremist end of the spectrum with this group that you see at bolt/blairs, both the hosts and the regular devotees. And so, yes the bolt/blair sheep might see us as extremists, but I’d doubt they’d find damning examples to justify that view from this blog such that i’ve been able to acquire from them in just one weekend. And that’s casually looking, if i was active looking i’m sure i’d find others.
Saw a snippet at The OZ online at work today basically in the vein of “Opposition says Government’s emission target is too LOW” (Avuncular Hockey I think).
Can’t wait to see Andy go into coniptions about that…followed closely by his troupe of acrobatic bandwagon hoppers.
conniptions…
Although, there is a trend at Bolt’s at the moment to denounce the Libs as “wet”, “weak” & supplicant to Pyne & Turnbull who are “obviously” Labor plants. hehe.
Dear Pure Poison Crew:
How about a regular thread looking at appearances by our favourite commentators on “The Insiders”? Tim Blair had a good showing this morning.
George Megalogenis was good as usual.
I diagnose a case of dichotomitis.
Scubsteve supports evenhanded’s view that we are essentially the same as Bolt’s winged monkeys; just monkeys of a different stripe. Therefore we are wrong to gather in a group and gibber anti-Bolt apeisms, because….errm….why, guys? Because? Has free speech been suddenly abolished? You can’t sneer at this blog’s polemic, while accepting that the Bolt blog has any right to publish the views of its author and his little troop of grunts. Dichotomitis causes intense itching in the pants; I suggest you get something for it.
This blog focusses the interests of people who, I am sure, like myself, would post in whatever other blog they could find that supported their style. I used to post quite frequently in Tim Dunlop’s blog til he chucked it in, also in Larvatus.To claim that ‘this blog wouldn’t exist’ if it wasn’t for Bolt is incorrect. Blogs like this would arise, I am sure, wherever a Rightist demagogue sought to ply his mealy-mouthed trade. This one happens to concentrate the interests of some who would probably post elsewhere anyway. You’ve attempted to make a single point; and, I think been effectively rebutted by others here better than myself. I guess you have to decide now whether you can be bothered posting ( as I have decided it’s worthless trying to post in the Bolt cesspit.) I’m sure the proprietors would welcome your input; but yelling “you’re the same” should be done with now.
Megalogenis is the epitomy of measured, considered commentary.
The fulcrum to, & the antithesis of, Bolt/Blair/Akerman.
I actually find Bolt on Insiders to be far less contemptible than in written word. I’m sure he’s a polite guy…just way too full of poisonous shit that strikes a chord with the easily convinced.
Andos wrote:
“Dear Pure Poison Crew:
How about a regular thread looking at appearances by our favourite commentators on “The Insiders”? Tim Blair had a good showing this morning.”
That’s a good idea. Has anyone else noted how Bolt modifies his persona for the TV? He comes across as Mr. Reasonable, and gets away with it mostly, as it seems to be a cosy little club where the commentators don’t want to upset each other too much; after all, they’ll hopefully be appearing together on a regular basis.
Monkeywrench, I also posted at Tim Dunlop’s blog (as HD o TBL). Wondering who you are?
“That’s a good idea. Has anyone else noted how Bolt modifies his persona for the TV? He comes across as Mr. Reasonable, and gets away with it mostly”MWrench
Pretty much what I was alluding to by saying…”I actually find Bolt on Insiders to be far less contemptible than in written word”.
I guess it’s not just me then.
He doesn’t hold back when presented with a chance to publish reams of RWDB powerpoint presentations though.
“Has anyone else noted how Bolt modifies his persona for the TV?”
yes, but not just andy, timmy as well. today’s episode was pathetic from blair. when presented with the opportunity to talk about his views on AGW, he said nothing, cracked a joke that got lost, and agreed with the others about the ETS. If your going to do the whole snark thing on AGW (“OMG he’s fat, therefore his AGW views can’t be trusted”) from the comfort of your own blog it seems disingenuous to try to appear as mainstream when you go onto TV. bolt does the same thing, except he got pwned by annabel crabbe last year. I’m guessing timmy doesn’t want to suffer a similar fate hence his silence or jokes.
“I’m guessing timmy doesn’t want to suffer a similar fate hence his silence or jokes.”
They were jokes?
“Therefore we are wrong to gather in a group and gibber anti-Bolt apeisms, because….errm….why, guys? ”
Because we are not extended the right of ridicule at Senor Bolt’s.
BTW, I have absolutely no issue with apologising or swallowing my pride when I’m wrong about something (ah, the royal something….ie. I’m never wrong, cough).
I fail to see much of this on wingnut blogs.
Tim Dunlop made a good point when laying out the groundwork of Surfdom…
“I tend towards the social-democratic end of the political spectrum with a strong liberal streak. Chuck in a bit conservatism when it comes to democratic institutions. Surfdom gets labelled as a leftwing blog, which, to the extent that such labels are meaningful, it probably is. It’s certainly not a rightwing blog. You can tell this by the fact that you will not find a knee-jerk defence of everything ‘my’ side of politics does. I regularly criticse stupid things done by Democrats or the Labor Party or Tony Blair or whomever else. The left of the blogosphere tends to lack the groupthink mentality that prevails on the right and I’m happy to be considered part of that.”Tim Dunlop
Reasonable, no?
Entirely reasonable, toiletboss. I used to post on Dunlop’s blog ( and Bolt’s) as Willt. I got entirely tired of being snipped by Bolt’s moderators for replies that were in no way even close to kind of insulting abuse that they were happy to publish for the Bolt-fans. The difference with my replies were that they were couched in better English, and a deal more witty; not that it would be a great achievement to stand out as a wit in the Bolt blog. In the last two weeks I have had approximately 12 attempts at comment ignored. Censorship in the Heart of the Free Right Nation!……
I would, like you, be happy to doff my hat if I was proved incorrect in something; but in Bolteria, every time I linked to some page or site supporting my argument, I would be roundly insulted without any effort at counterargument being made. One might as well be arguing against National Socialism at a Nuremburg Rally in 1936…..
Re Rusty of Insiders – the only people who take him to task (in his “reasonable TV persona” errkk..) are the women.
Even Cassady lets him rave on, but Fran Kelly, Lenore Taylor & Annabel Crabbe hammer him into silence when he vents his “reasonable” crap.
His stand-in, Timmeh, is surely an embarassment even to RWDBs, unable to string sentences together, falling back onto his snide, snarky & pig irnorant snippets.
I’m horrified that my 8 cents a day help pay that inadequate, whining child of thatcher.
willt.
I well know who you are. You’re one of the brave few who use(d)s reason to swim against the raging horde. Doesn’t seem to work too well over there hey?
Those are the type of arguments that can never be won.
The other side already has most of their answers written down on flashcards by Andrew.
Kudos for trying to get ‘em to assimilate nuance.
Why thank you, TB! I had no idea anyone else in the blogosphere would have noticed me!
Bolt worries me deeply. He has assumed the mantle of a demagogue, exhorting his readership in subtle ways -ways they don’t really understand, I’m sure- to heights of wrath that skate perilously close to violence. Indeed, a good recent example was the Goulburn-Murray pipeline row.
Bolt had spent many weeks attacking Brumby and his staff for the pipeline decision; many of the protesters were fans of his: this from http://www.yea.com.au (a site for pipeline protesters)…..
“Melbournites Have No Idea About Pipeline
Talking to Melbournites, most have no idea about the N/S pipeline, [.....]
I have taken the first step and emailed Andrew Bolt of 3AW and Herald Sun fame to try and get him on board with an investigative article as there is no better investigative journalist going around (in my opinion) SO LET’S GET CRACKING!….”
So when the protesters got militant, and invaded Brumby’s farm when his wife was there alone:
http://blogs.news.com.au/heraldsun/andrewbolt/index.php/heraldsun/comments/plug_those_plans/asc/P40
You could taste the panic: the little demagogue was suddenly the poster-boy for a violent attack on a woman alone on her farm.
You’d laugh it it wasn’t reminiscent of Krystallnacht…….
“You could taste the panic: the little demagogue was suddenly the poster-boy for a violent attack on a woman alone on her farm.
You’d laugh it it wasn’t reminiscent of Krystallnacht…….”
I didn’t know about that. Not good.
As I said…”just way too full of poisonous shit that strikes a chord with the easily convinced.”
“I had no idea anyone else in the blogosphere would have noticed me!”
Seadrift is another noteworthy one, & there are others, but few. I don’t know how you guys put up with the heavily slanted volume of unsubstantiated derogatory bullshit that you draw with calm statements over there.
I dropped in to gloat after the 2007 smiting of Howard Co. & a couple of other times but got banned much more often than posted so never commented there much.
It’s a “stimulating” time passer to read the flowing sewerage stream at work when things are running well. I’ve only got access to news.com there or I wouldn’t bother with his self indulgence. That’s why I’m reasonably familiar with the Boltbots & it makes this site fun.
There are others, like poor Barry Bones, and Paul of Hervey Bay, who manfully attempt to engage in comment; I have no idea how many times they get snipped for replying in kind to the Orcs mustering under their Dark Lord.
And there is, sadly, a foible I must admit to, and that is descending to acerbic abuse in the Bolt blog more frequently than I would like; but in my defense I point out that I am, in general, replying in kind. And this is where the Bolt Moderators exercise their little prerogative: I often encounter my replies SNIPPED FOR ABUSE (the Bolt Moderators apparently have yet to appreciate the coarseness of upper-case comment) followed by some rather-badly-parsed little encomium.
It’s frustrating; but then there’s this blog, where the Boltards are free to come and engage us if they dare. Out with the swords!
You do know that Akerboltbrechtsen may invoke Godwin’s for the krystallnacht comment.
That would be ironic, if 1,000 000 hits of angry BoltbotsTM per month swamped this place.
They wouldn’t like it. No quickfix REPLY option.
Not a foible. Much of what passes for debate there is only just above contempt for retort & definitely worthy of derision.
Monkeywrench,
If you want to be taken seriously on Bolt’s blog, then watch the language. Snip for abuse means you’re being abusive. You clearly understand that you do that, but persist. What for when you know you’ll get snipped?
Comment without personal attacks, name calling etc and I’m sure you’ll be tolerated.
As for Barry Bones…he really is a troll on that site. Typical one line throwaways deliberately meant to provoke a reaction.
Paul of Hervey Bay at least tries to make an effort. Being a clear Leftie of course he’s shouted down, much as any clear Rightie would be shouted down here.
Scubsteve, can you name me one person on the Bolt blog who is taken seriously if they so much as faintly disagree with the Great Dictator? “Taken seriously” should mean ” engage in mannered debate” as you and I are doing here; but how often are dissenting replies there greeted with a torrent of scathing insult?
I’m sure Barry Bones has become inoculated, as I have, with the deceased corpuscles of the Bolt virii : there’s almost an irresistible compulsion to insult in the same vein as those who reply to ones posts. I have never called anyone names on there, as you infer; I have simply replied in kind. And this is where your bland assertion that “snip for abuse means you’re being abusive” falls flat on its face: there is a severely-tilted playing-field on the Bolt Blog that favours abusive supporters vs. less abusive contrarians.
And has there been an example in here, in the short existence of this blog, where a ‘Rightie’, as you call them, has been shouted down? Pray reply in the confidence that you will be read carefully and debated; you’re not in the Bolt Blog now, you know.
Now when is the Queen of All She Surveys, Janet Albrechtsen, going to get her own category, like Bolt and Akerman? She did a real snot-job on Hewson today, but there are some absolutely cracking replies in the blog: this from someone called MelbChappie:
“This really should be labelled an in house Liberal column. Costello (and Howard) were economic wrecking balls while in Government, who simply rode the terms of trade. But to a starry eyed acolyte like Janet, who also got her handouts from Crazy Johnny, they are both knights in shining armour. The mountain of debt they created with policies aimed at generating nothing but speculation are what makes us so vulnerable now that their crim mates in New York work is now bearing its full fruit. And yet, both they and people like Janet attempt to trumpet both these imbeciles as somehow low or no debt types. Utterly ridiculous and simply not supported by the facts. Our debt quadrupled under Costello and mostly to feed mindless retail consumption and property speculation. I spent two and half hours with Costello in a meeting in early 1996. I came away thinking that he was a complete rube. Hewson has hit the nail right on the head, Costello is a lazy front running, spoon fed dope. And as for making judicious and well timed comments Hewson is again on the money, as opposed to that grinning idiot Howard from whom we can expect to hear an endless rambling of self justification.
Janet says that Crazy Johnny ‘Howard is content with being measured and dignified.’ Just like he was when telling lies about WMD, when he at first said there was no legal or moral basis for going to war in Iraq to simply remove Saddam, but then in lockstep with his pal GWB, switched to a defence of removing Saddam when no WMD turned up. Hundreds of thousands dead, but Johhny is ‘is content with being measured and dignified.’ and Janet just loves him for it. Pathetic.”
This man should get a free Crikey subscription.
I taped last week’s Insiders. I wanted to see if ol’ Nuts and Bolts would have anything to say about how the Greens were responsible for the bushfires. I was a little disappointed. Nuts and Bolts was very subdued, lowering his voice from his usual strident and mocking tone. This came across as very caring or respectful towards the victims of the fires. Barrie Crassidy set him up. “Andrew, you’ve got something to say about who’s responsible for the fires?” Here it comes, I thought. Sadly, no. Instead, Nuts and Bolts blamed the fires on the state and federal governments. Then I got it. Bolt didn’t really believe what he was saying. What he was trying to do was to deflect attention away from the conservative councils. His attacks on “green policy” were really just to shield his conservative mates (like Liberal MP Fran Bailey) from criticism.
May I suggest that others tape Insiders too, not just for Nuts and Bolts, but for Bliar and Crassidy and any other snakes that Crassidy may give support to on his show.
…
Bridgit, good work. You actually got N & B to crack down on racism in his own blog!
…
I was watching a report on the ABC about the connection between the fires and global warming. They interviewed a fire ecologist, who said the connection was being discussed in 2003 after the Canberra fires, and now the connection is fairly firmly established. I was expecting the ABC to run a counterview from Nuts and Bolts or one of his mates, but instead, there was this watered down critique by Fran Bailey against the science of global warming. Bailey didn’t dare criticise the Greens or the state or federal governments for listening to the Greens. All Bailey had to say was that the scientists should listen to the people (about fuel reduction). It was vague, it was weak, it was anti-science. Not as bad as Nuts and Bolts, but still pretty pathetic.
…
I’ve also noticed that at the same time as Nuts and Bolts was waxing hysterical about the Greens’ responsibility for the fires, he was also fomenting discontent against the ABC (News radio) for pulling down a poll on its website. “Censorship!” he cried. It was clear from the boastful comments on his blog (Nuts and Bolts revisited this topic twice more on his blog) that his followers had crashed the poll, and that the ABC was doing the responsible thing. However, his followers went apeshit, as flying monkeys do. The ABC poll asked, “Is global warming responsible for the current heat wave?” Strangely, the poll gave a third option to the usual two of Yes or No, offering “global warming is a mith (sic),” which was later changed to “myth”. As soon as the poll was posted, it was flooded by Bolt’s goons, and in one and a half hours, 93% had proclaimed their “skepticism” towards global warming. By Monday morning, before the poll was withdrawn, a record 17,000 had voted. I understand that there is an internal ABC investigation into the conduct of the poll. What astounded me was the ability of the flying monkeys to organize themselves so quickly to crash the poll. I thought having a phone tree was a lefty thing to do. Our American oilman friend “Spot the Dog” definitely had a lot to do with it. He was proactively calling for the GW-deniers to crash the poll.
Um Pure Poisoners – do you have to have these trackback thingos? I really honestly think folks like Tizona are probably seriously dangerous, like possibly homicidally dangerous and I’m not kidding. Americans are really starting to worry me, like massively.
I clicked on the 8.11pm trackback and when I got down to comments, there was my jolly lil’ email address, I actually don’t want turds like Tizona KNOWING my BLOODY EMAIL ADDRESS ta very much!!
Doesn’t your own post fail on it’s first point, Mr Bridges – haven’t you gotten it exactly backwards? Bolta’s “Alert” read, “We have detected in past two days a number of new readers – or old readers using new fake names – posing as racists and claiming to be my keenest supporters.” It is clear from this that he was talking about comments under NEW NAMES (whether by new or seasoned readers).
So I don’t understand how you interpreted that as Andrew having announced “that regular commenters at [his] blog have had their names stolen by trolls, with racist comments posted in those names.”
Nuts and Bolts was very subdued, lowering his voice from his usual strident and mocking tone. This came across as very caring or respectful towards the victims of the fires.
this is what I was talking about before by posting those 2 comments from andys blog. It’s the hypocracy of the rightwing extremists like bolt who know that their true views won’t fly in the mainstream, so they shield their real opinion and pretend to be moderate. back on his blog however it is a different story: greenies are to blame.
If you can’t defend your actual views because you know their too extremist and hide behind a more moderate persona you are nothing more than a liar and a fraud. but then we all know bolt lies.
Back to the original post.
ALERT: We have detected in past two days a number of new readers – or old readers using new fake names – posing as racists and claiming to be my keenest supporters.
I think it had to do with the stuff up in the news ltd comments section where all the replies went to the wrong blogs. So if you are reading a sports blog all of a sudden you have a comment about “those muzzies” and the name of Bolt included in the comment. Due to the prolific output of the nasty commentors on his blog Bolt attracted a whole new audience of nasty vermin.
I have read Bolts stuff before as a regular Courier Mail commentor but it was like a slap in the face to read some of the offensive drivel out of context. At least when I click on the link to his blog I am prepared to be offended.
I like how Bolt describes it as “New Racsim of the Left” with Capitals.. and then this line:
“What madness this is – to perpetrate a vileness in order to denounce it, because what you’ve been denouncing is in fact too innocent.”
Oh Andrew, you must be joking?
I’d be interested to know if Bolt actually reads all the comments that are submitted or whether he just reads ones referred to him by the “moderators” if they dare question his sense of infallibility. Because they appear to be the only ones he ever comments upon. In most of the mainstream news blogs I read, the authors do engage with their contributors fairly frequently.
Monkeywrench @ Feb 22 8.07pm.
Howdy. I can’t help noticing that you have a very good grasp of English on here. Yet a pattern I’ve noticed over in Bolt world is that the “Leftards” often have mis-spelled words in their posts (perogative instead of prerorogative is an example from yesterday) as well as poor grammar etc; while the Boltzombies usually come off as models of lucidity. Which given the quality of the actual thinking behind their posts, I’d be surprised if they are.
Do you think the sad little thing actually linguistically sabotages left-wing posts while polishing the turds presented by the rightos? I wouldn’t be the least bit surprised if he does.
Of course I suppose another explanation would be that Lefties are shaking with such fury as they type comments over there that they are more likely to mis-spell stuff.
I also thought Barry Bones was a Bolt sock puppet (sorry Barry if you read this, I don’t mean that to be insulting to you in any way), but now I see he’s been banned, so maybe I was wrong.
Barry Bones has been banned?
I hope Bolt has another sock puppet in the wings.
Another oddity in it all is that the fake names thing occurs when all the Nescorp blog comments go into melt down…
No doubt Bolt will be using it as an excuse to ban people who have created valid arguments against his positions.
Has anyone asked Bolt to “Name Just Ten” of the so called fakes yet?
he states that there has been “a number”. Could be one, two.. who knows.
Bertus @12.28:
My experience is that, in general, Bolt fans have a tendency to outright weirdness rather than actual spelling/punctuation/grammar issues. One of my all-time favourites is a certain poor bod called Peter K Anderson aka Hartlod (yes, that is how he signs himself). Here is the result of the very first result I got in a Boltsearch using his name:
http://blogs.news.com.au/heraldsun/andrewbolt/index.php/heraldsun/comments/prius_snowed/
Read every entry of his on the page. I have never seen English mauled so badly with regard to sense in my life; but nary a spelling error. He must be a real earful with a few beers on board. And that is just the first result!You can search for more if you feel inclined; personally one dose of this babble lasts me for weeks.
Heh. Peter K sure is a beauty. Try spelling Hartlod backwards.
Guys, I admire the idea behind this blog, of standing up for those without much of a voice when they’ve been verballed, misrepresented, or unfairly attacked.
But as hard as it is, I reckon you might want to consider just ignoring the attacks against yourselves / this blog, and let them go through to the keeper. Otherwise the risk is that it’ll just end up looking self-indulgent.
You don’t need to defend yourselves to your readers here.
Bertus and silkworm,if U want 2 no more about gordon also known as spot the dog, guess what? he is also a close personal friend of The Dolt and one of his Moderaters. ask richard ryan if U want 2 no more,he no’s all about it.