I hated to do it

But I had to delete instead of publish a comment.

I believe in the right of free speech and intelligent discourse, and if people disagree (as long as they are not ridiculously stupid and therefore one of the people this blog is about) I'll let them comment aboard. Maybe even if they are ridiculously stupid, and exposing them to readers only makes them appear moreso... ahh, that's too deep for their shallow minds to grasp, and therefore still more fun. Blogging and forums should never be taken that seriously. One of my dear friends says it... if you think this is the real world, or even represents it, you are very much mistaken, and even more pathetic than you present on the Internet.

But that wasn't the problem. A fellow blogger posted a very nice personal message, and him I could not expose to the rest of the world who reads here. That would be wrong. So - since there was no way I could save it or reply privately - I deleted it. Dammit. That makes me nuts. Not because he said nice things - he did - because that doesn't matter. What mattered is that I have a responsibility to protect his identity, where he works, what he and I have in common, and thereby expose his beliefs. This is my blog, ridicule me all you want; but I can't let others be held up for ridicule or attack in their real lives - in what my old and dear 'Net friends call "meat space" - for what they put on here. Who knows who's reading this? His boss? His employees? Worse, his competition or his mortal enemy? My sense of honor won't allow it.

Sorry, dude... less qualifiers next time, please!

Moving on....

Saw the attorney today. Man, there is nothing better than having a good and trusted friend who also happens to be a real bastard of an attorney. Nothing gives satisfaction like sticking a sword in someone's gut who deserves it - unless it's having an attorney who is standing beside you with his sword buried in him, too; grinning like a mule eatin' briars next to you. We are winning! A little more and we will have won - at least an end of this battle. There is more, much more, to come, but the next battle's success was predicated on this one... And this one will be over, not in months, but weeks. Ahhhhhh. Love a good attorney who never takes one step back.

Honor and courage, and a real visceral pleasure in conquering evil, not just slapping it around, are what keep me fed. However, the slaps can give pleasure if they are done correctly. I have been doing a lot of plotting lately; it is after all an election year and my ire is in full swing - as is my brain. What fun I am having. A little word here, a little nudge there, a pat on a specific back, and a quick shared glance of pure mischief - and the damage is done, the usurper is standing there confused, still not knowing what the hell happened, while everyone laughs and points behind their graciously concealing hands. My favorite phrase - I don't know wherefrom it originates - is, "The one thing the devil cannot fight is laughter". When you laugh at him, he becomes confused, smaller, weaker, and more helpless. When you fear him, he grows stronger. When you fight him, you must be smarter, quicker; you must anticipate his every move - and then you bitch-slap him in front of everyone, so that he is left standing openmouthed and stunned. LOL Then you smile and walk away...

I'm getting a lot of bitch-slaps in this week, and it is so much fun! When you hear the chuckles from the back of the room, you know you've scored, reduced the devil to his proper place - a stumbling court jester. Too bad I can't do it at a national level - the elections and primaries would be over in one fell swoop of resounding giggles, as everyone came to their senses. Ah, well. Enough I do it where and when I can. Some I won't even get to watch - I simply set the process in motion, give someone else the tools, so that someone else can bitch-slap the devil, too. Can't be traced back to me - but I enjoy it all the same.