Banished

I have been banned from a website most likely under the guise of offending a participant by the name of ‘Phil”. Commentors at that site have accused me of ‘stalking’ Phil. I have not stalked Phil. I have responded to Phil.

My interactions with Phil began when he encouraged me to expound on nuclear power in a patronizing manner, which I took him up on. The explanation got to the subatomic level, where I explained how the root of heat generation is friction. Phil again mocked me and I went on to explain how friction was, in fact, the mechanism by which the majority of heat is generated in fission reactions. Yes friction.

On a later occasion, without provocation, Phil challenged me on the friction issue in a patronizing manner. I responded by stating that electricity, and Phil’s existence, both came about because of friction.

Phil repeated this provocation on a later date, to which I again made the ‘electricity and existence’ response.

Later still, I expressed an opinion on some subject. Phil responded by calling me, I believe, an ‘elitist’ and an ‘idiot’. To which I mockingly called him an elitist and an idiot. To which he then called me an elitist and an idiot (I thought he was kidding at that point). So I responded by calling Phil an elitist and an idiot. Then he called me an elitist and an idiot.

I concluded that interaction by linking to some song lyrics that I thought were good, and noting one comment that I thought sounded like Phil, stating that this particular commenter might be Phil. The comment I referred to was nothing too offensive, it was someone who stated that the song lyrics were really about FOX News. It is absurd to think that a random comment on some website would be Phil and I judged that a reasonable person would recognize this.

Phil did not like this suggestion and demanded that I retract it. To which I qualified it stating that I only suspected that that commenter was Phil. The interaction by that time had become silly, in my opinion, and I was being sarcastic.

Phil responded by stating that he was not that commenter and listed names under which he posts on the internet. One of these names was ‘Monkey Butler’.

Phil then called me ‘Friction Boy’, to which I sarcastically asked Hilzoy to make him stop. Somehow I got the warning out of that exchange.
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The discussion leading to my banishment had to do with McCain taunting Obama with the images of Paris Hilton and Britney Spears. I had expressed the opinion that all the Democratic candidate had to do was be quiet and he would win the election.

I expressed the opinion that I thought McCain was trying to get a reaction from Obama through the imagery and that he was being successful. I speculated that McCain had learned to assess personality tweeks in the Navy and pick at them. I predicted that McCain would continue to show the imagery. To illustrate my point, I then wrote the two words:

“Monkey Butler”.

I think Phil validated my point about McCain and Obama with his reaction. But making this point got me banned.
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I believe that my banishment is arbitrary and capricious as I have been called retarded, an idiot, stupid, and a man with a vagina in the center of his forehead (that was a good one), among a bunch of others, on a regular basis. I have no problem with that because, when used colorfully and not hatefully, they are part of vigorous debate. Which is healthy.

I believe that the banishment may be based on the fact that the foundation of my political beliefs is the Federalist Papers, and not the more modern belief systems that elements of our Republic have adopted.

The ‘Phil’ pretense is pretty thin. Nobody likes to be challenged, but controversial speech is what we are supposed to be protecting. Even if that speech was hateful, which I do not consider myself to be, and I challenge anyone to show otherwise. The suppression of political speech on either the national level or here, in my opinion, leads nowhere good. Even if it occasionally offends people.

I respectfully request that my banishment be reconsidered. If my banishment is lifted, I will not interact with Phil again. Either directly or indirectly. If he tries to interact with me, I will simply respond “I promised”.

Don’t take it out on Free Speech. First they came for Brick Oven Bill.