* IMODO = In My Own Damned Opinion.

--
                "You trying to work me, boy?" - Minerva,
                Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil
              "It's A Business, Stupid".  The Bogus Prophet

I just thought this was a good title for a post. LOL

LOL!!
I thought it was funny
                                      ROBYN IN NJ
"We can do no great things, Only small things with Great Love"
                                                               ~Mother Theresa~

The rest of what has been going on WOULD be funny if it wasn't all so sad....

But, hey, I don't expect everyone to laugh at all my jokes!

Unless of course, taunting, belittling, and fanning of flames are all now
considered acceptable methods of support.  

Give it a break already.

Regards,

Brian

--
                "You trying to work me, boy?" - Minerva,
                Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil
              "It's A Business, Stupid".  The Bogus Prophet

Some advice: Brian: get yourself a sense of humor for Xmas this year!

My concern was expressed to her PRIVATELY. And I don't care whether YOU think
it was sincere or not. Who the hell are YOU to judge anything about ME
anyway??????????

Not that you EVER let FACTS stand in your way!

It was SHE who posted about it here by HER OWN CHOICE,and when SHE did so, she
opened the door to public comment. I did NOT address the issue of her sanity
publicly--SHE DID!!!!!

So get your facts straight BEFORE you decide to take your gratuitious potshots
at ME.

I always wonder WHY it is that it is okay for ANYONE and EVERYONE to say
ANYTHING about ME but IF I DARE TO RESPOND, then it is ME who is considered the
bully?

I guess I should just sit here passively while all of you sanctimonious idiots
say whatever you want about me and mine because this is YOUR newsgroup and YOUR
disease and YOUR agenda??

Well guess what: this is AMERICA not AMERIKA. So I'll say what I want.

You must be a republican. Your consistent hypocrisy and nastiness gives you
away!

And, it is YOU who is fanning the 'flames' now with your supid, uninformed
comments.

And: guess what Brian: I don't care what you think. If 'thinking' is even a
fair term for what goes on inside your head.

With all due respect (LOL):

joel

Seriously though: I haven't posted a single thing today on the subject on which
many people have decided to weigh in with their various views. Lots of
discussions of 'is this the demise of the NG' and 'is this the demise of
civility' and 'is this the demise of the Lyme 'community' are going on in
incredibly serious tones.

So instead of commenting, I posted a title which popped into my head upon
reading some of the other posts today--including some which criticize me but
don't even have the courage to do so directly.

The title was a comment on the rampant paranoia--the McSweeganitis. It was a
comment on the intense emotions from the many reactionary Lymies here who see
it as their god given duty to ensure that whatever their views on things are,
are not questioned--I call them the Politically correct, cognitively impaird,
Lymie thought Police. I find them a pathetic and obnoxious and reactionary
bunch who have done more to ruin this PUBLIC newsgroup by making it THEIRS than
I could ever do alone--if my goal was to ruin the NG which it is NOT.

My only goal is and always has been to share information, resources, and my
insights and opinions--something everyone can do, agree or not. My only agenda
is to help those with Lyme disease whose best interests are my guide. Of
course, my perception of what benefits us is not always the same as others. So
I do things my way, and others do things their way. Which is fine. I don't
claim to represent them. Unfortunately they claim to represent everyone--even
though they demonstrably do NOT.

So if people don't 'get' my sense of humor, that is okay. They don't have to.
But the true goal of the post was not to 'fan the flames' as one of the famous
flame fanners posted here after you did--it was to lighten the mood. If it
didn't work then go ahead and call me NOT FUNNY or even insensitive but I am
just NOT walking on eggshells to please people who would never do anything to
please me--If they can't take a joke......well that isn't my problem and I just
don't care!

Tell us the rest of the three Lymies walking into the bar joke....I'd like to
hear it.....

She also showed us that she is mentally ill by her bizzare behavior and
accusations.

What ensued here is what SHE brought to this board of my private communications
to her. What ensued here was her mental illness directed at ME amongst others.
What ensued here was fanned by HER and not ME.

Maybe it fails the test for valor for me to respond when she mercilessly
attacks me, my girlfriend, and my activities. But it is well within the realm
of my rights and in no way constitutes unreasonable behavior under the
circumstances.

I spent weeks not commenting on Kathleen's mental state despite her numerous
postings on the topic. I only responded to her substantively on those points
when I felt information she provided required clarification--I don't like to
see inaccurate Lyme information posted here by either side--*us* or *THEM*.

I only responded when I became the target of her bizzare obsession and baseless
and absurd accusations.

Well except for a few posts pokiing fun at the obsession with mcsweegan which
is not just her problem but something that others have caught from her....which
I guess actually proves that mental illness CAN be caused by infectious
disease, which was one of Kathleen's points--one of the few I actually agree
with--although I don't think ALL mental illness is caused by infectious disease
as she apparently does.

I think some of it is caused by trauma--for example BRIAN must have been
dropped on his head at some point...LOL...or maybe it was something in his
childhood....

Just kidding--I think he is a cretin but I have no hard evidence that he is
mentally ill.  LOL

So again--I understand your point. Maybe you are even right that I should NEVER
respond to this kind of stuff. But I'm not a perfect person and I don't always
behave perfectly and never claimed to. I am a human being and sometimes I
respond when attacked.

I guess maybe I won't make it to heaven when judgment day comes.

Oh--yeah--I had no chance anyway. They don't let lawyers into heaven. So what
do I have to lose anyway????  LOL

--
                "You trying to work me, boy?" - Minerva,
                Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil
              "It's A Business, Stupid".  The Bogus Prophet

HOWEVER, when I post something informative and anyone responds by providing
inaccurate information, then I respond.

When someone else posts something That I find to be inaccurate, I respond.

My main goal is the dissemination of ACCURATE information.

When Kathleen or anyone else suggests that I should not be trusted, then I
respond--whether that PUBLIC suggestion comes from her mental illness or not.

So many people have expressed concern for the newbies here. That is EXACTLY the
issue. They don't know who to trust.

My concern is not about what Helen thinks or Brian or Marleen--I already know
that they reject everything I say--whether it is fact or opinion. My concern is
not what everyone else thinks either. I really don't care. Overall the regulars
see what I do and can make their own judgments--including realizing that like
other people, I am not perfect and I have moments when my behavior reflects
those imperfections. And they forgive me or not--just as I do with them.

My concern is that people come here, not knowing whom to trust. And they
receive information which is WRONG. Or they are led to believe that they
shouldn't trust information which is RIGHT.

You have received email from me with my support group logo. You should note
that I have included two slogans underneath the logo:

1. Join us in the fight to end the Lyme Disinformation Age;

2. THE TRUTH IS OUT THERE--even about Lyme Disease.

Both those 'slogans' convey my concern and the reason that I respond. I want to
make sure people get good information about Lyme--not bad information from *US*
or *THEM*.

That is why I criticize the ALDF and the American College of Physicians (and
Witchcraft) AND I criticize Doug Dodge's Lyme"truth." Bad information is bad
information from *US* or from *THEM.*

And I respond either when I see something clearly WRONG or when people try to
undermine my credibility in some fashion.

OR when I'm just in too rotten a mood to tolerate all the ridiculous and insane
BS.

That is why I responded to Kathleen.

There are many reasons that accurate information is important:

1. People need it to understand and empower themselves to make good health care
choices;

2. We need it as a movement to empower ourselves to make intelligent
choices--one problem with our activists is that they don't understand the real
issues--and being told that the other side are LIARS and FRAUDS is not helpful;

3.  the LIARS and FRAUDS approach detracts from our credibility and distracts
from a better strategy and approach;

4. Our credibility is adversely impacted by disseminating incorrect
information;

etc.

I am NOT playing any 'obsessive baiting and waiting game' either. I NEVER start
fights with other people. I do SOMETIMES respond to their taunts--but many
times I don't. I don't enjoy the battling--however, if I engage in it, I intend
to respond more effectively than the person I am fighting with.

One thing that happens with unfortunate frequency is that I respond to an idea,
and someone responds with an attack on ME as a person (whom they don't even
know).

So when someone attacks me, and I respond with my poison pen, and then they cry
that I am a bully, all I can say is it is their fault for starting it--and for
coming to a battle of the wits only half armed.

And I am NEVER as bad as they are. I disagree that I am EVER on their level. If
I ever thought that I was getting as bad as any of them, I would immediately
seek the help that I would be in need of, or I would kill myself rather than
EVER be like them. I don't start this BS, I don't like this BS but I also don't
intend to give up my right to respond to this BS--whether anyone likes it or
not.

It is ALWAYS so easy to sit back and say 'can't we all just get along.' But it
is much different when those people themselves get invovled in a fight. Then
they fight just as much as everyone else.

What I think is NOT helpful is all the chiming in from the everpresent peanut
gallery. What turns a dispute between two people into a message group war is
all the chiming in--which means that the issue expands beyond the two who are
involved.

And I would point out, Susan, that YOUR comments were NOT made to me privately
but publicly. IF your motives here were so pure, then you would have addressed
this to me privately., not publicly, as you have done in the past.

So although I know that you mean well too and that you do some good, your posts
here can only further inflame the situation, not calm it down. Again, it is
easy to be the one saying 'let's all get along' but that NEVER calms the
fighting down--it just comes off as holier than thou and sanctimonious.

And in the case of message board fights, instead of calming things down, it
always further inflames the situation and extends the fight both in time and in
number of people involved.

As I already said: I am NOT a perfect person. I do NOT expect to get into
heaven. I don't really care what people think of me as a person--I am secure
enough about what I am and who I am that I am NOT here seeking approval or
praise--I am here trying to share information.

My suggestion to you and everyone else is: just don't get involved. Or as the
bible puts it: let he who is without sin cast the first stone...

And Susan, I KNOW (and so does everyone else)  that YOU are not without sin
when it comes to fighting with people, so the first stone caster cannot be you.

So, nothing personal, but what was inappropriate here was your public
sermon--if you really meant well it would have been delivered PRIVATELY. Maybe
you made yourself feel good by coming off as a reasonable person, but the only
thing your posts could do is further inflame things, and serve your own sense
of self righteousness.

To quote YOU: I truly believe that you mean well and do some good, but YOU are
deluded if you think that your behavior here is on a higher level that that
which you decry.

joel  :- )

Is he still at it? I wouldn't know thanks to my new best friend -- killfile. If
people didn't quote him I would've thought he'd fallen off the earth.

I guess he'll continue to post his dreck ---- as long as people continue to
respond to his dreck publicly.

Can you see/hear dreck if it falls in the forest? No, if they've been put in
your killfile they become invisible to the list.

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You COULD just skip the whole thing, not read the posts, not read MY posts, use
your filters or whatever and SPARE YOURSELF. Instead YOU have just chimed in
and extended the whole discussion.

If YOU believed that the proper course would be to address these matters
privately, why didn't YOU do so?

Also known as MIND YOUR OWN BUSINESS!