Wampum

Well, I suppose I'd better say something now that MB has introduced me.

I'm very flattered to have been invited to post a word or two here at Wampum. The specific issue that precipitated said invitation was a backchannel conversation about the General Mining Law of 1872, a major environmental and land use topic that has for some reason languished in relative obscurity as regards both mainstream and alternative presses, and I'll have something preliminary on that for you in a day or three.

There's a lot to be said about the Law and its related topics, and my plan is to cover a few case studies broken up into a handful of blogularly friendly shortish pieces, posted a few days apart so as not to dilute Eric's and MB's (and Dwight's, if we're lucky) usual exemplary and informative content.

For the vast majority of Wampum readers who likely have no idea who I am, I run a blog called Creek Running North and I also post a few incendiary things a week as a co-blogger at Pandagon. I've been an environmental journo and editor for a couple decades, most recently at Earth Island Journal. I'm probably best known for being a known associate of this guy.

Look for the first installment of mining writing in mid-week, and thanks again to Eric and MB for the gracious invitation.

Posted by Chris Clarke at 02:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBacks (0)

There are 17 names of Mainers killed in Iraq, or who died directly after returning from Iraq on the MaineToday.com "Mainers at War" page. Beside each is a thumbnail photo. A lot more names and thumbnails could be there -- the wounded. Then there are the people like the man I met at a party for one of Gracie's friends -- then turning six. We talked quietly in a corner while our children played noisily -- he was shipping out in a few days for a year's tour at Gitmo -- then not yet infamous, and was confident of his family and future, a year away from his job as a corrections officer. I met him while canvassing with Elizabeth Trice a little over a year later -- home, visibly ill-at-ease, and wanting nothing more than a transfer to a CO billet away from Portland, his old job, his old family. A man with little more than a can of beer in his hand.

The Governor of Maine can order the Maine Guard back to Maine.

I'll ask John why he hasn't. Its not as if the Republican fiction has legs at this point, and ordering them home is a lot tidier than either leaving them there to play IED bingo or rotate out without orders or pretending that the executive officer of the state isn't responsible for the safety and liability of Mainers in the Guard.

Posted by EBW at 11:53 PM | Permalink

I'm back from the dead for one last post. It will only be on this site for a few days, and then will be archived separately, as I do not want my tenure here to be marred by such negativity.

There were two reasons I essentially left the blogosphere; one, I won't discuss publicly, but I expect that due to what I'm about to say, I'll feel the repercussions. The second is because of crap like this (link removed), and the reluctance of those in our community to say, "enough, already."

I hate to drag our dirty laundry into the open, but for the past few days, the Right has been doing a pretty good job of it for us. For over a month now, MacDiva has been attacking Natasha personally, and by association, all individuals with Asperger's and autism. First off, if anything she said was in fact true, demeaning someone due to a disability is still unacceptable. But the fact that she has concocted this whole "harassment" story, and dragged the tragedy of autism/Asperger's into the fray, is utterly contemptible.

A month ago, after I read her post equating Asperger's with psychopathic mental illness, I emailed my disappointment, and received, in part, this in return:

You are not the one who was abused by her. I am, including still receiving emails haranguing me from her several times a week. Under the circumstances, I needed to speak for my own peace of mind. Now there is a public record. Since Natasha and I live in the same city, that is important. If it becomes necessary to take legal action against her as her harassment worsens, having described the situation publicly will be good evidence. I have also asked that associates check her court and mental health records to be on the safe side. Be assured this is about one Asperger's sufferer, not the group as a whole.

Again, I already knew about the Asperger's, you just reminded me. I hope this additional information, including the knowledge that Natasha could walk into the Starbucks where I am writing this and attack me right now if she wanted to will make it clear why I have decided to address the matter of her behavior.

I did my own research, and found Natasha's resume online, proof that not only does she not live in the same city as MacDiva, she lives in an entirely different state!!! A little more checking exposed that there were no emails, no threats. It was all a ruse.

It's particularly sad that all of this is out of a desire by MacDiva to avenge her pride, bruised when The Watch terminated her tenure as guest host. In the process, she has mocked individuals with Asperger's, autism and mental handicaps and berated parents of autistic children. And we on the Left, for whatever reasons, have only encouraged her by not speaking up. I am no less guilty than anyone else, probably more so, as I knew what she was up to and was too much the coward to speak up (which is also related to reason #1 listed above.)

If any one of our blogging community attacked another due to their race, gender or sexual orientation, we'd never sit by and let it happen. Millions of people around the world live with, thrive with, day in and day out, mild Asperger's and Autistic Spectrum Disorder, as well as hundreds of other physical and mental challenges. Bigotry against the disabled is no different than any other form of bigotry and should be shunned by all of us. Advocacy is not an abstraction; these are our children, our siblings, our neighbors down the street. Just because the perpetrator is eloquent and witty and strokes our egos does not change the underlying message of ignorance and malice.

I suspect many are reluctant to speak out as they view this as some form of intra-blogger cat-fight. I initially was one to pull the mantle of "I don't want to get involved" around me; unfortunately, I soon realized it was a horsehair shirt, which itched and scratched at my conscience until I could ignore it no longer. Even running away didn't help; timidity only emboldens the dissembler. If we do not safeguard against prejudice in our own midst, we run the risk of losing our credibility when we call the opposition to the mat.

Natasha's crime was to do just that; her reward has been an unrelenting attack of the most heinous kind. If it wakes even the dead to speak up, I can only imagine the clamor the living can raise.

Posted by MB at 09:25 AM | Permalink | Comments (33) | TrackBacks (3)