The Latest 'Little Chicago'

This blog post is in response and reaction to the growing numbers of online antisocial anarchists in my hometown of Bowling Green, Kentucky.  Comments made on my recent op-ed letters to our local paper forced me to call the paper's webmaster and have some of them removed.

Now I patrol that site, and many others, too--almost like a digital Batman--looking for people getting tromped by some a-hole who mistakes amoral attitude for wit, or as I so often do in my personal life, sarcasm for satire.

I was surprised when a local guy, who usually tees off on other, more susceptible parties, left a pointedly taunting, one-line comment, in the form of an out-of-state website, in online response to a local woman's recent letter lamenting about all the political 'good news' being made, when she herself was in such dire need that she made hers known right there in her letter.

The link to her letter, printed initially about a week ago, is above in this blog, as long as the newspaper continues to give it server space.

I felt I should apologize when I saw that a user named 'mrbjmandeville' from  another unnamed location had come across her open request letter online, and was appalled at the way we now seem to treat our own.

Here is his comment:

"I'm disgusted across this country. Two years and things are changing slowly, but they are changing. When a Party says NO over and over again it is hard to complete tasks. I am from massachusettes and I would like to say this. Rahnd Paul people? Give us a break. I looked at your area newspaper for the very first time, and you know what I saw? I saw some disabled person begging his fellow community members for help. How disgusting, that someone falls on hard times and has to resort to this. Sorry people but no matter what these dumb polititions tell you, 99% of people who are poor do not want to be. Of course your wonderful Gov't tells you how people love to make a way of life living off the Gov't. If you actually believe this then their is more stupidity going on out their then previously thought. Maybe a few nut jobs have made a way of life off the Gov't, but it is no way at all to live. When you are forced to get help from the Gov't they make you jump through hoops. I would like to say much much more but unfortunaltyyourpaperonlyallowssomanywords "

My response:

"Mr. BJ Mandeville,

I'd like to personally apologize for my hometown--we've gotten way out of control, and in recent years the good people I speak with always say they've heard it compared to Chicago (in the negative sense).

Don't know how or why you came across our city's paper, but this is our dire situation.

In recent years we've seen the rise of a large number of anarchistic, pseudo-intellectual, iconoclasts who only exist to cause friction in BG, often to sit back and watch it for fun.

Our local politicians are all nepotistic multiple term holders, all skillful at silencing their critics, whether remotely or personally, using subversive power-tactics.

BG has been held captive--if not kidnapped--by another element, known sarcastically as the 'good ol' boy network'.

These two elements have been very successful at undermining the well-being of all in our community who genuinely care about it, even those who do so at cost to ourselves.

Clear evidence of this is the haughty little taunt made by the very first online comment made to this poor lady's letter (the first non-political letter in weeks).

Again, I apologize for myself.

My hometown has gone to the dogs.

I couldn't help it."

Well, that's it for today.  Sorry, not open for 'comments', for similar reasons--I don't think 'commentators' on this need or deserve to be heard.  Maybe they should move out of their grandmother's basement, or get a job, but never heard with their random trash-talking again.