vt.Buzz ~ a political blog

Political notes from Free Press staff writers Terri Hallenbeck, Sam Hemingway and Nancy Remsen

12.11.2008

It's not nice to hate

So I hope we've put the Terri-hates-Green Mountain Daily speculation out of its misery. She does no such thing. As a wise co-worker once told me, it's not nice to hate.

As I told John Odum, I have contempt for drivers who don't signal. I have contempt for people who stampede Wal-Mart workers to death. I have no contempt for anybody trying to initiate a discussion about democracy.

What I did, however, was jump to conclusions about his write-up of the meeting he hosted on the Dem-Prog issue. Perhaps this is a danger with a blog. One sometimes runs the risk of being more flip or reactionary than one would be in other forms. Sometimes flip is fun. Sometimes it misses the mark.

'Nuf said.

- Terri Hallenbeck

posted by vt.Buzz | 2:16 PM |

Comments:

I don't find that the traditional media in Vermont has contempt for blogs. But they do seem to ignore them.

Real news breaks at GMD sometimes. When it's picked up by the traditional media, it's not credited to them. Shay Totten's given more respect, even though he writes for a weekly, because there's a print version as well as an online version, IMO. I suppose Vermont Tiger gets taken seriously, but they have people that were fairly well established already.

The national media pays much more attention to blogs. Of course, there are more good ones to choose from.

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 3:50 PM, December 11, 2008

Ignore them?

The Free Press has run front page stories about blogs in Vermont.

Philip Baruth has become a regular on Vermont This Week.

Mark Johnson frequently talks about the local blog and bloggers.

The folks at GMD are fine -- but they sure do whine about how "unappreciated" they are.

They should just focus on their work and not worry about how much attention they are getting.

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 4:01 PM, December 11, 2008

GMD is the paranoid child of the ego-maniacal Odum. Yeah, the guy who punches the day-clock as the assistant development director for lamest eco-group in Vermont: VNRC. Yes, assistant. 'Nuf said.

Move on, indeed.

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 6:10 PM, December 11, 2008

Odum? You mean that fat guy who did data entry for the Clavelle-for-Governor campaign?

Oh, I get it, you've got nothing better to do.

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 6:13 PM, December 11, 2008

If the Vermont Democratic Party won't take Odum seriously, why should you (or us)? He's a thin-skinned whiner who wants nothing but to be surrounded by his freak-lovers who couldn't spot a complete thought even if you put a bong in front of their faces.

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 6:20 PM, December 11, 2008

Thanks, Anon, GMD and Odum are a joke. Name one thing he's been right about: Edwards for Prez? McKibben for Gov? Pollina would get less than 10%? Douglas would get less than 50%?

I only read it for the laugh that it provides.

Shame on you, Teri, for giving it more of your time.

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 6:25 PM, December 11, 2008

No, they aren't that bad. They have some interesting thoughts.

But it gets very tiresome when they go on (and on) about how important they are - and how badly the MSM hate them.

They should just focus on what they do and not worry if Terri like them or not.

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 6:42 PM, December 11, 2008

John Odum? You mean the guy who looks like he's missing a chromosome? And writes like he missed too many English classes? Why would anyone bother talking about such a self-absorbed nitwit? Besides, isn't it obvious he just wants the attention? Poor fella, he's stuck at some assistant desk job all day (VNRC?) and can't figure out how to advance himself. Please Teri, don't fall for his bait.

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 9:08 PM, December 11, 2008

Personal attacks again. Yet no one call for their removal. Guess it is all about side of the fence on which you're sitting.

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 9:09 AM, December 14, 2008

Well said, Anon 9:09.

Criticizing John Odum's running of his blog is one thing. The kind of personal attacks by the anonymous posters of 6:10, 6:13, and 9:08 are uncalled for. You're stooping the level of JWCOOP, and giving him cover for his abusive tirades.

# Posted by:

Independent Vermonter | 8:48 PM, December 14, 2008

They're just being their factose-intolerant/coalition of the clueless cretin selves, indy.

Nice try. No sale.

Your concern for board "standards" are as fraudulent as your independent credentials.

Always a pleasure.

# Posted by:

JWCoop10 | 9:03 PM, December 14, 2008

Indy and his nine nameless nitwits nary a one of ya with a case, a clue or a point.

Terri jumped to conclusions. To her credit, she admitted she jumped to conclusions in her post.

If she doesn't jump to conclusions, Odum doesn't have a beef.

Adult Basic Ed. Look into it before doogie does away with it.

# Posted by:

JWCoop10 | 10:05 PM, December 14, 2008

You're a piece of work, JW.

I stick up for John Odum, whom I've had an admittedly testy relationship with, as a matter of principle and you still have to hurl an insult.

Principles, JW. That's what it's about.

# Posted by:

Independent Vermonter | 10:47 PM, December 14, 2008

Funny, the title of this thread is "It's not nice to hate."

Guess jw didn't get the memo.

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 11:12 PM, December 14, 2008

Independent Vermonter...

You're a piece of work, JW.

"I stick up for John Odum, whom I've had an admittedly testy relationship with, as a matter of principle and you still have to hurl an insult."

Nice try, indy.

I hate to confuse ya with the facts, indy, but let's review.

You allegedly "stuck up" for a guy you've done nothin' but whine about while trashin' me in the process on a thread I hadn't even commented on and now ya wanna try and sell me some delusional dreck about "principles".

Nice try. No sale.

I'm gonna take this opportunity to revise and extend my remarks, little fella.

Your principles are as bogus as your independent claims.

If your account of your alleged banning by Odum is as factually-challenged as your recollection of this incident, ya might wanna see somebody about that, little fella. Pronto.

Always a pleasure.

# Posted by:

JWCoop10 | 11:29 PM, December 14, 2008

JWCoop10 said: "Your principles are as bogus as your independent claims.

If your account of your alleged banning by Odum is as factually-challenged as your recollection of this incident, ya might wanna see somebody about that, little fella. Pronto."

Sorry JW, I have some bad news for you.

The link for the entire thread that led to my banning at GMD is still there. Don't rely on "my account" of anything. Go to the tape.

http://greenmountaindaily.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=3489

Then point out to me where I "went after" Odum "by using (his) employer as a weapon against (him)," as he subsequently alleged. The topic at hand was Gov. Douglas appearing at a rally in St. Albans that was organized and in part paid for by Wal Mart to voice support for building a store there and to call on a local group to drop their appeals. This group is by their own admission funded almost completely by Odum's employer, VNRC. I was debating with a member of that group when Odum inserted himself into the argument.

Those are the facts, JW. I never contacted John Odum's employer like the Second Vermont Republic people did. All I did was point out the hypocrisy he and the other poster were engaging in. And you'll note that I never once called John or the other poster a name.

Goodnight.

# Posted by:

Independent Vermonter | 12:37 AM, December 15, 2008

Attaboy, indy. Cut right, blow right by the part where you gratuitously trashed me, cut right again, pull the ol' "it all depends what the meaning of if is" song and dance, cut right again with your patented "Odum screwed me shuffle" for your big finish and you're right back where ya started from.

Always a pleasure.

# Posted by:

JWCoop10 | 12:02 PM, December 15, 2008

The point is that no-one should be subjected to personal attacks, regardless of where they stand politically.

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 2:03 PM, December 15, 2008

Wow, I just read the string where Odum banned IndependentVermonter and it was a pretty crappy and petty move by Odum. Is it just me or has the site quickly made the transition from aggrieved political outsider fighting for principals (with Bush in the W.H.) to power consolidator and dissent monitor (with Obama in the W.H.).

I agree with what is said on GMD about 90 percent of the time, but it getting where I can’t handle the egos on the site any more.

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 3:20 PM, December 15, 2008

You'd prefer shoe-fly pie?

# Posted by:

JWCoop10 | 5:03 PM, December 15, 2008

"gratuitously trashed me"

Aw, boo hoo. That's ironic. That's all you do.

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 6:55 AM, December 16, 2008

Anonymous said...

""gratuitously trashed me""

"Aw, boo hoo. That's ironic. That's all you do."

Nice try, nitwit. Stick to postin' my name address and phone, schmuck.

# Posted by:

JWCoop10 | 1:28 PM, December 16, 2008

Awwwww. Poor wittle nice jeffy is all sad! Poor wittle nice jeffy sure didn't deserve for people to be weal, weal mad at him! After all, what did poor wittle nice jeffy do? All he did was to spend the last 13 months callin people schmuck, Nazi, klansman, nitwit, ignorant, as, shmendrik, and other fun cute names like that! he sure didn't mean anything bad! Why are people so mad at wittle jeffy?

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 11:21 PM, December 16, 2008

JWCoop10 needs professional help - he's insane.

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 10:26 PM, December 17, 2008