Mongoloid Moron. Who SAYS that? The President of the United States of America…that’s who. What a shock. Offensive language and name-calling. As a long-time member of the press, it just boggles the mind.
Andrew Feinberg of The Independent was simply doing his job asking a question as a part of the White House press pool.
And as has been customary, the President of the United States reverted to name-calling and berating a member of the press. And honestly, it doesn’t even matter what triggered his outburst this time…it’s just the fact that this man acts in a way that is unprofessional and, obviously in a way not expected from a President of the United States.
I was an invited member of the Presidential press pool once…and that was about 40 years ago. I never witnessed this kind of behavior.
And it’s this kind of behavior that people see…that’s become normalized…calling others names and attacking them with total disregard for protocol, etiquette, or decency.
So it’s no surprise when I was verbally attacked by an individual following a Facebook post. I completely understand that posting on social media, especially when your post is “public,” that it opens you to comments that may not exactly be pleasant. And I have become accustomed to some of the “verbal attacks” levied against me over the years. Even my posts about the New York Mets have garnered some assaults that would have my daughter chewing on her shoulder if her writing received such attention. I understand that it comes with the territory.
We had taken a ride through downtown Longmont (Colorado) and came upon throngs of people lining both sides of the streets and the center median for six blocks, about ¾ of a mile, holding signs and chanting slogans, with cars cruising up and down the street with horns honking. I estimated that there had to be about 1,500 to 2,000 people stationed along the curbs, on the corners of the intersections, parading up and down the street carrying their placards.
I posted 15 pictures of the crowds and said:
“Hey Donald…here’s a rally for you…in Longmont, Colorado…where thousands filled the streets protesting YOU.”
I posted it on my personal Facebook page, and shared it to three separate community pages. The commentary, and backlash, was immediate, vociferous, relentless, and a lot of it troubling. The vile and vulgar comments posted to these pages, mostly directed at the demonstrators, was disturbing. Because while you may disagree with the stance, with the view, why can’t people just present their argument or give the reason for disagreement? Instead, it devolves into vicious attacks and name-calling.
James Archibald called me, and others, a “RETARD” and called Kathy Nelson a “CXNT.”
Daniel Bazaldua wrote: “Alan you look like creep please go home and take the people with you to creep land. What kind of post is this might as well say I’m a weirdo trying to make a statement who cares if you like Trump weirdo….Only people who need attention do this type of stuff now go back and babysit your girlfriend freak and get off the internet oh and go back home please.”
Ryan J. Serna wrote: “Look at the retards hiding their faces.”
The best is now Facebook allows you to choose a “nickname” to allow you to post and comment anonymously. Another shield for the courageous keyboard warriors.
FriendlyRabbit6420 wrote: “Alan…You’re stupid! SYBAU! (Shut Your Bitch Ass Up – I had to Google that one.)
AttractiveSunflower3501 wrote: “Thousands my ASS! Only thing I see is a bunch of disrespectful idiots standing in the street, trampling the vegetation planted in the medians, adults wearing stupid costumes to hide their identity because they are embarrassed, and a lot of people who need mental health help.”
SunnyApricot5511 wrote: “Alan, I’m sorry you were raised by a weak man, if he was around at all. Bless your heart.”
Iris Bowers wrote: “I wish you out of staters would go back to your own state. What do you do, wander around the United States looking for a state that has free handouts? I’m a Colorado native and I voted red. I’m sick of you Blue liberals. There were not a thousand people, you had a handful of neighbors and that was about it.”
It got to the point of being so inundating – because I was getting an alert for EVERY damn comment – that I finally turned off the commenting on all of the posts.
But that didn’t stop someone from continuing the onslaught directed at ME. A man, who I don’t know, sent me a private message through Messenger.
Here is the conversation with Jason Duryea of Grand Junction, Colorado, 5 hours away from Longmont and never a resident with no ties to the community:
Jason: “You are a fucking tool. There were not thousands of people at that rally you fucking idiot.”
When I get notified of a message, and uninvited and unwelcome message, I will usually just ignore it and block the person. But I looked at the guy’s profile and saw that he was a member of the same Corvette club as I am. So I made the decision to respond to him, and try to see what was driving him.
Alan: “So that’s what you do? You send me a private message calling me names?”
Jason: “Cause you put up a stupid fucking post and turned off the comments you coward.”
Alan: “You’re a Corvette owner? Wow. OK. Sorry I offended you.”
Jason: “I don’t care how you feel politically, but don’t lie. There absolutely no proof of thousands of people at that stupid little rally in Longmont.”
Alan: “I counted. I am a journalist. And I HATE liars.”
Jason: “Hundreds, maybe.”
Alan: “But you went over the line contacting me privately to call me vulgar names.”
Jason: “Idiot and liar? Vulgar. Whose feelings got hurt?”
Alan: “You aren’t hurting my feelings. You are just proving my point. I just can’t believe you would contact someone privately…someone who is a member of your club…and say such things.”
Jason: “You do your little mail in ballot you vote for open borders again and all the chaotic shit that Bien created. Go ahead and vote for your socialist BS.”
Alan: “If you want to have a discussion with me…find. But to me what you did is unacceptable. I lobbied against Biden. Did you? When I wrote all kinds of things against Joe Biden…where were YOU? I was in Washington, DC to lobby against him…NOBODY cared.” (As if I had to defend my position at this point.)
Jason: “Your silly imagination is calling President Trump a king is absolutely ridiculous. That kind of shows your mentality. Why did you turn off comments of your false post?”
Alan: “It’s not a false report. I counted. I turned off the comments because of the vile things being said on both sides.”
Jason: “And what club of mine are you a member?”
Alan: “Corvette”
Jason: “And what do you own?”
Alan: “a C3”
Jason: “What year? For how long?”
So we both talk about that we have a 1982 Corvette and the situation I believed was diffused.
Jason: “I apologize.”
Wow…progress?
The very next day I posted about the erroneous information continuously being presented about the transgender issues.
To my surprise…Jason jumped on it and said “Now you are totally full of crap SMFH”
And he immediately unfriended me. So I messaged him and see what he had to say.
Alan: “You unfriended me because of the post about the transitioning issues? Wow. So if I don’t agree with every thought you have we can’t be friends?”
Jason: “You’re way to radical and ridiculous with your Trump bashing for me…I think you’re a fucking douche bag OK nor more messaging peace out Girl Scout.”
So the man who sent me an uninvited, unwelcome message because he could no longer comment publicly, berated me and called me names, then apologized, takes a few more parting shots, and then HE blocked ME.
Why do people think this kind of behavior is acceptable? Where are they learning it from? Where are they getting the idea that this is the way to conduct themselves if they don’t like something or someone is different than them or has different ideas?
The answer is not that difficult to find.
Andrew Feingberg…I may not be a member of the press pool like you are these days…but I stand with you nonetheless.
Whatever happened to decorum and respect for others? When you have the answer please let me know.
