Krongard Confirms ‘Ugly Rumor’: Brother Attended Blackwater Advisory Board Meeting Yesterday
Krongard Confirms ‘Ugly Rumor’: Brother Attended Blackwater Advisory Board Meeting Yesterday
During today’s House Oversight Committee hearing on the performance of State Department Inspector General Howard Krongard, Rep. Henry Waxman (D-CA) revealed that Krongard’s brother — former CIA Executive Director A.B. “Buzzy” Krongard — sits on Blackwater USA’s board. Krongard vehemently denied the allegation, calling it an “ugly rumor”:
KRONGARD: I can tell you very frankly, I am not aware of any financial interest or position he has with respect to Blackwater. It couldn’t possibly have affected anything I’ve done, because I don’t believe it. And when these ugly rumors started recently, I specifically asked him. I do not believe it is true that he is a member of the advisory board, as you stated, and that is something I think I need to say.
During a break in today’s hearing, Krongard called his brother and confirmed that the “ugly rumor” was in fact true, and promised to recuse himself from any Blackwater investigations:
KRONGARD: This is in response to something I think you found important. During the break I did contact my brother. I reached him at home — he is not at the hotel. But I learned that he had been at the advisory board meeting yesterday. I had not been aware of that, and I want to state on the record right now that I hereby recuse myself from any matters having to do with Blackwater.
WAXMAN: I see. You indicated you had called your brother to ask him earlier whether he was on the board. He told you he wasn’t.
KRONGARD: Well that was about six weeks ago, and I was not aware — and this board meeting happened yesterday, and I found out just during the break that he had in fact attended yesterday.
Watch it:
One of the charges against Krongard is that he blocked a House investigation into whether weapons illegally smuggled into Iraq by Blackwater employees were then “sold on the black market and ended up in the hands of a U.S.-designated terrorist organization.” In a Sept. 18 letter, Waxman revealed that Krongard had ordered his investigators to “IMMEDIATELY” stop cooperating with federal investigators.
Blackwater is a State Department contractor and has received hundreds of millions of dollars of work from the government. The Bush administration has repeatedly rushed to the defense of Blackwater after the deadly September shootout that killed 17 Iraqi civilians, even promising legal immunity to the company’s guards. It also awarded a new $92 million contract to Blackwater just weeks after the shooting.
UPDATE: Spencer Ackerman spoke with Blackwater spokeswoman Anne Tyrrell, who said that she didn’t know the exact date of when Buzzy joined the Blackwater board, but said “it would be accurate to say that he was invited in late July and accepted soon after.”
Transcript:
KRONGARD: This is in response to something I think you found important. During the break I did contact my brother. I reached him at home — he is not at the hotel. But I learned that he had been at the advisory board meeting yesterday. I had not been aware of that, and I want to state on the record right now that I hereby recuse myself from any matters having to do with Blackwater.
WAXMAN: I see. You indicated you had called your brother to ask him earlier whether he was on the board. He told you he wasn’t.
KRONGARD: Well that was about six weeks ago, and I was not aware — and this board meeting happened yesterday, and I found out just during the break that he had in fact attended yesterday.
REP. STEPHEN LYNCH (D-MA): Thank you Mr. Chairman and ranking member. I had some other questions about construction at the embassy but I’m going to let those go. Mr. Krongard, this change in your testimony that you’re describing now, this discussion with your brother, is troubling and it raises a number of questions. I just want to be straight here. Earlier you testified that you had spoken with your brother and he assured you that he was not on Blackwater’s board. That was the testimony you made earlier.
And now you testify that he changed his mind but he didn’t bother to tell you, and I have some questions about the timing of all these conversations.
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94 Responses to “Krongard Confirms ‘Ugly Rumor’: Brother Attended Blackwater Advisory Board Meeting Yesterday”
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Sounds like an upstanding fellow. It’s not his fault that his brother lied to him the first time.
November 14th, 2007 at 1:20 pmOne Word for the BLACKWATER WAR CRIMINALS: ACCOUNTABILITY! SOON OR LATER IT WILL HAPPEN MR. PRINCE!
November 14th, 2007 at 1:24 pmGuess we know who was lying miss molly.
November 14th, 2007 at 1:24 pmI guess Krongard realized it wasn’t hard to determine the truth about his brother’s involvement with Blackwater, and that if he didn’t “suddenly” know the truth and admit it, he was facing contempt of Congress charges by lying to them. And despite all that we have learned, I continue to be amazed by the absolute depth of the corruption within this administration.
November 14th, 2007 at 1:24 pmSo, I guess it wasn’t an “ugly rumor” that was pulled from nowhere for base political reasons as he implied, but rather a true statement of legitimate concern. Glad to have that cleared up.
November 14th, 2007 at 1:25 pmWAR CRIMINALS!
November 14th, 2007 at 1:25 pm“Krongard had ordered his investigators to “IMMEDIATELY†stop cooperating with federal investigators”
Seems to be a pattern in the Bush Criminal Administration here, mmm, what would that be….mmmm, something about NOT COOPERATING and HIDING EVIDENCE or HIDING BEHIND EXEC PRIVILEGE or STATE SECRETS.
This guy only did this because he was caught red handed, otherwise he would have kept right on covering for the Bush Mercenary War Criminals.
Buck Fush
November 14th, 2007 at 1:25 pmBlackwater is an honorable organization, and attending its Board meeting is a good thing. The House and Waxman need to stay out of these kind of frivolous things and attend to the real business of running the country.
November 14th, 2007 at 1:27 pmIn case you’ve lost your Republican-English/English-Republican dictionary, Ugly Rumor translates to fact, or truth.
November 14th, 2007 at 1:29 pmhits
I’ll give it a 3 out of 10, not really your best work.
November 14th, 2007 at 1:29 pmHope there’s a fire extinguisher in the Committee room, cause someone’s pants are on fire!
November 14th, 2007 at 1:30 pmPlease ignore the troll.
===================================================
OT: This made me laugh and I thought it is worth sharing.
Martha Rosenberg, AlterNet
November 14th, 2007 at 1:31 pmDick Cheney just spent a day shooting up pen-raised birds. Some hunters liken the sport — killing tame animals that offer no resistance — to having sex with a blow-up doll.
Squegeeboo,
Your rating is appreciated. It would also be appreciated if you could post something meaningful to advance the discussion.
Hits
November 14th, 2007 at 1:31 pmI’ll give it a 3 out of 10, not really your best work.
Comment by Squegeeboo — November 14, 2007 @ 1:29 pm
I know - it’s like he’s not even trying anymore. He just craps out whatever pops into his head. It’s all quantity, no quality. It’s sad, really.
November 14th, 2007 at 1:32 pmBlack water a nice little mercenary army with a budget of billions ,located just outside washington DC.
November 14th, 2007 at 1:33 pmHits
It would also be appreciated if you could post something meaningful to advance the discussion.
Pot meet kettle.
November 14th, 2007 at 1:33 pmLiar, Liar, Pants on Fire! Krongard is lying through his teeth and it was only when he realized that Waxman knew about his brother’s conflict of interest did he find it necessary to “call his brother on the break”. Give me a break! This guy needs to be sent on a long-term vacation.
November 14th, 2007 at 1:33 pmDick Cheney just spent a day shooting up pen-raised birds. Some hunters liken the sport — killing tame animals that offer no resistance — to having sex with a blow-up doll.
Comment by troll buster — November 14, 2007 @ 1:31 pm
If shooting tame birds is schtupping a blow-up doll, then what do they think about shooting an old man in the face?
Or did I just answer my question?
November 14th, 2007 at 1:34 pmthis kinda crap really makes my blood boil…
once again…
November 14th, 2007 at 1:35 pm“hits” sez:
It would be greatly appreciated if you could follow your own puerile advice, Jake.
November 14th, 2007 at 1:35 pmTREASON !!!!!
November 14th, 2007 at 1:35 pmtoasterhead: I just scrolled up and see that the identical image came into your mind. Krongard’s nose is growing as well - Pinnocchio syndrome - same one as Shrubby.
November 14th, 2007 at 1:35 pmTripMaster Monkey,
My first post does that. Yours, on the other hand, remains sad.
Hits
November 14th, 2007 at 1:36 pmComment by toasterhead — November 14, 2007 @ 1:34 pm
Are you talking about Cheney or Larry Craig?
November 14th, 2007 at 1:36 pmThe previous thread was completely hijacked by Hits, despite some pleading by other posters to NOT respond to him/her. Hits may well work for Blackwater or be a paid troll for someone else. Who knows…maybe he/she even gets paid per each response to a comment. STARVE THEM OUT!!
November 14th, 2007 at 1:36 pmIronic that a man with the title “Inspector” has no clue who his brother works for/with?
Or lying sack of crap?
In Shrub’s world, I bet the latter.
November 14th, 2007 at 1:37 pmFBI’s initial findings, and supported by the military review of the same incident, state that Blackwater was unjustified, was not fired upon and violated the rules of the use of deadly force.
Not honorable.
November 14th, 2007 at 1:37 pm“hits” sez:
No, Jake, it does not. There is no substance whatsoever in the baseless claims that comprise your first post.
November 14th, 2007 at 1:37 pmimpeachcheneythenbush,
I’m afraid your post doesn’t talk about Blackwater at all. Delightully ironical, don’t you think?
Hits
November 14th, 2007 at 1:38 pmNow that blackwaters licence in Iraq is down the tubes they can concentrate on gathering intelligence on and policing American citizens . WHAT A GREAT TIME TO BE AMERICAN !
November 14th, 2007 at 1:39 pmYour rating is appreciated. It would also be appreciated if you could post something meaningful to advance the discussion.
Hits
Comment by hits
This discussion involves ANOTHER conflict of interest in the Bush administration, and the distracting (or ordering) of investigators away from the facts so the real truth can stay hidden. It sounds to me that you want the truth to stay hidden about Blackwater and its negative impact on our ability to win the ‘hearts and minds’ of the Iraqi people. Your overall goal should be security for America and peace in the ME. Why does it appear that your main goal is worship for Bush - and nothing else? Here we have a man who has screwed up everything he touches, but you continue to hang on. Do you actually believe history will treat Mr Bush with anything other than scorn and derision?
BTW, I would have rated your screed a 1 out of ten. It was completely predictable.
November 14th, 2007 at 1:39 pmTripMaster Monkey,
So a claim or a fact or an opinion that runs contrary to your own beliefs has no substance. That’s quite instructive.
Hits
November 14th, 2007 at 1:39 pmNone of this matters, anyway. All this mess will be dutifully swept under the rug, after enough noise has been made to convince the American public that something was done. Meanwhile, the murderers won’t ever see the inside of a prison cell.
The fix is in.
November 14th, 2007 at 1:40 pmRight. He “didn’t know” six weeks ago. Uh huh. I bet if his phone records were reviewed, it would be discovered that he didn’t call his brother during the recess, he called the White House to ask them what he should do. These people are a danger to our country.
November 14th, 2007 at 1:40 pmThank the maker for Waxman. The Washington Post had a great article on his committee last month.
November 14th, 2007 at 1:42 pmso blackwater has been helping terrorists kill american soldiers.
hits, i’m sure against this sort of thing, aren’t you?
November 14th, 2007 at 1:43 pm“hits” sez:
First of all, Shakey, I said “baseless claim”. That would mean “a claim without basis in fact”.
Second, “…a claim or a fact or an opinion…”??? Honestly…did you really think I wouldn’t notice you trying to slip the word “fact” in there? Is that really the best you can do?
Log off before you embarrass yourself further, Jake.
November 14th, 2007 at 1:43 pmSo a claim or a fact or an opinion that runs contrary to your own beliefs has no substance. That’s quite instructive.
Hits
Comment by hits — November 14, 2007 @ 1:39 pm
instructing you is easy. it’s learning that you have a problem with.
eh?
November 14th, 2007 at 1:44 pmMartha Rosenberg, AlterNet
Dick Cheney just spent a day shooting up pen-raised birds. Some hunters liken the sport — killing tame animals that offer no resistance — to having sex with a blow-up doll.
Comment by troll buster — November 14, 2007 @ 1:31 pm
And as Lewis Black says, “They clip their wings, THEY CLIP THEIR WINGS!
November 14th, 2007 at 1:44 pmErik, the ‘Prince of Blackwater’ doesn’t like sunlight…shut that window, before another reporter tries to report the truth!
What a circle jerk. Brother lying about brother to congress. Brother discovers his cover blown. Oh my, what to do? I know! Blame the messenger. Yeah, that’s the ticket!
Waxman may be the only congress critter to date to actually follow the money…because when you do, you’ll always find the culprit(s).
Next thing you know, we’ll find Condi in the sack with Ms. Krongard…(I didn’t know my wife was a lesbisan!)
November 14th, 2007 at 1:44 pmNow the perjury comes fast enough to be proven as the fellow testifies, and further perjures himself?
November 14th, 2007 at 1:45 pmand it has nothing to do with them tubes.
Log off before you embarrass yourself further, Jake.
Comment by TripMaster Monkey — November 14, 2007 @ 1:43 pm
TMM, you really think that if this troll was capable of embarrassment, what it’s posted up to this point wouldn’t have done the job?
November 14th, 2007 at 1:45 pmI do profess to dislike passing judgments
Yet ever other post of yours is nothing BUT your caveman “judgments”.
I do profess to call you an unabashed hypocrite and 100% deserving DISMISSAL, AGAIN, AS USUAL.
November 14th, 2007 at 1:46 pmHits, you’re a fcking joke. When the first thread was posted below that there was an accusation of the bro being on the board you get all teary eyed and said that there was no call for such “insinuation”. Now it’s verified as a fact and you defend the fact that bro is on the board.
If it’s no big deal, why did you jump to call it an insinuation?
You pathetic sycophants are worthless. There is nothing Bushco could do that you wouldn’t defend, so your defense is meaningless.
Look up falsifiable dckweed and please stfu.
November 14th, 2007 at 1:46 pmAre you talking about Cheney or Larry Craig?
Comment by hellinabucket — November 14, 2007 @ 1:36 pm
Zing! :)
November 14th, 2007 at 1:46 pmI have no incentive in ensuring any “truth†remains “hiddenâ€. I do profess to dislike passing judgments before the guys have had a chance in Court.
Hits
You do need the truth to stay hidden, though. The State department considered justice for Blackwater so important, they were granted immunity - even from a department NOT AUTHORIZED to grant that immunity. See how your ‘right side’ justice works? Americans want to know what Blackwater is doing in their name, but State thinks it is more important to hide the truth. You remember what truth is, right? Again, your reverance for all things Bush is really pathetic and sad. I do wish you would seek treatment for this.
November 14th, 2007 at 1:51 pmYour definition of hypocrite may well be consistent with my definition of intelligence.
Hits
And is the basis for your incredible ignorance.
When did they teach a chimp to type?
November 14th, 2007 at 1:51 pmPlease hit the Report Abuse flag on hits. Any engaging him is a waste of time. Oh and contacting the administrators isn’t a bad idea either.
November 14th, 2007 at 1:52 pm“hits” sez:
Someone has to care…seeing as you’re quite without shame.
It’s quite understandable, your attempts at deliberate obtuseness notwithstanding.
You’ve been schooled. You’re now dismissed. I won’t be wasting any more of my time on this subject, since I’ve clearly made my point. But rest assured, I will come along to sink any other baseless claims you attempt to pass off here.
November 14th, 2007 at 1:52 pmDieNowForPeace,
I do not claim to know it all. In fact, there’s quite a lot of things I still need to learn.
Hits
November 14th, 2007 at 1:53 pmHits
Blackwater is an honorable organization, and attending its Board meeting is a good thing. The House and Waxman need to stay out of these kind of frivolous things and attend to the real business of running the country.
Alright, I’m a bit bored so lets take a look at this statement.
Blackwater is an honorable organization
This is your opinion, many here may disagree, esp. in light of such things as the shooting of the civilians in Baghdad a bit ago. This statement would have been just fine with out the honorable, my guesss is that you inculded it to incite people to reply to you.
attending its Board meeting is a good thing
Fair enough. If you are a member you should go to the meetings.
The House and Waxman need to stay out of these kind of frivolous things and attend to the real business of running the country.
November 14th, 2007 at 1:54 pmAnd here, no. Just no. The House and Waxman are investigating a potential conflict of interest between the inspector Generals job and his family. This is something they actually need to investigate, even more so now that it looks like his original statements about his brother and Blackwater were at best wrong(happens to the best of us), and at worse a blatant lie to cover for family. If this was ignored it would be yet another example of cronyism and nepotism infecting the gov’t.
Is it that Think Progress likes trolls?
Why do they still allow trolls to ruin every single thread they write?
November 14th, 2007 at 1:54 pmBlackwater needs to be prosecuted in the country where the crime was committed. We are trying to build a new nation in Iraq and to not allow the trial of the death of Iraqis in Iraq to be held in Iraq then we will further erode any goodwill we can build in 5 surges.
I like how Krongard got dressed down about his phone calls to his brother. No credibility at all.
November 14th, 2007 at 1:54 pmI do not claim to know it all. In fact, there’s quite a lot of things I still need to learn.
Hits
and thats why you listen to fox news jake ?
November 14th, 2007 at 1:55 pmWaxman is doing his job. It’s the whole checks and balances thing. It’s the oversight thing. It’s what every true american wants and demands from their country and their leaders.
November 14th, 2007 at 1:55 pmOk, I’ve had enough of (s)hits and people who respond to that idiot. Laters, I’m going to do something more productive. I’ll be back after that idiot logs off.
Have fun with your “it’s all about (s)hits thread)
Buck Fush
November 14th, 2007 at 1:55 pmComment by Buckie Boy — November 14, 2007 @ 1:55 pm
November 14th, 2007 at 1:56 pmDITTO
When did they teach a chimp to type?
Comment by DieNowForPeace — November 14, 2007 @ 1:51 pm
hits is not a chimp!
hits is a hermaphrodite:
http://www.uweb.ucsb.edu/~wesleychorn/
see for yourself.
(sorry hits, but i had to set him straight)
November 14th, 2007 at 1:57 pmSpudge Boy sez:
because it drives up the hit count? After all, the current chief idiot troll is currently calling himself “hits”…
November 14th, 2007 at 1:57 pmIn fact, there’s quite a lot of things I still need to learn.
Hits
May I suggest getting your leg blown off in a war zone, then return home to no job, no wife and see if you don’t just kill yourself, since there’ll be nobody there to give you a hand.
You need a change of perspective in a big way to “un-learn” all your little comfy life conveniences and foolish contrived beliefs.
November 14th, 2007 at 1:59 pmI get very little time to listen to foxnews.
Hits
Comment by hits — November 14, 2007 @ 1:57 pm
because you’re so busy here, right?
November 14th, 2007 at 1:59 pmare employed by the federalist society?
how’s their dental plan?
ok hits, since your memory seems to be pretty poor, about standard though for a 75 year old, here is what you posted when the “accusation” came out.
“Any kind of insinuation against this body should not be tolerated or propagated.”
So now it’s not an insinuation, but a fact. And you post that:
“Blackwater is an honorable organization, and attending its Board meeting is a good thing.”
If it’s such a good thing, why would you get so upset when it was just an insinuation?
If Bush ripped out a baby’s eyes on camera, you would find a way to defend him. Your defense then, means absofckinglutely nothing.
Get it?
November 14th, 2007 at 2:00 pmMaybe you can use your considerable energies to advance the discussion on the thread and not focus on me?
Hits
Comment by hits — November 14, 2007 @ 1:59 pm
if we ignored you you’d go away… who wants that?
November 14th, 2007 at 2:01 pmI will do fine.
Hits
Not if you loose your ass, financially or literally.
You’d NEVER survive without your false “bubble” of security.
Such is a big, soft, coward’s existence.
November 14th, 2007 at 2:03 pmApparently the FBI finds Blackwater’s shootings unjustified.
November 14th, 2007 at 2:04 pmYour cut and pastes do a poor job of re-creating the contexts of those discussions. You are a victim of the medium we operate in and also your own intelligence.
Hits
Comment by hits — November 14, 2007 @ 2:02 pm
hey you cut and paste. and you live on public assistance.
November 14th, 2007 at 2:05 pmif we ignored you you’d go away… who wants that?
Comment by joe cantwell
And this is why every thread on here dies a quick death. It’s not hits who threadjacks, it’s people on here who keep going after him. He’s a jerk, we all know that. But don’t complain about him if you’re going to keep engaging him not on the issues, but on *him*.
November 14th, 2007 at 2:05 pmStop making the subject of each thread HIM and other trolls like him.
The State Dept. did the right thing in this context. Your disagreement with this doesn’t make it wrong.
Hits
Again, very telling about your strange version of Bush’s law. The department was not authorized to provide immunity. Bush’s state department simply chose - again - to violate the law and makes it the dems responsibility to clean up his mess - again.
As much as my disagreement doesn’t make it wrong, Bush’s breaking the law doesn’t make it right.
Last post until hits leaves or is banned.
November 14th, 2007 at 2:05 pmStop making the subject of each thread HIM and other trolls like him.
Comment by Wilco — November 14, 2007 @ 2:05 pm
sorry.
(can we throw a pie in his face?)
November 14th, 2007 at 2:08 pmYour cut and pastes do a poor job of re-creating the contexts of those discussions. You are a victim of the medium we operate in and also your own intelligence.
Hits
Comment by hits — November 14, 2007 @ 2:02 pm
You project, and whine about others expressing your failures in character and intellect. That’s why you’re a conservative.
November 14th, 2007 at 2:09 pmOK. I am sorry for engaging hits, and I sorta kinda promise not to participate any thread jacking from here forward.
No promises though, when it comes to poking at Daryll. That is just too entertaining to pass up.
November 14th, 2007 at 2:09 pm(can we throw a pie in his face?)
Comment by joe cantwell — November 14, 2007 @ 2:08 pm
sorry i meant “his/her face”.
see link:
http://www.uweb.ucsb.edu/~wesleychorn/
November 14th, 2007 at 2:11 pmGood lord. These people are completely corrupt - they’re like one of those giant balls of snakes.
November 14th, 2007 at 2:13 pmLeftside Annie, what kind of giant balls do snakes have?
November 14th, 2007 at 2:16 pmok, ok. this is not ot. look at the above picture of howard krongard. look at the expression on his face. now look at the face of the unidentified man standing behind him. what is that man doing to krongard?!
November 14th, 2007 at 2:18 pmPoor little Hits has gotten himself deleted on both threads. Everybody can get back to discussing the complete corruption of Blackwater and IG’s complicity in the situation. Also the FBI’s findings in the NYT today about how the shootings in September were unwarranted.
November 14th, 2007 at 2:19 pmGoon squad must keep getting$$$$$ from US treasury. Lie cheat and steal=the GOP
November 14th, 2007 at 2:20 pmI didn’t mean to come across too pissy.
November 14th, 2007 at 2:25 pmBut it seems most of the people who complain about trolls are the same ones who routinely egg them on.
http://ccoaler.blogspot.com/ 2007/ 11/ blackwaterusa-to-receive-15bio-for-drug.html
Blackwater USA to receive 15bio$ thru drug war (I guess for ‘collectin dangerous substances in Afghanistan)
http://ccoaler.blogspot.com/ 2007/ 11/ iran-charges-nuclear-traitor.html
Iran charges nuclear traitor-latest Akmaydjinedjad stunt seen as clear proof that Akmaydjinedjad’s tuffenin his stance against ‘critics’
http://ccoaler.blogspot.com/ 2007/ 11/ breakthrough-in-primate-cloning.html
Breakthru in primate cloning
http://ccoaler.blogspot.com/ 2007/ 11/ denmarks-conservatives-reach-90-of-179.html
November 14th, 2007 at 2:33 pmDanish conservatives reach 90 of 179 seats
Krongard Confirms ‘Ugly Rumor’: Brother Attended Blackwater Advisory Board Meeting
November 14th, 2007 at 2:37 pmAre we shocked? This corruption is peeled away on a daily basis. It will be terrifying when the core of this onion is exposed.
I didn’t mean to come across too pissy.
But it seems most of the people who complain about trolls are the same ones who routinely egg them on.
Comment by Wilco — November 14, 2007 @ 2:25 pm
for the record, i never complained about them. i have “egged” them on but for good reasons. trolls, i have noticed, are often better at supporting progressive thought and opinion then progressives themselves are. look at “hits”. point out one, just one, comment that he/she posted that didn’t make him/her look like a mental masturbating midget. and that’s just “hits”. compare him to some of the other trolls like “southern man” and “proud american” and he’s willaim f. buckley. and when they post their comments middle americans who read them here (especially here) recoil in disgust and almost reflexively open their minds to the new and better ideas that progressives have to offer. if i were george soros or mark cuban i’d pay “hits” to come on here everyday and post his crap as often as he/she could. he does a great job for progressives and for liberalism and i thank him for it.
thank you tp for allowing me to post this opinion. if anyone here disagrees i promise to read their comments thoughtfully and carefully and reconsider my position if you can persuade me with a better argument.
November 14th, 2007 at 2:46 pmAre we shocked? This corruption is peeled away on a daily basis. It will be terrifying when the core of this onion is exposed.
Comment by had enough — November 14, 2007 @ 2:37 pm
Nah, that’s just the sulfenic acids reacting to the air. I hear if you cut it near an open flame it won’t irritate your eyes so much.
November 14th, 2007 at 2:52 pmFor future reference, everyone, hits is part of the subspecies of troll known as a “flow chart troll.”
Some trolls just throw out stupid comments in the hopes of provoking the ire of everyone else.
Some genuinely believe the horse hockey they write about and will defend it to the death…OK, they’d pee their pants before it got to the point where their lives were truly threatened. But they will defend their inanities until they’re banned.
There are concern trolls, who pretend to give you advice on how the other side (YOUR side) can win the argument or battle, because, of course, YOUR side is just too stupid to win on its own (and it’s fun to misdirect and try to get people to do things “for their own good” which is really to their detriment, just ask any Young Republican who tells one of the special needs kids in school that the head cheerleader is crushing on him and he should sing a song to her, HIGH-larity!)
Then there are flow chart trolls like hits, who make an inane comment, and continue to make comments based on the replies. In fact, they practically demand you reply.
If you respond to hits with anger and personal attacks, he’ll accuse you of knowing he’s right and since you have nothing to counter with, you attacked him personally, therefore, he wins.
If you try to respond patiently, with facts & logic, he attacks you personally, making bizarre claims that your argument makes no sense (wihtout telling you WHY it makes no sense, since it really does), attacking the wording you opted to use to make your point. Therefore, he wins
And once you’re able to strip away every facet of his argument, proving him to be full of oh so much crap, he ignores you. After all, at this point, he has a dozen or so people writing specifically to him, he doesn’t have time to casually dismiss EVERYBODY’S opinion anymore, and since YOU’RE so stupid, you’re the first to be ignored. Double whammy! He wins.
If you make an A-type comment, he has a B-type retort. if C then D, if X then Y, and Z means you’re too stupid to be tolerated anymore.
And if everyone opts to ignore him in the first place, he claims nobody wants to challenge him because he’s right. Therefore, he wins.
Aaaaaand then he goes in the corner to masturbate, or choke small animalsm or whatever it is ‘loids like him do when they are “victorious” in their attempt to derail internet threads.
At the risk of sounding like a “concern troll” myself, I’ve found the best way with dealing with flow chart trolls is to acknowledge them indirectly without challening them directly (Heh, I’m like the Jane Goodall of internet trolls). Make an on-comment topic then an off-handed remark about the troll. Allow me to provide an example…
“There really needs to be an investigation into Krongard’s phone records, let’s see who he actually called during the break into the proceedings. After all, it IS a matter of national security, and since the telcos are going to get retroactive immunity anyway, might as well get at least one small victory out of it by stripping this lying doo schnozzle of any vestige of respectability.
Oh, and hits’ comments are too dopey for words.”
At a future point, hits may opt to challenge me directly, after all, if A then B, I’ve insulted him, and he’ll choose to insinuate that he is the victor because I’ve refused to argue him on the merits of his comment.
The desire would be to retort with “What merits” and a break down of every dopey word he wrote followed my insighful commentary on wht it’s so dopey. Which is what he wants. So duck left, feint right.
“Any self-respecting reporter would approach friends and family of Krongard with some questions. I’d bet a shiny nickel at least one person will say ‘Of course, he know, they’re BROTHERS.’
People with opinions like hits tend to have their mom clean their diaper. Not that people with opinions like hits can’t use the toilet like a big boy. They just like the smell of hand lotion and fresh cotton.”
At this point, hits would attack me directly, even though I didn’t really attack him directly. After all, I started with “people with opinions like hits TEND to…” It’s not MY fault if hits can’t read and assumes I’m talking about him. Likewise, it’s not MY fault if what I wrote correctly describes hits, and his feelings are hurt like some kind of little turd baby…
My point is, there’s no need to directly attack flow chart trolls like hits, in fact, it’s better if you don’t. But there are ways to get them to crack and minimize their impact on the board. Don’t take them seriously (but ignoring them means you are taking them seriously, in their minds, it just means you consider them THAT MUCH of a threat). Just make sure you know you think they’re dopey. Despite my doctoral thesis just written, it’s pretty simple.
And fun.
November 14th, 2007 at 2:58 pmhits would, at this point, attack me personally
Is it that Think Progress likes trolls?
Why do they still allow trolls to ruin every single thread they write?
Comment by Spudge Boy — November 14, 2007 @ 1:54 pm
I’d simply like to point out that NO troll could ruin every thread if other posters didn’t respond to them. If you don’t want trolls, don’t feed them! They are not here to have an honest debate, but to disrupt debate. I don’t have a problem with someone who honestly disagrees with TP and rationally demonstrates WHY. We can all afford to learn to think outside our “box,” because if we don’t, these very serious problems facing our nation will never be resolved. Nothing is ever black or white; that is Manicheian thinking and has been the bane of this administration, doubling back to bite the American people and all peoples of the world.
November 14th, 2007 at 2:59 pmThe moral majority. Riiiighht.
November 14th, 2007 at 3:00 pmKronberg:
Fox meet henhouse.
November 14th, 2007 at 3:12 pmI didn’t say one thing about opposing opinion nor did I say anything about conservatives. I am speaking directly about the trolls. Nothing more. Don’t put words in my mouth or on the screen in this case.
In fact, if you go up a couple of threads, the guest blogger even mentions friggin’ trolls.
It would be easy for TP to fix this problem, especially now that they have registration.
Also, it is quite easy to figure out which ones are trolls and which are real conservatives.
Here is how. All of the real conservatives have moved on and realized how wrong they were about Bush. Most have changed their voter registration and are now on our side.
Trolls are trolls and always will be.
November 14th, 2007 at 3:25 pm(continued from prior post)
…even though I didn’t attack HIM personally. After all, I only said people with opinions LIKE his tend to be crying li’l momma’s boys. If it doesn’t apply to him, then there’s no reason to be offended. Unless of course, it DOES apply to him…
In any event, when it comes to doo schnozzley flow chart trolls, the last thing you should do is take them seriously. And in their minds, “taking them seriously” also means ignoring them, because it just means they’re THAT smart, that you fear them. Acknowledge their presence, but with the same disdain Henry Fonda used to acknowledge Lee J. Cobb at the end of 12 Angry Men, keep spinning your wheels silly man, let us know when you come to your senses.
November 14th, 2007 at 3:30 pmMan, they have all got their hands in the blood, don’t they.
November 14th, 2007 at 4:17 pmAnd fun.
hits would, at this point, attack me personally
Comment by slappy magoo — November 14, 2007 @ 2:58 pm
A+
yesterday i presented “hits” with the elements of a good thesis and challenged him to respond by using those elements to support one of his rw arguments. he/she couldn’t do it. but your thesis on trolls in general and “hits” in particular did. congratulations! that’s the way you blow a troll like “hits” out of the water. again, well done. i don’t want to go ot on this thread but i hope “wilco” read your thesis. i’d like to read his opinion of it.
November 14th, 2007 at 5:09 pmDo these comments by “Cookie” Krongard square?
KRONGARD: I can tell you very frankly, I am not aware of any financial interest or position he has with respect to Blackwater. It couldn’t possibly have affected anything I’ve done, because I don’t believe it. And when these ugly rumors started recently, I specifically asked him.
…
WAXMAN: I see. You indicated you had called your brother to ask him earlier whether he was on the board. He told you he wasn’t.
KRONGARD: Well that was about six weeks ago, and I was not aware — and this board meeting happened yesterday, and I found out just during the break that he had in fact attended yesterday.
November 14th, 2007 at 5:58 pmJa, mein Bruder IST on der board of Blakkwasser, in service to Der Fuhrer,
er, Herr Hitler, er, Herr Busch.
Ja, dot’s der tikket!!!
Harry Shearer the comedian covered the 2000 RNC Convention, and said that the compassionate conservative mantra was BS, and that they
should show the REAL people in the party, like Delay, Lott, etc.
Here we haff and example of the REAL Nazis in Der Party…
Sincerely,
NRA Gun Nutes
November 14th, 2007 at 6:36 pmFor further research:
insider trading
November 14th, 2007 at 6:40 pm>If shooting tame birds is schtupping a blow-up doll, then what do they >think about shooting an old man in the face?
Its like your hand slipping off you c0ck and accidentally slapping the guy next to you in the circle jerk..
November 15th, 2007 at 6:44 am