Would you advertise on the garylsnyder blog?

Here's a thought from a co-author of mine, in reply to a post on the garylsnyder website.  

Don't look for it there: it was censored.

@ 1whoknowsbetter:

I have often asked myself the same question: Do those who sponsor this site care that they are paying Snyder to nuture negativity and derision?  Do they even care?  Either way, shame on them. 

This is especially true for the political candidates who sponsor this site, because their reputation is their only currency.  And a political candidate who advertises on a site that shows a PhotoShopped picture of his opponent has shown his true character.

Witch Hunts

Bloggers are having an impact on the political landscape.  In several major instances now, bloggers who have uncovered the truth have taken on First Amendment duties traditional news sources have been unwilling to cover.  Bloggers were responsible for Trent Lott's resignation after his racial comments, "Rathergate", and now are at the forefront of unveiling US-Israeli political relationships.  The service of these bloggers is more than noteworthy; it's commendable.

At the same time, other bloggers have attempted to stir up controversies as well.  For their own personal, economic, or political goals, their blogs attempt to mimic the good deeds of those bloggers who work as traditional journalists.  These blogs are a hindrance to progress and a disgrace to their communities.

Gary Snyder's investigative reporting methods and the banter that follow on this site are the equivalent of a McCarthyism style witch-hunt.

A true investigative journalist would complete research, file complaints, and then report this coverage as allegations (if he thought it was at least going to be investigated) or even wait until papers were served. Gary doesn’t do that. As soon as he had a whiff of the possible wrong-doing of the Hatch Act he started casting article after article upon his board. Snyder tries to bring about hysteria. And his followers are ready to persecute any accused with a burning at the stake (i.e. posts such as “They should all be fired!”)

Gary corrupts the truth and his followers abandon due process. He uses half-truths and unfounded accusations (For what has Stoffel ever been found guilty?) His followers have developed a know-nothing suspect-everything attitude when it comes to Stoffel. Gary, I’ll ask you the same question that was asked of McCarthy, “Have you no decency, sir?” (Citations belong to Wikipedia.org)

The Salem Witch-Hunt and the McCarthy era are black marks in our history. Gary is adding a new blotch to that list.

Analysis of the garylsnyder webpage

Be it known that  Gary Snyder's articles on his website are best described as a political agenda, not factual news. While all factual news contains biases, intentional or unintentional, Gary's main purpose is to persuade the reader to think or vote a certain way. Therefore, unlike what Gary would have you believe, this is not news, or even cogent political commentary; it is a political advertisement.  This is further evidenced in that serious comments that challenge his article's credibility are censored.

Nothing is more important to maintaining our democratic society than the First Amendment right to freedom of the press: It allows us to speak against tyranny and oppression. However, the leading contributor to this website has subverted this guarantee to his own ends. The dialog on this website is described as —at best— uncivil; at worst, it is hostile to the point that it threatens the ethical fiber of the free society it imagines to protect.

Those who post are not held accountable for what they say. They do not have to sign their name or provide a valid email address. Since there is no accountability, one can post comments on his site that:

• Are disparaging or dishonest, without fear of repercussion for their words.
• Appear under different names and email addresses in an attempt to make statements appear valid under the guise that it has been reported multiple times.
• Disparage their own candidate with the signature of an opponent to create deceit.
• Demean the family and friends of candidates through suggestions about sexual preferences and lifestyles. These and other remarks have promoted the atmosphere of intolerance, oppression, and hatred for one’s fellow man.

Over an extended period of time, such comments on this site have bred an afflictive atmosphere of intolerance, coercion, and hatred. One must therefore come to terms with the most difficult proposition of all: One cannot help others who refuse assistance.

When a loved one suffers from an addiction and refuses to get help, friends and family are counseled to practice tough love: If they can’t help the person kick the addiction, at least they can refuse to enable it. In the same way, many have pleaded with Gary to change his format and the atmosphere of his site.

At this point, we cannot liberate anyone who chooses to be imprisoned by their need for contempt and incivility. We can only point that out to those who might visit; refuse to sponsor those captivated by hate, and do our part somewhere else to create a brighter future.

Censored Posts and a Scene from Schindler's List

There have been many posts  I tried to put on the garylsnyder webpage.  There's no vulgarity, no name calling.  However, there is one thing in my post that I think Snider has started to disallow  -  the truth.


I keep thinking of this scene from Schindler's List:


Oskar Schindler: Power is when we have every justification to kill, and we don't. 
Amon Goeth: You think that's power? 
Oskar Schindler: That's what the Emperor said. A man steals something, he's brought in before the Emperor, he throws himself down on the ground. He begs for his life, he knows he's going to die. And the Emperor... pardons him. This worthless man, he lets him go.
Amon Goeth: I think you are drunk.
Oskar Schindler: That's power, Amon. That is power.

For those who might not have seen this movie, Goeth is a colonel and supervisor of a concentration camp.  He derives a perverse sense of power by killing Jews at his whim.  


I wonder if Snider doesn't derive that same sense of perverse power as supervisor of his website.


Later in the movie after the dialog above, Goeth tries to hold back his anger and not kill a small boy who cannot get the stains out of his bathtub.  He let's the boy go... and for a moment feels the real power Schindler was mentioning.  However, his subversive emotions control him, and he shoots the boy with a high power rifle, but not after shakily missing him twice.  You can see Goeth struggling when he realize the truth:  


He is in fact very weak.