From: Kent Krispin <kent@songbird.com>
Date: Wed, 12 Nov 1997 15:47:27 +0800
To: cypherpunks@Algebra.COM
Subject: Re: Br'er Tim and the Bug Hole
In-Reply-To: <v03110741b08e51241192@[139.167.130.248]>
Message-ID: <19971111234121.21455@songbird.com>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain



On Tue, Nov 11, 1997 at 11:18:49PM -0500, Robert Hettinga wrote:
> At 3:36 pm -0500 on 11/11/97, Tim May wrote:
> 
> > >Remind me not to lock myself up, all alone, with a bunch of live ammo and
> > >almost no one to talk to but the internet, in an isolated hilltop
> >    ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
> > Ad hominem becomes you, Bob.
> >
> > A variation of the old "get a life" put down of anyone whose opinions one
> > disagrees with.
> 
> I call 'em as I see 'em, Tim. Actually, I would probably call what I said
> there an "amateur psychological diagnosis". :-). Your mileage may vary.
> That's what I get for indulging in the pseudoscience of psychology, I
> suppose.

Speaking of which...

I found it quite interesting to note Tim's reaction when Igor poked
fun of him.  You may recall that Igor baited the trap by innocently
asking about the "technical" nature of Tim's "defense system", then
gently drawing it a little tighter with some droll comments about 
fighting off the assault forces when you were sleeping in the nude.  
By the time Tim realized he had been suckered a rollicking funny 
thread developed, and at least some of the humor was clearly at Tim's 
expense. 

Shortly thereafter Tim started laying down heavy angry shit -- recall
the post about the bleached bones of the demonstrators being left to
starve, handcuffed to the LLNL fences?...and the angry character of his
posts has continued to the present.

This is part of Tim's personal appeal, I guess -- it's obvious that
beneath all the bluster is a very fragile ego that is easily wounded.  
There are other signs, as well -- you mention them:  the dark 
hints about great and fearsome things to come, the recurring oblique 
comparisons between himself and the "founding fathers", the "I dare 
you" runs against the limits of legal safety.

Tim, like many, rationalizes his simmering anger by blaming it all on
the "bastids in the gubmit".  But it doesn't take much insight to see 
that there is something a little deeper going on, something a little 
sad. 
[...]

> > More typical Bob Hettinga insult arguments. You ought to form a club with
> > Kent Crispin, Detweiler, and Vulis.
> 
> Ah. Now *that* last bit was a genuine ad hominem. 

Sure was!

[....]

> > Get a life, Bob.
> 
> (Score: 4 ad hominems, 2 red herrings)
> 
> Wait... Is there an *echo* in here?


Kent "The Toto Mongrel Made Me Do It" Krispin