With my little run in the other day with Reverse Engineer, I was reminded of a time not so long ago. I had to go back through my emails to see when exactly the world came to an end on TBP #1. The bickering between RE and myself is chicken shit compared to the flaming end of TBP #1 that occurred on March 10, 2010. What most TBP members did not know was that my relationship with Jason had been going downhill for months behind the scenes. He wanted me to fly to London with him to meet some big shot investor. I said no. Glen Beck had asked me to be on his show and I had declined. Then I did an article that trashed Fox News. Jason got really mad about that. Jason was looking for a big payoff. I was looking to write good articles.
I showed tremendous restraint for months in dealing with Jason’s desire to control my site. Then I got copied on some emails that showed me he was trying to lure TBP regulars over to Raging Debate. I posted an article stating that he was doing this and the fireworks began. He immediately shut down my site and began to trash me on his site. I responded by posting some of his crazy emails to me on my Seeking Alpha instablog. He threatened to sue me for defamation. I responded by saying how could it be defamation if it was his own email. The vitriol swirled as he banned my IP address so Robmu1 would post my responses on Raging Debate. RE wrote a 10,000 word divorce article.
By the end of the week, we were worn out and agreed to bury the hatchet and move on. We have had no contact since. Here are some comments about the divorce. Smokey was very disappointed with the quick ending to the feud.
Smokey: Perfectly good feud—ruined. A damn shame. Screw this. I’ve never seen such shocking wimpiness in all my born days. From now on I’ll watch my niece’s Mary Poppins DVD or reruns of The Waltons or The Brady Bunch. I mean, we had nasty innuendos and threats straight out of the gate, and just when it starts to get good, we get this wavering and backpedaling. This reconciliation is totally unacceptable. Please reconsider this grave mistake.
Smokey: @SanDiegoGuy: Hilarious. Never heard that. That buzzard cartoon reminds me of a cartoon I saw a few years ago. It was snowing, and two pigeons were sitting side by side high up on a tree limb. Directly underneath them was a kid with his big mouth wide open to catch the falling snow. One pigeon said to the other, “Are you thinking what I’m thinking?” When Quinn opens his new site, look for me to get some shit started right from the jump. In particular, RE, Dee, David Pierre, and a couple of anons have a rendezvous with me for a battle of insults and they don’t even know it yet. It will be the good old days.
Stuck: Hey Smokey, go fuck yourself you batshit neocon.
Just thought I’d get things started ……….
Smokey: @ReverseEngineer: It’s ON. Bring it!!! Just remember, no second thoughts allowed. No holds barred. No changing your mind. No equivocation. No I’m sorry’s. No apologies. No truces. We will do battle as men, not as pussies. We will serve as an affirmation to all observers that heated conflicted dialogue serves no purpose whatsoever, and only inspires more of the same. Stuck In NJ—-You’re out. You repeatedly refused to engage me on TBP. I refuse to waste my time on someone who refuses to engage. I will no longer tolerate your partiality. You ignored the best of my insults, but on several occasions wanted to duke it out with Quinn. How fair is that? That is the most vile form of discrimination possible.
Here is a picture of what has happened since the breakup:
I posted a pictorial display at the end of that fateful week on Seeking Alpha:
A week in the life of Jim Quinn:
JIM & JASON Tuesday Morning
Jim & Jason Tuesday Afternoon
JIM & JASON Wednesday
JIM & JASON Thursday Morning
JIM & JASON Thursday Night
FRIDAY MORNING – Mission Accomplished
Ah yes, the good old days. Smokey is nothing if not consistent.
Admin, you have a soft heart to bury the hatchet with Jason.
I’m really sorry I missed it all. From the summary, it looks like I miss a terrific pile of angst that, in the real world, was nothing but ego farts.
I like TBP the way it is now. I can ignore everyone else’s comments and just write my own (especially if Admin gets his panties in a knot)! (I cannot tell a lie – until the article slides off the bottom to article hell or wherever they go, I sometime go back and see if anyone paid attention).
Ego has killed almost as many people as religion or politics have. Don’t know how to get rid of it although Eckhart Tolle’s “The Power of Now” made an interesting read. Yeah, I know.. Smokey will immediately say ET eats shit. Ah well.
Like Steve Jobs says: Creation is messy. Glad you pursued the path of writing.
Speaking of which…Admin don’t you think with all of this “non-encouraged” clicking we’ve been doing on the little blue ads that it could pay for some way for us to keep up with our comments and articles of interest? I’m pretty sure that the feature set already exists…if you implement it.
Right now trying to keep up with conversations is like being stuck in a 1984 Subaru station wagon on a mid-summer cross country road trip with 5 kids under the age of 4 and Smokey driving (backwards, of course). Please…pretty please…pretty please with Avalon on top (of you) would you add that feature?
Cordially,
Sonic
Sonic
I’ve earned 15 cents today from the Google ads.
There is a WordPress plugin that would allow nested responses. We’ve been afraid to install it because we don’t want to mess anything up.
Admin-if nested responses doesn’t work better than thumbs, don’t do it. I thought Smokey & Stuck were crazy, but every time I refresh, thumb scores go away on LLPOH’s article.
@Sonic: Right on! When TBP #2 went to shit due to some asshole laying a “denial of service attack” on it and Admin had to convet to TBP #3, I truly think he lost interest in doing anymore improvement. WordPress sucks big time, you can’t consistently (never say never!) post images with posts or comments, it is not stable and throws up in your lap when you least expect it.
I’ve always wondered where comments and posts go when they slide off the bottom of the ‘Latest Post” list – I mentally picture a black, smelly burning 50 gallon drum that the posts/comments slide into with Smokey pissing fire into it to keep it burning!
I think you’re being generous with your evaluation, however. It’s more like a 1957 Volkswagon on square wheels and a manual drive you have to shift with a wrench.
Muck
There is a box on the right where you can find all the old posts. Put your glasses on.
How the hell did that comment end up here? It was supposed to post on another thread! Ah WordPress.
Well, now the comment is on two threads.. Go figure.
This is my first anniversity on TBP, so I was new when the breakup occurred, and it left me puzzeled. Thanks for the refresher article.
While I agree with MUCK, that articles disappear, I enjoy the site. Don’t become a whore to anybody, especially Glen Beck. While I agree with some of his views, the guy just makes my skin crawl.
Jim, I still read your articles, with or without Jason`s work on the site.
You`re much apreciated on this side of the ‘wire’ .
To bury the hatchet was smart, to keep writing is smarter, IMHO.
.. end of the wire should be. eastern european grammar works it`s magic
GBES
We will serve as an affirmation to all observers that heated conflicted dialogue serves no purpose whatsoever, and only inspires more of the same. -Smokey
Smokeys primary reason for existence….no purpose at all.
KB you’re a pisser! I agree with you whole heartedly that “Eats Shit” is a highly overused fart of a flame on TBP but Smokie is like a oyster bed, eating shit and pooping out waste until one day – surprise – you open one up and there’s a pearl!
Which is, of course, why it makes it difficult to just ignore him. Every once in a geologic cycle he’ll throw out something worth reading. It is also why when he is being stupid (most of the time) that it can be sooooo irritating. You *know* he knows better.
@Admin:
The box you refer to doesn’t work. It just pukes computer jargon when I click on it.
PS. I’d pay to subscribe if I could track that kind of stuff. Hell I’d contribute anyway. I get more entertainment and erudition from this blog than any other.
Sonic
I’ll never charge to subscribe to my goofy thoughts. I have fun and I hope others have fun too.