Monday, January 07, 2013

A little advice

Earlier today, I sent the following to an old friend out west. He hasn't answered yet. Maybe a Cannonfire reader will have some words of advice.

* * *

The most fun I've had recently was when I wrote a weird blog post about Anwar al-Awlaki, the American citizen turned Al Qaeda-linked imam who was blown up by a drone. Don't know if you read that one. As always, I offered an oddball theory, in the hope of inspiring someone to send me either confirmatory evidence or an interesting counter-argument.

Last night, I got to thinking that this post could be the basis of a worthwhile documentary. It would be a full length video concocted out of found footage and offered gratis on YouTube. The subject of the video would not be Awlaki per se. Rather, it would be a piece about the many mysteries we've encountered during the decade-plus of the war on terror.

But.

Well, you know what the "but" is already, don't you? On my blog, the moment I mention Al Qaeda or the war on terror -- in any context -- the fucking "controlled demolition" bastards come out to play. For some reason, they really watch my blog like a hawk. Even though I never publish their comments, they keep looking for a way in.

I sometimes feel like Mickey Mouse as the Sorcerer's Apprentice, holding the door back with all his might -- because if it should open even the tiniest amount, for even a microsecond, the Ambulatory Broom Army will burst in and take over and trample everything underfoot. I've learned the hard way that you can't engage these guys in any sort of dialogue. If you do, you'll end up having the same fucking arguments every hour of every day until you die. Life is too short and my interests are too broad to deal with those clowns.

What to do?

Doesn't seem right that I should let those bastards censor me. I don't go to their blogs and try to censor them. I just want to make an interesting, off-beat, hopefully thought-provoking (and not too amateurish-looking) documentary without having to deal with their madness.

On the other hand -- maybe these "controlled demolition" wackos have finally given up. Or maybe they've learned that their terrible behavior has only injured their cause. Their theory certainly isn't as popular as it once was.

What to do?

By the way: I didn't publish a piece on 9/11 written by our old friend Jim DiEugenio, for the reasons given above. This decision was not really fair, since Jim's piece is not about the "controlled demolition" theory. But I'm just plain afraid to address the subject of 9/11 from any angle. Whenever I put my ear to that particular door, I can still hear Paul Dukas' famous "marching brooms" theme...

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

Your complaints about the CD'ers may be interpreted by them as a provocation. Publish anyway, delete their comments on sight, and refuse to acknowledge them no matter how many different ways they think of to call you an 'Illuminati gatekeeper' or whatever.

Joseph Cannon said...

Controlling the YouTube comments would be impossible. Then again, everyone knows that the comments on YouTube are the worst to be found anywhere on the internet.

Gus said...

No doubt anything posted on YouTube with any sort of political angle will get loads of raving comments (or really, anything that attracts people's attention for any reason at all)

I say, just go for it and don't worry about the comments. Can't you disable them entirely for a YouTube video?

Anonymous said...

I don't really see the problem, Joe. Trolls visit, and can be effectively ignored at other blogs. You aren't responsible for their comments, and don't need to address them. Anyhoo, your system doesn't allow for rapid exchange, so let 'er fly....er crawl.

Ben

raunchydog said...

Yes. Under Advanced Settings you can allow all comments or just comments you approve.

raunchydog said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Joseph Cannon said...

Ben, back in 2008, I held Moulitsas responsible for the comments he published on Kos.

Therefore...

Anonymous said...

II'm a little confused. Are you set up for auto publish after a time-lapse, so if you don't catch, it goes up?

Because, switching to manual seems the best option, if it's available.

Ben

Aeryl said...

Maybe Vimeo? I know somebody who posts videos on Vimeo, and I don't see comments there(not that I look very hard.

snug.bug said...

You can specify "no comments" for a video you post on Youtube. I see it all the time.