[TAG] [lg-announce] Linux Gazette #171 is out!

[Ben Okopnik]

On Mon, Feb 01, 2010 at 05:44:20PM -0800, Rick Moen wrote:
> Quoting Ben Okopnik (ben at linuxgazette.net):
> 
> > Really. But your gratuitously unpleasant, transparently bogus, mean and
> > petty attempt to school me because of what you thought was my
> > grammatical error wasn't because... well, because you're Rick Moen and
> > you *said* that you don't do that, right?
> 
> My footnote was neither bogus, mean, nor petty.  It was a very gentle
> _and correct_ bit of kidding about your choosing a wrong word.  

[laugh] Rick, let me know when you've been elected the arbiter of what
is gentle and correct. I won't promise to die of laughter, but there's
always a chance.
 
> Come to think of it, you also rather outrageously abused your
> editorship and what used to be the dignity of its position

Oh, please. You have _no_ place from which to judge, or speak of,
dignity. You wanted to play your nasty little games, got caught out, and
now you're *so* offended? Seen that movie. Waste of two bucks (it was a
matinee even then.)

> My mother taught me a number of fine
> principles, to which I've adhered carefully:

Ah, the famous "I'm so cultured" card. You've traded on that one for far
too long, Rick. You're neither British nor cultured; your petty meanness
and your easy familiarity and facility with the nastier ways of
attacking people shows up constantly.

See, I've learned a few things too; things that your mother obviously
neglected to teach you. Integrity, honesty, and respect for those who
deserve it. To you, these are things to game and abuse because it makes
you look *so* amazingly clever.

You've sold whatever integrity you've ever had for some sort of cheap
"popularity". Enjoy your bargain.

> Now:  You have an opportunity to do the right thing in print, as a
> person of character would do.  You might want to surprise us all, and
> actually do it.

What, call you on your bullshit? I have.
 
> > In addition, "very" is NOT a typo for "vary": that's a spelling error.
> 
> It was a typo.  Obviously.  As I have shown over and over for a very
> large number of years, I _do_ know how to spell the word "vary".
> 
> Don't insult TAG readers' intelligence.

Nice job of trying to coopt everyone to your side, Rick; the problem is
that nobody believes you. Your panting hurry to snark off at me ("Did I
ever mention that copyeditors are incurable wiseasses?") made you slip
on thin ice and slide all the way up your own wise ass.
 
> > Give respect, and you'll get respect.
> 
> Earn it.