I owe this forum an apology

[WilliamPitt]

for this thread:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x3239362

It was way out of line for me to post this, not to wmention an inaccurate representation, and I apologize.

I also wanted to specifically apologize to hunter and bpilgrim for singling them out. That was totally uncalled for.

[BlueEyedSon]

1. How did the seal-clubbing go?

:)

[WilliamPitt]

2. A day of seal-clubbing

is always a good day.

[Renew Deal]

36. Get your seal clubbing out of your system here:

http://www.albinoblacksheep.com/flash/pingu2.php

[ohtransplant]

3. Bygones. n/t

[kentuck]

Will Pitt has a thin skin...

Hey! Nobody's perfect. :)

[valis]

22. Will Pitt may have a thin skin,

But he's one of the pillars of DU. It would be nice if everybody were able to accept other people's mistakes and blunders with grace and humor. At least, that's the way I'd like others to take my blunders. I hope there is a lesson for Will too, whom I totally respect, since at times I've not seen much grace or humor from him when others have made small mistakes (rather, I've seen cold condamnation and sarcasm).

[Ladyhawk]

62. Sensitive people usually do, but I appreciate sensitive people.

I'm one of them. I'm guessing Will Pitt is, too. Sensitive people are often the ones who can give voice to others, perform music that moves the soul, create art that speaks more loudly than words.

Will Pitt is a word artist. His words become more than themselves. Sensitive people often have a gift for creating such miracles.

I don't always agree with Mr. Pitt, but he is a huge part of DU and is brave enough to analyze his own behavior and reign it in when inappropriate. I wish all of us could develop this skill. I am working on it, myself. :)

Cheers, Mr. Pitt. :toast: We're lucky to receive your gifts.

[AnnInLa]

4. Not a problem

Tempers run high here, a result of the overwhelming frustration with the advance of the destruction of our country.

[vi5]

5. Uh....that thread and post seemed entirely reasonable to me...

...Not sure what the apology or the fuss is for.

Sometimes the line between the rigid orthodoxy of DU and that of Free Republic are not so different.

[lala_rawraw]

6. Will

I think people understand that sometimes journalists have the right to be human too. I vent here not as a reporter, but as a citizen. I think everyone knows you are on the side of truth and I think you need not apologize:)

[KoKo]

29. lala_rawraw...Will has been on DU since his pre "TruthOut" Days...

Will always knows when he needs to apologize...at least here on DU...where he has a "history."

Those of us on DU with a similar "history" may not be journalists but Will has been with US a long time. He knows when he "done wrong" and those of us who know him know he always calls out "family" when they've (in his opinion..."done wrong.")

So, his apology is gracious and well received...by some of us who know where he comes from. Family Rants...are infamous on DU. :-)'s

[lala_rawraw]

41. thanks for letting me know n/t

[SmokingJacket]

7. You're cool.

You really are.

:toast: :toast: :toast: :toast:

Thanks for your dedication to this board.

Your post has made me feel so much better.

[MikeG]

8. Your punishment - Bunny Suit.

[Name removed]

9. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[KoKo]

31. Yep....us wine drinkers know the signs...that damned bottle of Scotch

catches one on a cold night when the demons are howling...and it just sucks one in....Wine drinkers tend to go out and "howl at the moon." Those "Scotch" drinkers come back to the Clan and look for fellow members to challenge to some "pike fun."

It was a Pitt Scotch in the bottle night.....maybe.

It's not been a good 6 months for many of us...but it's not good to go after your "family" just because the Bush Family Crime Syndicate seems to be in "total control," either. :-(

[Ian David]

10. A) You do good work... B) Not all conspiracies are true and...

C) Someone, at least sometimes, has to add a bit of skepticism
D) Yes, it DOES piss people off when you nay-say the conspiracy du jour
E) If being reasonable pisses people off, then so be it

I didn't read the whole thread in question, but it looks like you have nothing to apologize for.

In any case, my personal odds on the Italian journalist shooting being intentional is 65%. My odds that the orders "came from the highest levels" is 51%.

If you had asked me for odds on something like this before the Abu Grahib scandal broke, I would have given you odds of 40% and 25%.

If you had asked me for odds on something like this before the day I saw art museums in Iraq being looted, it would have been 15% and 5%.

In light of this latest incident, I have upgraded my odds that the attack on the French convoy was deliberate. Previously 40%, now 65%.

[skids]

43. Is it me....?

"If you had asked me for odds on something like this before the day I saw art museums in Iraq being looted, it would have been 15% and 5%."

Is it just me, or wasn't the looting and destruction of Saddam's Intellegence building including the burning of all their files just as upsetting as the art museum? I mean, I appreciate that the art museum was full of irreplacible items, but weren't the intelligence documents pretty important to waging a war on terror? Oh, wait... you mean we have no real interest in that?

But everyone seems to vividly remember the museum.... sigh.

[Ian David]

74. Yes, that's more important But the IMAGE of the museums stuck with me.

[BrklynLiberal]

11. To repeat: Bygones. You are human. Very glad to have you around.

[MissB]

12. Thanks Will. (nt)

[bpilgrim]

13. apology accepted

thank you very much, as i was offended, coming from someone i respect a great deal.

thank you will and never stop writing :toast:

peace

[anarchy1999]

66. Dear Will, Never loose your passion or stop writing and thank you

bpilgrim for accepting the apology. All the more reason for respect.

Peace
S

[norml]

14. 38. Ritual

38. Ritual
Well established hierarchies are not easily uprooted;
Closely held beliefs are not easily released;
So ritual enthralls generation after generation.

Harmony does not care for harmony, and so is naturally attained;
But ritual is intent upon harmony, and so can not attain it.

Harmony neither acts nor reasons;
Love acts, but without reason;
Justice acts to serve reason;
But ritual acts to enforce reason.

When the Way is lost, there remains harmony;
When harmony is lost, there remains love;
When love is lost, there remains justice;
And when justice is lost, there remains ritual.

Ritual is the end of compassion and honesty,
The beginning of confusion;
Belief is a colourful hope or fear,
The beginning of folly.

The sage goes by harmony, not by hope;
He dwells in the fruit, not the flower;
He accepts substance, and ignores abstraction.

http://www.clas.ufl.edu/users/gthursby/taoism/ttcmerel.htm

[WilliamPitt]

15. .

[ultraist]

16. That's very honorable of you Will!

Thanks for all you do, we know we can count on top notch work from someone lke you!

:toast:

[hunter]

17. DU needs a "blush" smiley, but this will do...

:hug:

[Viva_La_Revolution]

47. ...

[Padraig18]

18. I'll accept it, although I dont believe it's warranted.

I found nothing at all out of line about your post. In point of fact, I thought you said some things that needed to be said.

[WilliamPitt]

19. Perhaps

but broad-brush generalizations combined with singling out individual DUers is the wrong thing to do.

Maybe what I said needed saying, but the way I said it sucked.

[mordarlar]

52. I am impressed. We all have our moments. Only a few face them head on.

Thank you.

[WilliamPitt]

20. .

[DulceDecorum]

21. I accept your apology

in the spirit in which it was offered.

[BikeWriter]

23. FWIW, you had many defenders, too. You are a hell of an asset here.

:-)

[ohio_liberal]

24. So this means

no Pitt Porn anytime soon? Well, shit.... :(

[MelissaB]

27. and I was wondering

what he looked liked naked. Darn!

[Cuban_Liberal]

25. You may not have said it as well as you could, but it needed to be said.

You got a bit personal--- that happens some times, and you've apologized for it; however, please don't apologize for WHAT you said, Will, because there are MANY here who agreed with you.

[AgadorSparticus]

26. you are truly eloquent, Will Pitt! cheers to you!

:toast:

[BigBearJohn]

28. We wouldn't like you so much if you were perfect. Even *I* get a bug up my

arse once in a while

By the way, you have restored my faith in humanity.

[WLKjr]

30. Your not a robot Will? DAMN!

Some people just get offended too easily, and some people don't.

it's advice my grandpa gave me once. Your'e only human, and allowed at least one mistake on monday's. Wait, this is Wednesday!?!!??! ;)

[jdj]

32. Me too. I apologize for everything I've ever done here that

offended anyone. Thanks to Will for giving me a forum. So there. Everybody purge, and let's go on.

p.s. Will Pitt, you know it's true. I defended the lady that shot at the tree cutters. Everyone has to take a turn or two on the unpopular side of the fence.

[coreystone]

33. Have fun "clubbing the seals", you seem to be quite good at it...

plus you seem to have them repeatedly forgive you for any of your S/M fantasies. Oh! Well! I'm sure you have more important activities on "truthout" in which to concern your more serious activities. I fully accept your apology! Though, I feel it will not be the last time that myself and other members feel that you would have a need to do so!

Good luck on getting your site together; I'm sure, that with time, you will develop the savvy to posture yourself in a more positive manner. I have visited your site on several occasions, and have thought that in a few more years that you may be able to substantiate yourself as a legitimate "blog writer". Keep on trying. Hopefully, you Will get there ......sometime....?

[Bake]

34. NEVER apologize for telling the truth.

(a) Crossing the DU orthodoxy gets you flamed, big time, here.

(b) Unfortuantely, I thought you WERE part of the DU orthodoxy.

I don't know where that leaves me. Or you. But keep calling 'em as you see 'em. No apology needed as far as I'm concerned. If anybody gets their panties in a bunch over it, that's their problem.

Bake

[Bake]

35. Having read all the preceding thread, you owe no apologies.

Personally, I'd say several are owed to you. You just called it as you saw it. Keep on keepin' on.

Bake

[bpilgrim]

45. the neoCON mentality on display

baked

peace

[bpilgrim]

44. the point is

will got HIS "panties in a bunch" over his orthodoxy being discussed, hence the apology.

some seals club back.

peace

[WilliamPitt]

72. "some seals club back"

I'm L'ing my AO here. Great line. :)

[bpilgrim]

75. learn from the best

that'd be you ;->

peace

[Generic Other]

37. Will Pitt, did you violate a sacred cow again?

Must be about the fourth time this week!

:hug:

[billy_pilgrim]

38. C'est la vie.

[EFerrari]

39. I didn't believe the littering part anyway. n/t

[NoSheep]

40. I read through the whole thing. I don't get it. Are you catching a cold or

sumpin'?

[Rex]

42. We all make mistakes

Unlike the never-elected can't speak English destroy everything in view G. W. Bush!
:evilgrin:

[autorank]

46. Hey, I just found out ... I AM WILLIAM PITT!!!

Holy Cow! In that case, let me say this about, me, William Pitt--

This guy puts it on the line every day in the war against bungholio Bush. GIVE HIM (ME) THE BENEFIT OF THE DOUBT.

Who knows what the deal is with these stories in the bizarro world of Rove and company...the truth isn't the truth(Rather ambush); the truth can't be told (911); the truth is the truth and nobody cares (Bush scandals galore).

I can't imagine working in the press at a time like this.

The only reason to give William Pitt any shit is his allegiance to those whining losers, the Boston Red Sox. Other than that, he's to be commended and thanked for his efforts and criticized without questioning his allegiance.

Thus sprak autorank (aka William Pitt)

[EFerrari]

49. I want to speak to Jane White. n/t

[autorank]

55. Jane White, now I'm curious. Who is she?

[EFerrari]

59. The third in "The Three Faces of Eve"

Sorry, sometimes I forget we're not ALL old as dirt around here :)

[autorank]

60. Hey, I'm old as dirt too. I should have known that. Great story...but

now it's just reduced to DID. I want multiple personality disorder back!

[EFerrari]

61. Me, too. They had better clothes. lol n/t

[lonestarnot]

50. criticized without questioning allegiance says it all! Good post! n/t

[autorank]

54. Thanks!

:hi:

[Laurab]

48. Hey, WilliamPitt - you are not usually thin skinned

you can give AND take with the best usually from what I've seen. An apology was not owed, but it is certainly nice that you offered one. It takes a bigger person to apologize than not, I think. Thanks for going that extra mile (or post, anyway).

I always look forward to your posts, and while I didn't necessarily agree with that one article you wrote, I agree with you more times than not. I am very glad you are part of DU - you are one of the reasons I come here.

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

51. Time for another $600.00 dinner, dude :)

[alittlelark]

53. We have all posted things we would like to forget... but so be it.

We are all human (I hope). You are very honorable to post your remorse. Many of us (DUer's) do not do so. Perhaps we should.

[autorank]

58. Will has remorse...

...but did he play with fire and mistreat animals as a young child? You're right, there are a number of posts I'd like forgotten and deleted but nooooooooooo, they're all out there loitering at the rest stops of the information super highway.

[checks-n-balances]

56. You're a class act, Will, and a great blend of journalist & teacher

When I read that other thread before, I remember thinking, "Man, things are getting really stressed out around here!" It's the post-election over-stressed syndrome, when the realities start to overcome us.

Your writings inspire us on a regular basis - it helps us all to be intelligent and more tenacious!

[Jesus Saves]

57. It seemed to me you made valid point

and weren't rude about it in the slightest.

[hfojvt]

63. okay, we will settle this with a knife fight as soon as we

decide what the rules are.

"Rules??!!!?? There aren't any rules in a knif- **oofff"

[Up2Late]

64. O.K. That's enough Butt Kissing, the Will Pitt Fan Club has spoken

What I want to know, Have you reconsidered your position yet? Is this you're way of saying that, after seeing all the conflicting BS stories coming out of the WH, the Pentagon, *, Etc., you're beginning to think your original post, that the shooting was some sort of horrible mistake accident, was wrong?

Anyone who thinks that the the U.S. Government and the CIA (especially THIS U.S. Government) would NEVER do such a thing as this, have a very naive notion of what the true purpose of the CIA/Black Opps troops (like Task Force 20 or 121) are and what they are doing over there. The problem is that this WH are very bad liars and have shown extremely poor judgment on when and where to use SOCOM troops.

This definition is from the American Heritage Dictionary

clan·des·tine (kl²n-dµs't¹n) adj. Kept or done in secret, often in order to conceal an illicit or improper purpose. --clan·des'tine·ly adv. --clan·des'tine·ness or clan'des·tin'i·ty n.

<http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0,2763,1007694,00.html>
<http://www.strategypage.com/dls/articles/2003117.asp>
<http://students.engr.scu.edu/~jabraham/specwar/specops/us/tf121/page1.html>

[Skittles]

65. you are one decent guy, William Pitt

:thumbsup:

[Media_Lies_Daily]

67. You don't owe an apology to anyone....you've earned the right to....

...express your own opinions.

[shockra]

68. Deja vu all over again.

I hope this doesn't sound like an insult, because I don't mean it to be. I can remember this happening a few times since I've been here (which hasn't been very long). You losing your temper and then posting an apology thread. It's consistent with someone who's had a head injury to have moodswings, lash out, and then feel bad about their behavior because they really didn't mean it.

I thought it would be helpful for you to have the information to consider in case you notice anything strange happening that's never occurred before.

When you posted last year about being hit in the head with a brick my heart sank to my stomach, because I've read so much about the trouble injuries to the temporal lobe can cause and experienced some myself. It can cause you and yours all kinds of hell forever after. It was a total crime to mess with such an excellent brain as yours. I could hardly believe it, not to mention the fact that you could have been killed.

There's a Dr. Daniel Amen who pioneered brain imaging SPECT studies who has scanned over 50,000 brains. He knows as much as anyone about what causes brain troubles and how to treat them. I've read a couple of his books which were amazingly insightful. Many of the symptoms of temporal lobe injury are discussed at length on a page from his website below -- aggressiveness, sensitivity to slights, memory problems, mild paranoia, dark and violent thoughts, feelings of deja vu, etc.

http://www.brainplace.com/bp/brainsystem/temporal.asp

"Temporal lobe abnormalities occur much more frequently than previously recognized. You’ll note many of the above symptoms are often thought of as psychological when, in reality, for many they are biological. The temporal lobes sit in vulnerable area of the brain in the temporal fossa (or cavity), behind the eye sockets and underneath the temples. The front wall of the cavity includes a sharp bony ridge (the lesser wing of the sphenoid bone), which frequently damages the front part of the temporal lobes in even minor head injuries. God would have done better to put bumper guards on that ridge. Since the temporal lobes sit in a cavity surrounded by bone on 5 sides (front, back, right side, left side and underside) they can be damaged from a blow to the head at almost any angle.

Like with other brain problems, temporal lobe problems can come from many different sources. The most common being genetic (you can get these problems from your parents), head injuries and toxic or infectious exposure.... Your brain is very soft and your skull is very hard. Your brain is more sophisticated than any computer we can design. You cannot just drop a computer and expect things will be okay. The temporal lobes, prefrontal cortex and cingulate gyrus are the most vulnerable brain areas to damage by virtue of their placement within the skull. They are the most heavily involved parts of the brain in terms of thinking and behavior."

Your writing ability is as good as ever, so you -- and all of us are very very lucky on that account, since language ability is one of the things that can be affected.

I still think you're wrong about the Italian journalist, but if I were a lefty journalist myself I would probably resist believing our government was targeting leftist journalists. It just hits too close to home. Irrational as it may seem, as fast as the irrational turns into reality with this government, fear and denial wouldn't be unreasonable response. Or even be conscious. If it were it would be hard to do your job to the best of your abilities.

[Blue_Roses]

71. oh, good grief

You losing your temper and then posting an apology thread. It's consistent with someone who's had a head injury to have moodswings, lash out, and then feel bad about their behavior because they really didn't mean it.:wtf:


geeze...give it a rest, will ya...

this whole thing is blown way out of proportion. These are crazy times and with this administration it's enough to drive us all crazy. Haven't you ever lashed out with regret? I thought that was just part of being human:shrug:

[concord]

77. I thought the brick was an analogy

to getting slammed over the head with election *results* that night.

[intheflow]

69. Don't apologize for the post, Will.

While you're right to apologize for comments about individual DUers, I think your post was dead-on. GD is definitely not comprised entirely of flamers, but it sure does seem that of the people who respond to any given post, no matter what the poster's position, 50% of responders will flame you. It's like no one ever taught these people how to play nice with others. It's as if they think their knowledge is infallible. And isn't that why we dislike the RW so much--their inability to see gray shades, their insistence on their own "superior" interpretation of issues?

In a public forum, everyone has the right to express their opinion. If their opinions don't jibe with yours, disagree by all means, but at least be polite. This is exactly why I don't spend much time in GD. The topics are interesting, but so many of the respondents are assholes.

[MADem]

70. I think the jury is still out on what happened on the airport road

And I am no apologist for this administration, its policies, or its management (dare I say mismanagement?) of our Armed Forces. But we have the First Amendment (sorta, anyway, at this point) and everyone--you, me, and the dog and cat--has a right to their opinion.

We know, of course, that what happened was wrong and unacceptable. What we do not know yet, is the how or the why. All opinions at this point are simply opinions, and we all have them. It could be the result of nefarious planning, an ad-hoc decision, an accident, a miscommunication, or abject stupidity. We just don't know yet. The interjection of a group of servicemembers assigned specifically to augment security for Negroponte is an interesting dimension.

I am one of those who gets a bit miffed when all service personnel are painted with that Vietnam mentality, babykiller brush. I know these kids, they are not like that. But hey, if people want to think that, it's their right, even though I know from my personal experience that they are wrong. In any large group, you are going to find blowhards, people who go along with the crowd, and people who keep their own counsel, but they volunteer for service from our society and they are a reflection of it. Good, bad, ugly.

I tend to reserve my ire these days for the civilians who control the military; the order-givers. I have always been in favor of civilian control of the military, because in the past, before we were tempered by the disaster of Vietnam, you had more than a few WannabeeHeros in uniform who wanted their very own opportunity to excel, like their predecessors did in WW2 and Korea. One hoped that the CIVILIANS would provide a counterweight to the "let's go blow shit up" attitude.

Nowadays, though, the regime's civilians seem to regard the Services as a bunch of plastic soldiers in a shoebox under the bed, to be taken out and played with, and who cares about them. They are FODDER, and they are told that their experience, skillsets, and viewpoints just do not count. It's the Shinsekis and others, many working quietly and under the radar, who are trying to pound some sense into the chickenhawks in their fancy suits who are running the show--unfortunately, they are not having a great deal of success. The uniforms are considered expendable, from E-1 to O-10.

Nothing is ever black and white--it's only with discussion and information that we can draw any real conconclusions.

[realFedUp]

73. even just a Will apology garners more than 70 responses....

sigh.

[swag]

76. Get over it

I did two days ago.

But do get back on your meds.