You folks are under attack by terrorists. They're trying to hijack your website and crash it into all that you value most, armed with nothing but sharp tongues. If you open their postings, you risk being infected yourselves with the poison they're filled with.
I have not witnessed such name-calling since I was a little kid, and I have never seen such hatefulness first hand. We used to call such people playground bullies, and the ones I know wound up licking a lot of soap.
Although it might do them some good, you can't make these overgrown bullies eat soap. So what can you do about them?
You can ignore them. Some people do not deserve your attention, and there is nothing that bugs these people more than not receiving attention. Mark Uher -- your most persistent attacker -- keeps going on and on about how I wouldn't pay full attention to his usual drivel at some School Board meeting. According to Uher, I just folded my arms and turned away. Frankly, I do not recall the incident. If Uher has it right, I think I showed good taste. More likely I just had a headache, wanted to stretch out, or wanted to yawn without being noticed. Whatever happened, it sure got to Uher.
That's not a bad idea for you. Terrorists and bullies only succeed when they get a rise out of people -- when they make people distrustful, fearful and preoccupied, when they turn people against each other, or against their own better natures, and away from their fundamental goals and values.
Stick to your goals and values. Don't let these bullies distract or divide you, don't fall for Uher's transparent ''divide and conquer'' tactics and, above all, don't take these cranks seriously. You don't owe them any answers, and you don't need to reply to them. They discredit themselves.
Don't apologize for your anonymity. I know from personal experience that your fears of persecution are warranted, and the use of fictitious names is a respectable and longstanding part of the American political tradition. The Federalist Papers were published under a false name, and many of our Founding Fathers, at one time or another, wrote under false names. Benjamin Franklin sometimes wrote letters under one fictitious name and answered them under others.
You stand for something. Don't forget it. You're the good guys, and good things are starting to happen. David Shaver was just elected to the City Council; you've had the ears of two members of the School Board for some time; and the Township's Board of Trustees is on the same page with you. Ted Hackworth is destined for City Council. Bob Harding and Lisa Ross won't back down. Jeff Fix ran a powerful campaign. Ed Laramee blew the whistle on the hijacking of the local Republican club. Although outsigned and outspent, Bill Powers, the best school board candidate we've seen, came from nowhere to win more than 2,300 votes. And I can tell from your postings on this website that this group has growing, and largely untapped,potential. Next election there is no telling what might happen. Look at Pataskala.
This website and your newsletter are read by thousands. Build on these resources, and don't let the bad guys get away with anything or get you down. You're at a turning point. If you stick together, you can help to build a great community. But if you sit back, or allow yourselves to be divided or distracted, the bad guys will sell you out for sure.
By Bruce Rigelman
I have not witnessed such name-calling since I was a little kid, and I have never seen such hatefulness first hand. We used to call such people playground bullies, and the ones I know wound up licking a lot of soap.
Although it might do them some good, you can't make these overgrown bullies eat soap. So what can you do about them?
You can ignore them. Some people do not deserve your attention, and there is nothing that bugs these people more than not receiving attention. Mark Uher -- your most persistent attacker -- keeps going on and on about how I wouldn't pay full attention to his usual drivel at some School Board meeting. According to Uher, I just folded my arms and turned away. Frankly, I do not recall the incident. If Uher has it right, I think I showed good taste. More likely I just had a headache, wanted to stretch out, or wanted to yawn without being noticed. Whatever happened, it sure got to Uher.
That's not a bad idea for you. Terrorists and bullies only succeed when they get a rise out of people -- when they make people distrustful, fearful and preoccupied, when they turn people against each other, or against their own better natures, and away from their fundamental goals and values.
Stick to your goals and values. Don't let these bullies distract or divide you, don't fall for Uher's transparent ''divide and conquer'' tactics and, above all, don't take these cranks seriously. You don't owe them any answers, and you don't need to reply to them. They discredit themselves.
Don't apologize for your anonymity. I know from personal experience that your fears of persecution are warranted, and the use of fictitious names is a respectable and longstanding part of the American political tradition. The Federalist Papers were published under a false name, and many of our Founding Fathers, at one time or another, wrote under false names. Benjamin Franklin sometimes wrote letters under one fictitious name and answered them under others.
You stand for something. Don't forget it. You're the good guys, and good things are starting to happen. David Shaver was just elected to the City Council; you've had the ears of two members of the School Board for some time; and the Township's Board of Trustees is on the same page with you. Ted Hackworth is destined for City Council. Bob Harding and Lisa Ross won't back down. Jeff Fix ran a powerful campaign. Ed Laramee blew the whistle on the hijacking of the local Republican club. Although outsigned and outspent, Bill Powers, the best school board candidate we've seen, came from nowhere to win more than 2,300 votes. And I can tell from your postings on this website that this group has growing, and largely untapped,potential. Next election there is no telling what might happen. Look at Pataskala.
This website and your newsletter are read by thousands. Build on these resources, and don't let the bad guys get away with anything or get you down. You're at a turning point. If you stick together, you can help to build a great community. But if you sit back, or allow yourselves to be divided or distracted, the bad guys will sell you out for sure.
By Bruce Rigelman
