A Word, Shodan

The BBQ Pit
1

You participated in my “Impeach (Ex) President Bush” thread over in GQ.

Perhaps it will assist your reading comprehension if I spell things I set up in the OP out for you:

  1. It’s a HYPOTHETICAL situation, set up to get the answer to why anyone might want to follow through on a slightly bizarre call. I used President (GW) Bush because that’s what the extremists did, and I thought it might be easier to work with him than a fictional alternate-universe president.

  2. Ot calls for a situation contrary to (currently known, at least) fact: Evidence has come to light, in my scenario, such that not just some Democrats but good solid Republicans like Orrin Hatch are convinced that Mr. Bush committed impeachment level offenses. (I presume you, like I, know that only mostly-unsubstantiated allegations and scraps of evidence not rising to the level to indict, have been shown as against Mr. Bush at this time.)

  3. I asked it because I was curious as to whether there would be any purpose or value in pursuing an impeachment against a man who has already left office, as those extremists were calling for.

After addressing the question in a fairly partisan mode, you then closed with this:

In other words, you are publicly admitting that impeachment is not a ‘nuclear option’ tool for removing someone unfit tp serve from office, but in your (and from your post evidently you feel the Republicans’ view, a way to impede any Democrat in office, as was done with Clinton and as you threaten should be done to Obama.

In short, you have made it clear that if Republicans get control of Congress, they will use it for purely partisan purposes, with no thought for the good of the nation, or of whether there is any criminality on the part of the prospective impeachee.

I challenge you to refute this – not with a snide one-liner, or a randomly selected tu quoque about a Democrat from the 1880s or 1940s who did something you can corkscrew into a tortured parallel, but with precisely what you intended to say above if I have not taken your meaning right.

Because if I have imderstood you correctly, then the political health of this nation means that it is incumbent on every decent citizen to ensure the Republican Party NEVER again gains control of Congress.

I said in a recent post that you could give a cogent argument for your side. Do it. Prove me wrong. Please.

2

I’ve noticed examples lately of posters taking Shodan seriously. I can’t really fathom why. I find him to be not much more than a thin veneer of affected civility wrapped around a sneer.

3

Because he can be so much more, when he chooses. I have never called out the egregious trolls that the charitable nature of the board administration insists on giving more than adequate rope to hang themselves. I get pissed at Shodan playing partisan douchebag because he has both the skill and the passion to argue a point articulately and convince his opponents of the rightness of his views, and instead he throws zingers and brickbats. There are few conservatives here who can do that effectively – if I didn’t respect him as person and debater, I wouldn’t bother.

4

Cite?

Seriously, I respect some conservative posters and many of them are capable of intellectually honest debate, but I think you’re just wasting your time here.

5

While that’s a very good point, I see no reason to respond to him just because he can. Responding to him when he is skillfull and passionate rewards that behavior; responding to him when he is a “usual suspects” douchebag rewards that behavior.

I’m not sure he cares. I actually commented to him - some time ago - how refreshing and interesting it was to see an actual argument in his post, and was blown off.

6

Apparently my asking a simple question was too left-wing partisan for him.

I started a thread asking whether any specfic laws had been broken in the current ACORN scandal, being careful to state that I was not claiming that nothing incorrect had been done by ACORN staffers but was simply interested in the legal implications. This inspired not one but two replies from Shodan along the same lines:

He did pretty much the same thing in a Pit thread on the same subject.

The guy appears to be so blinded by hatred that he can think of nothing better to do than endlessly piss in people’s faces. I too think the OP is wasting his time.

7

And doing it while he claims not to be trolling. It is getting pretty damn tiring.

8

Actually, in person he’s a reasonably pleasant person. (At Twin Cities Doper dinners.) Just don’t waste your time talking politics with him.

9

Exactly. He’s a joke and a racist one at that.

10

There is a politically incorrect reference to developmentally disabled posters in the following limerick

Do not read if offended by such things
Shodan was one of those cards
That some folks refer to as tards
Those folks are right
He’s not very bright
But his signature is always regards

11

Well, I am not on the Left, but I have to say I found his interactions in this thread on Cuba (President Obama extends Cuban embargo - Great Debates - Straight Dope Message Board), and his bizarre level of hatred of the current American president unhelpful to say the least.

He certainly is not bringing any credit to a critical approach to Obama. I seem to recall he liked going on about irrational hatred of Bush, it seems queerly ironic to me that he is displaying the same characteristics he decried on the Left.

Well, Left and Right will always have hyper-partisan hypocrites. You have Elucidator as balance to him after all.

12

It’s all just the usual suspects dammit!!!

:slight_smile:

13

I feel this is a concise and accurate observation. He is a thoroughly unlikable person who does not discuss and debate in good faith. I’d like to link to a post by **Kimstu **in the “Who heckled Obama” thread, who had some information and thoughts to share on our friend Shodan.

http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=11539904&postcount=233

It’s common, I believe, when discussing/talking to Shodan to acknowledge his intelligence and to appeal to him to use it more. I won’t do this. I feel he’s a one-trick pony whose only good trick has been to troll without getting called by the mods for it. He knows what he is doing, and no amount of heartfelt appeals will change his behavior. Instead, I’m going to appeal to the rest of the board, the majority of which want to discuss subjects in a rational manner, exchange information, learn, and see if someone can successfully challenge their preconceptions on a subject.

Think about the poster you are replying to. Does he or she ever debate in good faith? Has any good ever come of your previous efforts to engage this person? If not, please save yourself more wasted time and aggravation by not responding. I know, you can see several things wrong with what they posted, but they don’t care! If said person does not engage in meaningful dialogue, who are you helping by entering into yet another one? You can’t fix everything that is wrong on the internet. Is the time spent doing this better spent on something you enjoy, or talking with someone more interested in genuine discourse?

Folks have been a bit upset by the town hall meetings that happened over the summer , and how they often devolved into shouting matches, made-up facts, and shit-stirring. How is the behavior of some posters here any different, and why would you want to reward that behavior by giving them the attention they want? I gotta tell you folks: none of you have ever won an argument with Shodan. It doesn’t matter how right you were, and how wrong he may have been. In each and every case, he’s gotten everything he’s wanted. Sadly, even this thread, and this post, is exactly what he wants. I urge you to read Shodan’s post Kimstu linked to in the post above:

http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=10327507&postcount=50

Aren’t you glad you invested all that time and effort out of your busy, and ultimately too-short life to feed the troll? Please feel free to apply this to any number of other posters, and see if they rate your time. And yes, that obviously includes me. I’ll be doing the same to you, after all. Remember that if I don’t reply.

14

God that is dull

15

Well said. I read a thread recently where he popped up with his usual routine, and the first response was something like “Move along, child. The adults are talking”. That is all he should ever get.

16

+1

Excellent post, especially the part about arguing in good faith. I would add “being able to sense the human being behind the post” as well. I’ve posted some shit here over the years that have caused posters (ironically, **Shodan **prime among them) to accuse me of trolling and one-trick-ponying, but I prefer to think that I’ve also opened myself up to the community, made myself look look delberately bad on occasion (when I’ve done some things I’m not proud of) and generally shared parts of my life, good and bad, with you all–which is one of my primary objections to Mr. Regards. He’s is consistently sardonic, superior-sounding, on the attack, etc. and it just gets tedious. He is NOT illiterate, which is not to say, like **Poly **does, that he is intelligent, because he doesn’t USE what intelligence he has, he doesn’t change, he doesn’t grow, he doesn’t interact. “Shodan” in an internet persona–you can always supply his position on a subject, though you may not be able to supply his clever wording, or his sly method of making his point–but he’s still thoroughly predictable and not worth interacting with, IMO>

17

How — other than political affiliation and philosophy — does Shodan differ from Elucidator? Luc can be very deep and write meaningful posts, but instead chooses most often to leave behind one-liners that he has designed to convey a biting point with his ascerbic wit. But most people will agree with Luc, and therefore read his snips and quips with a grin and a snicker. Calling Shodan a troll simply because he does not attempt to engage fourteen people just itching to pile onto him is ridiculous.

18

Because elucidator, when it is relevant or necessary, actually cites things outside of his own ass, and is quite pleasant and positive, has wit and humor, and might be regarded as a valuable asset to the board. His brief comments are delivered in a manner that does not sufficiently detract from his more expansive comments.

Shodan cannot be similarly described.

19

Also, Luci has made himself vulnerable on occasion, often disturbingly so. I’m thinking of one pile-on in particular where **Luci **revealed strange and personal things about his own belief system that all of his fellow travelers jumped up and down on his ass over, which he had to know was coming, but he couldn’t suppress in the name of honesty and being who he is. I didn’t respect his position (it wasn’t a political issue) one bit, but I respected the hell out of his authenticity.

20

Oh, but he can. And in fact, I just did.

@PRR

I don’t recall that incident, but that still doesn’t differentiate them. Shodan has been on the shit-end of many a pile-on. Including this one.