OK, CalifBoomer, you got me.

[Weirddave]

CB, I just don’t understand you. When you first showed up here, I labeled you a troll. Since then, you have proved that I was wrong, and I apologise for my initial impression. Still, you don’t seem to make any sense to me. Often, you post to threads and are arrogant, rude, and condesending. You seem to have less to contribute than a hyperactive three year old. Then you will do an about face and post a message that is intellegent, well thought out, and a joy to read. What gives? If you can debate and discuss topics in an adult manner, why don’t you do it all the time? You seem to have a lot to add to this board, but so often you seem to go for the lowest common denominator. I realize that you do most of your posting in the pit, so some of what I’m talking about can be atributed to that, but still…( BTW, that is why I put this topic here, 'cuz I knew CB would see it. If a moderator wants to move it to MPSIMS later, thats fine.) Please understand that this is not meant as a critisism, but an observation. I am honestly curious.( Oh, am I gonna get flamed for saying that in the pit! )
Anyone who wonders what I am talking about can read this thread for an illistration. CB is antagonistic throughout, until he get to a post on 4/5/00 at 10:05, when he makes an intelegent and reasonable reply to a sugestion that the thread be moved to GD, not the pit. He says:

Posters speak for and against issues about which they have personal passions. This is a good thing. Some examples might be; SingleDad, who has developed critical thinking skills he uses to filter assertions made by others. David B is passionate about scientific methodology, which he uses as a filter. Esprix posts articulately & intelligently (mostly) from his point of view. It so happens I disagree with all three of them on almost every issue, nonetheless, I respect the integrity of each; they truly believe in the validity of their point of view.

Christ! I’d be proud to post that under the Weirddave name.

So come on, CB, what gives? Give us the best of you, not the rest of you. We will benefit from it, as will you.

---

Cecil said it. I believe it. That settles it.

[evilbeth]

I, too, have been confused about CalifBoomer. I admit to sinking to trollish behavior myself in responding to some of his more inane writings but as soon as I do he posts something intelligent and worthwile. I don’t know if he just posts some egregious troll comment whenever he doesn’t have anything positive to add to a thread and then breaks out his brain for posts that interest him but it really is unnerving. I think he would be a welcome addition to the board and a great contributor if he posted in non-troll mode more often.

So, CalifBoomer, please explain!

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“You don’t have insurance? Well, just have a seat and someone will be with you after you die.” --Yes, another quality sig custom created by Wally!

A Jesusfied sig: Next time I covet thine opinion, I’ll ask for it!

[elbows]

Could it be that 2 people are posting from that household using the same access information on the SD board? Like say, an intelligent adult and a less mature young person?

Perhaps he’s just a Gemini.

---

Wisdom is the boobie prize,they give you when you’ve been --unwise!

[Esprix]

I think he may just be a new breed, perhaps the worst breed of trolls - the intelligent troll.

Consider: He goes dozens of posts just flaming, spewing, and throwing tantrums - and then for a single post waxes intelligent - and then it’s back to tearing hair.

Could it be he does that to elicit responses, such as this very thread? Isn’t that, by definition, trolling?

You want more evidence of his about-face tactics? I met him first in my “What the fuck is wrong with these homophobic bigots?” thread, where for the first 6 pages he and I go head-to-head, insult-to-insult, and then out of the blue says, “Hey, know what? You’re right. I’ve changed my mind a bit.”

Despite this, though, I’m curious as to his response as well.

Esprix

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Ask the Gay Guy!

[SingleDad]

I’ve noticed the same things. You’ll note that I’m simultaneously one of his fiercest critics and one of his most vocal defenders.

Boomer: I think you’re right on the edge of being a very formidable and persuasive advocate for your point of view. I hope you realize that you’ve had more nurturing on this board than you would have almost anywhere else.

All of us have had to swallow our pride, learn something important, and move on. I hope you will use our comments in the manner in which they are intended, as constructive criticism, and improve your skills of argument.

[MrWhy]

Could it not simply be that CB has both good and bad days? Everyone does.

I know that sometimes I am a grumpy pain-in-the-ass when nothing pleases me and everyone can go to hell. I sometimes even like to deliberately annoy people for no good reason.

On the other hand, I think that most of the time I am a reasonably level-headed sort of person with worthwhile things to say. Or at least I know how to keep quiet if I can’t contribute constructively.

This is the case for almost everyone, I think. Sides of ones personality just become more pronounced in forums such as the SDMB.

[neuro-trash_grrrl]

Good grief, do you realize what we’re dealing with here? It’s bj0rn with language skills!

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Heck is where you go when you don’t believe in Gosh.

[Esprix]

Originally posted by MrWhy:

Could it not simply be that CB has both good and bad days? Everyone does.

No, it goes way deeper than that. If this were the case, the good days would be the rare ones.

Esprix

---

Ask the Gay Guy! (or, if you prefer the Jesusfied version, Asketh the damn Priest Guy!)

[CalifBoomer]

I think a clash of ideologies is at the core of the conflict. I am amazed at the seemingly disproportionate number of hardcore anti-theistic liberals posting to this board. I confess that my tolerance for the leftist philosophy is zero minus some infinitely huge number. However, I arrived at that state only after continued attempts to interact with leftists failed. They automatically revert to sanctimonious name calling (“racist”, “bigot”, “homophobe”, etc., & ad nauseum when someone doesn’t fall into lockstep with their whiny pontifications, and/or they will take something out of context, produce some convoluted meaning, and regurgitate it back at you.

I would rather illustrate their absurdity by being absurd, than attempt to engage them in and inevitably non productive discussion.

I hope this answers some questions.

::

[Czarcasm]

I think I understand now.
You’re an asshole.
But it’s everybody else’s fault.

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Eagles may soar free and proud, but weasels never get sucked into jet engines.

[SINsApple]

After reading the thread about AA, I think CF here is proving that he is a pot calling the kettle black. He seemed just as able as others to take quotes out of context and lash out at people for them. And he is the meanest person I have ever seen on these boards. I was have tempted to alert a mod or someone to the AA thread, since CB behavior there seemed to defy the new rules set up about offensiveness.

I admit that he does occasionally say something worthwhile, but by the time he does, he has everyone so pissed off that it doesn’t even register. If he wasn’t so rude, I might like him, but a decent post for every thirty rude ones is not enough for me to miss him whenhe doesn’t post. Sorry CB, you are just too abrasive for my taste.

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Rather, I was in the position of a spore which, having finally accepted its destiny as a fungus, still wonders if it might produce penicillin.
–Ayi Kwei Armah

[CalifBoomer]

SinsApple:

I have read some of your posts in other threads and notice that although YOU have quite a mouth, you’re something of a primadonna and quite easily offended.

[SingleDad]

Boomer: You were calling me a communist, a hypocrit, and a criminal (The US is already a Libertarian society!) long before I ever insulted you. I opened up a controversial assertion to debate to test its merits, and your arguments quickly degenerate to name-calling and incomprehensible ranting.

I’m sorry you have -infinite tolerance for people who disagree with you. Unlike you, I’m here to learn and teach. I do have my own point of view, but I don’t assume it’s correct, I try to prove it. I have a lot of tolerance for people who disagree with me. I can either learn from them and/or if I treat them with respect and consideration perhaps I can persuade them to share my views.

You’re not here to learn. You’re not even here to teach. You’re here to proclaim the Gospel According to Boomer, and damnation and lightning bolts to anyone who disagrees even in the smallest detail.

Have you ever considered the possibility that you may be wrong? Have you ever even considered the possibility that a person might hold an incorrect view from perfectly good motives? Some people who aren’t gun-toting, defense spending, God-fearing, right-wing nutjobs hold those views because they truly believe they are moral and correct, not because the evil left-wing conspiracy has planted chips in their heads.

Boomer, you’re a tiresome, pompous, self-righteous, intolerant and frightened little man. Only someone small-minded and fearful could show the kind of anger, hatred and hostility as you do towards those who disagree with you.

I’m officially done with you. You are invisible to me. I don’t even care if you wise up and start showing consistent intelligence and grace. You can go do it somewhere else. You’ve used up my tolerance and desire to teach.

I’m sure the above just breaks your heart. But you know what? I don’t care. I’ve had my say, I’m sure you’ll have yours.

Go away, Boomer. We don’t want you here. We don’t like you. We’re all laughing at you behind your back.

I will respond exactly thus to each and every one of your posts that I see. I urge everyone who reads this post to do the same. Perhaps after you see it 1,000 times, you’ll get the message through your thick pin-headed skull and go bother other people.

[system]

SingleDad:

Once again, you are engaging in precisely the activities of which you accuse me, and in the process, making my point. To wit, here is the conversation as it occured in “The US is already a Libertarian society”:

SingleDad:

But in my conversations with libertarians, they complain about taxes and regulations much more than they complain about oppression of the non-violent.

CalifBoomer:

Where did you get this language, Karl Marx?

SingleDad:

Good grief, Calif. I was trying to say, oppression of those who commit victimless or ‘status’ crimes.

CalifBoomer:

Would you consider tax evasion a victimless or ‘status’ crime?

SingleDad (evading a direct question):

Calif, would you consider your employer attempting to evade paying you a victimless crime?

CalifBoomer (not making an issue of the evasion, but rather answering the question):

No cigar, Single Dad. My employer and I have a contractual agreement into which we have both entered freely. Either of us is also free to terminate that agreement unilaterally. Such is not the case with confiscatory taxation.

SingleDad:

You have a contractual agreement with the government: The Federal and State Constitutions, and the body of law.
You chose to work, thus you consented to the body of law governing the obligation of taxes. Therefore, if you fail to pay, you are victimizing the citizens and residents of the United States by using their economy just as you would victimize me if you reprinted my writing for economic gain with compensating me

CalifBoomer (again, ignoring SingleDad’s evasion, going the ‘extra mile’ to engage SingleDad in yet another spurious assertion):

1. It is not ‘contractual’. Contract law requires not only ‘willing parties’ but also ‘consideration’. The income tax is imposed on the producers of this country without their consent. They receive nothing in return for the billions squandered on social programs designed by leftists to promote dependency.

2. The ‘body of law’ you so glibly refer to is in fact regulation, not law. We have allowed enabling regulation by government agencies to abrogate law.

3. The citizens and residents of the United State you refer to are indeed victims-of an oppressive few whose real purpose is to create as much dependency as possible in order to ensure their powerbase.

SingleDad (having avoided the tedium of having to answer a serious question):

Calif: Another reasoned objection! Woo hoo!

quote:

{taxation} is not ‘contractual’. Contract law requires not only ‘willing parties’ but also ‘consideration’. The income tax is imposed on the producers of this country without their consent.

You can’t just assert my premise is false, you have to actually refute it.

So, SingleDad’s unfounded assertions are to be taken as gospel, but everyone else’s are subject to scrutiny? This is not hypocrisy? Or at the very least, a double standard?

CalifBoomer (again responding in a real attempt to engage SingleDad):

Single Dad:
First, it is becoming increasingly clear that you have a wholly collectivist mindset. I offer your quote as evidence:
quote:

I assert that by participating in the economy which is owned by the people, you at
that point give consent to pay what we ask.

We ‘the people’ do not collectively ‘own the economy’. Ownership is an individual right. The ‘economy’ is comprised of property owned by individuals, who may do what they wish with it. The private ownership of property is, after all, what makes the economy. If it were ‘owned by the people’, there would be no ‘economy’ for the state to lay claim to. I offer the former USSR and its state owned ‘economy’ as evidence.
quote:

When I hand you the hamburger from the restaurant, you at that point consent to
pay my asking price. It makes no difference that you must eat to live.

Not a logical analogy for your conclusions.

I also have the options of 1)not purchasing your hamburger, 2)purchasing a hamburger down the street, 3)going home to the refrigerator, etc. In other words, I have other choices. (You like ‘freedom of choice’, right?)
quote:

Also please define ‘consideration’.

‘Consideration’ is a required element of a contract. It means ‘something for something’. You get something for something you give- as opposed to extortionary taxation.
quote:

What we do with the money is is in once sense irrelevant to the discussion

Not hardly. Leftists take the money under the guise of helping the underprivileged, whose condition was largely created by the leftists.
quote:

You may
object to the exorbitant salaries paid to the executives at General Foods, Proctor &
Gamble, etc., but if you wish to eat, you have to pay them.

There you go again! Procter and Gamble does hold hold the threat of criminal prosecution over me in order to induce me to purchase their food. As I pointed out above, I have other options.
You used the word ‘contractual’ Words mean things. There are legal requirements, components necessary in order for a contract to exist. You can’t just call something something that it is not, and expect to maintain credibility. (which, by the way, is the primary problem for the left).

To which SingleDad responds (completely ignoring all the other inconvenient points):

You get a robust and functioning economic system. That is your consideration

and then SingleDad sez:

Calif, given that you claim you’re a Creationist, I wouldn’t put too fine a point on “calling something something that it is not” and “maintaining credibility.” 'Nuff said

What has this to do with the discussion at hand? Why, nothing at all, SingleDad. It is only a logical fallacy, a red herring, a straw man, an attempt by you to run away from an argument you’re losing!

CalifBoomer (patiently staying on topic):

[quote]
Single Dad:

quote:

You get

[CalifBoomer]

Wait, I’m not through yet. I hit the reply button way too soon.

SingleDad:

I do have my own point of view, but I don’t assume it’s correct, I try to prove it.
I have a lot of tolerance for people who disagree with me.

I’ve just demonstrated this is not true!

SingleDad, because you are so wholly absorbed in your arrogance and self-worship, you are incapable of rational discussion.
Your closed-minded attitude of contempt prior to investigation has condemned you to an existence of eternal ignorance.

Each and every time you lose an argument, you run away, start another thread from which to pout, name-call and hurl epithets. And you’re not even proficient at that!!!

I’m an irritant to you because I expose your nonsense for what it is.

::

[Nu_Vo_Da_Da]

Ya know, I was considering responding to that whole post there, but then I realized I had better things to do than go through a huge list of statements carefully taken from the posts within which they had originally occurred for the express purpose of making SingleDad look bad, and CalifBoomer look good. I’m not even sure if it succeeded in doing that, since it wasn’t worth my time to read

If it actually did, will someone please tell me? After all, that would be a mean feat and I’d be interested to know that it was possible at all.

Oh, and CalifBoomer?
Don’t worry too much about what SingleDad said:

Go away, Boomer. We don’t want you here. We don’t like you. We’re all laughing at you behind your back.

It’s not true. We’re not laughing at you behind your back.

---

Profanity is the crutch of the inarticulate mother-fucker.

[Surgoshan]

Riiiiight. Uh, I’m gonna have to go with SingleDad here, mmkay? Yeeeah, CalifBoomer? Just a moment of your time, but, uh, could you get the fuck out? I’m afraid that you are, how should I say it, an ass-biting dog raper. Uh, hmm, yeeeah, you should just leave, mmkay? Really, you have shown that, uh, you’re not worthy of being responded to. So, uh, I’m not going to say anything at all to you from now on, not even that quote from SingleDad, mmkay?

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I sold my soul to Satan for a dollar. I got it in the mail.

[neutron_star]

HA! Yeah, the Office Space approach! Fucking hilarious movie. Good one, Surgoshan!

Regarding CalifBoomer : I’m one step ahead of y’all. I lost patience with this twit weeks ago.

[CalifBoomer]

SingleDad: Where are you?

Your constituency gathers, eagerly awaiting your arrival. Condemn them not to a continuing existence as mindless rabble.

Rather, abridge your communion with the gods, descend from the mountaintop and lend us, if only for a short while, the favor of your august presence.

Speak!, GREAT ONE, and tarry no longer, we pray…

I’m laughing so hard I can barely type…

::

[WallyM7]

CB, I sense that you’ve got some smarts.

So, why are you coming across as an obnoxious twit?

There are ways to disagree with a point of view without being a fucking asshole.

Grow up or get lost, putz.