I would love to know something about Shirvell’s background and wish one of the interviews would ask questions about it. I know the basics: he’s 30, a lawyer, attended U of MI and Ave Maria, Republican, Asst. Atty. General and worked on Cox’s campaign, but I’d like to know about the family he comes from. I’m guessing he’s not married, but he condemns Armstrong a lot for being “privileged” and “elitist” and “rich kid”, things which even if true are hardly character failings on Armstrong’s part. Does Shirvell come from a very poor background?
Of course if Shirvell grew up in a tarpaper shack on which the tarpaper was later reposessed and his family got CARE packages from Rwanda it’s not Armstrong’s fault. For that matter if Armstrong grew up being wet nursed by jewelled Romanov relatives and was given his own winter palace and household at the age of 8 months it didn’t take money from Shirvell. He acts though like it’s personal which makes me wonder if he and Armstrong are from the same community. I understand and will admit I suffered from bitterness over rich kids when I was in college (though Armstrong seems to be from an upper middle class family at most and Shirvell certainly doesn’t seem like he’s a U.S. slumdog) but I never obsessed to this degree- just a general envy. Shirvell is a Republican, a party not generally known for its hatred of the upper socioeconomic class, which makes me wonder as to his comments on Armstrong’s social class.
I’m wondering if that “privileged” and “elitist” characterization is simply the assumption that a lot of people have about about out and white gay males in this country (or at have had up until the recent past).
That’s not to say Armstrong doesn’t come from that type of background, or even that Shirvell doesn’t either while still thinking that way.
Maybe it is true that Armstrong comes from Money, but maybe it is a smoke screen to draw attention away from himself and gain sympathy in his own mind.
My guess it is is pure envy at how open Armstrong is with himself and how Shirvell cannot reconcile from the fairy tales (Religion and Politics) he was raised with from who he really is.
I think a Road Trip reality show with Shirvell, Randy & Evi Quaid, Christine O’Donnell and Andy Dick would be interesting. Rent a Winnebago and give them a gas card and no itinerary and see where they end up.
The Daily Show interview made him seem more crazy than the original crazy allegations in the news stories. Holy Fuck! This guy’s so unapologetic about his behavior he’s probably 10 times worse in real life!
Bringing this one up to speed with the GD thread: Shirvell’s been fired. This is going to cause a shitstorm: you can be sure Shirvell’s going to sue and that several “lamestream liberal media” haters are going to take up his banner. It’ll be interesting to see if ACLU offers assistance.
My guess is he’ll sue and get offered some undisclosed severance settlement rather than a trial, though he’s crazy enough that he probably wouldn’t take it.
I wonder if state resources means he blogged from work. If so that could take down a heap of bloggers.
Yea, sorry, I meant that police can’t ENFORCE a restraining order until the person actually violates it (sometimes in lethal ways). And courts are often reluctant to issue restraining orders unless the person does something relatively egregious.
Not to mention, a restraining order only helps you if the person isn’t crazy enough to come after you anyway. Unlike an unfortunate acquaintance of my mother, who was stabbed to death in a parking structure by her ex-husband. (1)(2)(3)(4)
Yep. Among reasons cited in the Free Press this morning:
[ul]
[li]He did post some of his blog posts from work[/li][li]He called Nancy Pelosi’s office at work, from work, to slander Armstrong (trying to get Armstrong dismissed from his summer internship)[/li][li]He showed up at Armstrong’s house at 1:30am, which Cox says indicates the campaign was more about harassment than free speech[/li][li]He lied to investigating asst. attorneys general on several occasions during his disciplinary hearing.[/li][/ul]That last one is a doozy, ain’t it? I can’t see where one could argue Cox overstepped his bounds in firing him if that’s true.
One possible motivating factor that I’ve only seen mentioned once or twice in passing is that Shirvell himself is a former student assembly president at U of M. Reading between the lines, I imagine it might grate on him that his former office is being soiled and degraded by some sissy out-and-proud faggot instead of a manly proper closeted man such as himself.
Good, it’s a ‘smoking gun’ case and not just blogging from work. Otherwise it would set a precedent where any unpopular employee could be fired for so much as updating a Facebook status. If they can prove he lied to investigators I would think at least that could also be used to disbar him.
I actually wish somebody would give him psychiatric help because closet case or not (and I’m in the “Team Closet Case” camp) he’s a seriously pathetic guy who is probably a danger to himself and others. I’m guessing he doesn’t have many friends but I wonder is he has a family and if so are they as fucked up as he is or would they be likely to support some kind of intervention to put him out of other people’s misery.
I think they could and should be able to fire someone for this, if they use state owned computers to do it. This is pretty damn close to what Joe Miller was disciplined for in Alaska – using several office computers to do some little Republican Party online polling scam. It wasn’t the scam itself that got him the suspension, and IIRC he did this over a lunch break, so it wasn’t even an issue of doing it on the clock.
What, you think you have some sort of Constitutional right to play Farmville all morning? :rolleyes: If your company doesn’t want you blogging on their time and has made it clear that you’re expected not to do so, you should absolutely be able to be fired for it.
Obviously not, which is why I said “so much as update your status”, which is a bit different. Employees are going to use the internet for personal tasks- it happens in almost every office in the U.S.- and if they were to fire one for using it while not firing 20 more who do it then Shirvell would have a discrimination suit (why them and not me? obviously it’s political) but because it’s far more than personal internet use he doesn’t have that going for him, thus his road back inside, that way at least, is closed.
I’m launching Plantationville and will be glad to sell you some indentured servants and field hands on credit to help revive them. I have a Magical Multiracial Shaman/Medicine Woman who has 48% success in reviving withered crops and doubles as a midwife, a steal at 15,000 credits.
There’s a difference between updating your three-character FB status (especially if it’s only visible to friends) and posting publicly visible, bigoted articles about someone.