# TomnDeb (minor point, no vitriol) **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [August 13, 2007, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tomndeb-minor-point-no-vitriol/415483 "2007-08-13T21:43:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2007, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tomndeb-minor-point-no-vitriol/415483/61 "2007-08-14T16:55:53Z")
[QUOTE=CarnalK] That heaping helping was more than I expected, as I was simply answering someone’s question. [/quote] Me too. > [@](#): > > People like you and Tuckerfan really need to get over yourselves. Laughing at your self-perception and self-importance is not particularly important to me - probably a lot less important than, say, _American Idol_ is to you. Ah. Then you’ve seen my _American Idol_ website. ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2007, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tomndeb-minor-point-no-vitriol/415483/62 "2007-08-14T16:58:00Z")
[QUOTE=Biggirl] And yeup, I find it much more surprising that a person who has Jesus’ love in their heart would tell me she hopes I grow a monkey tail because I don’t believe what she believes. So much for them there exhalted morals. [/QUOTE] It’s funny you mention that, because the only other thing I distinctly remember from the radio broadcast I mentioned above was an old lady calling in and telling William, “You’ll know the love o’ Jesus when you’re burnin’ in Hell!” 😃 (And this was _after_ his conversion.) ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2007, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tomndeb-minor-point-no-vitriol/415483/63 "2007-08-14T16:58:24Z")
[QUOTE=rayh] You, as the pittee, are allowed 2 types of post. 1. Groveling apology - preferably after 3 pages of vitriol first. 2. Vicious attack on the OP - calling into doubt his parentage/religious/political affiliations/genital size with optional inferences about the OP’s sexual proclivities with goats/squids/badgers/other 4 legged creatures/inanimate objects. [/QUOTE] You need to read my last few Pittings. For some reason, none of them tend to play out in exactly that manner. ---
**Author:** ![Crotalus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crotalus/32/41_2.png) [@Crotalus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crotalus)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2007, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tomndeb-minor-point-no-vitriol/415483/64 "2007-08-14T17:01:05Z")
[QUOTE=Liberal] Ah. Then you’ve seen my _American Idol_ website. [/QUOTE] A brilliant retort. ---
**Author:** ![CarnalK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnalk/32/486_2.png) [@CarnalK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CarnalK)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2007, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tomndeb-minor-point-no-vitriol/415483/65 "2007-08-14T17:04:54Z")
> [@](#): > > Ah. Then you’ve seen my American Idol website. No, is it on geocities? - too many popups. I have seen your emotional rants on the subject - I guess we could do a word count to see if I’ve written more about you than you’ve written about American Idol. ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2007, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tomndeb-minor-point-no-vitriol/415483/66 "2007-08-14T17:50:06Z")
[QUOTE=Crotalus] A brilliant retort. [/QUOTE] Thank you. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![RedFury](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ec9cab/32.png) [@RedFury](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RedFury)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2007, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tomndeb-minor-point-no-vitriol/415483/67 "2007-08-14T17:59:18Z")
**Tom’s** cool in my book, if a bit of a Church Lady. And I bet he has a head bigger than Barry Bonds – without the help of HGH. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![magellan01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@magellan01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/magellan01)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2007, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tomndeb-minor-point-no-vitriol/415483/68 "2007-08-14T21:05:07Z")
[QUOTE=Zoe] I know that **Der Trihs** thinks he’s on the left, and he is on many issues. But he’s too filled with denial of other people’s freedoms to be much of a leftist. And “extreme left”? I know that you have to be joking. [/QUOTE] As I do not consider myself to be on the left, I’ll accept your assessment that **DT** is more part of the middle left than the extreme left. So delete the “extreme” modifier from my statement, to read: > [@](#): > > I love it when Der Trihs gives us a peak at what the left believes. Thanks for helping clarify. ---
**Author:** ![Acid\_Lamp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Acid\_Lamp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acid_Lamp)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2007, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tomndeb-minor-point-no-vitriol/415483/69 "2007-08-14T21:08:46Z")
[QUOTE=RedFury] **Tom’s** cool in my book, if a bit of a Church Lady. And I bet he has a head bigger than Barry Bonds – without the help of HGH. 😉 [/QUOTE] Exactly what I was thinking when I posted my thoughts on the subject. I can’t really argue against the points that have been made here; but something about that combination of poster, thread type and mod struck ill with me. I still don’t think that what DT said was a direct personal attack though. **Tom** thanks for stopping in to give your side of it. I was wondering what you were thinking when you warned D.T. ---
**Author:** ![crowmanyclouds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crowmanyclouds/32/19884_2.png) [@crowmanyclouds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crowmanyclouds)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2007, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tomndeb-minor-point-no-vitriol/415483/70 "2007-08-14T21:20:07Z")
[QUOTE=CarnalK] … That heaping helping was more than I expected, … [/QUOTE] It wasn’t a heaping helping it was a steaming pile of bullshit. You’d think a '99er would know better that to post things that a search would prove to be lies. CMC fnord! Don’t worry **Liberal** your secret is safe with me, mostly 'cause nobody seems to care. ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2007, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tomndeb-minor-point-no-vitriol/415483/71 "2007-08-14T22:58:00Z")
[QUOTE=magellan01] > [@](#): > > I love it when Der Trihs gives us a peak at what the left believes. Thanks for helping clarify. [/QUOTE] I don’t think you actually got the point. **Der Trihs** is _sui generis_. He is no more representative of “the left” than **lekatt** is representative of “the right.” There may be a few points of intersection, but there is nothing like “representation” in either case. ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2007, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tomndeb-minor-point-no-vitriol/415483/72 "2007-08-14T23:03:13Z")
[QUOTE=magellan01] > [@](#): > > I love it when Der Trihs gives us a peak at what the left believes. Thanks for helping clarify. [/QUOTE] I don’t think you actually got the point. **Der Trihs** is _sui generis_. He is no more representative of “the left” than **lekatt** is representative of “the right.” There may be a few points of intersection, but there is nothing like “representation” in either case. ---
**Author:** ![magellan01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@magellan01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/magellan01)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2007, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tomndeb-minor-point-no-vitriol/415483/73 "2007-08-14T23:45:08Z")
[QUOTE=tomndebb] I don’t think you actually got the point. **Der Trihs** is _sui generis_. He is no more representative of “the left” than **lekatt** is representative of “the right.” There may be a few points of intersection, but there is nothing like “representation” in either case. [/QUOTE] Let’s see, some of his major themes are: 1. religion is a disease of the mind, and contagious to boot 2. America is an evil empire 3. we are in Iraq to conquer and kill and for oil. Oh yeah, and to rape 4. American soldiers are murderous thugs and, now this one should really help you, as he has shared it so recently: 1. people on the **right** are always wrong and are evil So this is not a one-issue litmus test. Please show me one person on the right that agrees with our beloved DT? If you were to find people who would agree with, say, even 75% of what he believes, would you venture to say that those persons would be closer to Reps or Dems, i.e., would they identify more with ideas and beliefs of the left or the right? Now, it was not my opinion he was _representative_ of the left. In fact, many here, (you included, if I recall correctly) have made the point in the past that he is not, so all these months (years?) I have been content referring to him as a denizen of the _extreme_ left. So, I think you’re argument might be with Zoe, who sought to correct me. The only question is: is he a member of the extreme left or the more mainstream left? As I do not reside on that side of the line on most issues, I’ll leave to you his neighbors to define where along the spectrum he takes up space. As I have done in the past. But puhleeease, anyone who attempts to argue that DT doesn’t reside on the left (and by default, therefore falls to the right) is guilty of the same degree of idiocy and breaking with reality as the subject in question. ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2007, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tomndeb-minor-point-no-vitriol/415483/74 "2007-08-15T00:11:18Z")
[QUOTE=crowmanyclouds] You’d think a '99er would know better that to post things that a search would prove to be lies. CMC fnord! [/QUOTE] I \*invited \* a search, dumbass. The last time I used the term “handstabber” to describe a hardass chest-thumping atheist (the only manner in which I ever used the term) was [23, July, 2003](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=3741021&highlight=%2Astabber#post3741021). Since then, I’ve made only a few clinical references such as in the discussion here. The board has plenty of wonderful people who are atheist, which is why I voluntarily stopped using the term. And frankly, I’d appreciate it if you would voluntarily remove my voodoo doll from your collection. Your obsession with me is inexplicable. At least CarnalK has a definable mission. ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2007, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tomndeb-minor-point-no-vitriol/415483/75 "2007-08-15T00:17:23Z")
[QUOTE=magellan01] Please show me one person on the right that agrees with our beloved DT? [/QUOTE] I certainly never said anyone on the right would agree with him. You have set up a false dichotomy that is only left and right and anyone who is not one must be the other. There are a number of “right wing” atheists on this board. Certainly, it is probably easier to find people on the left that say that the U.S. is evil–although I would not consider Westview Baptist Church to be a left wing organization and there are plenty of right-wing nutjobs who go on about the U.S. as evil: (see the adherents of the belief in the Zionist Occupational Government). Lots of people who oppose our idiotic intervention in Iraq see it as having many different interpretations and “Sieze the oil” is neither exclusively left wing, (although it is more prevalent there), nor is it the most widely held view on the left (which tends to see it as an effort at power extension rather than a grab for one country’s oil). Regarding the assertion that every soldier who has participated in Iraq is morally corrupt: you will find a vanishingly small number of people on the left who actually believe that. So on all the areas that you havbe tried to shoehorn his opinions into left/right dichotomies, his actual views are occasionally similar to those on the right, often different from that of the left, and the left, itself, often expresses many disparate views on the same issue. * * * Now, if you’d like, we could extend this sort of discussion to include the views of David Duke and John Tanton as they reflect the views of the right. However, I have previously opposed that sort of association and would engage in it only if I continued to see **Der Trihs** being held up as representative of the left. ---
**Author:** ![crowmanyclouds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crowmanyclouds/32/19884_2.png) [@crowmanyclouds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crowmanyclouds)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2007, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tomndeb-minor-point-no-vitriol/415483/76 "2007-08-15T01:14:32Z")
[QUOTE=Liberal] I \*invited \* a search, dumbass. The last time I used the term “handstabber” to describe a hardass chest-thumping atheist (the only manner in which I ever used the term) was [23, July, 2003](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=3741021&highlight=%2Astabber#post3741021). Since then, I’ve made only a few clinical references such as in the discussion here. … [/QUOTE] Really? Then how do you explain this, [QUOTE=Liberal] … You hand-stabbers might not be ignorant, but you’re stupid as all get out.[RIGHT]{12-28-2006} [Link to Post](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=8099353#post8099353)[/RIGHT] [/QUOTE] [QUOTE=Liberal] … And frankly, I’d appreciate it if you would voluntarily remove my voodoo doll from your collection. Your obsession with me is inexplicable. At least CarnalK has a definable mission. [/QUOTE] Obsession? You fucking wish, I started on this thinking that it was completely wrong to “forbid” you from using the phrase, then I started to actually read your posts. I challenged you on this and I’m an obsessed stalker? Or is it that you’d rather not have to defend what you’ve posted? I have a mission, your a LIAR, your posts prove it. Want it to end, pit me. CMC fnord! I’m not losing my perfect no thread-starting record for you! ---
**Author:** ![andros](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e480ec/32.png) [@andros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/andros)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2007, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tomndeb-minor-point-no-vitriol/415483/77 "2007-08-15T01:38:31Z")
. West_boro_, **Tom.** . ---
**Author:** ![andros](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e480ec/32.png) [@andros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/andros)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2007, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tomndeb-minor-point-no-vitriol/415483/78 "2007-08-15T01:40:24Z")
. And according to their second site, [www.godhatesamerica.com](http://www.godhatesamerica.com), Tammy Faye Messner is BURNING IN HELL. To be fair, after being married to Jim, I reckon putting up with Old Scratch will be a doddle. . ---
**Author:** ![CarnalK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnalk/32/486_2.png) [@CarnalK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CarnalK)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2007, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tomndeb-minor-point-no-vitriol/415483/79 "2007-08-15T01:52:21Z")
> [@CarnalK](#): > > Liberal seems to think he was told not to use it because it was a pejorative but I think Tuba’s reasoning was that it seems to perpetuate a complete falsehood. > [@Liberal](#): > > Luckily, this isn’t your snark board and you can’t just delete posts from people who set the record straight. > \ > But the fact of the matter is that since coming to this board and meeting soft atheists, I’ve been a defender of atheism as a worldview as perfectly valid as my own. If you were to use your search skills for something besides reading Tuba’s mind and fueling your enmity for me, you’d find plenty such posts. But since they don’t serve your interests, you won’t. Hey, guess what buddy! I just used the search function to [read Tuba’s mind](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=8421483#post8421483)! > [@TubaDiva](#): > > “Godbotherer” is lifted from the works of Terry Pratchett, but I could find nothing anywhere concerning “handstabber.” The staff informed me it was a story told on Madelyn Murray O’Hair . . . story furnished by Liberal . . . used to illustrate Mrs. O’Hair’s dislike of anyone who believed in a God; in the heat of anger she apparently stabbed someone in the hand with a ballpoint pe. This was therefore sufficient to Liberal to be used as derogatory shorthand in reference to atheists. > > I further told Liberal that that I found proof of the “handstabber” story absolutely nowhere and since this was a site that preferred not to spread ignorance that the term not be used at all. If Lib cared to bring some cites in as to the veracity of this story we’d reopen the subject. Let’s see if we read between the lines, shall we? So are you a liar or do you seriously remember everything with this “I’m so damn noble” tinge? ---
**Author:** ![Sitnam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Sitnam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sitnam)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2007, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tomndeb-minor-point-no-vitriol/415483/80 "2007-08-15T02:05:09Z")
Listen, I am no flag waver of **Der Trihs** and I do think **tomndebb** ’s paternal nature stretches into moderator micromanagement, but Christianity singled out seemed like a personal attack. I completely understand why **Der Trihs** feels the way he does, he should have just spread it around some. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tomndeb-minor-point-no-vitriol/415483.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tomndeb-minor-point-no-vitriol/415483.md?page=5)