There’s More Than Just ‘Progressivism’ Behind Leftist Commenters

by Bob Livingston 
I am not a psychiatrist, but it is evident that a certain psychosis is prevalent in the minds of progressives/statists — or those who are sycophants of the regime or the state or its “leaders,” however you choose to describe it.
We make no bones about the fact that Personal Liberty Digest™ is a site that promotes and espouses the true conservative ideals of small government as prescribed by the Constitution, liberty, personal responsibility, laissez-faire capitalism and non-aggression. These are subjects I have been writing about since 1969 in my printed newsletter, The Bob Livingston Letter™ (www.boblivingstonletter.com, subscription required), and here at Personal Liberty since 2008.

These things — small, Constitutional government; liberty; personal responsibility; laissez-faire capitalism; and non-aggression — are apparently anathema to progressives who worship the state and the regime. Yet we have a large number of them commenting on articles each day (though by the nature of many of their comments, it is unclear whether they bothered to read the articles beforehand). Their comments, when they are anything more than a string of invectives or expletives, are generally contumelious and seem to focus on how irrelevant, kooky, out of the main or downright ignorant they think are conservative ideas and Constitutionalism. From there they typically degenerate to simply trying to shout down or shut up either the author or another commenter.

When queried on why they frequent a site that holds views they find so distasteful and populated by commenters they believe are so “moronic” (their words, see below) the response is usually that 1) they are trying to “educate” conservatives or 2) they find the views and comments “entertaining.”
Doubtless, some of them may be serious about their desire to “educate” conservatives. But as conservatism is a philosophy based on logic and reason and progressivism/statism/collectivism is a philosophy based on emotion and control, the likelihood of a conservative to progressive conversion taking place is less than slim.
Besides, for purposes of educating the readers, progressive commenters offer mind-bending and enlightening commentary like:

• Rx7pj
  What a moron
• Rx7pj
  Garbage
• Rx7pj
  Talking about yourself "simpleton"?
• Rx7pj
  Garbage
• Rx7pj
  No, you’re the idiot.
• Rx7pj
  What does this have to do with liberty??
  Just sounds like right winged garbage.
• Rx7pj
  Horsesh*&
• Rx7pj
  As I said , YOU are a complete moron. Get a life

And finally:

• Rx7pj
  Garbage 

These are just a small sampling of many similar comments from this commenter and are not repeats. And should anyone believe that one commenter has been taken out of context and I have made a mountain from a molehill, there’s this:

• Bob Blanstonoff
  stfu boy!
• Bob Blanstonoff
  If we wanted any crap out of you we’d pull off your head and dip it out of your neck!
• Bob Blanstonoff
  Pgkyswcghap
• Bob Blanstonoff
  Stfu
• Bob Blanstonoff
  Please do everyone a favor and go get embalmed.
• Bob Blanstonoff
  Please butt the hell out, Biotch! 
• 
  

And

• Ron r
  Go play idiot.
• Ron r
  Give specifics , not talking points. Hell I domes ignor my grown a– children. Does that make me a bad parent ?
• Ron r
  Idiots!!!
• Ron r
  Go rob a church
• Ron r
  Did you have something of importance to add to the discussion ? If not stop jocking ! 

And then there’s this, from a “guy” who has claimed on multiple occasions to be more enlightened and more educated than anyone here:

• Paul Dorsey
  Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah!!! Whatever HOSS!
• Paul Dorsey
  Have you taken a close look at your ugly face-looks like you might have been doing some cocaine in between drag shows!
• Paul Dorsey
  Sticks & Stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me! Plus you look like the Court Jester!
• Paul Dorsey
  And this is coming from a redneck who never served in the military and now wants to play judge, jury and executioner!!! And you lunatics are always defending the Constitution only when it serves your narrow agenda. You are a loser and a lunatic.
• Paul Dorsey
  That might be so moron but the fact is that he is innocent until proven guilty- a military investigation will determine that! Unlike you I got a honorable discharge from the army in 1983. I was awarded 3 medals including 2 Army Commendations and an Army Achievement Medal as a intelligence analyst at Ft Bragg and 5th Corp G-2 in Franfurt, GE. I guess being a cook was to hard for you!!! 

It seems to confirm most people’s suspicions that military intelligence is indeed an oxymoron.
But maybe he’s just… confused:

• Paul Dorsey
  Don’t you think its time for you to put on another show? Your audience is waiting Mr. Drag Queen!!!

Funny that Paul Dorsey would consider “Mr. Drag Queen” an insult given that:

• Paul Dorsey
  I came out of the closet back in 1990 and married my partner in Montreal, Quebec in 1994. I have lived in Berlin and had a partner years later while living there. It was wonderful being both a Socialist and a gay man in gay-friendly Berlin which happens to have an openly gay major and of course, is a stronghold of the Socialist Party in Deutschland. I look forward to the day when there will just as many freedoms here as there are in Europe for everybody!!! I will say it is amazing how many states have passed marriage equality laws and how accepting the American people are to gay rights including marriage equality-who would have thought? Compared to Europe, Canada, Australia & NZ, we still have a way to go…

Like other progressives, Paul Dorsey is not very tolerant of other opinions. For proof:

• Paul Dorsey
  You are entitled to your opinions and yes you are a racist and a moron. Moving on…
• Paul Dorsey
  Why don’t you shut your stupid mouth you lunatic Nazi? We don’t care to read what you have to say…
• Paul Dorsey
  This is typical, extreme right-wing hate speech perpetrated here by a bunch of lazy racists that hate Obama because of his name and skin color. You people thank God represent such a tiny fringe in American society!!! You people are increasingly becoming ever more irrelevant because of your extremist and stupid views. I guess you still think Hitler was a great leader and are still disapointed that he didn’t get around to murdering the other 6 million Jews!!! You people disgust me!!!

But apparently he’s not disgusted enough to disappear himself from the site. However, he did remove a number of his own comments about southerners being “uneducated, white trailer trash.”

And then there’s this:

• Wayne Langley
  I don’t think speechless is the word. Maybe full of sh*t.
• Wayne Langley
  So I take you’re happy being a racist, and bigot.
• Wayne Langley
  Good comeback, if you’re preschooler.
• Wayne Langley
  You have to have a mental disability to even want to live in North Carolina.
• Wayne Langley
  What an a** clown you must be. I see you have no apparent character from where I sit. It is people like you, and Alleged Comment that give white trash a bad name.
• Wayne Langley
  You use dog turds for breath mints.
• Wayne Langley
  Do you look lick their boots before, or after you shine them?
• Wayne Langley
  You remind me of a doorbell.DING DONG! DING DONG! DING DONG!
• Wayne Langley
  Tea Party intellectuals is an oxymoron like jumbo shrimp, you moron.
• Wayne Langley
  Is that the best ya’ got? You probably peed yourself again you were so giddy when typing it. 

And the ever popular,

• Wayne Langley
  Why don’t you just STFU?

To be fair, there are some state-worshiping President Barack Obama sycophants who occasionally try to carry on a rational conversation. But eventually they simply resort to:

• Jeff
  When I asked to see the source of your data, I was a bit worried that you would send us a picture of your butt. I see you decided to instead send us the end result of a lifetime of sitting on your brains.
• Jeff
  I’m sorry you suffered brain damage in Iraq. It explains a lot.

But best of all are commenters like Dave, a stalker, who, despite being blacklisted for serial violations of the comment policy, continues to return like the stalker he is. And by the way, he has commented using numerous names in order to try and trick the moderator:

• Dave
  Just talking your language meathead…
• Dave
  Duh de duh duh duh… That all I hear from you now meathead.
  Dummies like you do not understand nuance…So tell me all about how we were attacked by Iraq on 9/11 Meathead.
  You confirm that all conservatives are not stupid, but all stupid people are conservative. That is you meathead
  The only thing you own is a severe case of dementia. 

Stalking is a form of mental illness.
Now, understand that it is not only mental illness and a desire to “educate” conservatives that brings progressives/statists to sites like this. Some few are indeed here to engage in rational discourse. But for others, the motives are simply sinister.
The Obama campaign arm, Organizing for America, has employed at least 3,500 “cyber assets” or “cyber warriors” to infiltrate conservative, Christian and Tea Party-linked websites. And Edward Snowden revealed that Western intelligence agencies are attempting to manipulate and control online discourse by infiltrating these sites as well.
You can often spot them by noting their consistent use of talking points and similar language, their latching on to and use of the memes of the day, and their intentional obtuseness and attempts to divert the conversation and frustrate you if you try to engage them in conversation.
Understanding who these people are and their motives will serve you well in online forums. The best advice is to not engage them at all, except for sport. Logical arguments will not sway someone whose philosophy is emotion-based, nor will they influence those who are here for more nefarious reasons.