Bearing Brazen False Witness, Anonymously

I commented a couple of days ago on the bemusing spectacle of certain folks waxing more and more hysterically indignant about the alleged "vitriol" and "underhandedness" of an alleged "smear" piece that, as they themselves freely admit, not a single one of them has even seen.

But perhaps having actually read it would make little difference at all.

In a post last month entitled "A Memo regarding the Lunatic Fringe of My Readership," I gave an example of how one particularly obsessive and hostile critic of mine, who is both clever and, in my judgment, at least somewhat mentally and/or emotionally disturbed, twisted and misrepresented a post here in order to malign me (yet again).

He's in his seventh year of this, and is still going strong.  (He is the impresario, for instance, along with his most vocal disciple, of the current nonsense about the supposed "hit piece."  In fact, a friend and close observer plausibly suggests, he may actually be the "disciple's" sock puppet, so ideologically and temperamentally joined at the hip are they.)  Here's another neat specimen, again relating to something posted on this very blog:

Earlier this week, I wrote an affectionate little entry about a mechanic with whom I worked in summers during high school in California.

In my Malevolent Stalker's summation, though, this post is "about how much [Peterson] enjoys hearing vulgarity and profanity (even though he himself is too much of a milquetoast chicken to actually ever use expletives). It's psychologically fascinating to behold."

And one of the chief functions of this blog, he says, if not its primary intention, is "to tear others down."

Really.

The internet is a wonderful thing, but there's no denying that it's empowered and enabled malicious, mendacious, and anonymous loons in an unprecedented manner.