My e-mail to mediawhoresonline regarding Al Franken

[patmacsf]

Dear MWO -

I wanted to weigh in on the discussion you've started regarding what tactics are ok and which are not in dealing with the Fox lawsuit in particular and our fight against the right-wing media disinformation industry in general. Today you posted a letter from attorney Steven Day imploring your readers not to go after the poor innocent lawyer because she was just a puppet of Murdoch and Fox and besides, it's just beneath us to use their tactics against them. Absolutely not! Al Franken himself says that the basis of his popularity and the reason that the wingers hate him so much is that he successfully uses their own tactics against them and it pisses them off. Now just as he (and each New York resident) has the opportunity to use their own tactics against them, we on the left cower and retreat?!?

For the record, Fox's meek attorney, Dori Wanswirth, is anything but. She also represents The Star and The National Enquirer in their attempts to promote libel and disinformation as news formats so that supposedly more respectable Murdoch owned outlets can elevate the lies and libel through the ranks ... a tactic the right has perfected in the last ten years to an art form. Under New York State's Bar Association rules EC 2-30 "Employment should not be accepted by a lawyer ... who knows or it is obvious that the person seeking to employ the lawyer desires to institute or maintain an action merely for the purpose of harassing or maliciously injuring another." Violation of this rule could subject the attorney to censure or even being disbarred. There are so many parts of Dori's complaint that are superfluous to a cause of action for trademark infringement, but are solely calculated to cause shame and embarrassment to Mr. Franken. There can be no more obvious example of a violation of EC 2-30 than this case. Yet you purport to support "getting over it"??

We sat idly by while the right wing impeached our President and then went down to Arkansas to have him disbarred for life! How much longer are we supposed to lay down and watch them pick off our leaders? Please don't print silly letters from defeatist attorneys without also providing a "fair and balanced" analysis of the situation.

Sincerely,
Patrick McClellon, Esq.

[Caution]

1. Cheers! n/t

[sybylla]

2. It rocks!

I totally agree with you patmac. I hope they see the light as well and will publish the letter.

[roughsatori]

3. Excellent! Thanks

Kick

[wryter2000]

4. Way to go, Esq!

We're mad as hell, and we're not taking it any more.

[ProfessorGAC]

5. Good Letter

Didn't that lawyer also take on a suit with no merit, given the recent O'Reilly statement that they ". . .knew they would not win. . ."?

She took a case to court they knew they couldn't win because it had no merit, and a judge concurred as to the lack of merit. That would seem to violate the spirit of the Bar code as well and perhaps specific violations occurred due to that fact, as well.

It is quite unseemly for an attorney to take a case knowingly without merit to make a political statment. Furthermore, it's just wrong, whether it violates the bar standards or not.
The Professor

[ewagner]

6. Well done

Needed to be pointed out

Thanks

[papau]

7. Excellent letter!

:toast:

:-)

[GainesT1958]

8. If we don't take the "Good Fight" right to them...

PATMAC--One day, we're going to awake from our slumber and wonder why all of our supposdly-safe "Freedoms" have gone!

They're of the same mentality as "terra-ists"; they know, and respect, one tactic and one tactic only: TOTAL WAR! :mad:

I hate to say that, because normally I'm all for the principle of "Not getting in the gutter with those folks". BUT, with these idiots, "acting like a gentleman" won't cut it. They've shown over and over again that they're brutal, tactless, ruthless, and mean to the point of being ogres, and to boot, they're damn proud of all that. We need to be prouder in our resolve to turn their stances against them, EVERY ONE of their stances, and wiping out ANY semblance of success they think they've had in recent years.

I don't only want the Bushies and their right-wing henchmen to lose next year, I want them to KNOW THEY'VE LOST, BIG-TIME! Unfortunately, it's the only way to ensure that they're discredited to the point of being where they deserve to be, and to remain: in the MINORITY in our government for at least the next GENERATION!:grr:

Thanks, PATMAC, for writing our friends at MWO to tell it like it is!:D

B-)

[patmacsf]

9. Yes, I totally agree.

Thanks for the reply. You are so right that it is more important to expose why Bush is being defeated and not just take a "safe" win.

These people humiliated our President over and over and finally went down to the President's home state of Arkansas and had him disbarred for life!! Now, we're supposed to get over the corporate attorney for such an obvious violation of ethics rules and not request that she be disbarred?! NEVER!

[Bandit]

16. Ends justify the means

Just what we have been holloring about for quite some time. Is it wrong to do a dirty deed if in the end it makes things better? How about Pre-emptive warfare?

[patrice]

10. Absolutely, Teetotally, Completely, and Undeniably Correct!

" . . . he successfully uses their own tactics against them and it pisses them off."

It has frustrated me for years to sit and listen to this stuff go back and forth, and hear numerous MISSED opportunities to take what these fascists are saying and turn it against them, not through ridicule, but with Socratic logic.

This is a tactic that I use, and believe me it works. You can also do two things with it depending upon your objectives. You have the choice of pushing it to the point of getting the "opponent" really frustrated with their own inability to deal with it, or you can approach it more persuasively in order to make a friend.

The basic point is to use whatever opportunity they provide you to SHOW others what is wrong with what they are saying, not defensively, in terms of "you" yourself or what you are doing, but in their own terms, then you choose your own time and place to do your own "other" thing. You do that on your own terms, not defending against theirs.

[purji]

11. just more proof

That Repubs can dish it out but they cant take it.

They spent eight years trying to rip President Clinton down but as soon as shrubbie boy got into officeThe first thing they said is The American people dont like all this bad talk about our presidents.

[rock]

12. It rocks

I don't say that lightly. Welcome.

[wtmusic]

13. Great letter

Wouldn't it be nice if you didn't have to educate people on your own time?

[CatWoman]

14. Patrick

you made MWO front page :D

:thumbsup:

[patmacsf]

15. Well paint me surprised ....

Thanks to MWO for publishing my letter to them on their web site.

Now if only we could get a New York State resident to ask their Attorney Disciplinary Commission to investigate this attorney's actions. There would be no need for them to prosecute the charge themselves, it is the attorney community that regulates themselves. I would be happy to assist any New York resident with the factual basis for a complaint....

[democracyindanger]

17. Congrats indeed, but...

...just out of curiosity who corrected 'meak' first--you or the horse? :)

[patmacsf]

18. Where was my spell check ...

Yeah, there were actually three spelling errors that I corrected when they sent a request to post it. That's also the edit I did above.