I’m not even sure where to begin so maybe I should start with Expose Erie Politicians. This site is a blog-format site that presents either facts or opinions about people running for mayor in Erie. The Erie mayoral race is another story, one so twisted that there’s no way I can untangle it here. I don’t even know what most of the problem is. It was bad when we moved to CO; it was exponentially worse when we came back.
So anyway, I looked at the site on Wednesday when I read about it in Erie PA and Life (Dennis trumps all the local media — they play catch-up to him all the time). I was entertained and slightly impressed that someone would have the balls to start such a site. Some of the entries have a tongue-in-cheek feel.
So then the local paper picked up the story. The Erie Times news is staffed and operated by sycophants (again, another story for another time). It’s basically a cheerleading newsletter for some. The reporting is sub-par. If you like, go to BugMeNot and get a login and check out their horrible website for a taste (it takes forever to load, even on DSL or broadband).
The local paper made it their headline. I can’t find the headline at the site but I remember that it was a slanted headline. Not something like: “Web site attacks politicians” but more like “Slanderous dogs post lies!” It was laughable.
The Times also published an editorial stating in part:
“Some liar — we don’t shrink from this accurate word — has created a Web site smearing several candidates for Erie political office. The site has no credibility, none whatsoever: Its creator has faked an identity and deceived Web users about his or her place of residence.”
They don’t exactly say, “He doesn’t even put his real name on it” but there is that implication. Funny thing is, editorials don’t include a name either. The editorial of a newspaper is assumed to be the opinion of the publication in general. I know; I used to write them. I just think it’s odd to call someone out for not putting a name on what’s basically editorial content when that’s the standard.
Here’s the rub: I don’t know if the stuff on the website is true or not. Frankly, I don’t care. I don’t live in Erie. Technically, I live in Fairview. Although this would allow me to run for mayor of Erie. The thing is that if the stuff on the site is true, it’s not libellous. So far I don’t hear of the candidates denying what’s on the site; they just seem pissed off that someone’s printing it. If anyone knows of a candidate denying the site’s content, let me know.
Whether it’s true or not here’s what gets me: all these politicians (and some regular residents) are calling for the site owner to show himself (the site’s registered to an address in Smallville — heh). Why? So that the venomous supporters of Candidate X can go to the guy’s house and vandalize his car or threaten him? I don’t get why we have to have our personal info published when we buy a domain. I don’t like the fact that anyone who knows about whois can find out my address. I say good for him for keeping his identity a secret.
Apparently the police and/or FBI are investigating the site. I don’t know why. I think it may be b/c the source of some of the info can only have come from the mayor’s office. Not surprising. The mayor is being indicted for a shady real estate deal, which is a really long story too.
I think the best thing for Erieites to do would be to contact Mike Wallace and bring him in here to straighten all this out. I certainly don’t understand what’s going on. I just don’t think there’s much black and white. I think there’s a whole hell of a lot of gray.
2 Comments
May 14, 2005 at 1:39 pm
Love ,and I mean LOVE, the Mike Wallace idea. I think a lot of the Erie people would get real puffed up with themselves over that. (MIL, who lives in Millcreek, believes that the US stops and starts in NW PA and called us after 9/11 in a panic because she felt that Erie was a terrorist target because of Tom Ridge ties. WE live in a suburb of DC–no mention of any danger to us, although I do believe that that might be somewhat more realistic, but then again, who am I?)
I can’t even follow the political situation (though I watch the local news when I’m in town and am always pleasantly surprised by new drama). I enjoyed your commentary, however–sweet little taste of home.
May 14, 2005 at 8:44 pm
I live near Tom Ridge Field At Erie International Airport. It crossed my mind but I didn’t think the terrorists were clever enough to employ irony as a weapon.
On a related note:
“Well, I was terrified. Everyone was terrified of Doug. I’ve seen grown men pull their own heads off rather than see Doug. Even Dinsdale was frightened of Doug. He used… sarcasm. He knew all the tricks, dramatic irony, metaphor, pathos, puns, parody, litotes and… satire. He was vicious.”
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