Comment Moderation On Temporarly - Some Reflections and Explanantions

You may have noticed recently somebody defending the Hirschey govt is rather upset with me and has resorted to personal attacks without addressing any of the issues I have raised, particularly about the new CV deputy supervisor appointment.  The entire point of this persons comments are nothing more than to desperately try to marginalize the impact of my message which to me means I have hit home with some real uncomfortable truths, which this person or the group that may be behind them knows is tough or very inconvenient to deal with.  This person of course is anonymous, that is the only way they can make their scam work and gives them ZERO integrity in my view. 

With a little research I find those comment are all coming from the same source.  Of course this person wants you to believe there are different commenters...again part of the scam!

My posts and any resulting opinions I post are based in facts and public record.  For example if I say Mr. Macsherry has said or eluded to the fact he believes we should not take our zoning laws so literally, or he said in the past that we should have a wind law that is prudent but not too overly  restrictive, those are facts that anyone can find in public record or media record. And especially since they are confusing an very contradictory to other policies I believe they need serious review and questioning.  I do not lie about these things or make things up.   Or if I say Mr. Hirschey was on TV saying he was not opposed to wind, yet is running as what many people believe is an anti wind govt.  anyone can look up that video and the obvious contradiction or I will post a link and they can make up their own mind.

Now the problem is that for some Hirschey govt supporters despite the facts and the contradictions of these types of statements or actions, some people actually feel that any questioning of things like this or other Hirschey govt actions, which I think are open for debate based on facts...they think this challenge is somehow a vicious slanderous, liable personal attack on the person involved and their character. not so.  I only raise the debate or question since THEY are the ones that said these things or acted a certain way on public record!

Another example...The Hirschey govt has written a letter to the NYPSC that indicated they thought the Art. X process was fair, and even handed and balanced.  That would be the very same Art X process that removed our home rule rights and is currently holding us hostage while they give BP more time to sell their project leaving us twisting in the wind.  To me the Hirschey govt statements appeasing Art X when we see how it can destroy our community is just outrageous.  And I did not make those statements appeasing Art X...they did in a very public record anyone can look up.

But when I report on this in the pubic record and the Hirschey people get a little conflicted over the obvious contradictions and questions  it raises, this too in their minds becomes and vicious personal attack.  That is ridiculous!  Of course that is to distract my readers from the uncomfortable message.
You will notice that the majority of times I raise a tough question, they don't really answer the question or explain they just attack me...the messenger.  What does that tell you?

Now using that criteria no one would ask any questions, challenge any public official, and democracy and free speech would go down the toilet.

In an attempt to intimidate me and my readers this AM I see a comment eluding to law suits, and it is coming from the very same blog troll source who has been on my blog attacking me and lying about my recently but with no other substance related to the actual issues.

This is clearly to intimidate me and my readers and get me to back away from my beliefs and scare my readers since I am covering some subjects and exposing some history that is very disturbing to somebody and it appears at least to be a Hirschey defender.  And this is stuff you won't find on the other blogs who are rabid supporters of the Hirschey govt. because it raises to many uncomfortable questions.  You see ...the real problem for them is I have detailed information on the wind battle history from being so intimately involved from basically day , with the battle and the players who now run out CV govt.  And that is dangerous to some people.  especially that it looks like some Hirschey insiders themselves may be having so lingering questions about what is going on, and how it is going on.

So here is what is going to happen. I am going to put on the comment moderation for a while.  But please don't be intimidated or stop commenting. Your comments are critical to this issue and the community and will be posted it just won't be immediately as it is with the moderation off.

Also...I have no real hard and fast guidelines on blocking people on my blog.  You can go after me all you want and my beliefs or actions. That is the price of the ticket for taking a very high profile public stand and sticking to it. But stick to facts and the subject. Telling  me or some other commenter we need medication may be funny, but fails to be relevant.  nor do we want a description of your bathroom habits as a comparison to me.  That is absurd and just foul.  But if you lie about me or anyone else or you have absolutely no point and the comments are foul or nasty, I will probably block you. I  have no problem with some adult language, I do that myself but keep it reasonable.

If you review my comments and posts, you will see it is no secret  I may make sharp pointed comments, but they actually go to a relevant point somewhere but I do not get foul or call people nasty personal names et.  My opinions are based on facts, policies and actions and other research.

I try here to keep the record straight because the other blogs in town seem so rabidly pro Hirschey and sometime appear to distort the facts to that ends. They often block opinions just because they are contrary to Hirschey's govt.  That is their right, I get that.  But I opened my blog because I felt important things were not being questioned or discussed and were censored. And that was coming from sources that supposedly support open govt!!!  Go figure!  In addition any input I had to the zoning committee was flatly denied simply because well gee whiz they just didn't like me.  So I felt it was critical to have a place for an alternative view on such critical matters as we face that would keep any blocking to an absolute minimum. 

Of course this immediately resulted in the marginalization that I was somehow working secretly for pro wind or BP.   This frustrated one person so much who has had very heated disagreements with me for even them to attempt to come public on the Pandora blog and set the record straight that he knows I am not pro wind and those claims are absurd.  I greatly appreciate that.  Of course after his comment was up for a while it was quickly removed by that blog.  Don't want anyone telling the truth about Art Pundt!  Doesn't fit the agenda and somebody might examine closer to see if I have  other things that are true.

Another example how the JLL blog has  distorted critical  information to the community.  During the first visit of Art X judge Agresta he mentioned he would like the town and BP to try to agree on an alternative project that would mostly conform to the town's zoning but maybe not 100%.  He was only suggesting a step in the process.  He did NOT say it was hard and fast law or that BP would be forced to abide, or even that he would force them to abide. It was just something the judge wanted to see in the record.

However, JLL in his zeal to make everything the Hirschey govt does appear wonderful ran home  and published on his blog that Agresta told BP they must abide by our wind zoning.  That was so far off the mark it was absurd, and  I took immediate took exception to it and even other people commented how far off he was. JLLto his credit  later adjusted his comment to be more accurate. If no one had challenged it that is what the community would have believed.  Even one of my friends months later thought we were in the clear with BP because of what Wiley had said. It took a long detailed explanation to get to the truth and unwind what Wiley had created.  So how many other peole in the community went along with this interpretation just because it made them feel more comfortable?

Anyhow, if  you want to provide proof and documentation and base an opinion on that to prove me wrong...please do...I look forward to that.  And if you notice I generally respond back to my commenters in a tone that matches theirs.  If they stick to an open debate based on facts even though they may vehemently disagree with me and even get a bit heated...ok fine.  But if they get nasty or outrageous or especially if they lie or say something obviously real stupid, I will go after them, but still based in facts.   You will note I engage my commenters more than the other blogs and I am guessing that makes some people a bit uncomfortable.

Those are the general parameters of why this blog exists and how it operates.  And some of my closest friends don't agree with everything, but the difference is we sit down and we fairly debate sometime heated our differences on policy.

But we don't lie to each other and the discussions are rational and if they want to make their differences public rationally based on facts on policies or my approach I don't censor them.

This blog is a very anti wind anti Article X, anti corruption pro community home rule rights alternative view. It always has been.  And I try to be fair.  The times I have praised the Hirschey govt always gets conveniently overlooked.  And I will put up as a post anything any Hirschey govt. official would like to say to object to me or this blog, or about their policies, or how they think I am wrong. 

And lastly about my objection to anonymous commenters.  I really don't object all that much and the evidence of that is simply to look on my bog and see all the anonymous comments.  I prefer a name but, and I think if we were to all put our names on comments it might even temper the debate and make it more civil.  I believe BP and the opposing forces win when we don't stand up with our beliefs.  Take CV local Andy White for example.  I have known Andy for quite some time since he and his family have done contract work for me and my neighbors.  I am sure we would both agree that we differ considerably on the wind issue.  But Andy knows where I stand yet has personally expressed to me he thinks I am at least fair, and I make no bones about who I am or where I stand and he has the integrity to post his name as well.  I give him credit for that. Other pro wind people have shook my hand and said they vehemently disagree with me, but respect that I stand for what I believe and attempt to be fair and call it as I see it.  And this includes some pro wind people I have really hammered on.  Maybe that is the root of where the community starts to heal.  Of course many people will see this as nothing more that PROOF I am secretly working for BP and pro wind. 

What I really object to is people who come on my blog, want to get nasty and foul and hammer away at me and THEN don't have the balls to show their name and be accountable for what they have said.  And even then I will post many of those comments.

I hope my readers will continue to come here to get an alternative view and rationally express your opinions based in facts whether you agree with me or not.

Our community actually critically depends on that exchange from everybody pro or anti wind or in the middle.

God speed.

Art Pundt - Owner and Administrator   cvcat.blogspot.com