A Prophetic Post About Peacebang By U*U Blogger Steve Caldwell

I just came across the following post about Peacebang by Steve Caldwell. It dates back to February of 2005, months before Rev. Victoria Weinstein posted an extremely rude and insulting ( to say nothing of outright libelous ) comment about me on her Peacebang blog; and predating many of her other insulting and defamatory blog posts and comments.

Read it and weep. . .

Finally, I've got a question that's been puzzling me for many weeks about folks who write their blogs like Peacebang. Peacebang, why do you write behind a pseudonym without any links to your real-world non-online identity? Many bloggers do make reference to who they are (name, community, etc) on their blogs.The danger I can see in anonymity is a person writing from a pseudonym could be finding a slippery slope into the extremely rude and insulting without any sense of accountability for what he/she has written.

posted by Steve Caldwell @ 2/16/2005 07:21:00 AM

Here is the follow-up comment that I posted minutes ago, typos and all -

At 12:33 PM, The Emerson Avenger said...

"The danger I can see in anonymity is a person writing from a pseudonym could be finding a slippery slope into the extremely rude and insulting without any sense of accountability for what he/she has written."

You said it Steve. That is precisely why I recently "outed" Peacebang as Rev. Victoria Weinstein of First Church Parish, Norwell Massachusetts. I have also filed a formal unbecoming conduct complaint against Rev. Victoria Weinstein with the appropriate UUA officials. It will be intersting to see what kind of accountability, if any. . . that Rev. Victoria Weinstein faces for her extremely rude and insulting, to say nothing of libelous and defamatory posts on her Peacebang blog.

Update: Steve Caldwell "memory holed" my comment about Peacebang on his blog even though it was very much in agreement with his own assessment of Peacebang's behaviour. I posted a follow-up comment to his blog and I'm posting the whole pertinent section below -

At 12:33 PM, The Emerson Avenger said...

This post has been removed by a blog administrator.

At 2:40 AM, Steve Caldwell said...

Robin ... please don't use my blog comment area for any personal gripes that you feel you may have with UU clergy who post using a pseudonym.Thanks for your cooperation.

At 10:58 AM, The Emerson Avenger said...

You are too funny Steve. . .

You said in this post -

Peacebang, why do you write behind a pseudonym without any links to your real-world non-online identity? Many bloggers do make reference to who they are (name, community, etc) on their blogs.

The danger I can see in anonymity is a person writing from a pseudonym could be finding a slippery slope into the extremely rude and insulting without any sense of accountability for what he/she has written.

end quote

All I did was agree with your assessment that Rev. Victoria Weinstein had engaged in "extremely rude and insulting" defamatory language towards me and other people and that her anonymity served to protect her from any accountability for what she has written on her Peacebang blog and elsewhere on the internet. Now that Peacebang is no longer anonymous she will almost certainly think twice about posting more "extremely rude and insulting" posts and comments.

In fact Peacebang seems to have toned down her act considerably since I "outed" her for who she really is. Rev. Victoria Weinstein obviously paid no heed whatsoever to your own warning shot across her bow, or even my own previous warning shots across her bow. In fact, you made it clear in another post that she had sent you an insulting email when you quite justifiably criticized her for her "extremely rude and insulting" defamatory language. N'est-ce pas Steve?

What's the problem? Don't you think that Peacebang aka Rev. Victoria Weinstein should face a little accountability for her "extremely rude and insulting" language that is more than a little bit unbecoming of a minister? My gripe was no more or less personal than your own gripe. I was just as put off by Peacebang's personal attacks on other people as by her "extremely rude and insulting" attacks on me. The only difference between you and me is that I actually did something to ensure that Rev. Victoria Weinstein faces some accountability for her "extremely rude and insulting" attacks on people. Don't you believe in justice and equity in human relations Steve?