| I am absolutely not an absolutist. But of one thing I am absolutely sure - my favourite troll is back! I haven't heard from this guy for a long time and, as you'll see below, he knows how to reach me privately. For argument's sake, let's call this fellow Goat (his surname, in a language not his own, translates to 'goat'). He and I share an ethnic background; but there is almost nothing else that we have in common. For the longest time, Goat would write comments below articles we published that stirred his loins - and they were always, without fail, diametrically opposed to the content of the articles and to any and all human beings who failed to see the rightness of his cause. For Goat IS an absolutist. There are no greys in Goat's world, only pitch blacks and stark whites. I confess I enjoyed jousting with him and I should probably have felt more guilty than I did about picking on such a weak and easy target. Still, he did invite it upon himself. We carried on a lot of offline repartee for quite some time but this stopped after the incident he alludes to in the next paragraph. One day last week I received a private email from Goat. I was surprised, to be sure; but initially very concerned that something was terribly wrong in Goat's world because the subject line of his message read, "Terrified!!". Despite our differences, I don't wish him any harm or ill will. It turned out, however, that it was me - or rather Axis of Logic - that he thinks is terrified. As he explained it: "I am quite sure that you guys don't have the backbone to respond, but I am still wondering why are you so terrified of people like me telling the truth, that you have banned me, and others, from your website??".Well, Goat should consider this to be my response. So let's speak first about Goat "telling the truth". By way of background, Goat tells me that he graduated with a PhD in Communications from an 'Eastern European university'. Despite being directly asked numerous times, he has steadfastly refused to name the university. And judging by Goat's inability to cobble together cogent arguments or write with anything resembling the niceties of English grammar, it's a little tough to believe the educational credentials he claims for himself. While that's not really a big deal, it certainly calls into question what Goat considers to be 'truth'. "If some little lizard tells you his great-grandfather was a dinosaur, just smile." (Robert A. Heinlein) In fact, Goat is (or was, if he has now retired), a British Columbia insurance salesman. So was Goat banned from this website? Yes, he was. There are two of us here with the power to make this happen: me, and my co-editor Les Blough. And neither of us ever do this lightly. In fact, in Goat's case, we only did it at the request of several other Axis of Logic readers. They were tired of his bullheaded blindness and his single-minded - and simple-minded - belligerence. Of course, I already know Goat will simply dismiss that as not true. C'est la vie. In particular, readers of this site will no doubt have noticed that we take a sympathetic view of the Palestinian cause and are quite vocal in our disgust with the State of Israel. Goat has made it patently clear that nothing done by the government or military of Israel is bad, or could ever be bad. And it is certainly not open to criticism. To make negative comments about, say, an Israeli soldier killing an unarmed Palestinian youth because the kid happened to look at the soldier the wrong way can only be interpreted - in Goat's world - as anti-Semitism. He sees anti-Semites squatting hoof in mouth under every bush and has particular disdain for any Israeli or other Jewish person who criticizes Israel. They must be self-loathing Jews, he says, because they could not possibly have, in good conscience, anything but adoration for any action or inaction brought about by the Israeli state. That is my primary crime in Goat's eyes. Enough readers complained about Goat's absolutism that we gave him the heave-ho. Reluctantly. We operate this site as a forum for debate and discussion and we often publish pieces with which we don't personally agree because we feel the subjects need an airing and an open discussion. We're not turned off by comments that are forceful - even vulgar - so long as the point the writer wishes to make is backed up by at least a modicum of evidence. But in his recent email, Goat revived another of his accusations that he had used against me numerous times - I don't recall whether he did this online or only in our private exchanges, but it doesn't really matter. Here's his beef: "Apparently, you only need "all in the family", like the fake ladies writers, who are nothing more than your own postings under assumed names."He has only ever named one of these 'fake ladies' - a correspondent who used to go by the handle 'thnkfryrslf'. Apparently, she - and the other women who have written to Axis or for Axis - are all ME!! I can't believe how that ever escaped my attention! I think I can fairly say that I have a bit of a soft feminine side, but Goat is the only person who has ever directly accused me of actually being a lady. Still, I'm sure I would look fetching in an a-line dress with matching pumps. Very tasteful! I can think of at least two regular contributors to Axis of Logic who I consider to be friends and whose calibre as people I consider to be among the best. I am honoured to know that Goat thinks these brilliant women are actually me in disguise. The problem that Goat always seems to get himself into is described in the title of this article. If only he was harmless, this would be no big deal. But Goat is fervent about accusing almost everyone of anti-Semitism and, in doing so, goading some otherwise fair-minded people down that path. When I think of Goat, I'm inclined to believe that the little procedure he underwent on his eighth day of life resulted in the only useful part of him being thrown away. Conclusion What's the point of telling you all of this? Well, we seem to have acquired a new infestation. My friend Bella_Fantasia - one of the brilliant ladies I am pretending to be - remembers this fellow from way back, but he was new to me last week. This individual comments frequently, always negatively, and with the absolute (there's that word again) conviction that whatever pours from his keyboard is truth, unassailable, and not subject to contradiction. Being sure of yourself is not a sin, of course; but being obnoxious and rude about it is a little annoying. This individual declares almost everyone but himself to be liars and just the worst people imaginable - whether it's political figures or writers, they're mostly wrong, liars, scum, etc. He never offers even a shred of evidence to support his views although he did once tell me he has a son or daughter who writes for the Daily Beast - as though that affords him some measure of credibility - assuming you think for a moment that the Daily Beast has any credibility of its own. So, sir, perhaps you can do us all a favour: Comment all you like, as often as you like. But try to be civil. Try to drop the name-calling. Try to offer some evidence for the views you're promoting. Otherwise, perhaps shutting up would be a better idea. © Copyright 2019 by AxisofLogic.com This material is available for republication as long as reprints include verbatim copy of the article in its entirety, respecting its integrity. 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