Richard is or was an author on your site yet you did nothing but feel “helpless” when you knew his plight. Today, you still divert attention from helping him in favor of arguing. So much for compassionate liberals. Just what I expected.

I might add the word “helpless” was a direct quote from me. In addition, you quote me here.

You’re a liar.

Here’s what you wrote:

Richard is or was an author on your site yet you did nothing but feel “helpless” when you knew his plight. Today, you still divert attention from helping him in favor of arguing. So much for compassionate liberals. Just what I expected.

You’re a pathological liar – and a piss poor one at that.

In my first comment, I wrote: “Still, while I very much sympathize with Richard, pointing fingers at others for what may be a lifetime of missteps isn’t necessarily correct and is not helpful. What is he doing to improve decisions that he makes so that this doesn’t become a cycle? This help and attention can make a permanent difference rather than be a temporary patch, if Richard takes advantage of it to do that.”

Were you mentioned in that? No.

I had not mentioned your name at all, but you still tried to “score points” by coming at me. So, either you’re stupid or a liar–but, I believe it’s both.

Give up so that you don’t look even worse than you already do.

Of course not. You attempted to and failed miserably.

Also, using Lincoln’s statement, every prosecutor in the country would be guilty of lying. There’s nothing wrong with making reasonable assertions for debate. What is wrong is trying to shut up people simply because they disagree with you, as you do.

I didn’t use Richard’s situation to score points against you. That, in itself, is absurd.

It is an established maxim and moral that he who makes an assertion without knowing whether it is true or false is guilty of falsehood.

What is most contemptible about your behavior, Woody is your willingness to use Richard’s sad and tragic situation to think you could score points against me.

The truth is painful to those who trade in lies and smears. Keep whining.

Celeste: I can get shrieky, as well all know.

Nooooo! Who knew?

Celeste, you’re kind to distribute so much credit to others, but you were the catalyst and carried the ball, although I appreciate everyone’s efforts.

Now, about a job for Richard. The only thing that I know about Richard is that he needs a job, he can operate a computer, he has health problems, and he is a total imbecile when it comes to politics. That makes for some resume’. Was he a contract murderer or a bootlegger? Was he a preacher or a football coach? Does he know Excel or web design? Can we get a little more information to start the creative juices?

Woody, to clarify things, Randy is absolutely, positively right. A number of us had exchanged emails about our worry about Richard, Randy tried to email him and got no response. Then I sent one out at a rather higher decible (I can get shrieky, as well all know), and Richard DID respond. Randy was cc’d on that email as the effort to contact Richard was something we did together.

We all discussed what we might do. Because I’m a narrative journalist, it occurred to me that if Richard was willing to let his story be told online and would write some journals about his situation that I could post, that it might generate some kind of help (and, at the very least, people would learn from it. I certainly have—and am, as there will be more installments.) Randy was included in those email exchanges..

In any case, as you know, Richard agreed to do it, and off we went. There were, however, long, worrisome lagtimes in which we heard nothing.

And as for how people got the money to Richard, this is also something we (Randy, reg, Listener and others) discussed via email in addition to whatever I posted.

About feeling “helpless,” good lord, when somebody else whom you know and like is in such a difficult circumstance, I feel upset and helpless, don’t you? That doesn’t mean one can’t reach out to help and thankfully many have. But we can’t magically fix Richard’s situation, and we know it…and we wish we could.

I hope this clears things up. But really, we have much better things to fight about than this—which is an entirely false issue.

Now perhaps we can adjourn to fight over the police…..or my fabulous 4th of July photos.