"The Truth Is No Defence"

JEFF SEILER:

I’m going to break with tradition today and include the letter from Dave to me, from Rick S. to me, and my response to Dave. My letter, Rick’s, and Dave’s, sent by fax, were all dated August 15, 2008:

15 August 08

Hi Jeff:

Well, yes, that certainly makes sense to me. I’m a little leery of making unreasonable demands on people’s time but if Nate and Maggs and Dominick and Rick, etc., are willing to stretch the process out -- and coordinate what they’re doing -- it sounds as if that will give this whole experiment a bit more of a fighting chance. We’re all just guessing and my guess would be that there isn’t that much “crossover” viewing: that the average comics fan has his or her favourite comics website and whatever they see there exists and whatever they don’t see there doesn’t exist.

As to Maggs’ later email: I’m loathe to communicate publicly, given the present political climate (i.e., only 130 people not believing I’m a misogynist/being willing to publicly state that opinion). When you exist in a totalitarian context where Heidi MacDonald is basically saying no one should buy my work -- including a work like Judenhass -- because I haven’t and won’t capitulate to feminism and this has (pretty clearly) been accepted as sane and reasonable by 99.99% of the comic-book field: unless and until I can rack up something more than anecdotal numbers of support, I’m more than willing to accept this as the comic-book field’s final verdict. In the same way that I finally accepted it as the final verdict of the female gender in toto ten years ago and banished all thoughts of a romantic relationship with any woman -- in perpetuity -- until and unless THAT political climate changed (which it shows no signs of doing, a decade later). I offer my work to the free marketplace through intermediaries in the case of the comic-book stores who choose to order it and the volunteers who choose to promote it. Basically, this is as shunned as I’m willing to be until you people (the field in general) change your minds. It certainly makes my life a lot easier -- and in exactly the same way -- being banned from Wonderland means my life makes sense 24/7 and I’m probably the only person on Starship Earth who can say that, at this point.

Glamourpuss doesn’t have a Star code -- that’s only for items on the Diamond Star System. It does have a Diamond Order Code, which is available in PREVIEWS, along with the capsule description at the beginning of the month of solicitation in pretty much all comic-book stores. I get my PREVIEWS late, as a publisher, and since neither LOOKIN’ FOR HEROES [nor] CARRY ON BOOKS, here in town, have signed the petition (unless John Brenner or Andy have decided to do so recently), PARADISE COMICS in Toronto is still the only comic store in North America that I can walk into (i.e., the only store whose owner and staff have signed the petition) that lets me out as a source for these. You should be able to get them online at the Diamond website or in a copy of PREVIEWS at your local store.

Re: Rick/TM Talon...

...well, you know, given that I live in a Marxist country where at any time of the day or night any Canadian resident could swear out a Human Rights complaint against me and have me dragged before the Ontario Human Rights Commission, a quasi-judicial (read: Star Chamber) Marxist thought police vehicle for crushing dissent from Marxist-feminist orthodoxy in this country (a carry-over from 13 years of Marxist Liberal rule). The only requirement is that the person swearing out a complaint fears that what I’ve said could cause them to be held up to public ridicule or contempt. Get this: the truth is no defence. Google search Ezra Levant/Western Standard and/or Mark Steyn/MacLeans magazine for two recent attempts by Muslim groups to silence anyone attempting to discuss Islam or Muslims in a way that radical Muslim groups find discomfiting. Average cost for these two infidels to defend themselves: $100,000 and three years...

Given that, I tend to think it sensible to answer questions that Rick puts to me and to give him my blessing to relay them -- again, the intermediary -- to draw a line in the sand as far over in my ostracism as possible, given that Marxist-feminists don’t tend to extend basic human considerations to anyone not sharing their ideologies and prejudices... and given that Rick is one of a handful of people willing to defend my viewpoints, I’m somewhat disinclined to indict him here on Cinderella Liberty (metaphorically speaking).

However, if Rick/Talon has said or done anything that has caused anyone who has signed the petition to get his or her panties in a bunch and they want me to make a public declaration denouncing Rick/Talon and disassociating myself from whatever he’s said, I’ll be more than happy to look at any indictment on its own merits, to accept that it will probably be taken out of context, but to take any excerpt at face value and even preserve the anonymity of whomever wishes me to denounce Comrade Rick/Comrade Talon for running dog anti-Marxist/feminist views detrimental to the good working order of the Glorious Comic Book Nation’s Shining Path of Goodness and Decency...

But, let me state for the record that I REALLY don’t think Rick/Talon is the problem here and that I appreciate his support for me and my views and his willingness to see the facts as they are and to defend the facts from the thought police, no matter what the consequences. And that, given that I can count on the fingers of one hand the number of people I have known in this field over the course of the last thirty years (thirty YEARS) who are willing to do so... that I count that support and courage on a much higher scale than whatever he might have said that got the aforementioned panties in a bunch...

...So help me God.

Thanks always for your support and counsel and assistance, Jeff (and Maggs and Rick, who I am cc’ing with this).

Onward and upward.

Dave

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Next: Rick’s response to me:

Jeff,

As far as my functioning memory allows, I have never stated that I’m a Troll. I did admit that I’ve used the Talon moniker as a mirror aimed at those who mock Sim and conservatives (including me) and I’ve turned that mockery around on them many times before. But I have NEVER posted with the sole intention of trolling or riling up a group or desiring to wreak chaos (which is what I’ve witnessed genuine “trolls” do), but almost always as an attempt to expose the ad hominem attacks that are being used to move the discussion offtopic (using sarcasm, wit and flamboyance) in an attempt to redirect back to the truth of the issues being discussed. Dave doesn’t think that it’s a good idea to use those techniques and I can’t disagree with him there. Now, if you can find anywhere that I’ve stated that I’m a troll or “Talon is a troll”, please share the link and I’ll repudiate it asap.

Now, I’ve been “called” a troll for so long that people just assume that I am, almost like they assume Dave is a sexist or misogynist (for the same reasons).

I’m just trying to figure out your motivation here. Are you trying to protect Dave? I just don’t get it. I’m not in partnership with him, I just have a column where I ask him some questions and hopefully he answers. I don’t represent him nor am I his Mouthpiece. Yes, I’m a huge CEREBUS fan and Dave’s ideas and ideals have always made a huge impression on me. We agree on many, many things about gender, politics, and religion. And we disagree on some things. But we’re not attached.

What I want to know is this... why is it that every time I start discussing Dave’s ideas, the conversation turns to either talking about Dave Sim’s deficiencies or talking about my shortcomings? Did you ever think about why that is? And now, you’re doing it!

Dave’s a great teacher... stay on topic.

Rick

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Lastly, me:

Hi Dave,

I got your fax from early this morning. Funny what God wakes you up for in the middle of the night, eh?

Anyway, I appreciate you sending a copy of it to Margaret and to Rick. As Margaret is so shy about some things and didn’t post it to the others who are putting up the images, I went ahead and did so.

I also sent a copy of what I wrote about Rick to you, to him, so that he could understand what your response was all about. I suspect that he will want to include our faxes in his next Form & Void, so I will discuss this with him.

Understand that I don’t wish him any ill will. I think that what he is doing for you (or with you, whichever) in his column is admirable and I especially admire him for stepping up and filling that void that I might otherwise be filling were it not for my appallingly inconsistent access to a computer and the Internet. Yeah, I know, I could do it like you, with a typewriter and a fax machine, but even regular (let alone free) access to a fax machine is not a done deal for me.

Anyway, your fax does not require much else of a response, so I’m going to return to your baseball analogy of the previous fax, in which you said that if it doesn’t work out past issue #4 [of glamourpuss], then that will be an example of you “running the bases because, well, that’s what a pro ball player is expected to do.”

It reminded me of three incidents from the real world of baseball that I think are also analogous.

First, in 1991 (I think), the great Hall-of-Famer, George Brett, upon nearing the 3,000 hit milestone, was sidelined by a recurring injury until the last few days, sitting at 2,996 hits. Upon his return, many doubted his ability to reach the milestone that season. In his first game back, however, he had not one, not two, but four base hits in the game, to reach 3,000.

A couple of years later, in 1993, as he approached his final game, he was asked how he envisioned his final at-bat. Many other greats envisioned a home run or some great feat, in their cases. But, Brett just said, “I see it as a ground ball to second that I’ll run out the whole way.” As he always did. For the record, it was a hot grounder that went off the second-baseman’s glove for a single. Number 3,154.

Lastly, there’s Hall-of-Famer Carlton Fisk, who once slightly fractured my hand when I shook hands with him after the 1991 All Star Game in Toronto. Late in his career, when he was with the White Sox, he was behind the plate when a rookie phenom popped up to second base, trotted a few steps toward first base, and then peeled off towards the dugout. Fisk ran up behind the phenom, who later credited Fisk with changing his attitude towards the game, and Fisk yelled in the kid’s right ear, “Run!”

I am proud to say that I know that no one has ever had to admonish you thusly, Dave.

So, just wanted to say thanks for the past, present, and ongoing Hall-of-Fame effort.

Respectfully,

Jeff