[pdx_bloggers] Oregon "Reality" Revealed – It's Councilor Canfield!?

1775.

It's Troutdale city councilor Robert Canfield? Wow.

The Bogman promised that if the small person behind the risible posts at the half-correctly-named Oregon Reality (for the general edification, those posts are detailed here) 'fessed up and apologized for saying unwarranted, uncalled-for nasty things about him (pointed attacks on his stature as a professional, father, and family man) then he wouldn't reveal his identity to the world.

The only response was Oregon Reality's deletion of just one of the comments with a passionless insincere disclaimer:

"Let's see your tax returns, Bogdanski. Lets see your time sheets. I'm sure your employer, Lewis & Clark, would love to see how many days you've misappropriated from your employer, claiming to be "working" while you're really glued to your computer, writing fairy tales on your little blog."

These comments previously made are not factually supported and we regret the original publication thereof. The original post has been deleted.

So, at high noon today, as promised, the news was broke. The Bogman promised we'd be surprised ... and we were. Or at least we were disgusted.

The good Councilor has hidden behind the letter of the law on anyonymity, using it as the last refuge of the scoundrel, and reiterated a complete, yawning, abysmal lack of understanding of what "freedom of speech" really means.

But the problem wasn't The Bogman, and never was. The problem was a man who figured – incorrectly – that posting as an anonyblogger – easily findable or not – somehow protected you from being publicly humiliated by a man who you've attacked with nasty, personal prose. The First Amendment, as enumerated in the constitution, has nothing whatsoever to say about what an individual blogger will allow as comments (delcaring anathema laws that infringe the freedom of speech, infringe the freedom of the press, limit the right to peaceably assemble, or limit the right to petition the government for a redress of grievances).

The concept of "freedom of speech" in America is about what the government can or can't do to your ability to speak out in public, not about what The Bogman does to your comments in his blog. And if you don't think he respects your views? C'est la guerre, mon cher. There are other places on line that you can go and cry about that at.

So you start an anonymous blog. Fine. You rant and rave. Also fine. You then post risible, insulting, slanderous statements about someone because you think You Have The Right. Not fine. You then have the incredible lack of awareness of history to go out of your way to aggravate someone who has shown that they can effectively embarrass you in public. Appetite for self-destruction?

What Canfield posted on "Oregon Reality" is shameful. Sad thing is, he's apparently not ashamed. But judging by the comments on The Bogman's post, his reputation is taking a big hit. Some are even calling for comments to the Troutdale city council. I don't. I think having to look yourself in the mirror the rest of your life after broadcasting such indefensible public statements should be enough punishment.

Ironically, he linked to me once. Somwhere in his blog's archives, there's surely some prose from me mentioning that he was a person whose passion and desire to serve I could not question even though I didn't agree with his politics. For that, I was rewarded with link love. Sometime later, I can't recall when, I noticed my link had disappeared from his blogroll, replaced with such dreadful people as Michelle Malkin and Little Green Footballs.

I'll admit my feelings were a little hurt, as I still had his link at the time.

I've gotten over it now though. Character, you see, is what you are when you don't think anyone knows who you are. If he's willing to claim ownership of Oregon Reality, then I think I've seen all I need to see about his character. It's not pretty. Seeing what I've seen, I don't miss not having his esteem.

And so it goes.

Tags: The Bogman, Jack Bogdanski, Robert Canfield, Oregon Reality, Troutdate Councilor Canfield

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