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Patron almost chokes on food, armada responds

I was enjoying dinner with a friend at Wonder Spice in JP late Saturday evening when the local ladder truck pulled up. Several firefighters briskly walked in carrying medical kits and looking for the back patio. We inquired with our waitress as she stopped by to collect our plates, and found out that someone on the patio had choked on their food. They were OK, but the restaurant had called 911 "just in case."

Response to this "someone at our restaurant choked, but is OK now" call? The aforementioned fire truck with several firefighters, followed by four police cars, six officers (two on foot), and two ambulances. Boston Fire, having figured out that everybody was OK, packed up and was gone almost as quick as they came. We never saw a "victim" leave the restaurant under Boston EMS care- so clearly, they were OK. Boston Police, however, couldn't leave well enough alone.

The senior Boston Police officer wanted to speak to the owner. The chef had her cell phone out and appeared to be trying to contact the owner, but her English wasn't very good, and the officer (towering over her) was nothing but impatient, rude, and intimidating; not even remotely helping the situation. It ended with him demanding to inspect "all your licenses for this place" in front of two dozen patrons. The staff immediately obliged and pulled down the framed licenses, mounted in plain view right in front of the officer.

We were baffled: since when is BPD in charge of inspections and licensing? Why the mammoth police response and the Tough Cop routine? Why did he need to speak to the owner right that very second about a resolved matter? What relevance does licensing have to someone choking on food?

Wonder Spice has been in JP for years, is well-known in the community, and consistently wins awards. They're not strangers, nor a fly-by-night operation. Would it have really been a bother to simply ask for the owner's phone number politely and inquire when someone would be around the next morning?


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Comments

BPD has had responsibility for such issues since before you were born.

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http://www.cityofboston.gov/isd/

"The Inspectional Services Department (ISD) is comprised of five regulatory divisions whose aim is to protect and improve the quality of life for all Boston residents by effectively administering and enforcing building, housing, health, sanitation and safety regulations mandated by City and State governments."

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That's what you remind me of. Everywhere you go something insanely unlucky and problematic happens to you.

Either that or it's that you have just a tad of a "flair for the dramatic" when you come here to detail the latest official-capade that you've been horribly witness to! If only one ambulance had come, I imagine you'd be calling for the heads of city hall who would respond with such a disregard for public safety! What if the whole restaurant had been choking?

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I don't understand why you find Brett to be an unreliable witness.

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That's what you remind me of. Everywhere you go something insanely unlucky and problematic happens to you.

It wasn't unlucky or problematic to me- it was unlucky for the person that almost choked, and problematic for the restaurant staff. Also, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyperbole

Either that or it's that you have just a tad of a "flair for the dramatic" when you come here to detail the latest official-capade that you've been horribly witness to!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ad_hominem

You have a flair for attacking me personally. I got so tired of your diatribes, I stopped posting under my account, because I noticed that I only drew your ire when I posted with my name.

Looks like it's time to do so again...

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Brett, don't stop posting under your own name. Many of us can see Kaz's ad hominem for what it is. If he wants to be a combative, let him, we can see it for what it is... and it doesn't reflect badly on you.

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I don't think you're imaging things when you suspect a troll. Probably best to not bait them further ...

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Telling you that you are either very unlucky or overly dramatic isn't a personal attack, nor is it ad hominem. A personal attack would have been to say "Brett, you are an lying ignoramus", which I'm not saying. That might lead to one type of ad hominem or another type would be to say "Brett, you are always critical of authority, therefore whenever you comment on them, you're wrong", which I'm also not saying. You brought up the illegal parking on Pasteur the other day, didn't you? I didn't say a word about that because I didn't see you being so dramatic/over-the-top and felt that it was interesting to hear about the fact that they were there for a meeting.

What I'm saying (and this doesn't fall under ad hominem) is that when you come here to tell us about your latest escapade with officials/authority, you write it up as if the world was about to end because of what you claim to have witnessed. Did this conflagration of police, fire, and rescue even make the city blotter? I mean, they were so fired up according to you that they had to check licenses and call the owner immediately! It'd be amazing if this didn't make even the police's own blog/write-ups, right? You are overly dramatic (that's a description, not an attack) and it makes for exactly what timlev says below: a good personal blog entry, not a worthwhile UHub post (in my opinion, your mileage may vary, not valid in 48 states including Florida).

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What I'm saying (and this doesn't fall under ad hominem) is that when you come here to tell us about your latest escapade with officials/authority, you write it up as if the world was about to end because of what you claim to have witnessed.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Straw_man

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ding, ding, ding. The correct answer is straw man.

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What other logical fallacy can you come up with to disregard what I'm saying? Instead of addressing my complaint with your posting, you try and pigeon-hole what I'm saying into logical fallacies that don't fit their own descriptions that you provide. *That* is an example of a straw-man argument. I said you write these things overly dramatically. I point out that if it had gone down exactly as you say then there'd be a little more record of the incident than your diatribe here (and yet I haven't seen any other evidence that it went down as you describe with a towering BPD officer harassing a non-English speaking chef and over 5 responding vehicles). My complaint is well-based in the content you've provided and how you've provided it.

Then you just quote part of what I said and link to "straw man". Well, thanks for exampling exactly what it is you were trying to accuse me of doing. By not addressing what I actually said and then mischaracterizing it, and subsequently dismissing it, as a straw man...you actually constructed your own straw man to knock down and then took a swing at it. Congrats.

Of course, even if you were right in claiming that I used strawmen or ad hominem attacks (and, don't worry, you aren't), but IF you were right about these things, don't fall victim to the fallacy fallacy wherein you dismiss my conclusion that you over-hype these things simply because I arrived at them through fallacy. Ginger may still be a cat.

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Black Cat, That's what Kaz reminds me of.

Every thread Kaz posts on, something insanely unlucky and problematic happens to him.

Either that or it's that Kaz has just a "flair for the dramatic" when he come here to read Brett's posts.

If Brett had taken a less reasonable assessment of the situation, I imagine Kaz would be calling for Adam to enforce the new posting policy.

What if the Universal Hub readership had been offended by Kaz's flair?

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Kaz wrote: "What I'm saying (and this doesn't fall under ad hominem) is that when you come here to tell us about your latest escapade with officials/authority, you write it up as if the world was about to end because of what you claim to have witnessed."

Dude, you've spent far too long on this. I enjoy Brett's posts. You obviously don't. So stop reading them. Seriously.

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I think Kaz finds Brett's posts to be an attractive nuisance. He really doesn't have the ability not to read them.

Topical tidbit: I agree that Brett's posts are dramatic, but whether they are overly dramatic is in the eye of the beholder.

Man choked. Many police came. Cop was boorish. See how boring it is without the drama?

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I think Kaz finds Brett's posts to be an attractive nuisance.

Then you didn't read Kaz's post very closely. The way I read it Kaz finds Brett posts incredulous and calls Brett out for it, with specious arguments.

Are you and Kaz related/friends/lovers?

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Why don't you run down to the corner and buy your momma some more crack or something?

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You could have answered the question without the joke that you humped my mother and claim she's a crack whore. What does that say about you?

Are you aware that Adam has a new flame policy? Are you and Adam related/friends/or whatever?

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No, I would get near your mother, thanks. Look what happened last time someone did.

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"Huh?" We both know what you posted the first time, before you edited it. You really are spineless. I don't care if you imply you humped my mother or that she is a crack whore. It certainly doesn't reflect badly on her.

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What we both know is who you are. You're that same anonymous creep who keeps logging on here just to call people names, call regular posters gay, swear, and post juvenile clip art.

Isn't it going to be fine when Adam gets around to requiring registration? You'll not be here any longer, because you're far too cowardly to even have a constant pseudonym.

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Gareth. This thread speaks for itself, re-read it and notice who is calling who names.

As for the post where you claimed to have sex with my mom, the crack whore, druple keeps track of versions so the webmaster only has to look to see what you posted.

Do you want to get ahead of that now and apologize? It's up to you. I don't care if you call my mom a crack whore. It doesn't reflect badly on her.

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Without a name how can you possibly prove he was talking about your mom?

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to my post and said "your".

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I don't have a dog in this fight. I just wanted to see how much thinner the column got but replying.

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Sounds like fun. Your turn.

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There was one where the replies went down to about 2-3 characters per line once...was pretty humorous to page through.

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A little smaller

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Now that would be really annoying!

Here: I'll copy Brett's original post to see what it would like now.

I was enjoying dinner with a friend at Wonder Spice in JP late Saturday evening when the local ladder truck pulled up. Several firefighters briskly walked in carrying medical kits and looking for the back patio. We inquired with our waitress as she stopped by to collect our plates, and found out that someone on the patio had choked on their food. They were OK, but the restaurant had called 911 "just in case."

Response to this "someone at our restaurant choked, but is OK now" call? The aforementioned fire truck with several firefighters, followed by four police cars, six officers (two on foot), and two ambulances. Boston Fire, having figured out that everybody was OK, packed up and was gone almost as quick as they came. We never saw a "victim" leave the restaurant under Boston EMS care- so clearly, they were OK. Boston Police, however, couldn't leave well enough alone.

The senior Boston Police officer wanted to speak to the owner. The chef had her cell phone out and appeared to be trying to contact the owner, but her English wasn't very good, and the officer (towering over her) was nothing but impatient, rude, and intimidating; not even remotely helping the situation. It ended with him demanding to inspect "all your licenses for this place" in front of two dozen patrons. The staff immediately obliged and pulled down the framed licenses, mounted in plain view right in front of the officer.

We were baffled: since when is BPD in charge of inspections and licensing? Why the mammoth police response and the Tough Cop routine? Why did he need to speak to the owner right that very second about a resolved matter? What relevance does licensing have to someone choking on food?

Wonder Spice has been in JP for years, is well-known in the community, and consistently wins awards. They're not strangers, nor a fly-by-night operation. Would it have really been a bother to simply ask for the owner's phone number politely and inquire when someone would be around the next morning?

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It reminds me of those magnetic poetry kits. I know someone who had them on her dorm fridge in the 90s. They never made sense either.

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I think you hit the wall

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Antidisestablishmentarisnism causes pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis.

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Ron, you totally rock.

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We keep this up, we're going to blow a buffer on the server, at which point uhub will cease to exist. Until adam comes back from his vacation.

Nevertheless, I feel compelled to push the limit. I once took lessons in one of those languages that agglutinate. For example:

Avrupal?la?t?ramad?klar?m?zdan m?s?n?z?

Translation: Are you one of those whom we could not Europeanize?

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I can hear people going "darn!" :-).

The narrow borders are a function of the templates, not the database or CPU. Although I wonder what happens if the border breaks. Negative spacing?

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will this reply shift even further to the right? ... than Obama...

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"A little bit softer now"

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Theres no way to prove that the your he is refering to is you or another anon who has long since moved on.

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there were no other anon's engaged in the tet-a-tet

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Controlling Anger -- Before It Controls You
http://www.apa.org/topics/controlanger.html

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This keeps going on and on anon.

A poster named Kaz there once was
Who hated Brett's posts on the Fuzz
He bemoaned wasted space
With massive posts to this place
And Anon and Timlav in the buzz

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You can rhyme!
But can you do a handstand?

Here's the Urban Dictionary definition of a "Swirly". Which one fits you best?

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And I don't receive them, either. I hand them out to bullies.

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Lady, you're as much of a bully here as anyone. Calling someone else a bully doesn't make you any less so.

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you just turned it back at her.
fact is, she didn't call you a bully
she just said she wouldn't take crap if you were inclined to dish it out

"as much of a bully here as anyone"

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I merely stated my definition preference (given the linked options), and how I have historically enjoyed a good Swirly.

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I didn't say you called ME a bully, in fact, now did I? I said someone. Perhaps there's a guilty conscience lurking there. You said you like to give swirlies to bullies. I wonder, how does one perform a swirly on oneself? I assume it is possible.

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there's always a contingent lying in wait to go after Swirly.

I live in JP and found Brett's post interesting and plausible. And worthwhile.

and Kaz did appear to me to be calling him a liar. and then chaos appeared to me to ensue.

but it was all worth it for that narrow thread.

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and getting some room in the bargain?

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I don't think it is Brett, I think it is Brett actually noticing the stupid and questioning it. Noticing stupid and questioning it isn't allowed in these parts.

That makes her insane by Boston standards, because only an ungrateful and negative wavemaker would ever say that those in authority are in any way deficient in their professionalism or knowledge or public service attitude! Same goes for those who dare point out how Boston and Massachusetts are stuck in time and losing ground because of a dated structure of governance and patronage appointment system. Crazy! We are a world class city!

Seriously though, have you considered moving to a more progressive place Brett?

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isn't allowed in these parts. didn't used to be allowed in these parts. Brett, don't relocate and don't stop posting under your own name just becuase Kaz and others question your reason and judgment or hurl invective or employ ad hominem or argue a straw dog argument. They, not you, are the ones who are arguing a fallacy.

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There is a disturbing pattern of behavior with some Boston Police Officers. Did you get the name or badge number of the officer who handled the situation you described above?

I don't know what law enforcement jurisdiction the BPD has over restaurant and bed&breakfast licensing. While it's clear they can ask for the license, it is not clear why they would.

Police work is oftentimes about de-escalating a situation. This guys sounds like he was doing exactly the opposite, escalating the situation. One has to wonder, what reasonable suspicion was he investigating? Or was he just pissed off and taking it out on whoever he encountered?

Remind me to not invite the Boston Police into my home if they knock on the front door.

I was recently stopped for a traffic violation. The BPD officer was respectful and reasonable. I have no complaint about the experience. I wish there were more like him.

I'm interested in learning why the 24-year-old BPD officer took her own life with a gun and whether it had anything to do with her work on the force or not.

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Does anyone know what happened to BPD plans to start steroid testing for cops?

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Someone want to call Commisioner Davis or Jack Parlon to get an update? The three months ended June 22. The article does not say what policy sergeants and lieutenants are to follow if they spot or suspect an officer is taking unprescribed (illegal) anabolic steroids.

In the next three months, Boston police plan to train sergeants and lieutenants to watch for signs of steroid abuse, such as sudden muscle gain or mood swings, police said.

Officers will also be taught the dangers of the drug during health seminars the department holds regularly.

Davis declined to provide more details about revamping the testing policy. He said that any changes would have to be negotiated with the unions.

Jack Parlon, president of the Boston Police Detectives Benevolent Society, said that during contract negotiations last year, his union offered to let the department test for steroids in exchange for specialized training and pay increases based on level of training for detectives. The department declined the offer.

Parlon said he was open to discussing steroid testing again, but he called on the department to find a test that rank-and-file officers could trust.

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Don't invite the Boston Police into your home if they knock on the front door.

I'm sure most people here know by now that I give police the benefit of the doubt. But there are bad apples out there. Cops are strangers too, just strangers with badges. Don't let them into your home unless you called them.

That's what the front porch is for. Step out, lock the door behind you, and talk to them on the porch.

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I took some law classes in college (every so often I threaten to go to law school then wimp out) and one of my professors would always go on about how you shouldnt let the cops in your house without a warrent no matter how nice they are. The problem is anything in plain site that they see that breaks the law in anyway could be used against you. Remember we have thousands of laws on the books, it isnt always about hookers and dubies, you could have something illegal in your house and just be ignorant (which as that same professor would say is no excuse) so its best to just meet them on the porch.

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What would happen if they saw my region-hacked DVD player? I'd spend the next decade in a DMCA gulag.

Nothing wrong with being amicable. I recommend it. But do it on the porch.

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Amicable and respectful sets a good tone. Even if it is not returned. Don't escalate the tone unless you want to see what happens. You don't hold the power and its best if you leave the trappings of power to them.

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Lawrence V Texas is an instance where a cop came into the house for one thing and arrested them for another. Granted it was overturned by the Supreme Court and the law was struck down but it was struck down for other reasons. Im sure they didnt think they were doing anything illegal until some cop came busting down their door.

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The large response could also be to get training/experience in responding to a call - they know that this one is nothing, but they send the whole crew in, as if it were a bigger deal. This way, they can accurately see how they would do in a much more desperate situation, and better prepare for it.

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My above comment was regarding the fire department's response, not the nastiness of the BPD. That kind of attitude, there is no training.

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Dude, seriously, GET YOUR OWN BLOG! It takes seconds to set up. You can call it: I Hate Cops or Question Authority or some other title that. Then you can develop an audience instead of saddling the UH audience with your personal drama.

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I don't see it that way but if I did, I'd either bitch about it with a comment or move along, nothing to see here, move along.

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Thank you, brave anon! Well put. You should move on. I, for one, can't wait for registration!

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Brett is registered so that won't help with your original issue. I, on the other hand, am not registered so it may or may not help with your second issue... my opinion.

I don't understand why commenters tell people who post articles to "get their own blog". Adam set it up so that everyone who registered could post their own stories. Did you know that?

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I'm not certain that *everyone* who registers can post stories. I thought Adam said that only some would be given that ability, but maybe it was just logistically easier to open it to all registered accounts. I don't know.

Secondly, Adam has also deleted stories posted on the front page before because they weren't what he wanted here. He did so after others complained in the comments about the lack of content or baseless commentary or overly acerbic "story" material. I think Brett has even had one or two of these anecdotal over-the-top stories removed because they are exactly as timlav says "good for a blog, not right for a story here" and Adam agreed. I especially agree with this when it's not even a linked story, just a personal diatribe against some nameless cop that Brett didn't agree with (along with details that only serve to make the officer or other official look like an ass or worse). That having been said, the one about illegal parking on Pasteur from a few days ago was an example of what Brett *could* be writing here and seem much more agreeable to people like myself and timlav and others.

So, that's why commenters like myself complain when Brett posts one of these anti-authority personal experiences. Adam does sometimes agree with our assessment and adjust content accordingly. Just because someone *can* post a Story doesn't mean they always get it right.

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Secondly, Adam has also deleted stories posted on the front page before because they weren't what he wanted here. He did so after others complained in the comments about the lack of content or baseless commentary or overly acerbic "story" material. I think Brett has even had one or two of these anecdotal over-the-top stories removed because they are exactly as timlav says "good for a blog, not right for a story here" and Adam agreed.

I deleted them myself, Kaz- mostly because you'd post and redirect the discussion from the subject to an attack at me.

Feel free to check with Adam on this. He's never deleted a story I've posted.

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I asked once where the "let's post license plates of naughty drivers" post went, and Adam said he didn't know, so Brett must have deleted it. Thank you, Brett, for deleting it and the other posts.

I can't wait for future posts about someone looking at you funny or saying unkind things to you. Of course, on your own blog, that is.

Blogger really is easy to use!

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That's fine. I didn't know for sure, which is why I said "he's deleted stories" and not "deleted your stories" and then I said "I think you had some removed by Adam" and not "Adam has removed your stories". I do know, by e-mail, that he agreed with your decision to delete your story from a month ago even if he was not the one to actually delete it because you had already done so. Please also note that I don't disagree with everything you post.

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when Kaz can make it all about Kaz and what Kaz wants to see at UHub in a multitudinous exposition of posts!

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In fact, if you check my profile and Adam's, you'll see he's been a member for only about nine weeks longer than I have and he created this site. So, I'm no Johnny-come-lately trying to hijack someone else's space with my own personal drama. All Brett needs to do is go someplace like Blogger.com or Wordpress and start a new blog. The nice thing is that Adam will graciously include it in a listing of blogs here, and perhaps even by T stop if Brett so chose. When there is something of interest, Adam might even link to Brett's postings. That way, UH readers can decide whether to follow the link instead. All Brett's fellow moonbats can go there and have a great time talking about 'roided-out cops. It'll be like a little group therapy in the blogosphere.

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All Brett needs to do is go someplace like Blogger.com or Wordpress and start a new blog.

Here, here!

Your ideas are intriguing to me and I wish to subscribe to your newsletter.

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points ->

Christ, I can't stand the "livejournal snark"...

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In spite of Kaz's effort to refocus the story on your credibility and timlev's attempt so dissuade you from posting here... or perhaps because of it, I would say 60 comments is a pretty showing. Well done Brett.

I'll reserve judgment until I see the topics and content of Kaz's and timlev's posts.

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Now I know why you post anonymously. It's because anon is easy to spell. See, timlav, is, too. So is Gareth. Though, it seems they're hard for you.

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I said:

timlev's attempt so dissuade you from posting here

Is that not true?

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