VRWC is shorthand for "Vast Right-Wing Conspiracy."
It's something conservatives laugh at. But it's real.
UPDATE: Various people, some affiliated with this site, have been issuing comments here over the last few days. Most have been taken down. I stand by this story, the opinions expressed in it, and my opinion concerning sympathizers with these bozos.
It's the lynch mob mentality fostered by preachers, by politicians, by demagogues, a mentality used to attack Miami vote-counters, Vince Foster, Joe Wilson -- the list goes on and on.
It was also used to attack Andy Stephenson.
Stephenson was a blogger. He worked with sites like Democratic Underground and BlackBox Voting. He died this week of pancreatic cancer.
But not before teaching us all just what evil lurks in the hearts of men.
When Stephenson was diagnosed some friends tried to raise money for his care. Free Republic, one of the Web sites that is home to this lynching mentality, not only chose to make fun of his condition, but hosted claims that he faked it. Let The Weekly pick up the story:
They started a campaign that questioned his diagnosis and his motives, and they poured vitriol into a sick man's wounds. According to some of Stephenson's supporters, the questions they raised temporarily stalled his friends' fund- raising, delaying Stephenson's cancer surgery. They accused Stephenson of fraud, filed complaints against him, and accused him of lining his own pockets. Even when Seattle Weekly offered proof that Stephenson was hospitalized, gravely ill, and had indeed had cancer surgery, they continued to attack. They tried to make a dying man's final days a worse hell than they already were.
There is a word for what these people did. That word is Evil. These are Evil Doers, with sick minds, and sick hearts.
There is nothing like this on the Left. Go as far out on the left-limb as you want, and you won't find people who would deny a conservative's cancer diagnosis and prolong his suffering. You won't find these people organized, ready to pounce at a moment's notice, with no evidence, like ravening wolves.
Anyone who makes common cause with these bastards should know what they're in on.
If you use this site and have a shred of human decency, or claim to, then I demand that you leave it now. If you don't my criticism is directed straight at your soul. I really doubt that God will find much mercy for you when the final judgement is made.
Dana Blankenhorn has been a business journalist for over 25 years and has covered the online world professionally since 1985. He founded the "Interactive Age Daily" for CMP Media, and has written for the Chicago Tribune, Advertising Age, and dozens of other publications over the years.
1. Billy Beck on July 21, 2005 08:04 PM writes...
(hah)
"Courage"
Permalink to Comment2. Kimchee348@aol.com on July 22, 2005 10:11 AM writes...
You are another Johnny-Come-Lately to this story.
The fundraiser for Andy Stephenson was, and still is, anything but transparent. Questioners both on the left and the right have asked 3 primary questions for 2 months now, none of which of have been answered. Asking for proof of legitimacy of a public fundraiser is not harassment by any legal standard.
The issues are: there has been no proper accounting of funds raised, no conclusive diagnosis of pancreatic cancer, and no proof that there ever was a surgery date of May 10, let alone the reason it was cancelled.
The fundraisers themselves caused all of these problems by lack of public disclosure, and further, by making myriad threats against citizens who dared ask for transparency. It gets much worse than that too; some of Andy's so-called friends have resorted to threats of physical violence against questioners. These people in specific are Ben Burch, William Pitt, and most recently Air America radio host Mike Malloy. The threats, which are all saved and documented, range from saying they should go to one man's hometown with baseball bats and shotguns, carving Andy's name into people's flesh, and a promise from Malloy that his and one man's paths will intersect and there will be a "pounding".
So, please, don't even dream of puffing up and claiming the highground.
If you don't believe me, Mr. Blankenhorn, go post questions about the legitimacy of the fundraiser on DemocraticUndergound.com and see what happens. Try it, and report back!
The original questions originated on DU itself, many by long-standing DUers. Any suggestion that this was a right-wing hit job can be blown to smithereens in seconds.
Andy Stephenson himself posted the words "politicize my plight!" His band of thugs and so-called friends have apparently done exactly that. Remember that, Mr. Blankenhorn. They politicized it themselves, while the vast majority of questioners don't see this as political at all.
If you can find ANY posts on Free Republic where people have EVER wished Andy ill, post them. Put your money where your mouth is. There is no shame in questioning the claims made by the fundraisers, which remain unsupported, and there is no shame in doubting these still unsupported claims. There WOULD be shame in wishing Andy to be ill or disease-ridden, but claiming that members of Free Republic did any such thing is just as unsubstantiated as so many of the other claims.
Permalink to Comment3. Victor on July 22, 2005 12:11 PM writes...
LOL - intellectually lazy! I totally agree.
Talk about lazy reporters and writers - This column and writer is about as lazy as you can get. Here he writes:
http://www.corante.com/mooreslore/archives/2005/07/21/lazy_reporter_calls_reporter_lazy.php
That link shows you complaining about lazy reporters complaining about lazy reporting, when here on this column you are doing exactly the same thing.
This link is about Andy's closest confidant besides his significant other. This is the same friend that organized his memorial.
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/aplocal_story.asp?category=6420&slug=WA%20Elections%20Arrest
Seems you need to do some fact checking. Just watch the papers in months to come. This was just the beginning of how these fundraising specialists have bilked hundreds of thousands out of those with strong political emotions. They fed the anger and rage, than they took advantage of those same people.
The cover up artists (and now you join their ranks) are busy trying to deflect and turn this into something political. Really, all it has done is given fundraising in progressive circles a bad name and damaged the progressive movement in general.
See, scam artists don't care about anything other than money. These scam artists have capitalized on fears, anger, and blindness to get what they care the most about. But, nevertheless, you probably still won't believe it even after many more arrests are made. Some of us want those that prey upon the progressive community for nefarious reasons stopped.
Permalink to Comment4. Dana Blankenhorn on July 22, 2005 01:18 PM writes...
Those above who excused the terrorism of Free Republic, or who projected their own idiocy on Andy Stephenson's friends and family, have done more to self-identify themselves as terrorists than I ever could.
Notice the lack of real names. I noticed the lack of real e-mail addresses.
It's paranoia that creates things like Oklahoma City, even 9-11. Those who give in to their paranoia are ripe to become weapons of mass destruction.
Remember that, everyone.
Permalink to Comment5. Dana Blankenhorn on July 22, 2005 08:40 PM writes...
So the heart of your case is that the man's family wasn't completely broke, and had to be completely broken before anyone could help them, and oh, by the way, you don't recognize that his partner was his family.
This bankrupt morality is called a "gotcha" that enables harassment by your little Stormtroopers, of him, of the Seattle Weekly, and now of me?
Really? Should we be doing this investigation of anyone who dies of cancer? Or just of people whose politics you don't like?
Permalink to Comment6. AF on July 26, 2005 06:11 PM writes...
I don't think the problem is with Andy. I think some "fundraisers" wishing to capitalize on Andy's illness created some overall distrust here.
I encountered some fundraisers at the dailykos. Immediately something didn't smell right...they explained Andy was having surgery at Johns Hopkins in only two days - but the hospital was cancelling if he couldn't pay cash up front. The soliciters linked to articles in their diary as sources to their story. I followed the links...they led to other dailykos diaries written by the same soliciters. Around and around it went.
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