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Some parting thoughts from me...

Do you know how I became aware of Swordmaker’s unhealthy obsession with Apple? Sometime in the past two years, I stumbled on to an Apple thread and made a comment. Now, I don’t remember if it was a particularly negative comment, but it must not have been pro-Apple, because Swordmaker jumped down my throat, started calling me a “troll,” accused me of spreading “FUD,” and accused me of being part of some vast right wing conspiracy called the “Apple Haters Brigade.” Naturally, this caught my attention.

Next thing I know, I’ve got people yelling at me to “stay off the Apple threads!!!” for the filthy, dirty crime of dissenting with the pro-Apple line.

Wow.

How did I become aware of Swordmaker? Why did I start paying any attention to his activities? Pretty much that initial reaction. Naturally, I piqued up. “Hmmm...” I thought, “Maybe that ‘Apple fan-boi’ rhetoric is true. After all, all I did was dissent on FR and I was treated like I am part of some kind of conspiracy.”

So, I tried a couple more posts, just to check it out. See what would happen. My favorite response was when Swordmaker actually pinged his entire Ping List and ordered them to attack me for having the temerity of going on an Apple thread and saying something not nice about Apple.

Now I’m curious. I tried explaining myself, “No guys: I don’t hate Apple. I currently own and have owned Apple products. My current phone is an Android because I prefer it... BUT... do you see how this reaction to dissent on the threads is a tad ridiculous?”

Out came the book-long responses, complete with marketing graphics, et al, that never really addressed that point, just continued to extol the virtues of Apple. OK, fine. For a while, I decided to be at peace. Swordmaker claimed to be running a Ping List on “all things related to Apple.” Unfortunately, though, by this point, he caught my attention. So - without really wanting to - I’m *seeing* his posts in forum and - whaddya know? - it’s not “all things related to Apple” after all! It’s three kinds of posts:

1. Apple is great and just released the greatest thing and is the greatest company in the world articles.

2. Something bad about Apple, but - don’t worry! - Apple is on it, everything will be alright, and keep using and buying Apple products with the greatest confidence. (The comical part is that even when the article would say something to the exact contrary, Swordmaker would *conveniently* translate the article in the best possible terms for Apple for his Ping List.)

3. “Android sucks” articles. “You are a fool if you ever buy Android.” Also, Samsung. Or any competitor to Apple. They suck, all around.

After seeing this blatant pattern, it became clear that - while he may not have started in this forum as a paid social marketer - he parlayed his membership in this forum into a paid social marketing gig with Apple. (Quack.)

So, yeah - there are a bunch of people who “watch” Swordmaker. Why? Probably because the way he and his minions treat dissent. When you have such an overwhelmingly negative experience for disagreeing on a *product*, it’s bound to draw your attention. Eventually, you want to know what’s up. Watch long enough, and the answer is self-evident.

I don’t consider this a flame war. I’m just calling attention to the fact FR has a regular stream of advertising/propaganda being pumped into the forum. Apple should be billed for it. (Oh, and I’m sure Swordmaker donates to the forum. It just goes on his expense report. I wonder if that counts as billing? Hmmm...)

I recall that event and your claiming I pinged the Ping list and my response to you that I had not. I found your assumption quite amusing. No sir. I have never> pinged the entire Ping list to a comment of yours, nor would I have done such a thing. Do you seriously have such a high opinion of yourself that you would merit such attention? How arrogant of you. I knew you were a narcissist but you have confirmed with that claim. I would not waste the time of over 700 Freepers to bring you to their attention. They have better things to do. I don't ping people for trivial idiots. I merely pinged the Freepers in the Thread whom you had insulted with a general nasty comment about all Apple users. As I recall, there were probably at most about eight to ten participants of that thread whom you smeared. You hilariously conflated that into the entire ping list of 700 plus.

Now pay attention, bolobaby: I do not ever "order" any members of the Apple Ping List or even those on that thread to attack anyone. . . ever. I merely brought their attention to your behavior. If they found your conduct egregious, they were FREE to do as they pleased. They were not "mind-numbed robots" to borrow a phrase from critics of Rush Limbaugh, as other anti-Apple haters have called them in the past.

As I recall they found your behavior quite egregious. You just confirmed it with your comments about being told to go away. It is indeed appropriate to tell someone insulting all Apple users to "stay off Apple threads!" when you behave like a boor.

Yes, I posted Android articles when there was an issue that could be a problem for the Android users on FreeRepublic they needed to know about such as a major security vulnerability (if you looked you'd see I pinged the Apple Ping list because many Apple users have Android phones), or something I admit that was ironic, because there was no Android ping list.

“You are a fool if you ever buy Android.”

You put in quotation marks things, meaning I have written those words, when I know for a fact I have not. Where have I ever said such a thing? You can go to every single Android thread and you will not find me ever writing those words. Nor, bolobaby, have I ever implied them. Since I have not, and know for a fact I would not have said it, you are again lying to make me appear something I am not. . . to people who may never have been on those threads. You, sir, are a liar, trying to smear me to advance your agenda. You are using Alinsky propaganda techniques to denigrate me. What does that make you?

You, because you always see "evil" in anything associated even peripherally with Apple, assume ulterior motivations. . . but you are becoming obviously delusional to assume that a thread on Android is in any way associated and the association is constructed only in your sick mind, apparently because you know there are problems.

Dayglored and I talked over the need for an Android Ping List on FR and then tried to find someone to host an Android Ping list. It took several days, but ThunderSleeps stepped up and volunteered and with our advice on how to run a Ping list, got it up and running.

I now always ping ThunderSleeps to such articles when I post or see them because he has created such a ping list. I will continue posting such articles.

You claim "book-long responses, complete with marketing graphics, et al, that never really addressed that point" when they always address the point, and have links to the facts. They are "not" marketing graphics but graphics used as exhibits to counter your or others' claims, usually from authoritative sources and always sourced with links to those sources. . . and seldom from Apple. Just because I know how to refute specious arguments with well documented and well written presentations does not mean they are from Apple.

I have been a published author, editor and publisher. I don't turn out crap. When I have made statements just on my own, I have been attacked for not providing sources or proof. So, bolobaby, I've learned to go ahead and provide it before the argument develops. Now, here you are attacking me for providing such thorough documentation. I get attacked for it both ways with you Apple Haters.

And again you create a delusional scenario created out of whole cloth from nothing. . . making you a lying asshat. You have no evidence except your house-of-cards theory based on no evidence at all, except your house-of-cards.

What you don't tell is that when I have contradicted an article, one I have often posted, they are usually FUD, based on rumors, and I have researched the actual facts, post the research with links to those facts. I will stand on my record as being generally correct. . . against your "The sky is falling" believe anything negative that is published that is Anti-Apple. I have seen far too many of the FUD articles and can recognize them easily. . . especially the ones that are retreads of events that have been long refuted. Those are very easy to shoot down because I often know the facts off the top of my head. . . and you anti-Apple haters prefer the myths and will repeat them at a drop of a FUD story, er, hat. So I will sigh, and again refute them, with chapter and verse and links to the actual facts, not the false myths that have worked their way into Google as "facts" merely because they have been repeated so often. Just because a lie is repeated doesn't make it any less false.

You will find I have more facts at my fingertips than you have myths because I have 38 years working in this field and an excellent memory of what actually happened (and I was often there) and very good knowledge of how to do research for primary resources, not just do Google searches for easy answers.

Probably because the way he and his minions treat dissent.

As far as I know, I have no "minions," bolobaby. The only people you think are "minions" are Freepers whom you have insulted when they dared disagree with you. Suddenly, when they disagree, they become my "minions" or they are my "minions" because they are members of the Apple Ping list. How is that again? Are they the "mind-numbed Robots," the MacBots that exist in your delusional world who refuse to listen to your advice about buying cheaper devices and computers??? Who are these minions I know nothing about? Please tell me. Is Dayglored one of my "minions?" I am certain he'd like to get a minion paycheck.

Probably because the way he and his minions treat dissent.

You come into a thread and unpack your flame thrower and start flaming me and all Apple users, throwing insults left and right and you "don't consider it a 'Flame War'?" You ARE delusional. You don't get to make that decision. The people being flamed make that decision, asshat. We are the ones being burned by your flames.