Posted on 07/10/2006 8:53:40 PM PDT by LdSentinal
An adjunct psychology lecturer at the University of Arizona resigned Saturday after writing to a conservative blogger she wouldn't care if his 2-year-old son was killed the way JonBenet Ramsey was.
Deborah Frisch's comments on the Web site www.proteinwisdom.com created such a furor she has been lambasted on countless conservative Web sites. Her boss at the University of Arizona also received irate e-mails calling for her termination, she said.
Alfred Kaszniak, head of the psychology department, said he has received close to 300 emails about the incident. "The majority were very angry and many of them were using similar kinds of language that she is alleged to have used, accusing myself and the university of all sorts of things," he said.
Frisch, 44, said she quit her $32,861-a-year part time position not only because she fears for her safety, but because she regrets the UA ended up in the middle of what was intended to be a "sick joke."
She had hoped by quitting her job, supporters of blogger Jeff Goldstein would stop their online attacks. If anything, she said, they've increased.
"These people think I should be incarcerated, that I'm mentally ill or that I should be shot," Frisch said during a telephone interview from Eugene, Ore., where she is living now. "This whole thing has been crazy to me. People have spent their whole weekend on this."
Frisch, who has a doctorate in psychology, has been using the Internet to post her political views since the 2004 presidential election. Not only does she have her own Web site, www.debfrisch.com, but she also loves to "troll."
"Trolling is a type of Internet behavior where you post inflammatory comments on blogs when you know they disagree with the blogger and their minions," Frisch said.
On July 4, Frisch found herself on Goldstein's blog, or on-line journal. Soon, she was trading barbs with Goldstein and others of his political bent. At first, Frisch said she was enjoying herself.
"I like to play with fire. I'm a left-wing Rush Limbaugh. I'm a writer and I like to fight with words. I'm a word warrior."
Suddenly though, Frisch said, the conversation degenerated into disparaging personal remarks, many of a sexual nature.
She said she asked Goldstein to tell the others to desist, but was ignored. Eventually, she grew frustrated, she said.
"I wrote something that would make him as queasy as they were making me feel," Frisch said.
According to Goldstein's blog, Frisch wrote "You live in Colorado, I see. Hope no one JonBenets your baby" and "I reiterate: If some nutcase kidnapped your child tomorrow and did to (him) what was done to your fellow Coloradan, JonBenet Ramsey, I wouldn't give a damn."
Six-year-old JonBenet was strangled to death in her Boulder City, Colo., home in December 1996. Her killer has never been caught.
Kaszniak said he was not aware of Frisch's blog or her trolling behavior before the incident. Had she not resigned, he said an investigation of her actions would have been necessary.
The UA's Handbook for Appointed Personnel includes "an obligation to respect the dignity of others, to acknowledge their right to express differing opinions, and to foster and defend intellectual honesty, freedom of inquiry and instruction, and free expression on and off the campus,"
Goldstein, in a telephone interview from his home in Colorado, also says Frisch suggested he kiss his son inappropriately and made disparaging remarks about his wife -- something Frisch emphatically denies. She says someone must have used her name and Web address to impersonate her; Goldstein said he traced the remarks back to Frisch.
"I should have just left the blog. It was a horrible, terrible thing to say and I hope his son never finds out about it," Frisch said.
University of Arizona spokesman Johnny Cruz Monday confirmed Frisch's resignation.
Goldstein, a stay-at-home dad, freelance writer and former English professor, said he has grown used to personal attacks since he began blogging following the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.
"Debbie is unusual in that she used her actual identity," Goldstein said. "Usually I get people who hide behind anonymous names and fake e-mail addresses." Goldstein said he never felt threatened by Frisch.
He's not sure if his blog has seen an increase in the number of visitors, but he says attackers have managed to bring it down three times within the last week.
Frisch said the number of visits to her Web site increased from 25 hits a day to 30,000 in the past week. What saddens Goldstein is, according to him, an ever-growing number of people are coming out in support of Frisch.
"I'm seeing more and more people from the left embracing her as a heroine," Goldstein said. "Some of the liberal bloggers are apologizing on her behalf, but others sites are trying to justify what she said."
Frisch's comments were likely a calculated move to get banned from his Web site, Goldstein said. "Being banned is a badge of honor for hard leftwing commentators," Goldstein said. "That way they can say 'They censored me. They can't handle the truth.' " Attacking someone's beliefs is one thing; attacking someone's family is another, Goldstein said.
"I think this speaks to Debbie's character. She's someone who wants to be the victim, the martyr. She wants to be embraced by a political party," Goldstein said.
Goldstein denied urging his supporters to contact the UA. He said he simply posted her comments and the address of her Web site.
Kaszniak described the affair as "simply very sad. The comments that she is alleged to have made are highly in appropriate. I don't think that kind of language is in anybody's interest, regardless of the nature of the political debate. It's certainly not the thing the University of Arizona or my department supports in any way."
Now that she won't be teaching, Frisch said she plans to finish writing a book on decision-making. While she still hopes to fill the need for "edgy lefties," Frisch said the entire debacle has taught her where to draw the line.
She'll continue to write inflammatory comments, but she'll stay away from personal attacks.
"I don't want to get anywhere near that line again," Frisch said. "It's been scary, overwhelming and exhausting."
Star reporter Eric Swedlund contributed to this story. Contact reporter Kim Smith at kimsmith@azstarnet.com or 573-4241.
Just found it.....
She's angry because she has nothing. She has/had a job and that's about it. Another angry pre-menopausal woman so pissed off about everything not going her way that she is forever locked into the mindset she has. No husband. No partner. No kids. No hobbies. No joy. Her last bastion of hope is pissing off people on the internet. Hell I'd leave her ugly ass too if I were her lesbian partner. Why put up with that constant daily vitriol? She is one of those that THRIVE in controversy, or, cannot function without some kind of chaos going on.
Deb, you didn't get owned this weekend, you did it to yourself. And it amazes me why clearer-thinking, level-headed people can't get teaching jobs like the one you purport to have. In the psych dept. no less.
Q: What are you going to blame your next rant on?
Posted by notyour2yrold at July 9, 2006 11:20 PM
http://debfrisch.com/admin/mt-comments.cgi?entry_id=498
About half way down the page. True? who knows.
A sick joke? I agree with the sick part, what a sicko she is, she's the 'sick joke'.
Aaaaah, Ms. Frisch, a credit to her gender and her profession, the caring and healing profession of psychology. Or should I say 'Professor', molding young minds? I'm sure she'll be held up as some martyr to the left of what the conservatives do to people who cross them. Never mind the absolute crass idiocy and hatefulness of her remarks, made in print.
Good riddance.
I appreciate your dilegence. Don't waste a lot of time on it, however, if you have other things to do.
Regarding your other find, that's GREAT! I is the actual post I was referring to in the final paragraph of my post #125 to pollyannaish (above). This person really takes her to task and actually states they've provided information about her to local newspapers. MERCY!
Another great find! you're to be commended!!
Who knows, is true. However, this and the previous find show the kind of response she's opened herself to with her remarks. These two examples are quite indicative as well as enlightening.
Thanks for all your service.
Who is the person holding you?
No way was this a "sick joke". It was part of a pattern of abusive screeching by this "person" (I use the term loosely.)
Google this nut and you won't believe what she's put out there on the internet for all to see.
Well, I went to her website and her most recent post (2:01 pm) states she's shutting down posts/comments for awhile.
However, I pursued some comments related to the Churchill Sheehan & Denton post. I felt I just had to include them here. I know this is long and doesn't address (mostly) your comments about the other lefties supporting her remarks, but I thought this string of comments to be very interesting since it includes some ostensibly from the left...
Comments: churchill, sheehan & denton
Are you just totally INSANE? You really do believe that you are still somehow a "victim" in all this?
You weren't a target, honey. You drew that big red bullseye on your ass all by yourself.
You threaten a toddler, repeadedly and when you realize the can of worms you open up, you claim victim status.
This is why the democrats lose. Not because of the conservatives, but because of democrats like you and Churchill who say the most outrageous things and then, actually get called on it.
This will NOT just blow over! Ask Ward Churchill.
~Vast Right Wing Conspiracy, Not really a conspiracy anymore
I'm sure you won't post this, though. Apprently, the truth is just too much for you.
Posted by VRW at July 11, 2006 08:38 AM
"Uppity lefties like you"?...No, Your a frigging screwball!!
"the rabid right's hatred of academia"...No, Normal people sick and tired of insane wackjobs poisoning our childrens minds.
Posted by mowowie at July 11, 2006 08:58 AM
You give yourself too much credit; you're just the itch du jour . . . that said, you've got a fair chance of becoming famous in the same way that Quisling and Fisk did: by becoming a very common noun.
I don't think you're going to slow down, though; I do think you're going to continue to embarrass your friends and family.
I guess it sucks to be them.
Posted by Joel Rosenberg at July 11, 2006 09:00 AM
>>>the rabid right's sex/violence fetish,
You see no irony here? lol! You truly are unhinged.
Posted by Carlos at July 11, 2006 09:01 AM
From a politically neutral perspective, I must say you're acting very strange. You're making a point of receiving hate-filled comments, but after reading what you wrote in the comments section over at "Protein Wisdom" it seems to me you kind of set the tone.
And, what really puzzles me, is the fact that after Mr. Goldstein reached out his hand and accepted the bottle of tequila (did I spell that right?) you turn around and try to turn this into a political argument ("...freedom of speech, the rabid right's hatred of academia, the rabid right's sex/violence fetish"). It is not. You wrote something you shouldn't have, and it shamed you and your (former?) institution.
And by the way - why would claim "freedom of speech" while at the same time claiming that Mr. Goldstein altered your comments?
Advice from the other side of the world: Just apologize and move on.
Posted by Harald at July 11, 2006 09:09 AM
Are you a pathological liar?
Your own words:
"This will be my last post on South(west)paw on the Goldstein affair for at least one month. "
Your "one month" didn't last a day. Bravo!
Are you at all embarrassed? Politics aside - you're allegedly a 40-something year old grown professional academic.
Aren't you even a little embarrassed at your own behavior?
Speaking of pathological lying - have you retracted the lie about Goldstein altering your quotes yet (since there is a proverbial mountain of evidence leaving no doubt that that, too, was another lie)?
Posted by Dave McGee at July 11, 2006 09:13 AM
Frisch:
"it's beyond blogs and into the online magazine/ mainstream media phase. This is a good thing."
You think? You really think?
Well, then, we'll see what The Oregonian makes of your "Decapped Dupes" post, along with your other unsavory tidbits about your conduct.
You DID remember that one of those "dupes" was named Tom Tucker from Oregon, right?
Might find a very cool reception in Eugene.
Karmic, even.
Posted by Bilgeman at July 11, 2006 09:25 AM
"[T]he rabid right's sex/violence fetish . . . ."
Huh? It was YOU, Prof. Frisch who gleefully invoked the putative death of Mr. Goldstein's child, YOU who repeatedly made vulgar references to the Goldsteins' conception of that child, and YOU who entreated Mr. Goldstein to convey a saliva-filled French kiss to the child on your behalf. Indeed, I believe you even requested a description of the child's age and sex, after which you concluded that the child "sounds hot."
Once again: You, (ostensibly) an adult, wrote that a two-year-old child "sounds hot" and repeatedly invoked a scenario under which that child would die.
And now you project a "sex/violence fetish" onto the political right? You truly must be delusional.
Incidentally, didn't you write to Mr. Goldstein (and to Fox news) insisting that you were apologetic and trying to put this confrontation behind you? Are posts such as this one a component of that de-escalation effort?
Keep digging, "Professor." My outrage has given way to bemused awe. I have never before had the opportunity to watch someone self-destruct in real time.
Posted by EC at July 11, 2006 09:36 AM
"This will be my last post on South(west)paw on the Goldstein affair for at least one month."
That month sure flew by in a hurry.
Posted by Phil Stanhope at July 11, 2006 09:39 AM
You said:
"This will be my last post on South(west)paw on the Goldstein affair for at least one month.
Thanks for your message,
DF"
Any reason you changed your mind?
Just wondering...
GR
Posted by KeepAustinWeird at July 11, 2006 09:40 AM
Debbie,
I am neither a leftist or a conservative. In fact, I am seeing this whole situation as a spectator alone. I have read the mainstream media and all the blogs, including those in which you origanlly posted. What my question to you is, what comment would drive you so far as to directly attack his family? Please do not take that question as a threatening or demeaning comment but more a phsyco-schematic. I want to know what made you tick to your ends. I am not a phsycologist, nor a student but more of a person with interest in peoples actions. I do not agree with the comments, but as you have requested I will not persecute nor look down on you for them. Please email, I would love to discuss this with you. I feel inclined to hear a voice never heard in my neck of the woods before. Leftist is a foreign idiology to me, so please let me know. I hope you do feel better, and that the situation is getting better.
Alex
Posted by Alex Rodriguez at July 11, 2006 09:53 AM
I see you've started censoring yourself, having taken down the "third apology" with the charming little graphic of "Count Cockula". Probably a good idea, in terms of damage control, but about as honest as disabling comments on threads that you, for good reason, think might be controversial (like the abhorrent "decapped dupes" from yesterday). You really are a piece of work.
The people at Protein Wisdom should not have baited you, as you're obviously not capable of controlling yourself and taunting you was the equivalent of making fun of a special ed kid. Cruel and eventually destructive.
But you really ought to give it a rest. You said yesterday you were going to stop blogging about this shameful incident for a month. You didn't last a day.
You should be forcibly restrained for your own good. Too bad it's not possible to lock loonies up for more than 72 hours. But even that would be a welcome break.
By the way, as I predicted on LGF, your big spike in visitors has already tanked. Your notoriety is fading fast; soon all that'll be left is the memory of a bad taste in one's mouth.
Posted by Cato the Elder at July 11, 2006 10:07 AM
As one of those "lefties" I just want to let you know you're giving us a seriously BAD name. You are "uppity", you're insane. To think that I had a chance of being taught psychology by you amazes me...I dodged a bullet. I'm thinking you might want to pay attention to the so called "tinkle" on your "ankle". Slowing down would be what's best for everyone especially for all of us "lefties". If you really wanted to do damage to the right side you should've pretended to be a conservative and then said those disgusting things. That probably would've gotten you much, much closer to your goal than where you've gotten us right now.
Posted by Tararte at July 11, 2006 10:07 AM
As a member of the Parent Association at the U of AZ with two kids and all of us sending a ton of money there I can say that as a family we are so glad you decided to pull the plug and thankful none of us ever had you as a teacher.
Posted by PeterG at July 11, 2006 10:11 AM
I don't believe in categorizing myself politically - so there is no reason for this to be an attack on you based on your politics. I don't care about your politics.
I have been a student at the U of A and I am a mom. I have seen a picture of you in the paper and I assume you are a mom too.
I worry about what kind of role model you are for your own child or for the students you teach. I know for some people the internet can seem like a free-for-all...a forum where it's okay to act like that. I personally don't understand that. There is apparently a reason not to act like that when you see someone in person...the same reason should hold on the internet. As a psychology professor yourself, I don't understand how you think behaving like that is going to benefit anything or anyone.
I happen to run a large internet community that acts as a support system for mothers with a chronic disease and we have been taken down by trolls as well or lost members because of people who come in and want to stir up trouble just for the fun of it. Because of their "fun" the community is sometimes not accessible by members who need it. I've tried to reason with these people and to quote one of them, was told "you choose to make your forum public, therefore it's not my fault." Huh? I made it public so that new members who are suffering in the middle of the night and need support right away can come right in and get it. However, because of trolls I've had to change that.
So it's not your political views I care about, it's the trolling. This type of behavior really hurts websites like mine. The fact that you think this is okay blows my mind and encourages others to believe it's okay.
Anyway, I'm not here to attack you. I just wanted to express myself. Thanks for letting me.
Posted by Elizabeth at July 11, 2006 10:12 AM
Bring back Count Cockula! It was awesome.
Posted by Boo-Berry at July 11, 2006 11:20 AM
Still fine wit u, Debbie? Glad you escalated it, let your inner wasteland show for the world to see? "Bring it on" she said, so they did... You're already buried.
Google searches:
"Deb Frisch" & psychopath: 22 results
"Deb Frisch" & psycho: 89 results
"Deb Frisch" & unhinged: 639 results
"Deb Frisch" & bitch: 15,400 results (no kidding, bitch)
"Deb Frisch" & lefty: 34,700 results (wow!)
"Deb Frisch" & leftist: 13,000 results
"Deb Frisch" & insane: 589 results
"Deb Frisch" & "Denice Denton" only 38. (!? Surprises me...) ***
"Deb Frisch" & schizophrenic: 68 results
"Deb Frisch" & vicious: 240
"Deb Frisch" & crazy: 12,200
"Deb Frisch" & maniac: only 73 -- that will change over time...
"Deb Frisch" & Vagifascist: 0 (your fault)
"Deb Frisch" & Lesbomaniac: 0 (ditto)
***(are you really doing your part?)
Posted by Morton Doodslag at July 11, 2006 12:17 PM
You refused to post this comment on an earlier post of yours. Regardless, I will try again and will post it elsewhere as an example of "freedom of speech" in action;
As a female graduate student at a 'liberal' University in CA, I must say that you are an absolute embarrassment to academia. Despite the threats you have made, your blog is an embarrassment, crying sexual harassment because you are denied tenure is an embarrassment, your unwillingness to accept responsibility is an embarrassment. Your propensity for accusing people you disagree with of being homosexual (using it as a pejorative) is an embarrassment to the LGBT community and speaks volumes about the issues you have with your own sexuality. You, Professor, are an embarrassment to U. of A. and an embarrassment to whatever institution granted you a PhD. Since you are devoid of morals and fond of abusing perceived "gender bias," I wonder if you somehow used threats to "persuade" your grad school into giving you a degree. It is women/wimmin/womyn/womban/etc. like you who are an embarrassment to intelligent, stable and rational women around the globe.
I've always thought that psychologists are crazier than their patients - you would be fascinating to study from a clinical point of view. You are certainly entitled to flee up to WA to "get well" and avoid the mess you have made out of your career. Nevertheless, rest assured that others in the academic community will make sure that schools in your area do their due diligence before giving you another job.
By your own actions, Dr. Frisch, you display a hatred and disregard for the wider academic community. This entire episode has been incredibly narcissistic and pathological. While it is fun to watch you self-destruct and parade your insanity around the internet - I ask you, for the good of all, to take a step back, get help and re-evaluate your life. You need to look no further than the mirror for the cause of your disgrace.
Posted by Academic at July 11, 2006 12:43 PM
On one side I honestly cannot believe what I am reading, on the other I know these thoughts to be true of many like Deb....But my gosh! One side of me wants to say put the shovel away already, the hole is deep enough. On the other hand I want you to continue to speak with a megaphone so that even more will see the truth of "the left".
Posted by JK at July 11, 2006 12:50 PM
She's shut down her page. Whining about being "stalked".
Loser.
This is the second time in two days she's stated she was going to close down this topic. The last decision lasted less than one day. We'll see how long this one lasts.
This actually reminds me of Will the Pitt(ster), his rants at DU and then his stalking through sockpuppets to see what everyone is saying about him.
Wonder if they're drinking buddies when one of them is in town? Nah, he's not her type (he's a guy...well, I guess he is).
I didn't mean that some of her Lib buds were supporting her, it's that i'm seeing the typical Save the whales, Pro-abortion illogic that i'm reading in the posts. It's like "
How dare you threaten a child" then tomorrow, "How dare you question a womans right to choose".
I feel sorry sorry these very confused people.
Whoa..Talk about Deja-Vu. :)
That line alone had me LMBO. The rest of it wasn't funny at all.
I gotcha. Sorry, I misunderstood.
Thanks for the correction.
Jim
Well. Interesting turn of events. The American Spectator article she links to takes a fascinating angle.
I guess all thats left to say (until she can't stand it a posts again) is "If you can't stand the heat..."
That stuff was layed on thick. That's why I copied and pasted it all. I normally don't like long posts but I felt this had so much meat in it it just had to be posted.
I know that if someone posted that kind of stuff to me I'd be a basket case. But then I'm not this moonbat. The fact that she continues on (I'm taking this latest post about her site being shut down as just that much more BS) is proof to me she's deranged.
There's a couple different angles in that piece; one about the web "giving 'educators' a more convenient way to shoot themselves in the foot" and the comment "I think I recognize paranoid schizophrenia when I see it".
I'd have to agree with both.
Hmmm... Have we ever seen Deb and Will in the same place at the same time?
WOW!!! nice work...Hey,even my post is there :)
I have no idea. That's a PJ-Comix, franksolich kind of question. I doubt it though, although I wouldn't put it past her having a presence at DU.
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