After receiving one hate e-mail too many, I’ve decided to curtail the activity by threatening to e-mail the rancid missives to the perpetrator’s boss. So far it’s done the trick, and the bored hater got the message.
One of Michelle Malkin’s haters wasn’t so fortunate. She writes:
And Patrick Mitchell, who works [Update: he has been canned. Please don’t bother the company anymore. Thanks] at the Los Angeles office of Ogletree and Deakins, writes from work:
Read what the now-fired idiot wrote. About a month ago I was getting one hate e-mail after another from one person who used different Yahoo! accounts (he thought he was shielded) from his work computer. After I threatened to forward all of them to his boss and Cc the IT department, the e-mails suddenly stopped. Earlier today I had to threaten two trolls; the harassing comments ceased.
Sometimes you’ve got to play hard ball. Actions have consequences, and I’m more than willing to help you understand the concept.
Wow. You’re nicer than I would be. You gave them warning.
Comment by JohnAnnArbor — 08.11.05 @ 5:41 pm
Patrick - you so dumb (Malkin’s email). what kinda dummy would write such a thing from work - with the work email address even???? Hahaha, I remember the time when my former boss years ago was unaware of memory cache and the pictures it caught. I borrowed his computer over the weekend and discovered in the cache a bunch of porn pictures - GROSS. LB - you gave your warning in this post - next time you should just go ahead and fire the arrow off to the company, no more warnings! gheesz Patrick you are STUPID!
Comment by sharon — 08.11.05 @ 5:51 pm
So you want to help people get away with trolling my site? - Admin
Comment by woooww — 08.11.05 @ 6:03 pm
Then I consider you a troll for trying to post links to sites that will help them hide while they spew filth on this blog. So long. - Admin
Comment by woooww — 08.11.05 @ 6:08 pm
Writing hatemail from a work email is just stupid. lol You did the right thing, La Shawn.
Comment by RepJ — 08.11.05 @ 6:25 pm
So the employee writing the vile email was canned. How does that song go about “a little good news, today?” That item made my day. Hooray for Michelle and La Shawn!
Comment by Evon Bachaus — 08.11.05 @ 6:40 pm
Rock ‘em sister!
Comment by Mark La Roi — 08.11.05 @ 6:51 pm
“…..an email such as this certainly should not have been sent during working time using our firm’s equipment.” —Managing Shareholder, Ogletree Deakins
In other words: It’s ok to send that type of email during free time, away from workplace???? Lawyers, sigh, gotta love ‘em.
I think we should go back to the days of morals clauses, when, even in your off-hours…..your conduct still reflected on the Company.
Comment by Glamchild — 08.11.05 @ 7:05 pm
La Shawn, you are a lot nicer than I would have been.
I would have made them pay for webhosting service for a year…..;)
Comment by Mad Mikey — 08.11.05 @ 7:47 pm
La Shawn, I can’t believe you gave the creep a warning. Anybody that emails that kind of hateful trash, at the minumum, should have their fingers broken (makes it harded to type) although shooting is not out of the question.
Comment by djb — 08.11.05 @ 7:50 pm
I hope you spread the word far and wide in the blogosphere that even though they deserve it, I don’t want haters to be fired. I want them to leave me the heck alone.
Fortunately I don’t get the really nasty stuff that Michelle gets.
Comment by La Shawn — 08.11.05 @ 7:53 pm
This is one of the main reasons I haven’t felt comfortable enough to use my real name online - I take my hat off to those have the courage to do so, even knowing they are going to get their fair share of nasty, vicious hate mail and quite possibly some nutcase who won’t be satisfied with verbal online harassment and who will go looking for them
When/if I ever get published, obviously I’d reveal then but until that time I likely will remain “ST.”
Comment by Sister Toldjah — 08.11.05 @ 8:07 pm
All I can say is WOW! That guy was practically begging to get fired. He can’t say he wasn’t warned either. Good for Michelle!
Comment by Eddie — 08.11.05 @ 8:31 pm
Talk about idiots. If I was going to flame somebody it would be from a free email account and then I would switch my IP. Sheesh.
But a bigger question than that is why do people waste time? Nerds.
Comment by Dell Gines — 08.11.05 @ 9:30 pm
You get hate mail, LaShawn?
It isn’t like you don’t give people fair warning where you come from, where your going, and where your at in your About section. Sheesh! Why hate when you can just disagree.
Comment by T-Steel — 08.11.05 @ 9:41 pm
Good call, LaShawn. No one deserves the treatment that both you and Michelle Malkin get. If they just disagreed, and said so, that would be different. But these headcases cross the line.
That being said, I think that conservative women get more hate mail, and of a more foul variety, than men do. And it’s always from the ever-tolerant left.
So generally, who hates women? Conservatives, or liberals?
TV (Harry)
Comment by Inspector Callahan — 08.11.05 @ 9:53 pm
La Shawn, years ago before caller I.D., touch-tone phones, and the internet, people could ring you up on your rotary phone, and say any obscene words they could pronounce, then hang up, and you never knew who they were. Today, I know that a Patrick Mitchell left such a message for Michelle Malkin, and was fired from his job. God bless technology!
Comment by Tom Bosee — 08.11.05 @ 10:17 pm
#8 - I think they’re showing the proper boundary of respect for employees personal freedom.
You’ve got to love those ‘tolerant’ liberals though.
Comment by Jack Tanner — 08.12.05 @ 9:58 am
Ah, the sweet delights technology provides. I’m glad to hear Malkin’s verbal-attacker was canned. However, La Shawn, you are being way too nice by giving your own verbal-attackers a warning.
Comment by Mrs. Happy Housewife — 08.12.05 @ 10:27 am
If I can help it, I don’t want people’s families to suffer. Some idiot sends hate mail, I send the filth to his boss, and he gets fired. I try to warn people because most of us have poor impulse control and don’t think things through. I want to give them a fighting chance to back off.
Comment by La Shawn — 08.12.05 @ 10:30 am
I “Malkinized” somebody once myself. The perp had got hold of my email address and was sending out obscene “spoof” emails (that appeared to come from me) to people I knew. Sure was satisfying to give a friendly heads-up to his boss…
Comment by hcq — 08.12.05 @ 10:37 am
#21. A nice letter from a legal entity does not hurt either.
Comment by Raymond — 08.12.05 @ 10:47 am
La Shawn, I agree with the others about warnings. A warning only gives the person the exact attention he/she is looking for. It’s actually a reward–an invitation that encourages, furthers, and fosters that sort of behavior to continue. They got your attention….why stop now?
No more warnings: the first time IS the last time.
Comment by Glamchild — 08.12.05 @ 10:53 am
“Sheesh! Why hate when you can just disagree.” T-Steel “You’ve got to love those ‘tolerant’ liberals though.” Jack
Ann Coulter has insight here. Once on Fox, she said something to the effect that Liberals are so used to their ideas being taken for granted in academia, TV, the movies, the MSM and elsewhere, that they are unaccustomed to being challenged. This is why most high-school conservatives could debate a liberal college professor. Liberals are so poor at debating in the realm of ideas, they automatically fall back on name-calling. And they’ve redefined tolerance as being dogmatically politically correct.
Comment by Evon Bachaus — 08.12.05 @ 11:02 am
Evon - You said it!
Comment by Baklava — 08.12.05 @ 12:10 pm
What does hate accomplish for these people? What does hate accomplish for anybody? What has it ever accomplished?
I don’t get it.
Comment by redbeard — 08.12.05 @ 2:03 pm
I say warning the people is the right thing to do, depending, of course, upon the trespass. If it’s egregious, no warning. But if it’s just your standard flame, then I warn them first. Remember folks, it’s mainly leftwingers that do whatever they can to silence other people with whom they disagree and people with whom they get into political arguments. They think it’s a real coup to discover where a conservative works, or with whom they have a contractual relationship, then bludgeon their employer into getting rid of them, by foisting a boycott off on them, or by whatever other means they can. And it’s not just bloggers. Remember Dr. Laura’s TV show that the gays hounded off the air? Remember Rush Limbaugh and the Florida orange juice contract?
Rightwingers meanwhile are much more accepting of people’s rights to express themselves. Leftwingers don’t. Leftwingers seem to believe that they are entitled –even obliged– to take
action to silence their opponents, by whatever means they can, and to do whatever personal harm they can to them along the way.
I choose to not stoop to their level. So I say warn ‘em once, and then, if they persist, lower the boom on ‘em.
Comment by jaybird — 08.12.05 @ 2:22 pm
First a comment to Glamchild,
I think you have Dowdified that quote from the email.
“Such remarks are clearly inappropriate in any context and an e-mail such as this certainly should not have been sent during working time using our firm’s equipment.”
Leaving off the first part makes it sound like they would be OK with the remark if sent from home when clearly they state it was inappropriate. The phrasing may reflect the fact that if posted from a home account, they may have no cause to fire the person.
Onward.
I think the other comments are correct. Why bother with a warning. That is up to the employer to decide.
By not reporting it right away you let these folks move from one target to another.
Comment by Otis B — 08.12.05 @ 2:27 pm
“Sheesh! Why hate when you can just disagree.†T-Steel “You’ve got to love those ‘tolerant’ liberals though.†Jack
I’m sorry but it’s just amazing to me to see the generalization here - that this is something all liberals would do.
How intellectually dishonest can you get? How self righteous can you get?
Check this site - http://www.famousidiot.com - and then come talk to me about why I shouldn’t make the same generalization about the right wing.
“Rightwingers meanwhile are much more accepting of people’s rights to express themselves. Leftwingers don’t. Leftwingers seem to believe that they are entitled –even obliged– to take action to silence their opponents,”
I’m sorry but this is just self serving drivel. Why can’t I post a comment at Freep or LGF? Regardless, both sides do this! It’s a childish ad hominem fest full of false generalizations and poor rhetoric on ALL SIDES.
You’re all gonna hate each other into the biggest mess and I wish it would stop.
Comment by Jeff O — 08.12.05 @ 3:55 pm
So, Jeff-O,
“You’re all gonna hate each other into the biggest mess and I wish it would stop.”
Are you saying the *current* mess of liberal vs conservative, blue vs red, cats vs dogs isn’t big enough? I’d say we’ve ALREADY gotten ourselves into the mess, big time!
Except me, of course, I’d NEVER bait a liberal
Comment by idgit — 08.12.05 @ 4:06 pm
Oops…that was supposed to end like this…
I’d NEVER bait a liberal. (That’s a lie.)
See I really AM self-deprecating!
Comment by idgit — 08.12.05 @ 4:07 pm
Regarding comments at LGF - you can comment, but Charles only opens up the registry for new commenters on occasion. I don’t know if he gets swamped every time he does it, or if it’s a software issue, or what. Just an FYI.
Comment by Mal Carne — 08.12.05 @ 4:25 pm
I have to say that what I really liked about Ms. Malkin’s approach was the public shaming aspect. The internet has for so long been thought to be that place where no one can see you and you can assume some other persona that will never be seen by the people you know in real life that people don’t really think that something they say in e-mail will be posted publicly and read by their employers, family and friends. They do’t think their actions will ever have consequences.
And I appreciate your reasons for wanting to give warnings. Compassion is a good thing to have - whether those on the receiving end deserve it or not.
Comment by Jackie Kjono — 08.12.05 @ 5:07 pm
quote: Talk about idiots. If I was going to flame somebody it would be from a free email account and then I would switch my IP. Sheesh.endquote.
Anyone who thinks they can hide behind a free email service like Yahoo, Hotmail, Gmail, etc. is the one who is an idiot. If you think you can hide on the internet you are a fool. Even if you think getting behind a proxy server will hide you, you are wrong. It just depends on to what degree someone wants to hunt you down.
I commend your response to the flaming troll.
To you potential trolls and flamers, take heed. You CAN be caught.
Comment by Chris — 08.12.05 @ 8:01 pm
“If you think you can hide on the internet you are a fool. Even if you think getting behind a proxy server will hide you, you are wrong. It just depends on to what degree someone wants to hunt you down.”
[DELETED]
I’m inclined to delete comments with information to help creeps harass me anonymously. - Admin
Comment by eric — 08.12.05 @ 8:21 pm
not to worry. if eric thinks he has a solution to aid the trolls harrass you he’s obviously not an IT person. LOL
Comment by Chris — 08.12.05 @ 8:39 pm
I followed your link to Michelle Malkin’s blog to read the email she got from the guy who she got canned. Now, I’ll be honest. Michelle is definitely hot enough to be a pin-up girl. I just can’t help but notice such things. However, without regard to Mrs. Malkin’s striking good looks, how off color can someone be?! I mean, good lord. To actually send such a well accomplished and thoroughly wholesome lady such a vicious, sexually profane and racist email, from work no less, one would have to be completely off their rocker and out of their mind. However, given the present state of the American left, such over the top insanity is to be expected.
Furthermore, what did this guy think he was going to prove? Did he not realize just exactly who Michelle Malkin is and how much power she wields? It seems like the jerk completely underestimated the vast and overwhelming influence of the new media and one of its biggest starts. Looks like this nut job decided to trifle with the blogosphere and got burned. Way to go Michelle!!! It’s nice to see pretty women on the internet that you can be proud of! Score another one for our side.
As for your policy of warning trolls, La Shawn, you are obviously a more tolerant person than I. A while back, I received a number of nasty comments on Holstein Grove from the readers of Blame Bush. They had the nerve to compare me to the Nazis and suggested that I am a Klansman. They also spread their out of touch rage all across my site, leaving their hate filled, ever predictable nonsense attached to such harmless, non-political posts as a picture of a rooster and a caricature of Beyonce. I deleted every last one of their disgusting messages as soon as they posted them and firmly chastised them on my site and theirs. I still receive a number of referrals from Blame Bush, as I am listed as one of the blogs they are banned from. My sister refers to Blame Bush as the blog with “resident trollsâ€. She says that Blame Bush is a blog of, by and for trolls, where normal people are the unwelcome ones.
Comment by John — 08.12.05 @ 9:14 pm
You say Denzel is a Republican but is he a conservative? What’s the difference?? Just kidding, you know I love you. Just haven’t posted in a long time and I thought a few friendly words were long overdue. Keep it up.
Comment by Jase Alston — 08.12.05 @ 10:43 pm