Bizarre Stuff

Over on FaceBook, there's a page dedicated to Conservapedia, although ironically, it's meant as a parody page. Clearly the site that Andrew Schlafly thinks is merely used for gossip and breaking up marriages, isn't worthy of having a site advertising themselves in a positive light. Then again, why would they need to - there are plenty of people viewing Conservapedia. Why, there's enough that Schlafly thinks CP is solely responsible for the U.S.'s lurch to the right.  (You see, this is the kind of thing that happens when you surround a megalomaniac with simpering, spineless toadies.)

Now there's a very good reason that I mentioned that the FB Conservapedia page was intended as parody, because there have been some strange happenings going on over there. So strange, in fact, that if I wasn't that familiar with the general what-the-fuckery associated with Conservapedia, I'd write it off as somebody taking the piss and leave it at that. It might still be a classic Poe, or it might even be the true identity of CP's International Mug of Mystery, Ken Demyer.

Karajou - A Reply

So everybody's favourite swabbie and Conservapedia sysop, Karajou, has taken to the blogosphere. It's always good to see Andy Schlafly and his hand-picked goons venture forth from the safety of Fortress Conservapedia (even if only out of morbid curiosity), and at least it's a step up from former CP sysop DeanS's blog, which you could only read if he gave you permission. Clearly Dean was a bit hazy on the concept of a blog.

Sadly, Karajou doesn't offer us anything that we haven't already seen on Conservapedia, or in the behind-the-scenes discussions, so helpfully leaked by the late Terry Koeckritz. Which is sad. I was hoping for such insights as just what a Defender of Conservative Values has for breakfast before going forth to smite internet vandals and reporting them to every authority under the sun (My guess is still 30 Texan plain and a bottle of Mad Dog 20/20, until proven otherwise). Sadly no. We just get more of the same - incoherent rants about how liberals are to blame for all the ills of the world, interspersed with a creepy tale of him stalking an ex-co-worker.

And so the cover-up begins

Honestly, I swear I'll never understand just how the minds of those that run Conservapedia work. It's fairly common knowledge that long-time administrator and de facto leader of Conservapedia, Terry Koeckritz, has passed on. Yet, besides a passing comment in the sysops' chat group, where they had to rely on information from RationalWiki, not a word has been said about it. Andrew Schlafly discouraged any mention of it on CP's main page, with vague references to "vile liberal trolls" - kind of ironic, given the number of graves he's danced on in the past.

Where it gets really weird, however, is when Andy and his cohorts - in this case John Patti - actively lie through their teeth and then in true Conservapedia fashion, punish the editor and remove any evidence the question was asked.

Thanks, Conservaleaks

Those with more tech savvy than yours truly, have gone to the incredible effort of not only posting all the previously leaked Conservapedia discussions, but also cleaning them up, labelling them and collating them in alphabetical order, in an easy-to-browse format.

To all those involved, my heartfelt gratitude.

You can visit the collated archives here.

He Who Laughs Last

I've sat here for ages thinking about how I'm going to word this, as there's an awful lot that needs to be said and I don't want to take up too much room saying it. It's also a post I wasn't expecting to be making for some time, but sadly things have changed, and there's really no point in carrying on this subterfuge any longer. Besides, I think he'd want to go with a bang, while he's still fresh in people's memories.

I suppose I should start at the beginning, with the first of many confessions. Although it's probably the worst-kept secret, let me come out and say for once and for all that, yes, I was the charming, funny, courteous and helpful Conservapedia sysop, JessicaT (宜しくお願いします!). Ironically, this will have the CP types who read this up in arms, screaming "Liberal!" and yet, they would be hard-pressed to find one thing that little Jessica did to harm CP while she was there. Except for her constant fighting with one Terry Koeckritz...

Housekeeping

I've decided to go through the archives and remove all posts referring directly to the late Terry Koeckritz.

After all, there's no point in demonising the dead and I'm sure Andrew Schlafly and his remaining cohorts will provide plenty to write about in the months to come.

UPDATE

I must confess, I never expected the strength of feeling that my decisions to "retire" certain posts caused. I guess I didn't really think it through and made the mistake of seperating the man from the institution he ran (into the ground). The final clincher was the closing comment by TGoGJ

Don’t ever let the CP admin forget how badly they got taken by that man. Don’t you dare.

Or maybe I'm just wishy-washy and indecisive. I dunno...

Either way, the posts have been restored, for better or worse.

 

End of an Era

Wow, that was quite a surprise this morning - logging on to find that everybody's favourite internet troll, Terry Koeckritz, has rung down the curtain and joined the choir invisible, to coin a phrase. At least that should quell the ongoing speculation about his whereabouts over the past month, whilst possibly fuelling a new discussion about his current whereabouts. (ooh, did I just say that?)

How do I feel about it? Well, Terry was a source of endless material for my humble blog and his antics will be sorely missed. In a way, I feel a little bad for referring to the "Ding! Dong! The Witch is Dead" song, in my January 17^th post below. The impact he left on Conservapedia will be lasting, if not ultimately fatal. He leaves behind a website which he almost single-handedly transformed from a growing, vibrant, but slightly deranged community, into a barren wasteland, populated only by several highly paranoid administrators. Conservapedia might bounce back, but it will take a combination of time and a relaxing of the rampant paranoia (not to mention rank stupidity) that keeps good-faith editors away.

But how do I feel about Terry passing? Some say the opposite of love is hate. It's not. Those two fight it out on the same face of this particular coin. No, the opposite of love, or hate, is antipathy. And that's what I feel. I'm sorry for his family, especially his mother, for whom this must be very hard, but as far as Terry Koeckritz goes... I feel nothing.