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When I read your original article, I thought it was a brilliantly-written parody, poking fun at reactionary offended-at-everything Clinton liberals who don't seem to comprehend that the United States of America does not endow its people with the right to not be offended.
If anything, this retraction of some of your literally brain-dead points scares me the most; it confirms that you were in fact serious to begin with, and you *were* in fact one of those reactionary offended-at-everything Clinton liberals who doesn't seem to comprehend that you do not have the right as an American citizen to not be offended.
The Supreme Court has upheld throughout the years that the First Amendment protects only *educated* free speech (the same idea that says yelling "Fire!" in a crowded theater is not free speech). To that end, it's questionable whether you even really have the right to post such trash for public viewing.
Incidentally, you really haven't answered how you truly believed that a metal band, or any band, could become wildly popular in the span of three weeks, much less write and record an entire album with songs praising bioterrorism. Most of us have known about the Anthrax (the powder) scare for less than two weeks. As a musician, I can tell you with utmost certainty that not even the worst boy-band album can't be conceived, written, recorded, produced, manufactured, and distributed in less than two weeks.
Did you also happen to notice that, in the span of those two weeks, Anthrax (the band) just happened to conceive, write, record, produce, manufacture, and distribute *sixteen* studio albums in those same two weeks? I certainly hope that Adequacy doesn't pay you for your work, because if you were a professional journalist working for me, you'd be looking for another job right now.
Oh, and by the way, the fact that Anthrax.com didn't offer you information about the bacteria is not the fault of Anthrax (the band), the CDC, the US government, or the Internet. That, if anything, is the common misconception you mention in your original article. Blame it on what has kept this country great for 200 years (and what has kept people like you in such cushioned comfort that you have time to do all your crack research): Capitalism. When Anthrax (the band) wanted Anthrax.com, and it was available, they paid the money to get it, and they got it. You get rid of capitalism, you get rid of America. And I for one will fight to the death to stop you or anyone from doing that.
I can't stress enough that you DO NOT have the right to not be offended in this country. If you did, the First Amendment would certainly look different, if it existed at all. You certainly do have the right to *say* that you're offended by something, but I question *why* you're offended. Anthrax (the bacteria) has always been something that will kill you - did Anthrax (the band) enjoy nearly 20 years of success without your resistance because *you* didn't know anything about Anthrax (the bacteria) until two weeks ago? And for that matter, why is it suddenly "offensive" or "insensitive" to use the word Anthrax now just because it's in the news? To me, it's more offensive that in the United States of America, I need to tread lightly for the rest of my life because you are so "politically-correct" that you instantly become offended on behalf of the millions of people in this country who don't have the capacity to hear the word "Anthrax" without passing out. Who died and made you ombudsman for the sensitivity of the world?
In fact, looking at the responses you got on the first article (the guy who has his church youth group going door-to-door now on solely your word, that alone speaks volumes about his religion), if you were a real journalist you'd know that what you wrote qualifies as defamation, and I wouldn't be surprised if Anthrax (the band) was within their rights to sue you for losses generated by people believing your outright lies. I am not an Anthrax (the band) listener, but after your article, I'm thinking about starting.
In fact, let's revise the whole article: I'm deeply offended by your refined hatred, and offended further that you let your hatred grow out of proportion toward things you don't fully understand. I'm further offended by your suggestion that we go out and restrict the rights of other people by filling them with negative hate thoughts about Anthrax (the band) and preventing them from feeling comfortable with giving the music a chance to see if it's right for them, as is their right in this country. And I'm incensed beyond belief that your unresearched, ignorant hate speech about a group of people you don't understand has garnered a powerful following on this website, your words being so powerful that hundreds of people have aligned with your cause on your lies and half-truths alone. I'm livid that your position as a contributor here on Adequacy has served to convince people that you are somehow an authority on the subject of Anthrax (the band), and has served to artificially validate your position as an authority on the subject. And I am saddened that for all your drivel about how hateful and hurtful and offensive Anthrax (the band) is, your words and suggestions are themselves hateful and hurtful, and they themselves offend.
In the spirit of your original article, therefore, I suggest we all boycott Adequacy.org, and get our news and commentary from other sources. Once we hit Adequacy.org where it hurts - the pocketbook - maybe they'll finally get the message that we don't accept their hateful, hurtful, insensitive and offensive message and do something about it.
You know about Monster.com, right? I pray that you'll need it in the near future.
"I was at the Yankee game (game 4 against Seattle) last night and so many cops came up to me and said, 'Don't change your name for f**kin' nuthin'!!!'"
-- Scott Ian, ANTHRAX (the band)
- A concerned 26-year-old broadcaster and Libertarian
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