First let me apologize for being away for so long. I had a bug to end all bugs. It had me down for two days, and off my feed for over a week. I was weak and tired, and work was busy, good thing. But I had no energy to take on a new post or even put up an open thread and monitor it.
I would like to thank our Delaware Right family of regulars who continued to comment on some of the older threads, and especially for abiding by the rules while the teacher was out of the classroom. It gives me a sense of pride that we here at Delaware Right have been able to create a space in which many voices, and viewpoints can come together to express their feelings on a multitude of topics. And are able to do so for the most part, in a respectful, if not sometimes pointed manner.
When I finally found my way back to my home away from home, I noticed one comment which jumped out at me. Not because it was unnecessarily mean, nor was it filled with any real wisdom. What struck me was the idea that seemed to be buried just below the surface of the comment.
It came from one of our regular guest here, a person I have agreed with in the past, and have disagreed with more recently, but someone I feel at least pays attention to what is actually happening, and forms their opinions based upon facts, rather than simply opinion.
Hate to out you Fightingbluehen, but the spotlight is on you. here is the comment.
” I’m confused. Why is a guy who runs a blog called “Delaware Right”, sharing grass roots Michele Obama for President 2020 propaganda on Facebook?”
This comment was to something I shared on Facebook.
So why would I share this? After all I write for a bog called Delaware Right?
And if I write for Delaware Right, then all my views must align with someone’s view of what the word “RIGHT” means to them. Right?
Well anyone who has read my blogs for any amount of time must get that sometimes I push buttons for the sake of pushing buttons. And sometimes I push buttons because they need to be pushed and no one else will dare to push them. And sometimes I push the button just to watch a head explode.
There is never a lack of people out there ,who follow my postings, who will think they can come at me with some label which will hurt my feelings. Trust me, it will take a lot to hurt my feelings. I have been doing this for a long time now, and I have been called just about every name and label people can think of.
I’m going to give a clue away so you won’t have to buy one. Go back and read the stuff I wrote over at that lame excuse of a blog Delaware Politics, oh wait, you can’t because the little brains who were put in charge purged it. So go read the stuff I wrote on “Politically Frank” and you’ll see, while some of my views on policy and practice may have evolved, my principles and values have remained the same.
The problem people are having with me today, is the same problem others had with me years ago. I have strong convictions about things. I read and study, and follow along with current events and form my opinions based on my own intellect and personal knowledge.
I do not form my opinions based upon those of others, and I have long ago given up basing my opinions upon party affiliation. This tends to drive people crazy.
Even as recent as right now, tonight, while I am writing this post, I am being challenged for my support of Christine O’Donnell in 2010, and the resulting election of Chris Coons as our state Senator. As I said to this person, I will gladly climb into a time machine and go back to 2010, and do it all over again. Except I would work harder to keep Sen. Coons from becoming Sen. Coons.
I say that, knowing that being a part of that movement most likely, if not certainly, has led us to where we are now. With President Trump. But we fight the battle we are in, for the reasons we feel are right, and if we have integrity, and intellectual honesty, we own our actions.
There was a time when I was regularly called a “right-wing fanatic”, a “wingnut”, a “Neo-con” and any number of other names and labels. I would spend many hours and typed words trying to explain why I was not any of those things, and I always came up against the same wall. Other people’s opinion of me, and why I could never change it. The reason I can’t change it, is because I would have to change who I am, and I can’t do that.
Then as I again found myself in a battle concerning the office of the sheriff here in Sussex, many of those people who had called me “wingnut” , were suddenly singing my praises, and others who had previously praised my views and words were now calling me a “RINO”.
Why? Not because I had changed my principles and values, but because I had held to them.
And now, now those two groups find themselves aligned behind a person I find disgusting and embarrassing as our President, Donald Trump. And again me being me, I am outspoken in my opposition, not because of party, but because of my integrity, and values, and principles.
There was actually a long time reader to this blog, and the others, who contacted another member of Delaware Right to tell them I may be going back and editing comments on old post. Really? First of all this person has my number, but not the courage to make such an outlandish accusation to my face.
I would hope that even those who hate me with a red-hot passion, would be honest enough to defend me on this. Anyone who knows me, knows I do not edit, other than for cursing, and for outing other guest, or for posting personal information about others. But you see, to this person, I am off the reservation because I do not blindly support President Trump, so I must be completely off the team, and anything is possible. You small-minded child.
Here I am at the end of another post to explain why party means nothing to me now. The GOP has proven to me at all levels it is no better than the Democrat Party. At all levels, the people who see themselves as movers and shakers are just children playing Chinese Checkers. They move the marbles around on the board for their own petty reasons. To benefit themselves or their friends. The benefit of society and the people mean nothing to them. It is party first, because that is their brand, not because it is best for the citizens.
THIS IS NOT MY BLOG! I DO NOT OWN IT, I DO NOT RUN IT, I DO NOT CARE WHAT THE NAME OF THIS BLOG IS! IT COULD BE CALLED THE “REPUBLICAN GOP RIGHT WING CONSERVATIVE TEA PARTY FREEDOM CAUCUS BLOG”.
I am a writer here, and I write what I want, for as long as I am able, if at some point I am no longer wanted here, I will go back and write under the “Politically Frank” banner again. But the name of the blog will never determine what I write. Party affiliation will never determine what I write, the people I call my friends will never determine what I write, though it does seem as though, what I write may determine who will be my friends.
The real message here is not about me, the real message is that as long as we as citizens continue to separate ourselves along party lines, we can never move forward to a better life for our children and grandchildren. All we will achieve is anarchy.
As for 2020? I don’t know who I will be voting for. Who knows, maybe President Trump will hit his head, and reverse “Freaky Friday” with the toddler who is inhabiting his body right now. Maybe then he could actually lead. Right now though, he is not my first choice. He like every president should be made to prove themselves worthy of re-election, and not simply given another vote because of party.
Glad to be back, hope I can bring more content in the future, and am really looking forward to future post from our other contributors Bob Mitchell and Paulette Rappa.
It certainly sounds to me as though you’ve made a full recovery, Frank, and that you’re full of piss and vinegar again!
I, like FBH and many others, assumed it was your blog. You never, to my knowledge, indicated that it was not. Presumably, that is what has led to the confusion about the blog’s name. For if it was yours- and for the first time many of us now know it isn’t- the name was incongruous to the prevailing ideology on the site.
Words have meaning (unless you’re a judge or a Congressman), and since the French Revolution, in a political context, “right” means conservative.
Yeah, yeah. Back in the day, supporters of the French monarchy sat on the right in the National Assembly. As conservatives, they supported the reign of Louis XVI over the common people. Ditto for the American colonies. Conservatives sided with King George. Aren’t you glad your forebears weren’t conservatives, Rick?
Actually Rick, I have said many times that I am just a writer here, and one of several people who make up what I call the “BOARD”. Unfortunately many people only hear and read what they already believe.
Michelle-4-Prez is no more absurd than a casino operator-4-prez. But we live in absurd times.
Actually Rick, I have said many times that I am just a writer here…
Fine, but I’ve never read it. Of course, I don’t visit this site very often.
….and one of several people who make up what I call the “BOARD”.
I’ve never seen you post that, either. Usually, you describe other writers as “guest commentators,” or something like that. I, and probably FBH, and many others believed it was your blog.
Aren’t you glad your forebears weren’t conservatives, Rick?
My great, great……grandfather was a Commander of a vessel operating under a Letter of Marque- a Privateer- out of New London CT during the revolution. He captured several “prizes” which, by way of the revenue derived, aided the cause.
He never made it back home.
Of course, I am an American conservative. Like Washington, Madison and so on. Among the first few tenets of conservatism is that words have meaning and that Natural Law- inalienable rights- supersede edicts and statutes.
Conservative- inclined to conserve. Much- no, most- of America’s history is worthy of conservation.
The “liberal” 3-V left merely wishes to destroy (see Marx and Engels). And they’re doing a pretty good job of it. Vile, vulgar and violent.
And although I doubt she has the interests to run, she certainly has the requisite dignity, especially in thew context of the current POTUS. I can’t get past this requisite dignity thing. It’s a tragedy for the whole world that we would elect some crude selfish disinterested reality show pig
Still think it’s notable, that a long time Republican political activist who writes almost all of the posts on a blog called “Delaware Right”, would be supporting Michelle Obama for president.
People have their own motivations and it’s not my place to guess what they are, but Frank Knotts is somewhat of a public figure; that’s why a shift in his politics is notable, and why my question is not out of line, in my opinion.
Of course it’s “notable.” And absurd.
If it’s not Frank’s blog, he certainly runs it. And he is, at the very least, a “moderate” if not left of center. Hence, whomever owns the blog should change the name.
Delaware Socialist, Pink Delaware, Sussex County Commie, The Hammer and Sickle….
That’s right, Rick. He certainly is running the blog right into the dirt. This article is living proof that any moron can have a blog site. No one of any journalistic or writing talent wants to be affiliated or associated with this toilet bowl excuse for a website or the likes of Grossman, Cragg and the other sleazeballs on the board of DR.
Charlie may have been too soft on him, but from what I hear, the new party chair isn’t going to take any crap. So, if Frankie doesn’t like the GOP, he can always go unaffiliated to protect his imagined “character and integrity”.
I hear that Little Creek is looking for a few good potato pickers.
Who would the new party chair be? I am hearing several names, none of which will make the party great again, to use the phrase.
Maybe Don Ayotte will come back with Mike Protack and find the magic room full of volunteers and benjamins.
Maybe NOT !
Well Rick, maybe you should learn to read and read to learn. Your problem is most likely that you think you know what you will be reading before you begin, and are already formulating your response. When I refer to the Board, I am referring to people who own the blog and who as a group make decisions about everything but what the writers, including myself, write about. And yes, I am a part of that decision making, but I am not the final word. We created this site as a place where ideas could be discussed without the fear of some little brained heavy handed idiot constantly editing and censoring comments.
On the first night I sat down and discussed coming on board here, and closing Politically Frank, I stated I did not want to be the sole voice. We have been hard pressed to find people who can devote the time it takes to write and follow up on comments. This is why in the past we have accepted guest post from people. It is also why we have asked Bob Mitchell, and Paulette Rappa to contribute, though as of yet they have done nothing but write their first post, and nothing else.
Think about it, we invited Bob Mitchell, a person as a candidate, I opposed with a vengeance, yet still we at Delaware Right are willing to give him a place to voice his views, though obviously he has none.
I also wrote a post here detailing that we had change the direction of the blog from a right centric site, to a site focused on the conversation. It is the reader who can’t get past the word “Right”, because labels are safe and familiar.
FBH, notable? Why? Because I have come to believe the GOP has lost it’s way so badly that anyone is better than the “Toddler King” we have as president?
Yes I am a Republican, and I get to decide what that means to me, and I get to push for the party to move the direction I want it to go. The party represents the people, it doesn’t dictate to the people. I am only one person, I have zero chance of moving the party in any direction by myself, but I will not sell my views and principles to the party. I will be myself. The ridicule and attacks come because others cannot understand, standing up against the unbeatable foe. They choose to follow the heard. Not for me.
As I said before, I would rather vote for the most liberal candidate who is honest about who they are, than to vote for a phony, two faced carny huckster.
“High Ranking Republican” says, “No one of any journalistic or writing talent wants to be affiliated or associated with this toilet bowl excuse for a website”. I challenge you to find and link to even one time when I described myself as a journalist, or bragged about my own, writing skills. I leave that childish behavior to the likes of Not Don Ayotte. I have always said, blogging is just graffiti with punctuation. I am no journalist, I write my opinions, nothing more.
And I might say, you have demonstrated your lack of intellect about agriculture when you wrote, “I hear that Little Creek is looking for a few good potato pickers.”
First of all, my father spent his life farming, and I am very proud to be the son of a farmer, and to have grown up on a farm. And if you were not a complete mental deficient, you would know, you don’t “pick” potatoes, you “dig” potatoes. That is unless you have a potato tree in your back yard.
And finally HRR, you say, ” Charlie may have been too soft on him, but from what I hear, the new party chair isn’t going to take any crap. So, if Frankie doesn’t like the GOP, he can always go unaffiliated to protect his imagined “character and integrity”.
Really? “Been too soft on me”? “Isn’t going to take any crap”? Just what is it you think the state GOP Party Chair can or cannot do to me?
And by the way, you, and the Chair, and anyone else you can imagine, doesn’t get to decide who is or isn’t a Republican.
And if Frank’s post immediately above is not evidence of a full recovery, I don’t know what is!
Frank, your original post and this latest follow up to Rick are perfect. Keep up the great work.
….maybe you should learn to read and read to learn…
I’ve never, ever, seen you post the term “board,” nor have I ever seen you even intimate that it wasn’t your blog, until the emergence of this thread. Period. So someone else “owns” the blog. Who runs it? You.
…I get to push for the party to move the direction I want it to go.
You’ve been pushing for that for quite a while now. You failed; Trump carried 30 states.
And I doubt if the Sussex GOP cares about your opinions, truculence, self-importance and so on. How many seats in Sussex do the Socialist-Democrats hold? And how can that be if the Sussex GOP is so dysfunctional?
Why not work where your “help” is really needed; the Sussex Socialist-Democrats? You’ll fit right in. And surely, since there is such an anti-Trump groundswell, they will take great strides here in Sussex in ’18. Right?
Rick,
If you find Frank’s blog so intolerable, then just go elsewhere.
FRANKIE KNOTTS is full of crap and Delaware Right is useless. GROSSman and Cragg really created a FRANKENSTEIN. If their purpose is to stir the sewage, they have succeeded. If it was to convey any useful information, they have fallen flat on their fat faces. This is one toilet bowl that needs cleaning.
Good writers are very hard to find these days.
So Trump doesn’t think Bill O’Reilly did anything wrong in terms of sexual harassment. Well of course he wouldn’t. I wonder if Rob Arlett is on the same page as Trump on this one.
If you find Frank’s blog so intolerable, then just go elsewhere.
I don’t find it “intolerable,” or I wouldn’t post here. Isn’t that rather obvious?
Unlike on DL, Frank doesn’t resort to censorship (to his credit). You lockstep conformists (“liberals”) on this blog need to be exposed to at least a scintilla of conservative thought. That’s where I come in.
And if you find that to be “intolerable,” maybe you should go elsewhere.
Meanwhile Quinnipiac has come out with a poll showing Trump’s approval rating at a disastrous 35 per cent. And his cheerleader in Delaware, Rob Arlett, wants to succeed Charlie Copeland. Rich.
The backlash is going to be sweet
Rick,
It was you(not me) who whined above that Frank should go “work where your help is really needed; the Sussex Socialist-Democrats”.
Let me be clear, I welcome Rick here the same as I do every guest. Rick makes his case with an intellectual edge, and for the most part his insults are of a tolerable nature. While I may feel Rick misunderstands my views and my reasoning, I do also believe he has every right to his opinion.
As for sock puppets like RATFink, well they too are welcome here to demonstrate the little brains at work. They call me names, and degrade the site, yet they are here. Thank you for playing along, now try adding something to the conversation above a third grade level of thought.
One thing we agree on. Frank is full of piss, shit and a case of the wacko mole.
At least he’s tolerant of nasty rude types. Hell, I’ve been threatened with punishment on the liberal site for far less of a crime and