Ok maybe I'll email the SPLC and ask them about their investigations regarding this situation. I appreciate your explanation.

As far as the other stuff: If what you get out of these stories your mentioning is what you are writing than I understand why you don't like what people are writing. I personally was at the Louise Slaughter situation and I didn't like a lot of what was written about it. I didn't support some of the things some of the people being arrested were doing. That being said, the act of those protesting at (it wasn't Slaughter's office it was somebody else's I'm pretty sure, some guy), that person's office was actually very dubious. The police tricked them into leaving without being arrested. I have no real thoughts on actions like that-it's not something I would participate in personally because I don't know if I think it's effective either. But some people did think it would be effective, and I do think that's newsworthy. I think it's newsworthy that people are starting to do things that are arrestable in Rochester, NY because maybe it will break open a path to do other things that may be more effective, (in my opinion. Who knows what will actually be effective until it's done?)

As far as the being nastier and more crooked: There's only one incidence I can imagine you're referring to, and that was the first thing that I talked with you about. It's about some woman who was running for office who you say was framed for homicide or murder or something like that. I'm not sure exactly. I've heard wildly different sides of that story from a number of people. Now it seems to be old news, but then would it have been interesting to write an article from several different people's perspective? Yes. Did you write articles that you published? Probably. Did individuals within Indymedia possibly comment on those articles and disagree with them? Possibly, maybe even probably. But that's the great thing about indymedia-if individuals disagree with something, we can say it. How is that being against freedom of speech?

Andrew, I personally am tainted by the way you leave comments completely not related to the articles being written, and always seem to bring it back to yourself. Why not write a critical comment with your reasoning included? Why not write an article about why you think indymedia articles are not newsworthy, or why the techniques being used by Rochester Anti-War activists are not effective? Why not do something productive, instead of what you're doing which doesn't seem productive in the least to me. Or maybe it is: What is your goal in writing your comments?

Because what it's done for me is make me feel like I can't believe the things you say. I imagine that's not your point. So what is your point? You may be wondering why it makes me feel like I can't believe the things you say: You exagerate so much. And then it seems like you think I should just 'know' instinctively what you're doing. While at the same time you're making Indymedia look like a bunch of assholes, (i.e. saying we called you a crazy faggot when I can't imagine anybody within Indymedia editorial board combining those two terms unless a person referred to themselves as such). I think it would be more effective to make yourself look REALLY GOOD instead of trying to make R-IMC look bad.

Also one thing you've done repeatedly is refer to people in R-IMC as if we, together, ARE Indymedia, when that couldn't be further from the truth. We're all individuals who happen to work together on a project and who do not necessarily agree on a vast quantity of things. That is one way that you've said lies in the past that it seems like you do much less now since I've mentioned it before. I'm really happy to see that because that did make you seem like you were spreading lies. Unfortunately, this 'crazy faggot' business seemed to go towards that line of thinking again. Andrew, we're not AGAINST you, but you make it pretty difficult for people to WANT to work with you because you're always being negative about what we do, and not even in a critical way, or in an understanding way, but in a...mean way. I hope that explains where my negativity is coming from.

I guess I still don't understand where yours is coming from. But if you don't either, then maybe you might like to be nicer? I bet other people would be nicer back!

Briana

p.s. What days is FHF, (or whatever it's now called?), open? And what times? I'd like to get over there now that it's warmer and my wrist seems to be feeling a little better, (which it's only been hurt for a few weeks but it's been the weeks it's finally been a little warmer).