About two weeks ago, South Whitehall Township blogger Michael Molovinsky insinuated that I was posting comments on this blog as someone who calls himself "BillC." "bilc, your comments concerning bernie, angle and gracedale are almost quotes, beyond paraphrases, of things bernie himself has written. you must be quite the loyal reader. fortunately, you agree with bernie, and therefore are not an anonymous coward in his eye." >BillC is Bill Coker, an opinionated old fart from Nazareth, just like me. I've written about Bill. Fortunately for me, Bill later came on this blog to acknowledge that he had, indeed, written those comments. Molovinsky had to eat crow. "bernie, i will own and apologize for the insinuation that you were bilc."
I do not post anonymously or under assumed names.
Now Molovinsky is at it again. This morning he posted a blog calling Ron Angle a bully, and someone took him to task, anonymously, at 6:24 AM:
"Again, you are pontificating on something you have no clue about. If you had gone to the meeting or properly read a newspaper account, you would have seen that this is evident. Your venom for O'Hare is evident. Your petty squabbles and hurt feelings paint you as you are: feebleminded."
Once again, Molovinsky claims that I am the author of an anonymous comment. There's this, "now go to sleep bernie, there's more meetings tonight." followed by this, "in comment number 1, at 6:24 am, (bernie) implies that this post is based on a petty squabble."
I was writing until well after 4 AM, and was actually sleeping at the time that Molovinsky claims I posted a comment on his blog anonymously. Contrary to popular opinion, I do sleep from time to time. But it is impossible to prove a negative.
OK, so what's the big deal? Why a post about this petty nonsense?
I am an alcoholic. It cost me a good income and a license to practice law. But I lost something far more valuable than money. Alcoholism strips you of whatever you hold most dear. In my case, it was my integrity. In some people's eyes, I'll never get it back. I must live with that.
One thing I have tried to do since those dark days is to be honest. So more than others, I won't post anonymously or under assumed names. I feel tempted from time to time, but won't do it. Molovinsky knows this because I told him. He knows how I feel about this topic because I told him that, too. Yet today, just days after being proven wrong about one accusation and knowing how strongly how I feel, he makes it again.
I am going to resist the temptation to bash Molovinsky. I am fully aware that, in the eyes of many people, I am wasting my time. But for those of you who believe in second chances, it is important to me that you know I will never post anonymously or under an assumed name.
