The World’s Stupidest People…

…post to the Comics Journal message board.
For no discernable reason whatsoever, the usual crew of wannabes, neverwillbes and fake names created by the cyberstalker I had to sue for libel have started up another idiotic discussion about the lawsuit. This is particularly perplexing since there have been no significant developments on the legal front. The defendant keeps filing documents to stall a trial, my lawyer keeps countering the stalling tactics, and a trial date remains to be scheduled for an incident of impersonation that dates back to 1999. Whoever said that justice delayed is justice denied must have lived in New York; while I generally agree with the legal tradition of granting the benefit of the doubt to defendants in legal matters, it ought to be possible to get one’s day in court at some point. All of these delays are almost enough to make me become a Republican. Among some of my favorite posts of moronitude:

My biggest fear is that Rall v. Hellman will end up chipping away at what’s left of the first amendment.

I’m suing a guy who took away MY free speech by sending out emails under my name. Impersonation isn’t free speech; had Hellman used his own name to ridicule me I would have been the first to defend his right to do so. And I might have even chuckled about it. It’s pretty simple stuff; even a comics nerd who lives in his parents’ basement ought to be able to get it. But such is the dismal state of the American education system that there exist people who think that impersonation is a form of, rather than an attack upon, free speech. If people like this were denied the right to vote, Ralph Nader would be president right now.
Then there’s this prize:

Ted Rall turns people off from liberalism with his shitty comics and fascist left attitude.

Do I have a “fascist left attitude”? If by fascist left this dude means that I have zero tolerance for the Rethugs and their scummy American state media lackeys, then hell, I’ll take it. When your country has been hijacked by mass murderers, looters of the treasury and subverters of democracy, polite conversation isn’t called for. Anyone who votes Republican (as of December 20, 2000) is by definition an anti-American scoundrel, a neofascist and/or a fool. Fuck them.
Oh, and: I don’t give a shit about “turning people on to liberalism.” I’m a writer and a cartoonist with opinions (some liberal, others conservative, others neither), not a propaganda mill for some poorly defined non-movement.
And this, from another genius:

It also should be noted that it went to a jury trial all you’d have to do is remind the jury that Ted did the Terror Widows and Firefighters strips, it’s game over at that point.

Uh-huh. Because that would be totally relevant to whether it’s OK to impersonate someone…years before either of those cartoons were made.
Finally, refering to a snide comment I made about those who drew cartoons for Hellman’s benefit book:

Great to completely dismiss 50 artists who haven’t had the honor of having stick figure drawings in print like Mr T Fancypants R.

Yeah, it’s really bad politics on my part to insult 50 “artists” who hate me so much that they signed their names to a book solely dedicated to the prospect that I deserve to die painfully. News flash: I wish upon these assholes exactly what they wished upon me.