Dirk

Barbara: Barbara is absolutely right. Phil, I know you mean well. But as Jenna observed, and Barbara also notes, the whole business is nuts. Laughter is the first sane response. The second is to drill down a bit, get at some of the plate tectonics of the situation under the hot lava. Ellen Stuttle does this very well over at ROR, laying out how Chris' integrity carries a benefit for those who don't have it, and how he maintains it at a serious cost to himself. On the other side of the ledger, we're starting to see just how far players like Maurone and Perigo are prepared to sell themselves out in order to avenge obscure personal scores. So far it looks like a fair way indeed. Phil: People often write in such a mealy-mouthed style when they are trying to dress up an unpleasant prejudice in pseudo intellectual drag. For example, what would you think if I said the following: "I regard being Black as unfortunate and suboptimal, but I do not think any case can be made that being a loving Black person is immoral." Might you suspect I have an underlying opinion of Black people that is not particularly positive? Do you consider Hsieh's comment about gays should be taken as a complimentary one, or an uncomplimentary one?

Jonathon: >Maybe a few months as a deferential eunuch in the House of Hsiehame will be the first step toward his becoming a grown-up. Hee hee. "Deferential eunuch" sums up Perigo's stance nicely. However, I fear you are too optimistic. I can also see this is just another timebomb set a-tickin'...

Charles: Well said. Consider this: What could be a more priceless example of the very "weasel-worded academese" that so outrages Perigo than her: "I regard homosexuality as unfortunate and suboptimal, but I do not think any case can be made that a loving homosexual relationship is immoral." It just doesn't GET any weaselier than that. Ironically, it was Chris Sciabarra who saw straight through Hsieh's mealy-mouthed euphemising, and amazingly is getting condemned for calling exactly as he - and anyone else who's got half a brain and an ounce of self-respect - sees it. Perigo on the other hand, seems to have suddenly lost all his self-proclaimed "KASS". Why, he is going to politely "disagree", and let's all look the other way, tiptoe round the teacups and say no more about it shall we? One fears this little episode shows the true measure of the man. If Chris Sciabarra makes a few personal remarks about him in a private email, why that's a terrible moral crime that needs to be denounced ad nauseum throughout the halls of Objectivism. But should Hsieh casually disparage all homosexuals - is anyone mealy-mouthed enough to to call her description complimentary? - does Perigo have the cojones to stand up to it? No, he just mutters that he "disagrees" and then goes just as weasel-wordy as Hsieh as he tries to disagree with Chris's frank, no-nonsense, spade-is-a-spade assessment. What could be less 'KASS' than this display of utter limp-dickness? For contrast, imagine the howling if someone on the shitlist like Joseph Rowlands or Barbara Branden or Michael Kelly had said it (not that they would dream of doing so!). We'd never hear the end of it. As Joseph Rowlands recently remarked, it's pretty obvious where Perigo's real priorities in life lie.

M Kelly: Totally. Henceforth let her be known as Ms Regina Firehammer aka Diana "Homos-are-unfortunate-and-suboptimal" Hseih.

Paul: >Welcome. What do you do for an encore? Hmmm. Judging by her latest bug-eyed public wig-out, how about Diana Psych-o? (for sticklers, pronounce it kinda like Sid the Sloth in "Ice Age") As to whether she and Linz are destined to be pals for life, let's hear Diana's frankly curious views on homosexuality one more time: "I regard homosexuality as unfortunate and suboptimal, but I do not think any case can be made that a loving homosexual relationship is immoral." "Suboptimal", wink, wink. Kinda beautiful payback, poor "unfortunates" like Linz now having to be BFF with that. Actually, forget my first suggestion. Regina Firehammer, anyone? :-)

Given his ongoing obsession with "wanking", naming his own site "Solopassion" is surely Perigo's most unintentionally hilarious moment yet!...:-)