Frank Knotts Leaving Delaware Politics Blog
Frank Knotts, longtime contributor to DelawarePolitics.net, has written his farewell post.
I have come to the conclusion recently that Delaware Politics has taken a turn down a path that I am no longer comfortable with traveling. There are some who will say it was I who made a turn, and that may be fair, but whatever the case, I see myself and the management here heading in two separate directions.
I have always felt that the best way to learn, is to listen to the ideas of others, even those whom we may disagree with. It has become clear that here at Delaware Politics there has been a decision made to silence opposition. Certain ideas and opinions are no longer welcome here. This site belongs to David Anderson, he is free to use it as he sees fit and to allow whomever he sees fit to do as they please.
I personally in the past was given that same freedom to write about topics that were not always in agreement with David, yet he never attempted to silence me or my views. That is no longer the case. There has been a clear new direction here, where one person has taken it upon themselves, with David’s blessing, to delete comments not only from myself, but from anyone who dared to disagree, under the thinnest excuse of them being personal attacks.
The site no longer, in my opinion, welcomes the open and free exchange of ideas that it once did and has instead become a site being run as a totalitarian site by proxy.
There’s a lot of truth in what Frank writes. Many comment threads on that site are rendered unreadable by the excessive use of redaction and deletion of comments.
“There has been a clear new direction here, where one person has taken it upon themselves, with David’s blessing, to delete comments not only from myself, but from anyone who dared to disagree, under the thinnest excuse of them being personal attacks.”
That person is Don Ayotte – with many assists and the blessing of blog owner, David Anderson. Type one word against Don Ayotte and your comment will disappear. Never mind that Mr. Ayotte put himself in the public spotlight by running for public office, if a commenter says something negative about Don Ayotte the comment vanishes or is rendered unreadable. The excuse is civility, but civility only seems to apply to people David Anderson likes.
David Anderson has his “Person of the Year” post up, and of the 9 comments, 4 have been redacted or deleted. These comments dealt with where the Person of the Year, Chaplain Kim Warfield, received one of her degrees. I had read two of the comments before they were pulled and they cited the name of the institution where her degree was granted and pointed out that this university was a diploma mill. The university was Belford University, which according to Wiki:
The school is not accredited by any accrediting agency recognized by the United States Department of Education (USDE) or Council on Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA). Neither of the organizations from which Belford claims accreditation, the International Accreditation Agency for Online Universities (IAAOU) and the Universal Council for Online Education Accreditation (UCOEA), are recognized accreditation associations of higher learning.
It has been listed as a diploma mill by the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers.[14]
In a 2007 article, a Yale Daily News journalist reported that he had applied for a doctorate with what he described as a brief paltry life experience justification, and was approved for his requested degree 12 hours later. He said that the basic price for a doctorate was $549 and entitled the recipient to a transcript showing a 3.0 grade point average. Latin honors could be obtained for an additional fee of $25 and Belford offered to back-date a degree for an additional $75 fee.[16]
The comment, giving the Wiki information above, was deleted, citing personal attacks. Here are the reasons cited for deleting/redacting parts of the comments in that thread:
1. “Deleted for Personal attack”
2. “Deleted incomplete information/slander”
3. [redacted via libel policy]”
4. “deleted attack on religion violation of policy”
Since when is pointing out factual information (Ms. Warfield lists Belford University as one of her credentials) a personal attack? Granted, it’s embarrassing, but she lists the “university” herself.
And I read that first comment on that post before it was deleted and it quoted from the Wiki piece I’ve linked to and quoted. (I didn’t read the other deleted/redacted comments. They were gone by the time I got there) So what was the problem? Not that Ms. Warfield may hold a bogus degree, but that someone – using her own bio – pointed it out?
David Anderson and Don Ayotte simply can’t handle the truth… so they delete it. Often. And I mean OFTEN. This behavior has become the norm over at DP. And I get it’s their blog, and all blogs will at some point yank a comment, but Delaware Politics has taken censorship to new heights.
Frank Knotts will now be writing at his blog Politically Frank.
Tags: Delaware Blogosphere
Additionally, Frank criticized for being a RINO (he is anything but by the way) because he held a moderate view on a particular topic. What it demonstrates is that DP is basically a forum for the hard right that limits commentary to that which is politically correct (PC) for the hard right. No others need apply. Those that comment there (I and others) do so to amuse ourselves, point out that the emperor (the hard right) has no clothes and make note of the intellectual hypocricy that has taken up residence. DP is glaring example and parallels the path that the GOP in general has gone down and it’s a long road back for them, if they ever decided to come back that is.
They are promiseing a new format and direction in Feb. If they do not ease up on the censorship, the two pricipals over there are going to be talking to themselves. Without inteligent discourse between people who do not see eye to eye, the whole proccess fails.
I quit even going to that site the day after the Newtown slaughter when David Anderson declared enough time and sympathy had been spent on the victims.
If it is the tyranny they are screaming about….they need only to look in the mirror
Can you IMAGINE if Ayotte won any type of election…..at least his blogging and his deletion s and redactions SHOW what kind of (non) leader or political representative he would be
He himself is not different than, Pol Pot, Stalin , Saddam Huessien or any other despot that has silenced the opposition in this world.
David Anderson seems afraid to even do anything about it…..several posters have left now, Fay Voshell, Pat Fish (another psychological nut job that nearly got them sued on her Atkins post, it was touch and go for awhile) and now Frank Knotts. I even think there was another one too, can’t remember….
I am in agreement with Dave…..if a poster crosses the line that is one thing, but if a commentator posts the truth and they don’t like it…..yup , it’s deleted….
I DO hope they (David and Frank) end up talking to the,selves, mutual mental mastrubation…….coz they do seem to get off on it
But the na,e of Franks new blog is promising……because DP is more like what DP stands for, double penetration than DELAWARE POLITICS….because that blog is certainly NOT Delaware Politics but you certainly will get screwed if you go there to post…….
GOOD LUCK AND CHEERS TO FRANK KNOTTS
Let’s face it, Anderson and Ayotte are practicing their right to FreeDUMB.
Lol. I just followed the link over to wing nut land
Don Ayotte is not only writing the posts but commenting on them as well, rather prolifically too, unless what I am seeing is his answeres to deleted posts…….I’m not sure, nothing makes sense over there.
Anyway,, he is commenting on his own posts and David Anderson and Don Ayotte are the only two writers…….commenting on each others stuff, it’s a complete circular firing squad…..pun intended due to the posts about the gun rally……sorry…..
Oh my goodness… I just realized the ones who always bring up tyranny, are actual tyrants themselves…
Well, it seems the Center for Combating Terrorism at West Point thinks they are more like TERRORISTS than tyrants, but hey, if the shoe fits……..
http://m.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/jan/17/west-point-center-cites-dangers-far-right-us/
It says anti-federalists “espouse strong convictions regarding the federal government, believing it to be corrupt and tyrannical, with a natural tendency to intrude on individuals’ civil and constitutional rights. Finally, they support civil activism, individual freedoms, and self government. Extremists in the anti-federalist movement direct most their violence against the federal government and its proxies in law enforcement.”
Wonder if the FBI has a file on our Southern friends yet, Wonder if that would interfere with Mr. Ayotte’s SSI payments…..?
David Anderson DOES have an interesting suggestion over at DP on abortion in Israel:
” I will make a deal, how about we adopt the current abortion law in Israel over Roe”
Wonder if he supports the WHOLE Israeli law or just parts of it, seeing as they go waaaaaay farther than Roe,
A termination committee approves abortions, under sub-section 316a,[1] in the following circumstances:
1.The woman is younger than seventeen (the legal marriage age in Israel) or older than forty.
2.The pregnancy was conceived under illegal circumstances (rape, statutory rape etc.), an incestuous relationship, or outside of marriage.
3.The fetus may have a physical or mental birth defect.
4.Continued pregnancy may put the woman’s life in risk, or damage her physically or mentally.
In cases where the woman is granted an abortion due to the baby being conceived under illegal circumstances or incest, the fetus has a serious physical or mental defect, or the mother’s physical and mental health is in danger, the state pays for the abortion. In all other cases, the woman is charged.
Women who get pregnant while doing their military service are entitled to free, state-financed abortion.[2]
So, have an affair, get pregnant and the state pays to terminate it? WOW. paul Ryan are you listening?
State sponsored and FUNDED abortion……….hmmmm think he read far enough into the Wikipedia link, or stopped after the first sentence?
Ok David, that seems like a good deal, let’s adopt Israel’s abortion law here.the state will be paying for a lot of abortions, yup, your tax dollars at work.
Fucking mental midgets over at DP
Worth reading folks…….now we know what Frank Knots knew
It’s time to get out of DP- so, does anyone actually KNOW how many Possee members Jeff Christopher has actually sworn in, in secret? All with CCDWs, might be time to peruse those Superior court records……….
Now that OBAMA is coming for the guns? My god, it’s like little kids playing cops and robbers, or cowboy and Indian, except the ammo is real and the players dangerous…….
Real dangerous and real unstable…..
http://publicintelligence.net/ctc-violent-far-right/
Read the study, it’s scary…..
If Don Ayotte knew one tenth of what he thinks he does he would be dangerous, fortunately he remains harmless and confused.
It’s a historical characteristic of right wingers to engage in frequent purges of their own ranks. It’s a wonderful tendency, actually. It means they are destined to descend to a scarcely detectable minority even if they initially enjoy some popularity.
Frank wrote his own ticket. Frank made his own decision by continually attacking Conservative principles. Frank decided that his principles didn’t coincide with conservative principles. Ayotte simply decided to not let him comment on his posts. (Ayotte’s preoperative) If Knott’s wants to go away, that’s fine. Just don’t go away mad.
Psst… That comment by People Who Know isn’t even close to true.
Dana
“It means they are destined to descend to a scarcely detectable minority even if they initially enjoy some popularity.”
The reason we enjoy popularity is that we continually espouse the Constitution, and ask that the government adhere to it. If that is difficult for the government to accept, we take exception to those who would not accept the Constitution as it was meant to be the script for future legislators.
Your insistence that the Founders intended for their dead hands to dictate terms unto the 11th generation is your own delusion. Nobody else is bound by it, and as a result, your views are not popular. Sounds like you’re one of Don Ayotte’s “friends” if you believe that twaddle you typed.
PWK sure, you’re really popular. You have one statewide office and there are Democratic Super Majorities in the State House and Senate, so your Republican legislators can stay home all session and watch the Young and the Restless all day and they will have exactly the same impact on the State. ZERO.
Your party can’t field candidates outside of Sussex BECAUSE of Sussex Republicans like Don Ayotte and their fringe antics with prayer at public meetings and the Sheriff.
Your party is the party of basement dwellers, which is where they want to be so they can hide from their bat shit crazy Republican constituents who wave the US Constitution around like they understand what it means. Bend over, PWK, and enjoy the ride, it’s gonna be a long one.
That you find Delawarepolitics the main source of your news, means that you find the Conservative’s of Delaware a problem for your blogsite. What do you do in your spare time, when you’re not monitoring a conservative website.
You’re worried about Frank Knott’s resignation from delawarepolitics and I don’t understand it but I do know that when he was under fire from Ayotte, the only people that were defending him were contributors from your site. Hmmm, why would that be. Are your guys paying Frank, if so, I can tell you he’s not worth it.
Pandora
“Psst… That comment by People Who Know isn’t even close to true.”
That comment is exactly the truth. frank has BS’D you from the start with his sniveling explanation. He violated the site’s rule by his insistence that he was being picked on by Ayotte, when Don was simply trying to keep him off of his post because Frank was obviously crying about his own insignificance. Pandora, why don’t you let him cry on your shoulder so he can prove to somebody that he is worthwhile.
Don Ayotte has a premature redactulation problem.
Pandora
“Don Ayotte has a premature redactulation problem.”
I thought you might have a more mature response that this. Nobody is against you or this site but you can do better. Don Ayotte is a student of politics and history but not adept in blogsite BS. He will, however not be blindsided by a propane truck driver who attacks at will and misrepresents himself as a conservative.
Yup PWK, you are correct.
The only thing that blindsides Don is …………Don
Is ignorance is legendary, and his temper tantrums and sniveling ways epic.
He has no emotional monitor either publically or privately
He is a petty, mean, rabid despot. I hope he and David Anderson enjoy sniping back and forth coz it looks like not
To many folks are over there any more….
Bye Bye Don. Errrrr PWK. Sorry
Sorry Aoine, is it:
You aren’t even close at being right. I campaigned for Don but I don’t even think he knows it, I know who you are though, an a-hole who doesn’t know Don. Don is a compassionate person that campaigned to over 8000 houses when he ran for Councilman. I can’t say it much better than my father, “you don’t know your ass from a hole in the ground.’ enough said!
@ People Who Know 5:13pm- “Ayotte simply decided to not let him comment on his posts. (Ayotte’s preoperative)”
Is Ayotte preparing for surgery, or did you mean “prerogative”?
Ayotte’s ideas must be pretty weak if he’s afraid of Frank Knotts’ (see where the apostrophe goes?) replies.
PWK 5:52-
“That you find Delawarepolitics the main source of your news…”
I don’t think anyone here uses DP as their “main source of news”.
Speaking only for myself, I read posts at DP to gain insight into the minds of the batshit crazies who post there. Moseley & mynym are particularly long-winded. idiotic, misguided and occasionally amusing.
I don’t know any of the principals from this blog, but I doubt they’d pay anyone to promote their ideas on another blog when they are perfectly capable of doing it themselves for FREE. pandora, geezer, Dave and others from DL post at DP on a fairly regular basis.
It is amuses me to watch Dave and geezer dismantle Moseley’s idiocy with FACTS, only to have Moseley respond with BELIEFS and his bizarre view of history. Dave has repeatedly and dispassionately OWNED Moseley. Moseley’s responses are always filled w/vitriol, emotion, lies, misunderstanding and “beliefs”.
Great site you’ve got there. Enjoy it.
Don Ayotte stopped participating on DP( for obvious reasons) during his failed election. As soon as he lost, he returned and started deleting people’s comments the first chance he got. It didn’t sit right with me.
“@ People Who Know 5:13pm- “Ayotte simply decided to not let him comment on his posts. (Ayotte’s preoperative)””
Finally somebody with half a brain. Ayotte got sick and tired of Knott’s empty rhetoric and false representation of republican values. When Knotts started attacking him, he tried to ignore it but it didn’t go away. It seemed to be a power struggle between Don and Frank on who would be the dominant writer on DP.
That was ridiculous for DP because each, had a separate voice but Frank decided to attack Don and Don decided to not let him comment on his posts.
Frank threw a temper tantrum and decided to resign and become and disgruntled writer. His choice, not Delaware Liberal’s business.
“@ People Who Know 5:13pm- “Ayotte simply decided to not let him comment on his posts. (Ayotte’s preoperative)””
Finally somebody with half a brain.
Reading comprehension is a terrible thing to waste.
His choice, not Delaware Liberal’s business.
Hello? It’s a blog writing about a blog.
Pandora
This has nothing to do with reading comprehension, it is about the story of a disgruntled writer and confused individual that decided to resign from a conservative blog site and become the pitied-one, by a liberal bligsite. Not a brainer. People made it apparent that he was not a conservative and he didn’t believe it, and he sought to cause a stink. You guys disbelieve it and now, all of a sudden, we have a discussion.
I thought about even posting this, and you don’t even probably believe the truth but what I have posted is the truth.
His choice, not Delaware Liberal’s business.
And yet here you are — making a great deal of effort to try to explain away or minimize Knotts’ walking away from DP. I rarely even go over there and your response is illustrative of why that is. If you wanted this issue to die over here, then you shouldn’t have come over here to resurrect the topic, much less lecture us on what is or is not our business.
I am a friend, that is apparent, and explanation is my only goal.
Once again cassandra_m has me looking for the “like” button!
Whoever knocked sense into the head of Frank “Constitutional Scholar” Knox needs to carry a bigger hammer. People who live in Delaware AND know Delaware KNOW your teabag bullshit is worth the O’Donnell/Quiche ticket you purchase. You people are bleeding seniors of our state of their savings through fear mongering and race baiting. You might as well be televangelists.Knox may be away from you but the stain is never removed. People Know You as Putrid.
PWK-
Are you drinking tonight? I am, yet I still can’t decipher this sentence:
“Frank threw a temper tantrum and decided to resign and become and disgruntled writer.”
And become what who huh?
GFB- Who is this Knox you speak of?
Shorter PWK:
“Ayotte and Knotts got in a pissing contest and Ayotte has the delete button.”
Which is not far from what Knotts’ reasoning for leaving DP. I guess Ayotte is afraid to debate.
And if “false representation of republican values” is a reason for being deleted from DP, then I await the shutdown of DP.
I just love how idiots SCREAM. I KNOW WHO YOU ARE THOUGH, an a-hole….
Really, you call me an a-hole , I never called you a name , or anything……you are simply not that important
I could care less who you are, see how that works?..you elevated me to more importance to you , than you are or will ever be to me
I won’t call you names but you do seem pathetic based on your juvenile, Don Ayotte like behaviors in here.
Get it? Good, now be gone…..they don’t delete much in here, they r not despotic and insecure like Ayotte is, but u sure do remind me of a certain someone……….
What pathetic cowards, can’t bash Frank on Double penetration Politics, so you have to vent your spleen over here…….how interesting, also a hallmark of the Ayotte / Krazy Kristopher Klan……enjoy the next four years,,
What exactly does compassion do with campaigning? He is so compassionate that he campaigned?
Is that Logic? Or typical apologist bullshit?
He campaigned, dear, for himself, because his over-inflated EGO propelled him to seek office,
ARE U KIDDING? WHAT BANNER WILL YOU RUN UNDER?
The Sussex GOP would not even elect him……..to dog catcher…..
Sound familiar? Yeah, enough said…….
“You people are bleeding seniors of our state of their savings through fear mongering and race baiting. You might as well be televangelists.Knox may be away from you but the stain is never removed. People Know You as Putrid.”
Do you think Delaware Politics is a racist website? I have to disagree with you there.
Where is the ” LIKE” button for sussex anon?
Game set match…..
Anyone see the similarity in PWK And another certain blogger? Hmmmmm
And the vanishing of one writer during an election and re emergence of another, loses the election and then,
The new arrival,disappears and the old one shows back up?
And all the tongue wagging about ANON names…..LOL
Do they think they are fooling anyone
The death of that site was due to the ” batshit crazy ” writers trying to define how much more conservative they were from the putrid moderates in the GOP. They pine for 1950 when they all felt safe and superior, regardless of their actual IQ. The lies that were told over there were epic, and debated as the truth, ala ” the emperors new clothes.
Pretty empty over there – keep an eye out now and then
It’s still a circle jerk- the circle just got smaller but hey, they can all lit
Sten to their own crazy and fight each other
Because that will happen, sooner or later they will all be in- fighting
Did you miss me already Don? Oh! I’m sorry, I mean People Who Know(Nothing). Do you really think no one knows that it’s you. Please come and comment on my site. I will not delete you, I will however hang you up as a banner of ignorance.
You come here to stab me in the back? When I challenged you to an open debate on any topic of your choosing on DP and you whimped out? You come here and rehash all of the itellectually vacant drivel that you were allowed to put forth with David Anderson’s blessing.
I attempted to write an exit piece that was not an out and out attack, yet made it clear that I could no longer abide by the mini-Hitler that Don Ayotte was allowed to be. You deleted my comments because you couldn’t debate me you coward. You hid behind the delete button like the little punk you are. I guess I can next expect you to come charging up to me at a GOP meeting pointing your finger at me threatning me, as I saw you do to another Republican in the past, and yes there were other witnesses. I would however advice you however against such rash actions.
But if you want to have it out here, or on my site feel free, but at least for once in your troubled little life try and be a man and do it under your own name and quit talking to yourself as someone else.
Frank- he’s not worth it, we all know him by his writing style
We also know he posted as Truth be Told in DP while he was campaigning and in self imposed blogging exile- yeah right, he’s an easy target because he is so readable, his EGO is amazing.
My analogy for DP is the site where ” the emporor has no clothes” and the folks driven away or banned are the children that told the truth
Feel sorry for him, I do, other than that, they are simply not worth the effort and breath- Ayotte won’t physically challenge you, I have been at enough GOP meetings to see him for the sniveling ranger he is, while other tried to be polite but squirmed with their own discomfort……..I’ve seen it , you’ve seen it….I have seen you watch it!
Imagine that! Yet Ayotte/ people who know. Knows who I am….hahahahah
On another note – thes clowns just make me embarrassed to be American- this is the result of the far extreme right wing and their mouth pieces……yet non of them are racists
http://publicshaming.tumblr.com/post/41124582857/its-the-day-of-obamas-second-presidential
Yah right