[UPDATE: I have now been removed from the "Stalinist" list on DFQ's website because I publicly stated I didn't think we should have his personal info up here. DFQ deleted my personal info from his site, but I will keep it here since honestly, it isn't a secret.]

Some of you may have been confused by some of Michael's recent postings which were, basically, outing someone who seems unstable and a bit paranoid and who has apparently been stalking something of an enemies list. The gentleman in question blogs under the name Dave from Queens and if you want to know more about him, so far the picture and real name are still up elsewhere on this site if you care.

The background of the whole thing belongs to the silly meta diaries on Daily Kos and I only became aware of the whole foolishness when this seemingly unstable person started posting here attacking Michael for being anti-black or some such. I think many in the 11th CD who accused Michael of reverse racism during the 2006 Congressional race might be surprised at this new accusation, but this is part of why I figured Dave from Queens might be unstable. Dave from Queens (okay, DFQ from now on) also was using someone else's email address when he posted here, which I consider a big no no. So I got involved as an editor to stop DFQ from posting smears using someone else's email address.

Which led me to have to read a great deal of conspiracy theories from Daily Kos going around whose truth or not I care not one whit. I care only that it gets in the way of actual discussions on DG about important things. Which DFQ is not.

Personally I recommended to Michael that he take down his outing of this guy and I told said person I was making that recommendation. I don't really like that Michael did this (sorry, but that is my feeling as an editor here) but it is up to Michael and Liza as far as I am concerned. DFQ brought it upon himself to some degree by a.) blogging anonymously when he has something to lose (he seems to think) if his identity is revealed, and b.) posting demonstrably untrue smears here using someone else's email. But just because he exposes himself to, well, exposure, doesn't mean we have to expose him.

I have always felt that when someone blogs anonymously and has something to lose if they are revealed, they are taking on a risk that they probably shouldn't take. I thought people like Armando and Gatemouth, were acting irresponsibly by putting themselves at risk that way. I know the arguments for anonymity and respect them, but honestly, if you are putting yourself at risk, why do it? Some have been able to navigate the system despite such risks, but my personal philosophy is life is much easier if all is above board. Saves everyone a great deal of trouble. DFQ, as Armando and Gatemouth before him, couldn't resist blogging despite the risks and blogged in a way that was bound to piss people off. When you are taking a risk, pissing people off is not smart.

However even with that said, I don't hold the idea of outing people in high regard except in very rare cases. I am not particularly happy that this kind of feud is spilling into DG and I'd be much happier if all the comments and diaries relating to the feud were removed, or at least personal info removed.

Well, my recommendations are unheeded all around, but being a progressive reform Democrat in Brooklyn, I am used to that. So now, since my recommendations were not heeded, DFQ has added my name to his list of "Stalinists" on his own vendetta site:

David Michaelson - NYU Med Center Biologist who is backing Michael's decision to threaten people and out people. He posted as mole333 at his site.

These people are some of the most vile people on the planet. They think it's okay to out people's personal information and use the Internet to intimidate. So I can be one creative, creative person. Things like posting their info all over the place or revealing their addresses, workplaces, and then acting on this info? I'm not ruling it out. Sadly, thoughts like this would have never entered my mind months ago but when you are viciously attacked by scum, you have to fight back.

An "anonymous" (I read that as "cowardly") comment on DFQ's vendetta site reads:

David Michaelson (mole333) was born in Arkansas, raised in California, and has lived in NYC for ten years. A research biologist at the NYU Medical Center by profession, David is also politically active in Brooklyn reform and progressive politics, including being on the executive board of Independent Neighborhood Democrats. As mole333, David is Managing Editor of Culture Kitchen, a national (and increasingly international) progressive and libertarian blog, Contributing Editor for the NYC blog Daily Gotham, and publisher of his own blog, Mole's Progressive Democrat.

Joy Romanski grew up in NYC

Liza's name is on the list as well. Hail fellow "Stalinists!"

What DFQ has ignored is that I have never been anonymous. City Council members, Assembly members, State Senators, Congress Critters, District Leaders, judges, etc. know who I am. I have been the subject of a Spanish documentary in 2004, BBC radio and TV interviews, and even an interview by Finnish journalists just this year. So nothing he threatens is a threat to me because, as I said, I have always been above board. Winds up making me far less vulnerable. Even members of the Vito Lopez machine that I attack so much know who I am. Liza and Michael are no less open about who they are and no less well known. So what, I ask, is the point of DFQ's "Stalinist" list? My initial impression that this is an unstable, paranoid individual is fed by the facts that he a.) has this kind of vendetta list, b.) adds to it people, like myself, who were recommending Michael stop posting DFQ's personal info, and c.) assumes that I am just as secretive and paranoid as himself and will freak out that he posts info on me that is already widely known.

So for those who didn't already know all that about me, there it is. But of course DFQ got all that info from things I wrote myself in various places. The cowardly comment was taken from the Huffington Post when they picked up a piece I wrote about Joy's problems with NASA's implementation of Homeland Security Presidential Directive #12. And, of course, Huffington Post merely posted Biographical Info I myself gave them. DFQ may well wind up posting the picture that went along with it if he likes. He can also post, if he likes, info from Biomed Experts, which includes my most recent publications, though not my current lab. For that he would have to post the abstract from the 2007 plenary session talk I gave at the International Worm Meeting at UCLA.

[UPDATE: How could I forget this one!] Oh, and DFQ, I almost forgot. You can post all this information on my ancestry, complete with lots of pictures, that I previously posted. I think that post of mine was one of Michael's favorites, as I recall.

See how easy this is, DFQ? When you have nothing to hide life is so much easier. You might take a lesson from that. If you did, maybe you wouldn't need a "Stalinist" list on a vendetta site.

And for the record, I still think Michael should take down the personal info on DFQ, but it really isn't all that important to me.