Higher Standards and Double Standards

I've been very disappointed and concerned by the reactions of my favorite and not-so-favorite bloggers to the Armstrong stock swindle problem and the subsequent effort by Kos to cover it up. I'm not talking about Kos blackmailing people or controlling funds. I don't believe that. I do believe that Armstrong has accepted a plea with the SEC that allows him to go around saying, "Well, I didn't really do anything wrong. Wait until you hear my side of the story." That's the attractive thing about taking the plea. I'd bet good money those were Spiro Agnew's last words. They're the words Frist is going to say if/when he strikes his deal with the SEC. Are we going to say, "You know, he must really be an honest guy because that's what Jerome says"? Look at the high ground this is going to cost us. And I do believe that Kos tried to keep the issue off his buddies' blogs when it is a legitimate thing for those of us who read blogs for reliable information and not just the preferred version of events to know.

I'm sorry, but this gets to an essential issue of trust and credibility that can't be swept away just because he's on our side. It goes to the heart of what I had hoped was the difference between us and the Repub blogs. It's how so much evil is done by professionals who shut down knowledge of their colleagues' mistakes and incompetence instead of policing them as they should, no matter how hard it is and how much ammo it gives opponents. Armstrong's history should have been common knowledge. He didn't do anything wrong? Then don't plead. He's learned from the experience and is now a better person and pledges himself to never being questioned again? Sorry, haven't heard that yet. What you don't do is gather all the followers together, just like Karl calling out the lackeys, to get the talking points straight and to shut down discussion of it.

And even if it doesn't bother you personally that one of our own got punished by a federal agency for misleading for financial gain, how about the use it's given to those who would discredit everyone he associates with? It's already happening, and our response has been pure Repub smoke machine, complete with reverse charges of "Swiftboating" of Armstrong. Swiftboating? Jesus. Kerry has the medals and the wounds. Armstrong has the plea agreement. I've also seen blogs talking about us as increasingly sectarian. You don't think this isn't going to feed and confirm that?

This is a big deal, folks, whether you want to believe it or not, whether you think it's fair or not, and the way it's been treated by us demeans all of us trying to have an open, honest medium. Armstrong and Kos, along with Atrios, ARE the face of our blogs, despite all its diversity. If they get cut effectively, we all bleed. Our opponents know that if you cut off the head, the tail dies. I can't believe this is the only skeleton, real or unreal, that will be hauled out as the Big 3 gain more and more notoriety, and, if our response is this very Repub-like insularity and IOKIYAKos, then we're in for a long, sad haul. We should be holding them to higher standards, not applying double standards, and tough shit if they don't like it. They've put themselves there.

I'm just a nobody Z-lister, not tied into what are increasingly sounding like Kewl Kidz. I'm really more a long-time fan of our blogs than a participant, an outsider looking in at the network, at people I thought I could trust, someone who, because of this, is coming to question the utility and integrity of what I had once hoped would make a real difference. I'm shouting into the wind that this looks bad. This is bad. Don't laugh it off, don't minimize, and don't think the fact that Zengerle is a first-class tool wipes everything away.

Fix it.

Before it's too late.