Homocon

Not in our name will OSMtm carelessly trample across the trademark rights of another, smaller media company and then issue cryptic defenses that only confuse everyone who reads them while causing the other, smaller media company to issue a reply that says, in essence, "I think they must be off their meds."

Not in our name will OSMtm publish sloppy metaphors, petulant debates and third-rate satire in the guise of The Best of the Blogs.

As if.

Not in our name will OSMtm call itself “Open Source Media” while simultaneously employing such stringent limitations in their own copyright notice as to make a mockery of the entire concept of “Open Source” anything. Dudes, your cofounder Charles Johnson lives by the cut-and-paste . . . WTF?

We must repudiate the pretensions of OSMtm as a Blogger’s alternative to the established MSM, for, if we, the silent denizens of the Blogosphere, passively allow OSMtm to label itself as the Blogosphere’s challenge to name brand news and recognized journalists, we, the members of the Blogosphere, risk international ridicule and the threat of losing all credibility whatsoever, whomsoever and so forever (amen).

We must change the Blogosphere’s reality by mobilizing the true denizens of the Blogosphere to fight for and save the unsuspecting news consumer and news analysis hound who may inadvertently stumble upon OSMtm and thereby suffer grievous neurological damage (not to mention the potential for physical damage if some such news consumer/hound chokes on his/her disbelief that this is the best that $3.5 million can get you in today’s world).

We know in our hearts and minds that the “reality” of OSMtm is but a mind-spinning nightmare for the true seeker of news, and a tangled web of “If he says he’s Live Blogging the event then how is anyone who doesn’t already know he has a habit of doing this kind of thing supposed to understand that he isn’t actually there?” bafflement for the uninitiated who dare approach its one-trick in-joke.

We draw inspiration from our fellow Bloggers who have refused the enticements of OSMtm, we applaud our fellow Bloggers who have resisted the urge to sign Non-Disclosure Agreements regarding the operations of OSMtm ("Hmmm . . . non-disclosure, Open Source, my head hurts from the irony"), and we affirm the ordinary members of the Blogosphere undertaking the extraordinary act of fleeing for virtual safety as what amounts to a very expensive Vanity Press threatens to destroy all in its path.

We pledge to create a community that supports the satire, mockery and criticism which OSMtm may quite possibly deserve, and we stand with the bloggers throughout the world who fight every day to assure people that "No, really, I'm not a part of OSMtm, I never wanted to be a part of OSMtm, I have no idea what OSMtm is actually supposed to be about and I’d be just as happy, honest, if the whole duct-taped, jerry-rigged affair went away, like, yesterday."

It is our responsibility to stop OSMtm from carrying out its disastrous, bungled, mismanaged and downright embarrassing course as it drags any and all dedicated bloggers down with it, be they members of OSMtm or otherwise, through the unfortunate appearance of mere association.

So join with us as we say: Not In Our Name!

Signed,

*************

UPDATE:
Fun-Nee! And preternaturally witty! But I was always told that people who blog about the pussy they're getting are the ones who aren't actually getting any (hence the time to sit down and blog about it) . . . I suppose I could be wrong. I mean, really, how would I know?

BTW: thanks OSMtm, for making all us "Bushlickers" look bad (but in the context of his post, I would think that Bushlicking would be a gooood thing).

UPDATE 2:
Roger L. Simon's wife has suggested in the comments section of Roger L. Simon's blog (Roger L. Simon is one of the cofounders of OSMtm) that Dennis the Peasant, one of the most vocal (and hilarious, IMHO) critics of OSMtm, be "outed" to his clients (Dennis the Peasant is a CPA. These are her exact words:

"Since I'm posting here anonymously myself, it may seem hypocritical, but what I find most vile about the personal attacks and vitriol are that (aside from Ann Althouse) they usually come from anonymous posters. Even Dennis the Peasant doesn't have the guts to identify himself . . . When Ann Althouse has a post from anonymous Dennis the Peasant (who I would love to see outed so that his CPA clients could find out about the derangement of the individual who prepares their tax returns!) . . . "

I expect, any minute now, to see SimonCo.'s skin burst into flames as a result of its parchment type qualities.

C'mon, guys (and gals), grow a thicker hide and embrace the negative attention. At least you have people talking about you and linking to you. As the BF likes to say -- "The only bad press is an obituary."

UPDATE 3:
Fortunately, Dennis the Peasant has a snappin' sense of humor, and "outed" himself before Ms. Simon could see her way around to it. Thanks to the beauty of linkage, you can now view Dennis the Peasant for yourself in all his obsessive, borderline-deranged glory. He hardly appears the menace that Ms. Simon would have you believe.

UPDATE 4:
Private Radio shows the love . . . the tough love, that is: "Name fiasco part 2: The name makes no sense. It’s Open Source yet it has a trademark symbol with it. Open source is usually associated with computer software. And what’s open about it? The sources are open? To Who? The whole thing is by invitation only. They could have called it Closed Blogging System but CBS was taken."

Ouch. Go read the whole thing.

UPDATE 5:
Houblog has some good advice for Mr. and Ms. Simon -- it starts with "shut" and ends with "up".

"When OSM(tm) debuted, you became a business. When you crossed the line from blog to business, the standards under which you were judged changed. They changed so automatically that no one even thought twice about it — maybe not even once. It was just assumed… by everyone except the principals of OSM(tm). A blogger, just mouthing off on his site, can say pretty much anything at anytime, and nobody cares unless it’s really extreme. But CEO’s and directors? They. Can. Not. Do. That."

He also brings to topic the puzzling actions of bloggers involved with the OSMtm venture as they dart about the Blogosphere answering criticisms of OSMtm's less-than-auspicious entrance into the world with, "Hmph, you're all just so jealous". Jeff Goldstein and LaShawn Barber are predominant in this, and, as Houblog noted, it's embarrassing (not to mention downright silly).

OFF TOPIC
And now that the elbow jabs at Simon/Johnson Co. are out of the way, I think it would be a great idea to head over to Michelle Malkin's site and read the latest post by Brian Maloney on Zimbabwe and Robert Mugabe.

"Tonight, the story gets worse: rather than provide a strong voice for freedom and democracy in the region, increasingly suspect South African President Thabo Mbeki has pledged to HELP Mugabe torture dissidents and maintain one of the world's worst human rights records."

Oh my god -- if I had just quoted the above from an OSMtm article, I'd be in violation of their Copyright Notice! Moving right along . . .