In Retrospect

Ken O’Brien

At the outset I want to say that I made a serious mistake. I should never have apologized for the article "Weighty Matters". Insofar as the target of that article has refused to accept the apology it can be considered to have been rescinded.

Moving on I hope to discuss the matter that gave rise to that article in a reasonable and intelligent manner.

A number of years back we had a town manager by the name of Clayton Carlisle. Mr. Carlisle was, shall we say, portly. 

How To (Try To) Silence A Critic

Ken O’Brien

The only good thing about living to be a certain age is that you learn from your mistakes.

As regards the current kerfuffle about this blog and the Chair of the Southbridge School Committee the relevant lesson was “put it in writing”.

The benefits of that lesson are illustrated by today’s Telegram article titled “Fighting tears, Southbridge official reacts to blog comments about her weight”. 

Weighty Matters

Ken O’Brien

Well shame on me!

With tears welling up behind porcine cheeks and multiple chins aquiver the chair of the Southbridge School Committee closed last night’s meeting with a performance that rivaled Vivien Leigh at the denouement of Gone With The Wind.

At issue was the reference to her as a morbidly obese blueberry by a reader’s comment on this blog in a post that parodied her for reasons other than her weight.

School Committee Chair Reacts

Ken O’Brien

As followers of The O’Zone are no doubt aware, a controversy recently erupted over comments that appeared related to a post parodying the Chairman of the Southbridge School Committee.

Therefore, it was with no small amount of interest that I opened an email from the Chairman this morning. Insofar as she chose to contact me using her School Department provided email, the initial message, as well as the ensuing exchange, is a matter of public record.

With that in mind I am reproducing the conversation below without additional comment other than to say that I have received no additional correspondence as of the time of this posting. (I do, however, reserve the right to respond to reader comments.) 

LOCAL WINGNUT POST-ELECTION WHINING

Ken O’Brien

Earlier today The O’Zone ran an article titled “RANDOM WINGNUT POST-ELECTION WHINING”.

The article was derived from another site. It addressed itself to a variety of national forums. But the idiocy espoused by them is nonetheless present locally.

As an addendum, The O’Zone posted a video from the “Morning Joe” program featuring David Frum.

Frum, an avowed conservative, with a long and illustrious record as such, made a point that The O’Zone has advocated for almost as long as this blog has existed.

The Sounds Of Silence

Ken O’Brien

Loyal readers of The O’Zone may have noticed a recent decline in comments on this blog.

Trust me, I’m still getting them.

However, they have become so vicious, abusive and, in many cases, libelous that I have refused to publish them.

Now, I think that I have demonstrated an ability to engage in banter as well as having a respect for humor.

However, in the last two weeks, there has been an absolute absence of any intelligent arguments advanced against the opinions that I have expressed.

News Or Rumor?

Ken O’Brien

I truly loathe engaging in unnecessary conflicts, especially with those who I respect.

However, I take great pride and care in the content of this blog. I try to distinguish quite clearly between facts, opinion and analysis.

Therefore I take some measure of pique when it is implied that I am engaged in rumor mongering. 

Southbridge Pre-Election Recap: Through the Eyes of Photo-‘Toons

Ken O’Brien

Just as The O’Zone is committed to attempting to provide you with news that you may not get elsewhere, so are we resolved to provide you a perspective on the past that has brought us to where we are now.

With the Southbridge town elections now less than a week away, it is only appropriate to recount recent perspectives on what is shaping that apocalyptic event.

It is felt that there is no better vehicle to do this in a totally biased and irreverent way than to regurgitate the history of our Sunday segment Sunday Photo-‘Toons from the beginning.

So, hopefully to spur your interest, outrage, recollection and amusement in our annual exercise in democratic self-flagellation, here is a series of links to all the previous ‘Toons in reverse chronological order. 

Romney’s Lies II

Ken O’Brien

I was motivated to put this piece on The O’Zone by a recent exchange I had with a commenter on the article “What Happened To Republican Gas Attacks?”

The exchange went as follows:

stop the spinJune 7, 2012 9:36 PM

IQ Sounds like your undies are in a knot because you know im right stop the spin. The country is tired of four years of spending, high gasoline, solyndra ,bailouts gm, chrysler and any other buddy this dope of a president has bailed out at our expense and where still with high unemployment. Just wait november is coming and i will buy you a new pair of underwear IQ!!

The Sum Of All Facts

Ken O’Brien

Back in April, after the hoopla regarding the O'Zone's publication of the Arbitration decision in the case of Jonathan Jacobson, I conducted a poll of readers regarding whether the current principal of Southbridge High should stay or go.

At the conclusion of the article reporting the results of the poll, I wrote the following; “My prediction; I’ll end up being the villain in this black comedy.”

Yesterday I encountered an old friend (I’m talking a friend of over 40 years). We share a number of friends, many of whom are intimately involved in this affair.