Hey, Matt, how's that impeachment of David Vitter going? You know, the Republican from Louisiana who was linked to the D.C. Madam controversy?

Oh, wait, it never happened? And he's a Republican? Damn.

Guess your song from yesterday needs to be sung again: hypocrisy away!

Sucks to hear about the stalker. Stay safe.

Stalker's a bit strong. Astute reader of Blogtown is more like it.

I love how you're dragging that abortion of a thread around with you, Matt. The thinking readers call you an inept fool, and you do the heavy lifting to prove the fact to anyone who will listen. Bravo!

Amy how nice of you to join in the bash fest. Why don't you give us your own astute opinion?

All eyes are on Spitzer, because we have a SEX Scandal. So NOW is the time to be looking around to see what else is going on, what else is about to be slipped by the American people.
And LOOK, congress is about to soften it's stance on FISA IMMUNITY!
So once again the Democrats seem to be wearing down and giving ground to the Bush administrations push to give the telecom companies immunity. No, no, no. These telecom monopolies have a broken the laws of our Constitution, for profit from our government. This cannot be allowed to happen, the crimes MUST be fully investigated, and the top government officials that sanctioned this, before 9-11 and after, must be exposed and then prosecuted. To let them get away with this undermines the very fabric of our Constitution.
I draw a weekly political comic strip from here in Portland, that very few people see, where I deal with this and outer under reported topics, FISA Immunity is my latest, it's up on my website now.
www.whatnowtoons.com
Cartoons for the coming Progressive age

That wasn't me. And thanks, so much, Amy, for the rally-round. Ouch!

Neither of those were me. Amy and anyone else that doesn't recognize my gifts to this paper and this town can fuck off.

My cartoons, racist? Because I stood up for Michelle Obama, and Slammed Bill Oliely for HIS Lynching comment? What side of the racist issue are you complaining about Matt Davis? I refute your actuation.

8 was me. 9 wasn't, although it's true, I could well have written those exact words.

This "pretending to be me" joke is hilarious. Every time it happens, I laugh and laugh and laugh. Hey, why not waste more of everybody's life by repeating it...again...

My cartoons, racist? Because I stood up for Michelle Obama, and Slammed Bill Oliely for HIS Lynching comment? What side of the racist issue are you complaining about Matt Davis? I refute your actuation.

That wasn't me. Yes...it's still very, very funny.

Matt Davis must be a Bill O Reilly fan. And supports his comment " I don't want to go on a lynching party against Michelle Obama, unless..."
Now you seem to want to call my cartoons racist because I stood up for her, against O'Reilly, strange coments from you.
Ever since we've seen Regan usher in the return of the monopolies, we've seen the dumbing down of our media, hey it's better for them if we just don't know anything.
Bill O'Liely can yell his lynching comment, and the media barey notices, unlike Imus and Janet Jackson. I guess some pigs are more equal than others.
Three weeks ago I made the O'liely issue and Fox news ( and others ) airing an edited Michelle Obama commet my topic. It's up on my website now, below last weeks cartoon on the Oil Monopolies giving us 4.00 a gallon gas.
www.whatnowtoons.com

Stalker? Nah, sounds more like the most reasoned and rational commenter on that thread.

Gosh, really?

"This "pretending to be me" joke is hilarious. Every time it happens, I laugh and laugh and laugh. Hey, why not waste more of everybody's life by repeating it...again..."

MATT DAVIS CHASTISES READERS FOR WASTING HIS TIME WITH JUVENILE BEHAVIOR: IRONY OF THE CENTURY???

Yeah, I got your headline right here, Mercury.

"Gosh, really? "
That's your response after accusing someone of racism?
You must be an absurd troll, making comments then just sassing back meaningless dribble.
What a pig.

"You must be an absurd troll, making comments then just sassing back meaningless dribble."

New here, aren't you?

"You must be an absurd troll, making comments then just sassing back meaningless dribble."

New here, aren't you?

This is just more meaningless dribble, you seem to want to avoid answering to someone NEW or not, whom you acused of racism. That mister is the real issue here and you seem to be unable to answer for your disgusting charge that my cartoons are racist, when all I did was stand up against people like you making ugly comments to our future first lady.
Come on Matt Davis, answer for your dirty, snide comments.
can you? or are you going to just sass your your way past the real issue here mister!

Okay. What's this, META-trolling?!

What now toons-

What I was trying to say is that this sort of crap is business as usual for Matt, as the garbage pile of a thread linked above displays prominently.

The fact that he's basically paid to be the resident troll of blogtown/the mercury is ridiculous, which is why there seem to be so many readers growing sick of his shit and calling for some sort of response from the editors.

Matt Davis says...
Okay. What's this, META-trolling?!
in response to this...
This is just more meaningless dribble, you seem to want to avoid answering to someone NEW or not, whom you acused of racism. That mister is the real issue here and you seem to be unable to answer for your disgusting charge that my cartoons are racist, when all I did was stand up against people like you making ugly comments to our future first lady.
Come on Matt Davis, answer for your dirty, snide comments.
can you? or are you going to just sass your your way past the real issue here mister!

What a biger load of crap'
A spinctor says What!!

Thanks for clairfying that this Matt Davis is a troll, but TROLL or not I
think his acussing me of drawing racist toons, when I was supporting Michelle Obama ( I am an Obama for President person )against hatefull atacks from Bill Oreilley, the lowest of attacks on a fellow Portlander basis for being banned from any forum. And if the rest of you have been subjected to this sort of abuse, then the editors of this fine paper ( even if they don't cary my cartoon www.whatnowtoons.com ) should moderate this forum and remove such abusers who seem to be of the lowest of of ##%&*###.
Nuff Said.

Matt... we herd u liek mudkips. Y/N?

"And if the rest of you have been subjected to this sort of abuse, then the editors of this fine paper [...] should moderate this forum and remove such abusers who seem to be of the lowest of of ##%&*###."

I think you'll a number of readers that agree whole-heartedly, WNT. The fact that the Mercury pays for this kind of output is frankly insulting to the entire readership.

"The fact that the Mercury pays for this kind of output is frankly insulting to the entire readership."

WHAT?!!!!!!!!!
The Mercury pays MATT DAVIS?!!!
WHAT?!!!!!!

"star" investigative reporter. money well spent, obviously...

I just called Matt Davis, and it appears that someone really is impersonating him. I have also called the editor Steven Humphries and left a message that hateful stuff is going on in this blog, and they should do somethimng about it. Matt Davis is not a paid troll, but in fact a nasty impersonator.

WNT-

This is good to know in this case, but please take a look at the thread linked in post 3 of this one. While Matt may not be personally attacking you, the thread I am directing you to is ample evidence of what the "real" Matt Davis is payed to do.

Also, WNT-

Try reading through Matt's output for the past few weeks. It's pretty clear that honest interaction is not something he's interested in, so you might want to take what he told you over the phone with a grain of salt.

They own the damn blog. Why not put in the ability to block people from using duplicate names.

El Seven, you make a good point, I've never heard of this type of activity on any blog before.
We all should complain to the editor, now, I have.

Calm down everyone. And for crying out loud Keith, stop plugging your toons.

You did this to yourself Matt... To include your "stalker" in the news of the day after yesterday's "pay attention to me!!!" melt-down is just pathetic.

Just checking...

Matt, why would I want to stop plugging my cartoons, I ashed Marjorie Skinner about your comment about not plugging toons and she said it's okay. She also said that you HAVE been impersonated, and they have no way of stopping the impersonating, but the libelous statements made in your name have been removed.
www.whatnowtoons.com
Portland based progressiv cartoons.

Matt, why would I want to stop plugging my cartoons, I asked Marjorie Skinner about your comment about not plugging toons and she said it's okay. She also said that you HAVE been impersonated, and they have no way of stopping the impersonating, but the libelous statements made in your name have been removed.
www.whatnowtoons.com
Portland based progressiv cartoons.

what now tunes, what you're being asked to stop doing is called "spamming". I know the standards at blogtown are quite low, but it's generally considered ill-mannered to repeatedly bring up the product you're flogging unless it's "on-topic". In this situation, that means that the discussion being had is either pertaining to politics or cartoons. If it's not, everyone putting gratuitous links in their messages simply clutters up the communication. Hope that helps.

I was on topic, your IMPERSONATOR took this thread off into Racism by commenting on one of my cartoons, that was off topic, thus changing the topic of this thread. I was not spamming, I was plugging, two different things.
www.whatnowtoons.com
Portland based progressive cartoons

what now toons-

Once is plugging. Everyone saw it, and had the opportunity to look if they wanted to. including the link with EVERY SINGLE POST is spamming. It's inconsiderate, and will make people unreceptive to your product.

Also, I don't have an impersonator that commented on your cartoons. We're not all Matt Davis.

34 wasn't me.

40 wasn't me.

James,
Point taken, and I shall refraim from adding the tag, I was just worked up for being told not to plug my toons.
The nasty stuff that worked me up has been removed, so new readers won't know what's up.

Everybody post as Matt Davis from now on! It'll be like that movie where everybody wears the same mask but with words instead of masks. Yeah!

After all these "plugs," WNT, you still seem to be the only one who cares whether someone said something about your cartoons being racist. You're dragging yourself down.

I, for one, am instituting a policy of browsing past your ugly comments. Starting... RIGHT NOW.

44, good for you

"It'll be like that movie where everybody wears the same mask but with words instead of masks."

we noo u lieked us, Matt...

The last person who was actually me was #40. But I see what you're doing at #41. That's inspired!

Saying "That wasn't me." When really, you're not me! Gosh. How much better can this get?!

I doubt that anyone reasonable at the Mercury is still reading this thread (that I am certainly casts doubt on any advice I would offer), but it is possible to cut down on the impersonation, hilarious though it may be.

You'd just have to check that any person posting with a Mercury staffer name also had the IP address of the Mercury office. We know you're storing IP addresses, since previous Blogtown entries centered around "outing" commenters.

Of course, then you'd only be able to comment as a Mercury staffer from the office and not, say, while liveblogging something. But it could avoid inane conversations like most of this thread (sure, why not, this comment included).

but who's on third?

We've politely asked in the past for all the "sock puppetry" (pretending you're someone else in comments) to cease. And while I hate having to impose any rules on the wild, wild west that is Blogtown, today proves I no longer have a choice. I'll write more about this tomorrow (when we're not on deadline), but until then…
NEW RULE: NO SOCK PUPPETRY ALLOWED (unless it's with actual socks). Any comment that is deemed to be sock puppetry will be deleted. And I would ask Blogtownies to help us police this by notifying me at steve@portlandmercury.com if you see any problems.
Thanks and have a good evening.

Humpy-

I know the Mercury is free to do whatever it wants (and you might be way ahead of me), but you might want to address the "Matt vs. the readers" mess when you make your state of the union tomorrow... If you look through the past few weeks of blogtown, it's obvious that the trolling drama isn't something that Matt's an innocent bystander of.

Noted. But any kudos or criticisms I may have for Matt will be accomplished by walking across the hall and saying to his face— it won't be on the blog.

By all means, boss-to-employee chats should be in private. It just seems the "Merc community" deserves at least an honest response from either you or Matt concerning a whole battery of valid criticisms that were leveled at Matt over the past few days.

#52 wasn't me. I will rip Matt a new one on this blog tomorrow. Be sure to tune in for the fun kids!

Just use special titles for your employees. Like "Matt Davis (Portland Mercury)", and then filter out any other posts that try to use that. I don't know of any blog platform in the world that allows for what yours does. And your appeals for maturity and restraint will not catch much traction around here, no sir.

El Seven- Why do you hate freedom of speech?

Just wondering.