Do Not Feed The Troll

A bit of lunchblogging. . . .

Suppose there is a person who:

  1. Posts comments on the blog trying to relate posts not about the Iraq War to the Iraq War
  2. Sends me e-mail demanding to know my position on the Iraq War and whether I am a "war hawk"
  3. Doesn’t send just one e-mail but sends seven e-mails in the same day
  4. Sends them between 12:30 a.m. and 3:14 a.m.
  5. Carbons these e-mails to multiple people
  6. Signifies that he expects unreasonably prompt responses to his e-mails by saying in one of the later ones, "Do you think I have caused problems on your blog and so you have decided not to respond to my e-mails?" depsite the fact that I was asleep during the hours in which the e-mails were sent and so would not have responded to them for that reason alone.

Does this pattern sound familiar to any of y’all?

It might because it is exactly the kind of thing that Erik Johnson did last month (though not all of the details in the pattern, like the time of the morning at which Erik would e-mail, have previously been public). Following this behavior, I wrote on the blog:

Now a word to Erik: I have been patient with you beyond any reasonable expectation. It
appears that you are a troubled individual who may be in need of
counselling, as is the case with many people making the transition to
adulthood. I suggest that you talk to a counsellor.

However that may be, you are no longer welcome on this blog. Do not post further comments here.

I also told Erik (repeatedly and by e-mail) to stop e-mailing me.

Now, lo and behold, "Tom Brokaw" a.k.a. "James Carville" is doing exactly the same thing. The e-mailing mentioned above was done by him last night.

This morning he’s been trying to hijack one of Michelle’s comthreads by repeatedly posting the same comment even when she’s deleting it, a clear signal to him to lay off.

Furthermore, "Tom Brokaw" a.k.a. "James Carville" is doing all this from the same computer networks in the San Jose area that Erik Johnson used.

I submit to you that "Tom Brokaw" a.k.a. "James Carville" is a.k.a. Erik Johnson.

This means that Erik is in violation of the instructions not to e-mail or post further comments.

That means that Erik is committing Internet abuse.

This means that Erik is open to having action taken against him for Internet abuse.

That means that I am now giving Erik one last warning before filing complaints against him with his Internet service providers. (As well as requesting others not to respond to comments by "Tom Brokaw" or "James Carville" or other aliases he may cook up.)

Erik: I have already spoken with more than one of your Internet services, and they have assured me that they take abuse by those using their systems very seriously and will respond promptly to evidence I present to them that you are in violation of their Terms of Service by using their systems to engage in harrassment and abuse of others on the Internet.

If you do not immediately cease to e-mail and post comments, under whatever aliases, I will contact them and forward them the proof of what you have been doing.

I am not kidding.

Author: Jimmy Akin

Jimmy was born in Texas, grew up nominally Protestant, but at age 20 experienced a profound conversion to Christ. Planning on becoming a Protestant seminary professor, he started an intensive study of the Bible. But the more he immersed himself in Scripture the more he found to support the Catholic faith, and in 1992 he entered the Catholic Church. His conversion story, "A Triumph and a Tragedy," is published in Surprised by Truth. Besides being an author, Jimmy is the Senior Apologist at Catholic Answers, a contributing editor to Catholic Answers Magazine, and a weekly guest on "Catholic Answers Live."

31 thoughts on “Do Not Feed The Troll”

  2. IP banning doesn’t always work.
    Getting someone’s ISP to take action gets around the technical limitations of IP banning.

  3. Jimmy,
    Are you sure this really isn’t the work of James Carville? Those emails seem to be in line with his insanity.

  6. Maybe you should politely explain to him that he would have better luck inciting a flame war if he were to visit usenet instead…then ignore him…

  9. I’m so tired of spam and harassment on some of the sites that I run… It’s like people think they can do ANYTHING on the internet, just because they don’t have to look their intended victim in the eye.

  11. I personally think that Kim Jong Il may be responsible and, as you are no doubt aware, he is an ally of the Easter Bunny.

  13. I had a suspicion that Brokaw was in cahoots with the Easter Bunny. But no matter what Brokaw thinks of you, Jimmy, I think you’re just swell!

  17. What? All of them. Oh no… I was afraid of this: Erik copycats.
    You’re just jealous because I won’t comment on your blog.

  18. Jealousy is the luxury of those with too much time on their hands 😉
    Im too busy trying to stop the Kim Jong Il/Tom Brokaw/Easter Bunny plot for world domination. This is important stuff here.

  19. Jealousy is the luxury of those with too much time on their hands
    I did comment on your blog! Just tonight as a matter of fact. You go girl!

  21. I scrolled up quickly and I thought I saw William Shatner. But no one said William Shatner.
    Perhaps Shatner is part of the conspiracy, and is using subconsious mind tricks to insinuate himself into the situation.

  23. Well, Dan–if you *are* someone differen than Erik–same goes for you.
    Your Internet services will have no trouble looking up your account from what I send them and fingering the right guy.
    Do not comment or e-mail again.

  24. It is entirely plausible that Dan is also Erik Johnson. They seem to have the same brain fever.

  26. Jimmy, what he is doing is also a crime. In New York, it would be Aggravated Harassment in the Second Degree. California should have a similar statute.

  27. Whence comes this term “Troll” to describe people like Eriktomjames Brokawcarvillejohnson?
    Does it refer to the mythical creature who carries a club? Or does it refer to the fishing method of trailing a baited line?
    Just wondering.

  29. Dan’s a troll? I just wasted some of my rhetorical flourish on a troll?
    So sorry, Jimmy. Didn’t mean to encourage him.

  31. Interestingly, a Usenet acronym to rebuff trolls – originated in a spamfighting newsgroup – reminds one of the tale of the Troll and the Billy Goats Gruff:
    GoAT = Go Away Troll

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