The Coalition of the Swilling

But he's not done...::sigh::

...But Reynolds and the sites he links to mischaracterize what Sullivan wrote about this administration's more general record on civil liberties, seemingly intentionally...

Was ist daß?! We're just selling mugs! Where's Reverend Jesse when we need him? Mr. Balko has constructed a virtual novelette, full of conflict, pathos and bullsh*t. So I wrote him a little note.

Concerning the Coalition of the Swilling and our "Blame Bush" mug

Dear Mr. Balko ~

Thank you for your trackback and your notice. It's quite an honor to have you visit us. (I have linked to several of your Corey Maye posts.) But I'm afraid I'm going to have to point out what I feel is a misinterpretation ~ no, let's use 'mischaracterization' ~ of the "Blame Bush" mug and post. Written as a dig at Andrew Sullivan?! Where on earth did you get that idea? I sure wish you had clicked through the link to our Swill page. (Like the song says "That's what links are for...") There you would have found our original, Andrew Sullivan-free 'Blame Bush' post, written in JANUARY. The genesis of the mug/post/all of it was a complaint we received from one of the fourteen in-country United States Marines the Swilling had adopted. Since October, packages had been flying overseas and then we got an urgent "Please send Atomic Fireballs ~ There are NONE in Iraq!" In the spirit of the times, we figured it HAD to be Bush's fault, the design came to me at zero dark thirty a few days later and we were off. I am a stickler for reference and attribution ~ I've recently had a fact based dustup with Meryl Yourish, for example ~ so EVERY Bush sin listed is a corresponding link to the news/source.

http://www.coalitionoftheswilling.net/archives/2006/01/blame_bush_1.html

You will see no mention of Mr. Sullivan, torture in Tennessee or whether Brett Favre will play this year ANYWHERE in the post. And our post handsomely predates ALL of them by three months. The other link was a result of my seeing the "I Blame Bush For [Insert...]" title. I was thinking 'jeez, we've already done that!' and suggesting that someone could use a mug. I'm sure you can attest, if you revisit our post AND the trackback to theirs, that I do indeed mention they could use a mug. I could sure use someone to BUY one. It was capitalism, greed and good humor, pure and simple.

As for your:

"to two sites mocking Sullivan for, as they put it, "blaming Bush for police brutality." That then degenerated into a childish "blame Bush for everything" caricature of Sullivan's position."

...as well as...

"the sites he links to mischaracterize what Sullivan wrote about this administration's more general record on civil liberties, seemingly intentionally."

...dang! I'm hardly as nefarious as all that. You give me way too much credit and are WAY OFF the hyperbolic mark. I also should disabuse you ~ I could care less about Andrew Sullivan, in any way, shape or form, have no clue what he's written in any capacity as I don't read him in any capacity and haven't the luxury of time to construct an assault on his opinions. Nor do I possess the wherewithal to design and offer goods specifically to impugn whatever it is he's said. We don't work with Cafe Press ~ our goods are locally done and they get paid when I order. (And you believe by virtue of a post with NO mention of Andrew Sullivan, by a blog that Andrew Sullivan doesn't have the foggiest notion exists, that said blog 'intentionally' 'mischaracterizes' what the unmentioned Andrew Sullivan said?!) Bingley, on the otherhand, has always spoken well of him and actually had quotes from his emails posted on Mr. Sullivan's site. So there are no axes to grind from his end either.

I will assume, for the sake of argument, that your "degenerated into a childish "blame Bush for everything"" referred to the comments as well? They are dear regulars, the lot of them. One was green with envy at our double Instalanche ~ a very gratifying reaction ~ while the others let fly in the spirit of the theme (which, IF you'd read our original post's 25 comments, you'd know they delight in). That's the advantage of being small like us ~ we develop a sense of intimacy with our readers unavailable to you big, BIG guys. There's a 'secret code', a giddy patter that springs up when it's an inside joke (mention 'goat' ~ you'll see what I mean) or awful pun, and blaming Bush is one of them. It's one of the best things about our blog.

I'd like to believe you'd read the comments. But alas, no. You will find NO mention of Andrew Sullivan. NO Sullivan slurs, sullies or schmears in EITHER the post or the comments you so fiercely deride. I believe you have 'mischaracterized' us, "seemingly intentionally." You pulled Andrew Sullivan out of a hat, NOT out of my post. (I believe Mr. Sullivan owes moi an apology, too, since it seems he also cannot follow a link to determine if someone is picking on him or not. He defers to you. That fact that his name is wholly absent should be his FIRST clue.) All in all, it was a pretty selective skewering on your part ~ is it a 'Glenn Reynolds' thing? I mean, there we were, with one funny mug and a three month old marketing concept, while there appears to be a wealth of targets at the other site ~ trackbacked blogs who WROTE about Andrew Sullivan!

So, there you have it. The mug is a JOKE. A slice of the absurd. The post is a winkwinknudgenudge revisit of our original laughing place. How we were tarred with your anti-Andrew conspiracy brush, I have no idea.

Pleasantry, pleasantry, blahblahblah, lovely evening,
signed
th sister

So, since I've really liked the guy, I shipped this "WTF?!" off (with a copy to ANDREW SULLIVAN, who is BUSY and IMPORTANT) and am waiting for some sort of reply. Knowing he's also BUSY and IMPORTANT and has IMPORTANT FRIENDS and CAUSES and STUFF to WRITE, I've cut him a huss. In the meantime, his happy little backtracking a$$ has plastered the Swilling and his brand of fiction out there for God knows who to read and 'mischaracterize' us, 'probably intentionally'. Call me names? Duck off a goat's baaack. Make sh*t UP? A whole 'nuther story.

And I sold a whopping two mugs. I should have listened to jeffS and got working on those "BITE ME" t-shirts.
I sure could use one now.