ATTICA! ATTICA!

[cleolinda]

Updates on Troy Hake, The Gaybaiting Gardener of Independence, Oregon. Independence, Oregon? With a company called Outside Pride? I'm sorry, the Daily Show has to be behind this. I can't fathom a world with irony levels this high. Anyway, someone needs to post this on otf_wank, because we have

>>a company rep sockpuppeting positive comments on the Garden Watchdog website, complete with an IP tracing bust by the webmaster;

>> the company stonewalling torridjoe from the Loaded Orygun, the blogger who's been investigating all this, and refusing to give him any information for a PR or communications contact, as apparently their position on public relations is not to have any;

>> a company president refusing to answer or return (polite) phone calls, although that's perhaps to be expected, because if I'd done something this ill-advised, I wouldn't answer to my own name, either;

>> the president then changing his number so that torridjoe can't call him (politely) again;

>> and the mainstream media ignoring the whole thing completely.

I don't know about you, but I think a gardening company president (mis)using a customer mailing list to rail against the ruination of his family-hour heteroteleviolence by The Gays is kind of newsworthy. It's Daily Show-worthy, if nothing else. Quoth torridjoe, "Will you help? Margaret Haberman is the regional news team leader for The Oregonian, and in addition to email they still appear to use phones over there: (503) 221-8375. For the Salem Statesman-Journal, this is a local story, and you can tell them they should be covering it: (503) 399-6773. We don't get paid to hold people like Troy Hake, the Gaybaiting Gardener of Independence, Ore. accountable, but the regular media do." And as he commented on my previous entry, "Thanks a lot--let's just not make this a bitchfest, OK? Let's try to get some action on this dope." Oh, Joe--have you ever come to the right place.

Fly! Fly in a polite, civil manner that is more effective than flaming, my pretties!

Comments

[yarha.livejournal.com]

The flowers may never bloom again for Outside Pride.

Bummers.

Yarha, Takes the Bloom Right Off

all right!

[torridjoe.livejournal.com]

Thanks for staying updated on the story. Let's see if we can move some MSM opinion today, eh? :)

[cyranocyrano.livejournal.com]

Trust me, Independence is not only that conservative, it also passed a town resolution in the mid-'80s banning irony within the incorporation.
Ah, childhood memories.

[kijikun.livejournal.com]

I wouldn't be suprised if the Daily Show and Colbert Report as gotten emails about this already. I hope one of them cover it.

[greyduck.livejournal.com]

You could try to get the Portland Tribune to run it as well: http://portlandtribune.com/about_us/about_us.php

They're the twice-a-week free alternative newspaper that at least a decent percentage of local folks take moderately seriously. (Not to be mistaken for the Willy Week, which seems to have given up chasing any shred of credibility.)

[reecep.livejournal.com]

I think I may just worship your icon. Mildly.

[elisa0984.livejournal.com]

And I think more people should be using your icon.

[reecep.livejournal.com]

Your's too! Oh, the ambiguity, it's fantastic!

[edda.livejournal.com]

Your is also the love. Because that little guy drives me CRAZY.

[particle-person.livejournal.com]

Word. (So to speak.)

[reecep.livejournal.com]

Thank you very much! Oh man... I kind of love my icons too... they bring me so many compliments *beams* Feel free to take them if you like. I'm not actually sure who to credit on many of them because I found them on google, but this one is by the user "lemonwar".

[annlarimer.livejournal.com]

Jeez. I didn't even rate a form reply. :(

[kali921.livejournal.com]

Wow. I had to read your entry two or three times to follow the story, but that's pretty incredible.

Actually, it's not. I mean, the owner of the Domino Pizza chain is famous for exhorting "pro-family" values and his anti-abortion stance via official company communication channels. It happens. It's also pretty offensive.

That being said, I'm not sure why this is appropriate for OTF_Wank. But then again, I'm leary of anyone that encourages wank on the JF communities.

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

"Otf" because it's "other than fandom." And I don't see it as "encouraging wank" so much as saying, "Hey, this guy is being ridiculous, thought you might like to know."

[sorchar.livejournal.com]

Dude, I been resisting the temptation to just drive down there and bitchslap someone. It ain't that far.

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

If it makes you feel any better, the guy's probably sold his house and left the state overnight, at the rate he's going.

[edda.livejournal.com]

He was sockpuppeting? Oh my God, TROY HAKE IS MS_SCRIBE!!!

But seriously. I have some phone calls to make.

[morganwolf.livejournal.com]

For some reason, people calling for a reform of values on television never seems to rate high in news coverage, maybe because media-folk are afraid someone will say, "Hey, yeah, I was so busy watching Queer as Folk that I forgot that homosexuality doesn't belong on television or anywhere else for that matter! And while I'm at it television is too violent! And too full of sex! And single mothers! And making fun of the government!" And then it'll all be over. I agree that what this guy did is stupid as hell on so many levels, and just keeps getting stupider, but I don't think that sabotaging your own PR is necessarily something illegal.

The sockpuppeting business may give a little more leeway, since that's just fancy LYING, but what's really notable is not that he's getting away with it, but that he's really making a gigantic ass of himself and his company.

[particle-person.livejournal.com]

I think you're right. The MSM isn't coving this because, while it's dumb and ironic and bigoted, it's also not unusual or illegal enough to be news. I'm not going to contact the Oregon news organizations because I don't think they have any reason to listen to me -- I'm not in their audience. I'm not a customer of Outsidepride, or a resident of Oregon so lobbying the local media will be about as effective as internet petitions.

[particle-person.livejournal.com]

Also, I'm very afraid that any media response might be along the lines of, "Bloggers Harass Local Business Man."

[morganwolf.livejournal.com]

"Tonight on the O'Reilly factor: Are Bloggers Getting Too Big for Their Britches? Vicious blogging destroys the reputation of honest, hard-working grassroots entrepreneur..."

[torridjoe.livejournal.com]

It's pretty unusual for a CEO to use his mailing list for a bigoted screed, yes it is. And simply the national reach the story is obtaining becomes a story.

You also don't need to be a resident of Oregon to read their papers. I read The Washington Post nearly daily.

[particle-person.livejournal.com]

In reverse order:

I read the New York Times, but I live in Philly. I just don't think the Times would listen to me about something like this, and still less a local paper.

And simply the national reach the story is obtaining becomes a story. I suppose. I mean, if they can make a story about Pet Goat Taken for Drunken Joyride (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/wales/south_west/4777127.stm), then this is definitely news. Just maybe not something the media would listen to me about. You'd have a better chance, since you live there.

Cursory googling didn't turn up anything similar, so, yeah, definitely unusual.

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

This is why I lean towards getting the Daily Show to cover it--it's more the kind of stupid they skewer than actual illegal activity.

[morganwolf.livejournal.com]

I would like to see it on the Daily Show or something like that. Plus, you're absolutely right-- the levels of irony involved in OutsidePride of Independence, Oregon using their business to promote gay-repression are just too high to be ignored.

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

Hmm. Maybe we should focus our efforts at getting TDS to say something about it, then.

[particle-person.livejournal.com]

I think that makes more sense.

[yarha.livejournal.com]

Except the Daily Show has their schedule filled with stupid things members of our Federal government say and do. This is really too minor for it. The Blogosphere is the most appropriate place, which is, of course, where it is right now.

Yarha, Who Will Never Buy Lawn Equipment Again..from Outside Pride, as Well

[particle-person.livejournal.com]

I don't know, I think it's not too minor for the Daily Show. The trouble is that it's too late now.

[oulangi.livejournal.com]

This was the response I got from Outside Pride:

Oula, I would like to say that Troy did not send this email. We had someone use Troy's name for his purposes and he has been dealt with.

Is that the same letter everyone else got?

[particle-person.livejournal.com]

It's directly contradictory to the telephone responses torridjoe and I received. There is story-changing going on here.

[oulangi.livejournal.com]

Interesting.
If you want me to forward a copy, drop me an email - oulangi at gmail.

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

Yeah, that is literally the first I've heard of them actually saying, "We didn't see it." The previous response I heard was, "Yes, the president of the company sent that email." Interesting.

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

Or "We didn't SEND it," rather.

[oulangi.livejournal.com]

So they are being sneaky. I wrote this letter than started deceptively nice about my love of gardening, how much I spend on my garden etc. And then hit them with the 'and this is why I will never spend a dime here' finish.

Load o crap

[torridjoe.livejournal.com]

I phoned the company the day it broke, and asked whether Allen had sent it. The company confirmed he had.

oulangi, would you be so kind as to forward the email you received, to loadedorygun@gmail.com? Thanks very much. They are trying to weasel out of this...!

Re: Load o crap

[oulangi.livejournal.com]

Sent!

Re: Load o crap

[torridjoe.livejournal.com]

And I should say that it's very strange that they would spend a week implicitly acknowledging that the email was sent on purpose, via their form letter response (http://www.portlandmercury.com/blogtown/2006/08/i_am_not_a_bigot_part_2.php), and then suddenly claim it was all a mistake.

The noose gets a little tighter...

Re: Load o crap

[oulangi.livejournal.com]

It is interesting that they're telling different people different things. Drop a link on me if you nail him for it? I'd like to read the follow up.

[lannamichaels]

We had someone use Troy's name for his purposes and he has been dealt with

Behold, the RL alternative to "my little brother stole my password."

[count-01.livejournal.com]

It was the maid/au pair/live-in nurse! She did it! While Troy Hake was in a coma!

[wumbawoman.livejournal.com]

Cleolinda has unleashed the Kracken Minions!

[newsong.livejournal.com]

Cleo, I was just listening to "The Kraken" on my PotC soundtrack. It made me think of you =D

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

Hee! Make sure you do the Kraken Dance.

[bigeyedrabbit.livejournal.com]

the ruination of his family-hour heteroteleviolence by The Gays

See, every time I think you can't find a funnier way of putting it? You do.

[jennnk.livejournal.com]

I worked and lived in Independence while going to college (Western Oregon University) in neighboring Monmouth. People there are fucking CRAZY. I had to put a band-aid over my (16-gauge) nose stud when I worked at a pizza place because the owners thought it would offend the customers. Seriously, this thing is so small, people often don't even notice it, yet it's going to offend customers? I used to take the band-aid off the moment my manager left the restaurant for the night.