poll: where were you during the Scamdal?

[franksolich]

Okay, as many know, today's the seventh anniversary of poor stupid Beth's stunt on Skins's island, the Scamdal, which began at 3:30 p.m. central time, 2:30 p.m. mountain time, April 30, 2005.

It was the scam that rocked the internet; it probably did more than any other single thing to bring embarrassment and discredit to the name and reputation of democraticunderground.

Not even the Bostonian Drunkard's Fitzmas or the famously stupid comments of Pedro Picasso, the Atman primitive, excepted; the Scamdal was much bigger than anything else, and riveted the attention of the great big wide world for three months.

For three days in May-June 2005, and almost a fourth day, traffic on P-J Comix's DUmmie FUnnies on freerepublic exceeded traffic on the whole of Skins's island itself.  And here, remember, we're talking about a thread in a message-board, as compared with a whole entire message-board.  (And a thread not even in the main forum on freerepublic.)

Good times, good times.

[franksolich]

Some of us were aware the Scamdal was coming, because poor stupid Beth couldn't keep her mouth shut.

Later was found a rather vague message on Skins's island from the red round one to the Bostonian Drunkard about a month before the Scamdal, making reference to a "project," and the red round one wanted to know if the Bostonian Drunkard was "ready," but that was discovered later, after the Scamdal had run its course.

But at the time, beginning about two weeks before, poor stupid Beth kept making hints about an "important" fund-raiser that was coming up; that it was "urgent" and needed everyone's attention once it was unleashed, as they would have only "a few days" to get it done.

At the time, I wondered to myself, "Well, if it's urgent, why not get on it right away, instead of dwandling around with it?"

But no, poor stupid Beth dragged out the curiosity for two weeks.  Two weeks which could've netted a lot of bucks.

[franksolich]

It wasn't until about a week before April 30, 2005, that poor stupid Beth got around to dropping hints that the fund-drive was to be for medical expenses of the red round one.

Oh yeah, another Andy Stephenson fund-raiser.....ho-hum.....

The red round one and poor stupid Beth had "coincidentally" joined Skins's island the same time, a few days after the presidential elections of November 2004.

The preceding five months, I myself had not paid attention to these newest members of Skins's island, despite that the red round one was carrying on a feud with his former employer, who'd gotten tired of paying him $3,000 and some odd a month, plus expenses, and not even getting three cents' of work out of him.

It was a pretty big feud, and preoccupied the DUmmie FUnnies for quite a few editions in November-December 2004, and then withered away.

Outside of the feud, I noticed that the red round one's comments on Skins's island dealt nearly wholly with his begging for money to help him out of his medical predicaments (the nature of which were never disclosed, and in fact many people assumed it had something to do with AIDS).

Andy Stephenson was always asking for money.

He was stuck in Washington, D.C., and needed medical attention.  Many primitives gave him helpful advice about free medical clinics in the area, but the red round one didn't want advice; he wanted money, cash, $$$$$, and the more of it the better.

That was 99% of his comments outside the feud.

Poor stupid Beth on the other hand hung around in the "election reform" forum on Skins's island, and most didn't pay much attention to her, because that particular forum was pretty boring, and dominated by the malicious cartoon character primitive, the "Kevin Malice" or "Kelvin Mace" or whatever, primitive, probably the most boring primitive ever.

The malicious cartoon character had his own feud going with the former employer of the red round one; he had tried to cheat her, and because she wouldn't let him cheat her, he hated her.

[dutch508]

I was in Iraq.

[redwhit]

I mainly remember that was how I tripped across CC, that and Frank going for cigarettes.

[franksolich]

I was in Iraq.

Yeah, I remember that; what you were doing was of course magnitudes more important than what was going on with the internet at the time.

Anyway, to keep this in chronological order, one has to examine what was going on elsewhere, in real life.

It was late September-early October 2004 that the red round one found out he had pancreatic cancer.

It was surely disconcerting to him, leading to all sorts of jagged, erratic behavior (both in real life and on the internet), such as his feud with his former employer.

By December 2004, he appears to have finally accepted it.  

His constant droning, whining pleas for money were something else.  "Well, I'm going to die anyway, so what the ****, I might as well force others to 'prove' they love me, by giving me money, which I'll spend for other things....."

That appeared to be the red round one's attitude up until about the end of March.

In late February-early March 2005, a Whipple was done at Virginia Mason Hospital in Seattle, Washington (where the red round one lived).  It perhaps does not need pointed out that Virginia Mason is a premier place for having such operations, even better than Johns Hopkins in Baltimore.

About a month before the Scamdal got underway, his attitude changed; he knew what was going to happen, and didn't care any more.  Which is a reasonable way for an individual under such circumstances to feel.

The red round one hung around less and less with the primitives on Skins's island, and by the time the Scamdal itself got underway--after the most excruciatingly-lengthy delay by poor stupid Beth--he was hanging around barely at all.

During the Scamdal, the red round one made a few exhibitions here-and-there, but they weren't serious; he really didn't care.  Poor stupid Beth was the deus ex machina of the whole Scamdal which, as does not need pointed out, was a fiasco of monstrous proportions.

[franksolich]

I mainly remember that was how I tripped across CC, that and Frank going for cigarettes.

Yeah, that was always the "clue" that I had to go to another place to use another computer, so my mole (of the time; not extant any more) could discombobulate the scammers.

Please notice that something always happened when franksolich was away from the DUmmie FUnnies, ostensibly having gone to town to get some cigarettes.

And then when I'd return, my usual greeting, "Well, did anything happen while I was gone?"

[Charles Henrickson]

I was right there with you, frank, on the ENORMOUS and hugely entertaining DUmmie FUnnies threads. This was before I became DUFU co-host, but, like you, I followed the Andy Stephenson Situation very closely and participated in all of the DUFUs. It was one of the most memorable times I've had on the internets.

[franksolich]

I was right there with you, frank, on the ENORMOUS and hugely entertaining DUmmie FUnnies threads. This was before I became DUFU co-host, but, like you, I followed the Andy Stephenson Situation very closely and participated in all of the DUFUs. It was one of the most memorable times I've had on the internets.

You were a battleship of stability in tumultuous waters, sir.

Admirable, how you were.

[Sprout]

I have to admit, this was the best time I ever had on line.  It was like reading a really good book and not wanting to put it down.  My dog was dying of kidney failure at the time so it took my mind off of that and since I could not leave him alone during the day, I had lots of time to get involved in it.  I remember waking up in the middle of the night and getting on line to see if anything new had happened while I was asleep.

Being threatened with lawsuits was really funny.  I even explained it to husband, who is a lawyer, and he said not to worry about it, there was nothing they could do.

You, and others, keep me on pins and needles.  It was just so nice stirring up the hive and making them even more paranoid than they are.  You should be proud, the DUmmies will never forgive you for it, and you will go down in DUmmy legend.

[franksolich]

You know, this thread's attracted the notice of a great many "guests."

The most unfair, uncalled-for allegation of the scammers was the charge that many decent and civilized people refused to believe that the red round one was really afflicted with pancreatic cancer.

Many did doubt, but their doubts were justified.

Two reasons: (a) this was something emanating from Skins's island, and even w-a-a-a-a-y back in spring 2005, the primitives on Skins's island already had a well-established track record for lies, deceptions, distortions, omissions, and other untruths.

Some didn't believe because of that; DUmmies lie, all the time, DUmmies lie.

And there was (b) that the primitives were always posting photographs allegedly recently taken (like within the past couple of days) that showed the red round one to be in the pink of cherubic health.

Not until the last seven days of the Scamdal, July 1-7, 2005, when Fat Che put up photographs of the red round one in the hospital on his stupid rose site, did anyone have the slightest idea of how grievously the red round one had eroded.

Up until that time, his meet-up in Ohio, his television appearance in Tennessee, his mucking around New Jersey with "termite" (these were all things that took place in May 2005), had shown him in robust health.

I later asked a physician if it's possible for someone afflicted with pancreatic cancer to look healthy and vigorous until about a week or ten days before death.  He said it'd be highly unusual.  Possible, but an aberration. 

Possibly the red round one was an aberration.

But the scammers had only themselves to blame for the doubts of decent and civilized people, because they were always showing allegedly-current photographs of the red round one very much unlike what most suffering pancreatic cancer look like at that stage in the disease.

Anyone who doubted had valid reasons to doubt, and shouldn't be ashamed of it.

[Ralph Wiggum]

I mainly remember that was how I tripped across CC, that and Frank going for cigarettes.

It was Conservative Underground or FR, since the Cave didn't exist yet.  But understood anyway.

Those were fun days to be moderating all the lurkers from the DUmp who were looking for the straight dope, since no one at DU could speak truth to stupid. (Sarcasm intended)

[franksolich]

I have to admit, this was the best time I ever had on line.  It was like reading a really good book and not wanting to put it down.  My dog was dying of kidney failure at the time so it took my mind off of that and since I could not leave him alone during the day, I had lots of time to get involved in it.  I remember waking up in the middle of the night and getting on line to see if anything new had happened while I was asleep.

Being threatened with lawsuits was really funny.  I even explained it to husband, who is a lawyer, and he said not to worry about it, there was nothing they could do.

You, and others, keep me on pins and needles.  It was just so nice stirring up the hive and making them even more paranoid than they are.  You should be proud, the DUmmies will never forgive you for it, and you will go down in DUmmy legend.

We did do a good job, didn't we?

And yeah, a lot happened during the middle of the night.

I was always running out of cigarettes during the middle of the night.

[BlueStateSaint]

I don't know where the Hell I was at that time.  I don't think I had found our old home yet.

[franksolich]

Those were fun days to be moderating all the lurkers from the DUmp who were looking for the straight dope, since no one at DU could speak truth to stupid. (Sarcasm intended)

Yeah.

By the way, it needs pointed out that as a result of the Scamdal, there's been new "rules" about accepting "evidence" from the primitives, on any thing, no matter what it is.

Posted photographs are no longer valid "proof;" after all, what's to stop franksolich from posting a picture of Clare Boothe Luce, insisting it's me, and who can disprove it?

Posting images of documents are no longer valid "proof;" after all, things such as certified checks and "receipts" (quotation marks intentional) can be photoshopped, altered.

The only proof acceptable is that gotten from real life.

Such as the current issue with the big guy, my fellow Nebraskan.  He alleges to have yard-signs, although oddly he hasn't posted a picture of one.  But even if the big guy posted one, that image still wouldn't be "proof" that he has them.

One can after all create a lot of things using Microsoft Paint.

The only proof acceptable in this case is a real-life person in real-life actually eyeballing one of those signs planted in someone's yard or window.

Until that happens, it's quite reasonable to doubt the big guy has campaign yard-signs.

[franksolich]

I don't know where the Hell I was at that time.  I don't think I had found our old home yet.

The spring of 2005, muddyemms hadn't already been a member of our old home?

I thought you preceded me there.

[franksolich]

As most here know, Sherlock Judy, the grasswire primitive, has been diligently reading franksolich on freerepublic, to find the smoking gun that proves freepers killed the late red round one.

I wish I had more readers as diligent as the pie-and-jam primitive.

It's true; she's read every single issue of the DUmmie FUnnies on freerepublic that were posted circa April 30, 2005 until sometime in mid-August 2005, after the Scamdal was over.

Or she thinks she has.

There's one she hasn't read yet, but it'll take some doing to read it.

And that was the biggest, most enormous, edition of the DUmmie FUnnies ever to be issued.

Oh my God, that was enormous; more than three quarters of a million "views" and over 10,000 comments.

Alas, it doesn't exist any more.

You see, what happened was that franksolich in a fit of exuberance, posted a photograph of the sensitive lad, the piano-playing primitive "goodboy", demonstrating a piano to the then-Ohio Secretary of State; they were practically cheek-to-cheek, all lovey-dovey and that.

The then-Ohio Secretary of State was black, and a Republican.

I suspect the sensitive lad got sensitive about it because he didn't like to be shown being buddy-buddy with a--gasp!--black person.  The sensitive lad complained and whined and bawled to Jim Robinson, owner of freerepublic, about it, and Jim must've been having a bad day as it was, and in a fit of pique deleted the whole entire thread, the whole entire edition of that DUmmie FUnnies, all those thousands of comments.

And one of those comments could've been the smoking gun.....

All is not lost for Sherlock Judy, however.

When a thread on freerepublic is deleted, that doesn't mean the comments themselves are deleted from the individual accounts of those who commented upon that thread.  They aren't.

Good luck, grasswire; keep reading franksolich, looking for that smoking gun.....

[AllosaursRus]

Hell, I was right there with Coach, goin' thru what documents we could find and callin' the primitives out when needed! I still have a bookmark for the web site! I never get rid of nuttin', can ya tell? Heh, heh!

Coach took all the flak, but there were many who deserved the same according to the primitives, doncha know.

The "Pittstain" and Beth, were pretty prominent at our old web site before we moved.

The "Fister" tried to get personal with Frank, and we thought a few of us were gonna have to take a vacation in Nebraska! Coach took the brunt of our "meddling" with the fleecing of primitives during those times.

AndyScam was the high lite of that year on Conservative web sites!

Ahhhhhh, good times, good times!

[franksolich]

Coach took all the flak.....

But that was my job, nothing more.

franksolich was the "diversion" while people more observant, more wise, than I, did all the real work.

I'll never forget the evening the lala_rawraw primitive confided to the scammers, ".....the key to this whole thing is franksolich....."

It took me a couple of hours to stop laughing.

The "Fister" tried to get personal with Frank.....

Oh yeah.

And as a consequence of that, to protect myself, although law enforcement didn't consider Fat Che a "credible" threat to me, kindly showed me mug shots of Fat Che ("benburch," for those who don't know or don't remember).

I was never kidding when I pointed out that Fat Che walked around, his belly flopped out and down in front of him, as if an apron.

They showed me some other mug shots of other primitives involved in the Scamdal, but never mind.

AndyScam was the high lite of that year on Conservative web sites!

Ahhhhhh, good times, good times!

Wasn't it though.  There since hasn't been anything like it.

Not even the Bostonian Drunkard's Fitzmas or the big guy's campaign for city council in Bellevue.

By the way, there'll be a commemoration of Fitzmas--its sixth anniversary--on Saturday, May 12.....and probably some big bash here on the following Tuesday, May 15 for another reason.

[franksolich]

You know, we have a lot of reasons to commemorate in May.

Wasn't it in May that the bobbling primitive got the Bostonian Drunkard (only temporarily, alas) mausoleumed?

I was gone from here April-July of that year, and so don't remember exactly when it was, other than it happened while I was absent.

[sharkhawk]

I actually got into an argument with Free Republics own TIT impersonator Speed Addiction.  If I remember correctly he claimed an inside source to the Scamdy camp, and I called BS.  Then we got into it over all his other claims.  I guess I should call TIT a Speed Addiction impersonator since he came after.

[delilahmused]

You didn't have a choice of "I participated in it" so I just picked the first one. Interesting times.

cindie

[Airwolf]

I misssed all of it. Just before the Scam broke out I was busy dealing with some idiots on another message board that refused to deal with some  Asslicker that though it was ok to personally attack Conservatives that went far beyond anything we here have seen from DU. Ptarmy and myself had seen this go on and on and I was hoping that would ban him. Little did I know the moderators on the site were more interested in keeping the fights going no matter the damage caused. So I left and joined another site and later CU after the Scam broke out.

[franksolich]

I actually got into an argument with Free Republics own TIT impersonator Speed Addiction.  If I remember correctly he claimed an inside source to the Scamdy camp, and I called BS.  Then we got into it over all his other claims.  I guess I should call TIT a Speed Addiction impersonator since he came after.

Yeah, speed_addiction was a problem, both on the DUmmie FUnnies and at our old home.

He later got exposed as a poseur, and was banned from freerepublic, but our old home accepted his apologies, and he hung around there.  I wonder what's happened to him since.

Another member of the DUmmie FUnnies that's been long absent is Barset.

Barset was hilarious.  Barset was great.

One wonders whatever happened to Barset, who evaporated with the Scamdal.....

[franksolich]

You didn't have a choice of "I participated in it" so I just picked the first one. Interesting times.

Oh now, I didn't want to give "too much information" by including that narrow, specific option.

You know you're the heart of my heart, the epitome of my dreams, and I'm very protective of those I love.

Sherlock Judy, the grasswire primitive, lives near you--practically a neighbor of yours, madam--and the last thing we need is for you to be approached by a multi-winter-coated pie-and-jam lady, tugging a child's little red wagon behind her, full of baseball bats she got from dumpsters and garage sales and thrift stores, wanting to play baseball with you.....