a little freaked out...
Leave it to my sister to pull me to a full stop. I admit, this whole calendar controversy has been, at best, both annoying and amusing at the same time. I guess I never considered myself in any danger because the offending party wasn't known for any particularly violent behavior, at least when sober anyway (though I did watch as he was thrown out of a reading yelling at everyone and apparently once got thrown out a bar for fighting with two other poets at Around the Coyote a few years back). She posed the possibility of someone, outside of all this who doesn't know the history, believing all the lies and negativity posted on the 6 hate sites and somehow retaliating with violence which I have to admit, has me a little freaked out. Even the offending party is obviously seriously disturbed and possibly unstable, as well as apparently prone to anger management issues. As I thought more about this this morning, I realized how vulnerable I really am and how possibly dangerous all this is. At first, people seemed far more worried about this whole thing escalating than I was. And I admit, in the spirit of laughing in the face of bullying, we egged him on a little, depite my knowing it's never a good idea to feed the troll...However, it ends here. Game over. I talked to some family members over the weekend who work in law and they suggested filing some sort of libel charges, but I am not particularly litigious, nor really in need of money for damages, and it all seems like such a big monstrous hassle. I doubt his statements will have any effect on my reputation or press sales, etc, considering the source, but they say I might have case. His intent, whether successful or not, fits the definition exactly--lies stated in order to harm my reputation and business. So, in the interest of a possible lawsuit down the line (or harassment charges, restraining orders and the like), I shouldn't be saying any more about this. I've also talked to someone at a cyberstalking hotline this morning and she made me feel a little better.