Found a sad email in my email inbox this morning from last night. Aparrently the crack crank reporter Jason Leopold thinks I'm not just ugly, not just really ugly... but really, really ugly:
From: jasonleopold@hotmail.com
Subject: You are really, really ugly.
Date: October 3, 2008 11:21:23 PM PDT
To: wiseass.org@mac.com
Reply-To: jasonleopold@hotmail.com
Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile
This made me really, really sad of course.
(more below the fold)
This made me "really, really" sad not because I feel hurt on account of someone's opinion of my appearance, but that a "journalist" wold be so small and pathetic.
A little background perhaps may be in order. Jason Leopold is an American investigative "reporter" who was until recently a senior editor and reporter for Truthout.org. He left Truthout in February of this year to start his own web-based political "magazine", The Public Record.
Some of you may remember that Jason Leopold is the author of the infamous article claiming that Karl Rove had been indicted by the Grand Jury in the Valarie Plame leak investigation by Patrick Fitzgerald.
As we know, the article was fabricated and untrue. Rove was not indicted by the Grand Jury. Leopold (and Truthout) defended the concocted story with Leopold stating in an interview with Ian Masters on the the progressive radio station KPFK in Los Angeles:
"They are also sources who know full well that if they led me astray, they would no longer be anonymous sources."
So Leopold says that if his sources had burnt him, he’s gonna out them. Yet he never did. So Leopold writes fabricated stories, then lies about continuing to 'protect his sources' if they had burnt him, which he reneged on.
After Leopold left Truthout, and begins plying his investigative skills at The Public Record, we get another breathless account of behind closed doors bombshells of a pivotal investigation in the national spotlight with far reaching implications, when he pens (pixels?) a piece claiming that a witness in Alaskan Troopergate investigation of Sarah Palin's abuse of her office as governor in carrying out a personal vendetta to get her ex-brother-in-law fired, flipped under oath and directly implicated her involvement in the firing.
The article Leopold put out there was promptly picked up at the now goto blog about Alaskan politics Mudflats, and here at the Daily Kos in this rec. listed diary. It is in that rec. listed diary that Leopold's little tantrum about my looks seems to have been ignited.
When that diary shot up the rec. list based entirely on the claims of Leopold's article, others, as well as myself pointed out that to go out on a limb with Leopold who's claims in this sort of scandal investigation reportage is foolish.
I posted a single comment in that thread saying:
Sorry but there (0+ / 0-)
is no evidence to support this diary based on proven liar fabricator Jason Leopold. The "addressing of that issue" by this diarist doesn't even come close to addressing the fact that there is no evidence to support that someone flipped under oath in a story by a proven liar and fabricator.
Soory this does not belong on the rec. list at ll.
Granted I am a little embarrassed at my poor typing (and lack of proof-reading) in that comment. but not in the content of it. That comment was buried in a diary with 546 comments by others 4 days ago. Apparently Mr. Leopold was reading through all the comments his story was getting here, and was so incensed by my pointing out the harsh record of his "reporting" that he went to my user page were I have a small picture of myself and my email address listed, and felt such so enraged and horrified at my visage that he was compelled to email me from his Blackberry late last night about how ugly I am.
Needless to say, this was rather bemusing to find this missive in the morning when I checked my email. Now call me petty, but I just had to see how shallow this guy really is, so my short little reply was simply this:
From: Mitchell Gore
Date: Sat, 04 Oct 2008 10:47:34 -0700
To: <jasonleopold@hotmail.com>
Subject: Re: You are really, really ugly.
What's the latest news on that Karl Rove indictment?
cheers,
Mitch Gore
www.wiseass.org
(formerly www.Gore4Dean.com)
Which, rather predictably got an even more pathetic reply:
From: jasonleopold@hotmail.com
Subject: Re: You are really, really ugly.
Date: October 4, 2008 10:49:50 AM PDT
To: wiseass.org@mac.com
Reply-To: jasonleopold@hotmail.com
The verdict is... You're fat, and ugly. Hard to believe you're a father.
Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile
How sad.
Update: The email exchange continues, my reply:
From: Mitchell Gore <wiseass.org@mac.com>
Date: Sat, 04 Oct 2008 10:58:43 -0700
To: <jasonleopold@hotmail.com>
Subject: Re: You are really, really ugly.
Should of stuck to writing obits in White Plains. You missed your true forté.
cheers,
Mitch Gore
www.wiseass.org
(formerly www.Gore4Dean.com)
His response:
From: jasonleopold@hotmail.com
Subject: Re: You are really, really ugly.
Date: October 4, 2008 11:11:28 AM PDT
To: wiseass.org@mac.com
Reply-To: jasonleopold@hotmail.com
Wow. Thats quite a comeback.
Stick to being a fat ugly slob. You do it well
Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile
My reply:
From: wiseass.org@mac.com
Subject: Re: You are really, really ugly.
Date: October 4, 2008 11:50:17 AM PDT
To: jasonleopold@hotmail.com
Maybe this is a better response:
http://www.dailykos.com/...
cheers,
Mitch Gore
www.wiseass.org
(formerly www.Gore4Dean.com)
Update 2:
Here are two new emails that just arrived:
From: jasonleopold@hotmail.com
Subject: Re: You are really, really ugly.
Date: October 4, 2008 11:57:29 AM PDT
To: wiseass.org@mac.com
Reply-To: jasonleopold@hotmail.com
Thats great! Free publicity!
Thank you!
I love it
Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile
And:
From: jasonleopold@hotmail.com
Subject: Re: You are really, really ugly.
Date: October 4, 2008 11:58:35 AM PDT
To: wiseass.org@mac.com
Reply-To: jasonleopold@hotmail.com
You have way too much tuime on your hands which explains yoour single status and being overweight
Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile
The irony of that last one is priceless.
Update 3:
I know, it is like the Pringles™ slogan of yore (can you spot it?) but I couldn't just eat one and had to reply again:
From: Mitchell Gore
Subject: Re: You are really, really ugly.
Date: October 4, 2008 12:18:59 PM PDT
To: jasonleopold@hotmail.com
Irony is not your strong suit is it?
Seek help.
cheers,
Mitch Gore
www.wiseass.org
(formerly www.Gore4Dean.com)
Update 4:
As Catte Nappe correclty suggest in the comments, it is important to note that this is not the first time Mr. Leopold has come unhinged when people point out his real and serious problems with the veracity of his reporting. Other such as JoeEPgh, clammyc, taylormattd and most spectaculalry with his hate-mail sent to Bob Johnson where he had this charming little missive to give back in April of 2006:
Hey Bob Johnson
Why don't you FUCK OFF you cunt. You lousy piece of shit cocksucking child molestor. You are a small dicked LOSER. You still sucking your mother's tit? You're a pussy. a fucking pussy. You're a fucking cunt. you prick. don't ever post another thing at Kos cause we are all going to take you down. FUCK OFF AND DIE YOU PIECE OF SHIT
What a guy.
Serious Update 5:
Now he gets 'really, really' ...stupid.
From: jasonleopold@hotmail.com
Subject: Re: You are really, really ugly.
Date: October 4, 2008 12:28:57 PM PDT
To: Mitchell Gore
You just opened the door for me to sue you thank you very much.
As you can see from this letter, a copy of which will be made out to you personally from my attorney, your use of the word “fabricate” and “lies” is defamation and slander since you have zero evidence to back up what you just put into print. Unless you can come up with documentary evidence that shows I “fabricated” or “lied” about a story and made it up out of whole cloth be it on Rove or anything else you just put yourself in legal jeopardy.
And since I successfully sued Columbia Journalism Review for doing the same thing and won a nice settlement I’ll be able to do the same with Mitch Gore. And I fully intend to.
VIA FACSIMILE AND U.S. MAIL
Evan Cornog, Publisher
Columbia Journalism Review
Journalism Building
2950 Broadway
Columbia University
New York, New York 10027
Re: Jason Leopold / "Three Strikes, You're Out – Jason Leopold Caught Sourceless Again" by Paul McLeary
Dear Mr Cornog:
I am writing on behalf of our client, Jason Leopold, with respect to the article written by Paul McLeary and published by Columbia Journalism Review on June 13, 2006. The article contains a series of false and defamatory statements concerning our client, Jason Leopold.
We request that Columbia Journalism Review, CJRdaily, Paul McLeary, and the University of Columbia School of Journalism ("CJR"):
Issue an immediate written correction and retraction of those defamatory statements and publish such correction and retraction in substantially as conspicuous a manner as the original defamatory publication(s), in a regular issue thereof published or broadcast;
Immediately remove, and cease and desist from publishing any further defamatory statements concerning Mr. Leopold; and
CJR immediately identify in writing any and all media, editors, and publishers to whom CJR has sent the subject article, including via email, and immediately advise all such media of the correction and retraction demanded herein.
The defamatory statements concerning Mr. Leopold in the subject article are as follows:
"Jason Leopold Caught Sourceless Again"
The statement that Mr. Leopold has been caught sourceless on multiple occasions is untrue.
"We wonder if the folks over at Truthout.org are rethinking their affiliation with reporter and serial fabulist Jason Leopold."
The true facts are that Mr. Leopold is not a "serial fabulist".
"Leopold, you may recall, is the freelance reporter who was caught making stuff up in a 2002 Salon.com article, and had his own memoir cancelled because of concerns of the accuracy of quotations."
"But the book was not to be"
The true facts are that Mr. Leopold was never "caught making stuff up in a 2002 Salon.com article"
The true facts are that Mr. Leopold's book was not only published but was on Los Angeles Times Bestseller List at the time this article was published. While it is certainly fair to note that Mr. Leopold’s first publisher did not publish Mr. Leopold’s book, it is not acceptable to defame Mr. Leopold with the false claim that his book was cancelled because of concerns over accuracy or to imply, as the article does, that the book was not to be, and was never published.
"Leopold’s latest addition to his application for membership in the Stephen Glass school of journalism came on May 12 of this year..."
Stephen Glass is know for being an admitted liar and fabricator of stories. The clear implication is that Mr. Leopold is also a fabricator is stories. Mr. Leopold is not a fabricator of stories.
After all this certainty comes Leopold's latest version of the story, published yesterday, where he writes that he based his original article "on single source information and general background information obtained from experts. The conclusions we arrive at should be considered carefully, but not taken as statements of fact, per se."
The true facts are that Paul McLeary falsely puts these quoted words in Jason Leopold’s mouth making it appear that Mr. Leopold’s work is improperly sourced and otherwise unreliable. These words were never stated or written by Mr. Leopold, but rather appeared under a byline by Mark Ash, the Executive Director of Truthout.
Leopold says that he knows "for certain" that there exists a federal indictment called "06 cr 128" which he refers to as "(Sealed vs. Sealed)" since neither party's name is on the document. He also knows that this indictment "was returned by the same grand jury that has been hearing matters related to the Fitzgerald/Plame investigation."
The true facts are that Paul McLeary falsely puts these quoted words in Mr. Leopold’s mouth making it appear that Mr. Leopold’s work is improperly sourced and otherwise unreliable. These words were never stated or written by Mr. Leopold, but rather appeared under a byline by Mark Ash, the Executive Director of Truthout.
So much for what Leopold knows. Apparently, Leopold is a very religious man, because he "believes" quite a bit about the alleged indictment. He believes that it "is directly related to the Fitzgerald/Plame investigation. That's based on a single credible source." He goes on to list several other things he "believes" to be true, all fed to him by, in his words, the "same single credible source."
The true facts are that Paul McLeary falsely puts these quoted words in Jason Leopold’s mouth making it appear that Mr. Leopold’s work is improperly sourced and otherwise unreliable. These words were never stated or written by Mr. Leopold, but rather appeared under a byline by Mark Ash, the Executive Director of Truthout.
"Salon removed Leopold's August 29, 2002 story about Enron from its site after it was discovered that he plagiarized parts from the Financial Times and was unable to provide a copy of an email that was critical to the piece."
The true facts are that Mr. Leopold was able, and did in fact; provide the aforementioned email to Salon.com. Salon’s concern had to do with authenticating the email.
The above statements are unprivileged and defamatory per se, in that they tend directly to injure Mr. Leopold in that they are an unprivileged and expose Mr. Leopold to "to hatred, contempt, ridicule, or obloquy, or which causes him to be shunned or avoided, or which has a tendency to injure him in his occupation" Cal. Civ. Code § 45.
Surprisingly, Mr. Leopold was never contacted for comment on this article. Quotes were wrongly attributed to Mr. Leopold and then used by the author to bolster the attack on Mr. Leopold’s credibility. A basic investigation into Mr. Leopold reveals that his book was published and is available. Further, Mr. Leopold’s book is cited with a link on every story he writes for Truthout, including the ones Paul McLeary cites in his article. McLeary ignores those facts and gives the impression to CJR's readers that Mr. Leopold's book was never published and is not available.
The article has caused damage to Mr. Leopold and continues to cause him damage. Mr. Leopold is currently promoting his book. This article is harming his ability to secure interviews and otherwise harming him professionally. We demand that you immediately take steps to mitigate the damage your defamatory actions are causing.
Please contact me at your earliest convenience to discuss the matter.
Sincerely, David J. Brown Attorney at Law Egerman & Brown, LLC
My response:
From: Mitchell Gore
Subject: Re: You are really, really ugly.
Date: October 4, 2008 12:43:33 PM PDT
To: jasonleopold@hotmail.com
If you feel you must.
Good luck with that.
cheers,
Mitch Gore
www.wiseass.org
(formerly www.Gore4Dean.com)