Wonkette Threatens Me With Legal Action

I posted the other day in response to a Wonkette item and I asked: Wonkette Antisemitic?

Well, a Ken Layne from Wonkette wrote me the following:

You know, it's kind of poor manners to go accusing people of being
antisemitic based on nothing more than you being too lazy to read the site and know any of the references.

But since you don't, and since you so thoughtlessly and wantonly libel our editors and the owners and stockholders of our company, I will direct you to the specific reference from the day before, which just happens to be a viral video on YouTube that everybody in politics is talking about:

http://wonkette.com/politics/jew_liani-dept%27/finally-a-campaign-ad-for-the-fascist-in-us-all-275420.php

You can go ahead and apologize on your site now. Send us the link when you do and I'll send that to our lawyers and that will be the end of that.

Here's my reply:

Hi Ken,

Being fairly obedient, I watched the clip.

If I understand you and Wonkette correctly, you thought it was cute/clever or whatever, to borrow a term, "Jew--liani", from that clip and, without any comment about its specific ethnic frame of reference, slap it up on a new post the following day. And someone at Wonkette thought that it was so cute/clever or whatever, that they added "Jew York Times" for increased effect, if I am following the thinking over at Wonkette.

Well, I don't think the way you think. I think it was the grossest of manners on Wonkette's part to repeat the "Jew-liani" bit. Even you, now, seem to admit that it was, at the very least, a slur. But where does the "Jew York Times" come in? Are we now in a Jesse Jackson redux of that 1984 "Hymietown" remark? I'm sure you know what I am referring to but since proper blog manners are to send links, try this one: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/politics/special/clinton/frenzy/jackson.htm
You'll note that Jackson made an emotional apology in the end of the affair.

I reviewed my blog post. I am pretty sure I did not malign, defame, libel or otherwise use any deprecatory term and phrase that is any worse that anything that appears on your site. Here it is again:-

"Wonkette" Antisemitic?

Wonkette, that foul-mouthed but titilating blogger of Washington foibles, seems to have gone anti-semitic. Editor Alex Pareene and Interns Nick Mueller and Lauren Spohrer may be responsible for this post which refers to someone they call "Rudy-Jew-liani " who gave an interview to the "Jew York Times".

Anybody for bonking Wonkette?

You'll see that I placed a question mark at the headline. That means asking, not stating a fact. I emphasized that Wonkette "seems" to have gone anti-semitic. That means perhaps, or maybe. (You didn't really, did you?)

So, to roundup:

I don't think I'll apologize. I think Wonkette needs to. I think that the "public square" can tolerate a lot: foul language, innuendos, etc. I don't think a responsible blog need repeat what I would consider an antisemitic reference. The way it appears on your site, there is no reference to the YouTube clip. Only if you click on 'more', is it revealed. That is an error, I think, on your part. Anyone reading the post as it appears sees something any normal, and I stress normal, person would assume to be a sliding pattern into a slur based on religion, especially that reference to the Jew York Times. Here's one way it was used derogatively: http://www.seeingtheforest.com/archives/2005/12/repubicans_drop.htm

So, in summary, let me know what your lawyers think after carefully reviewing my response. As for any end, I'm patient.

Keep tuned.