Team Troy Scores (Yet) Another Own Goal

In the most recent entry on the riverSbend smearblog, TeamTroy has reproduced another batch of comments from an Iraqi blog including a couple I initially found both intriguing and troubling:

I got an email earlier today saying that there is too much Riverbend bashing occuring on some blogs and that I should go and make trouble at them. Alaa's, Zeyad's and Omar's blogs were on the list with a bunch of other ones. It's a stupid idea and I don't know who is behind it or why they think it will accomplish something, but there it is.
Robert

...

Anonymous said - "All of these nutball comments are coming from Riverbend. They have the same grammer, same quotes, etc. as the nutball comments to yesterday's post, only the name seems to keep changing. I would suggest that everyone start forwarding them back to her via e-mail. riverbend@velocall.com"

Or bendingtruth@hotmail.com
http://www.suzerainty.blogspot.com/
CR | 12.17.03 - 2:16 pm | #

The idea, as mentioned by Robert that someone supposedly acting on Riverbend's behalf (even without her knowledge) was purposely disrupting by trollery other blogs, disturbed and puzzled me. I wasn't surprised at all however that individuals using anonymous or unheard of nyms were quick to smear me as a possible culprit.

I immediately emailed Robert McClelland (cited about) on the matter, saying among other things
(a) I had nothing to do with such a campaign
(b) I found it unlikely from my experience of Riverbend's supporters that they would do such a thing
(c) I thought such a campaign might just be more (slightly more sophisticated) dirty tricks run by TeamTroy
(d) I'd love to get a look at the mail he got to see if I could source it.

The Truth
This was Robert's response, and if TeamTroy had the slightest shred of integrity this information would be featured prominently on the smearblog - so don't hold your breath:

"The fact is that I made the whole thing up and just as I thought, they are accepting it as fact. I've just now started to laugh at them because of it.

I did this in order to make a point that these clowns will accept anything as being true as long as it's what they want to hear.

Sorry if this caused you or Riverbend any trouble. I'll blog something about this later today."

You can get more on this on Robert's blog

While I appreciate that Robert was only amusing himself at the expense of what he sees as the knee-jerk willingness to believe the worst of Riverbend in some quarters, I did express some concern to him in a return email that because TeamTroy are shamelessly dishonest the false rumour will probably feature prominently on the riverSbend smearblog, while the truth will never make it there.

Thus any casual reader of the riverSbend smearblog might believe that there really was a Riverbend inspired campaign to underhandedly attack other Iraqi bloggers.

So just for the record. BendingTruth, and all Riverbend supporters in which it is in contact, deplore dirty tricks run against genuine Iraqi bloggers to disrupt their freedom of speech by disrupting their blogs. There has never been any evidence that any Riverbend supporters have involved themselves in such underhand activities.

Moreover, other Iraqi bloggers notably Zeyad and Sam while they may not always agree with Riverbend's opinions have taken steps to distance themselves from the dirty tricks run against Riverbend by TeamTroy at the riverSbend smearblog and elsewhere. No one on either side of the legitimate debate supports or encourages underhand disruption.

TeamTroy at riverSbendblog are the only lowlives with a consistent record of doing so and they have been condemned for it from all quarters. The fact that they continue their dirty tricks demonstrates just how far outside the mainstream they are and how low their standards are compared to those of everyone else with the courage to put their names to their deeds and opinions.

The only dirty tricks run on Iraqi blogs are instigated by TeamTroy at riverSbendblog. It's that simple.