Rebane's Ruminations
June 2010
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George Rebane

JeffPelline RR does its best to avoid referencing the self-aggrandizing postings on Mr Pelline’s blog, nor do I respond to his incessant and ongoing vitriol extended to me personally.  Perhaps the time has come for a short response.

This morning I received an email from a reader who sent me the latest example of the journalism published on jeffpelline.com.  It involves another one of the gratuitous swipes that he often inserts into his copy.  To wit, his recent piece on election results includes  –

With a straight party-line vote, for example, candidates such as clerk-recorder Greg Diaz could have lost. In fact, a significant number of Republicans voted for Greg — throwing cold water on the “analysis” of “far right” bloggers George Rebane and Russ Steele that he was backed largely by “progressives.” Diaz received 13,632 votes, compared with 6,119 for Barry Pruett.

I neither made nor claimed authorship of any such ‘analysis’ of Clerk-Recorder Greg Diaz’s voter support.  I did relay the report that his pre-election support came primarily from the left, as did Barry Pruett’s from the right.

Then there are his frequent descriptions of me as “far right” (in quotes) and even “ultra far right”.  I recall that Mr Pelline was the first to hang that appellation on me in an effort to marginalize my commentary, not for its content but the container from which it issues.  Perhaps, enthralled with that coup, he now continues to quote himself.  No matter how near or “far”, I am in good company.

Not a few people have also noticed that Pelline has a curious way of creating news with the use of quotation marks the protocol for which I am not familiar.  I was taught that full or double quotes are used only when delimiting words that were actually spoken or written by a certain source.  So quoted material can always be attributed.  Semi-quotes are used to emphasize words to indicate an extended contextual meaning, or to approximate the general thrust, direction, or intent of something which originally was said or written but for which the actual quote is not available.  I strive to follow this standard on RR.

I have little idea what all Mr Pelline writes on his blog, but from the copies forwarded to me, I have noticed that nearly everything he says about me, and about other targets of opportunity known to me, is a fabricated falsehood.

Most of our community knows that Mr Pelline constantly claims to be a paragon of journalism, and spends considerable effort publicly burnishing his bona fides.  However, I do believe that no school of journalism taught him any of the truth creating, fact mangling, and personal mis-approbations he practices.  Those he must have developed subsequently to serve his own purposes.

In view of the brand of journalism practiced by Jeff Pelline, and an alarmingly large cadre of others across the land, I am proud to reiterate that I am a commentator and not a journalist (first declared here).

Posted in , ,

34 responses to “Re Jeff Pelline – For the Record”

  1. Will Avatar

    George,
    FWIW your thoughtful and articulate commentary are why people from all over the world subscribe to your blog in our feed readers. Most of your readers don’t know (or care) who Jeff is, and see your articles for what they are- some of the most cogent arguments anywhere, including at the national level. If anything he envies the geographical reach of your writings and gains some linkjuice by engaging you.
    Cheers,
    Will

    Like

  2. Steve Enos Avatar
    Steve Enos

    “Most of our community knows that Mr Pelline constantly claims…” care to back up your claim with some facts George?
    And if one takes a look at the votes and who voted in Nevada County this last election it’s very clear that Diaz was elected by a landslide and that lansdslide included a LOT of votes from R’s and the right.

    Like

  3. Steve Enos Avatar
    Steve Enos

    Hey George… what do you call folks that don’t use their full name when blogging here?
    What have you said about how we should treat the comments of those posting here that don’t use their full names?

    Like

  4. Barry Avatar
    Barry

    Agreed. It is not about the truth…it is about finding facts that fit the story one wants to write.

    Like

  5. Jeff Pellne Avatar
    Jeff Pellne

    George,
    You backed a loser (by a landslide) in the latest election. And maybe two. And you were outspoken about both races. The county is changing, and you are becoming more and more irrelevant — except to yourself.
    Your column in The Union this weekend was just the latest example. This comment (supported by 7 “recommends”) summed it up well:
    Art Laffer, of the famous “dribble down” theories of the Regan era, when the U S first experienced the beginning of the downward spiral of the economy, the S &L crisis, which after a respite under Clinton, resulted in the havoc of the Bush-Cheney years, has no credibility, and nothing to offer with respect to our present dire financial situation. Rebane, why don’t you take a clue from your pal Russ Steele, and just creep away and follow him into obscurity with expressing yourself only to your sympathizers in CABRO. Haven’t recent election results told you anything? The Right Wing no longer rules in Nevada County, and few readers have an intrest in anything you have to say.

    Like

  6. George Rebane Avatar
    George Rebane

    Jeff – your constant coverage of RR on your own blog, and your one-sided presence in these comment threads is about all the endorsement of my relevancy that I can handle from the left. In all sincerity, I am grateful for your persistent assessments of my influence. If I could somehow convince you to take the debate from snark to substance, it might even become a productive dialogue for our readers. In any event, I don’t believe you are so dense as to waste time with irrelevancies. And for that support I am thankful.

    Like

  7. Steve Enos Avatar
    Steve Enos

    Hey George… what about all the Jeff P. coverage provide by your buddy Russ?… talk about calling the kettle black.
    “Most of our community knows that Mr Pelline constantly claims…” care to back up your claim with some facts George or is this unfounded “opinion”?
    “take the debate from snark to substance”… you and Russ sure do a lot of the George, but I guess that doesn’t matter.

    Like

  8. George Rebane Avatar
    George Rebane

    SteveE – this is the post on which you can really unload on me because I did respond to JeffP’s ad hominem attacks – go for it. But as a helpful hint, since my other readers do sport solid 3-digit IQs, please try to show them that you understand and can follow the topic that is being discussed. You seem to imply that there has been an ongoing exchange of ad hominem broadsides between JeffP and me, any truth to that? I trust you do know the difference between refuting a proposition and attacking its proposer.

    Like

  9. Mikey McD Avatar

    George, the attention you are given from the unreasoning and anti-liberty left is a testament to your relevancy, honesty, facts and information. I would be concerned if you failed to receive attacks from the progressives. Adding your RR content regularly while simultaneously ignoring the local “journalists”, “activists”,”nanny’s”, “enslavers” and “looters” is the best counter-attack. We ALL benefit from your work in protecting OUR LIBERTY. Thank You.

    Like

  10. Jeff Pellne Avatar
    Jeff Pellne

    George,
    Thanks for giving me the attention I deserve! LOL.

    Like

  11. Sarah Avatar
    Sarah

    A 5 year old could see that pelline is just aggressively jealous because he got canned from The Union whilst Steele and you were picked up by The Union. We started reading The Union when this ‘change’ occurred.

    Like

  12. Russ Avatar

    I have searched my posts and cannot find any reference to Mr Pelline’s claims that I reported only progressives were supporting Mr Diaz. I did support Mr Pruett as the better choice, and after the election screw ups, still suggest he would have been the better choice.
    As to the issue of being relevant commentators on local issues. If our words and issues were not relevant, then Mr Pelline would not be wasting energy or time to disparage our contributions. In the real world writers who are not relevant are just ignored, and that is something that he has refused to do, thus he must think our post and words are relevant to some segment of the blogosphere and editorial readers.
    If our words and post were not relevant, then Mr Enos would not be coming by with his snide remakes that contribute little to the issues at hand. One has to wonder if he has the intellectual capacity to move beyond just snide remarks, and contribute!
    The louder the howling from the left, the more I know that we are very close to the hitting the target. Fire of effect!

    Like

  13. Steve Enos Avatar
    Steve Enos

    So funny that Russ posts about “snide remarks”. All one needs to do is read his blog if one wants endless snide remarks and name calling from Russ.
    And why doesn;t Russ commnet on folks like “Dixon” who post endless personal attacks on Russ’s blog?
    Seems Russ lives on a one-way street.

    Like

  14. Steve Enos Avatar
    Steve Enos

    Hey Sarah… seems you haven’t kept up… Russ was canned from The Union some time ago.

    Like

  15. Jeff Pellne Avatar
    Jeff Pellne

    Does anyone on this blog sign their name to give their response any credibility? “Sarah” and “Will”? Please. The real issue is that this blog is out of step with the community, becoming more and more irrelevant. Now George has become the new “Russ,” turning up the personal attacks. And Russ is — yup — the Former Union Columnist. And the comments are unsigned. Pitiful, really.

    Like

  16. Barry Avatar
    Barry

    Pelline, why do you not spell your name correctly when you post to this site?

    Like

  17. Steve Enos Avatar
    Steve Enos

    “Barry”, why not use your name when you post on this site?
    Could this be Barry Pruett by any chance?

    Like

  18. Nuff said Avatar
    Nuff said

    Maybe, Peline just needs a good editor. Ha!
    It’s funny to see him complain about anonymous posters here, when two-thirds of his stories on his blog have sources such as “Some say” … “Most know” … “A large number of republicans” and yet you never find a single source quoted to back up what he’s saying. I guess that’s what you get from reporting your sofa, while watching meetings on TV. LOL!

    Like

  19. Steve Enos Avatar
    Steve Enos

    So is it:
    A. Holly Barry
    B. Barry Pruett
    C. Barry Goldwater
    D. Sackhead poster (George’s name, not mine”

    Like

  20. Steve Enos Avatar
    Steve Enos

    Hey Nuff… history lesson. It was George that set the standard for no name posters, not Jeff P. George calls folks that don’t use your names “sackheads” and it’s George that posted that sackheads are to be ignored, that Sackheads bring nothing to the discussion.
    More history:
    GREGORY J. DIAZ 13,632 69.0%
    BARRY W. PRUETT 6,119 31.0%

    Like

  21. RL Crabb Avatar

    Geez…this is like being in the 3rd grade again!

    Like

  22. Jeff Pellne Avatar
    Jeff Pellne

    Worse. Did you ever go to grade school with a guy named “Nuff said.”

    Like

  23. Dixon Cruickshank Avatar
    Dixon Cruickshank

    Nuff – excellent post and point, now that you mention it I noticed that too, when he does try and quote numbers Russ usually posts the graph and it becomes another case of liberal road kill
    I glad I never went to school with a guy named Steve Enos, would have been Nov before we got to chapter 2
    Steve you should consider dropping back to just Steve, that way people couldn’t be sure, just kinda sure

    Like

  24. Steve Enos Avatar
    Steve Enos

    George… see Dixon’s thoughtful personal attack?

    Like

  25. Dixon Cruickshank Avatar
    Dixon Cruickshank

    Didn’t want you to think I didn’t still love you, even over here

    Like

  26. bill tozer Avatar
    bill tozer

    George, why in heaven’s sake do you waste one precious moment of your life getting in the sandbox with Jeff whats his name. Judging by his picture he fits the profile of someone who is jolly. You two will keep going back and forth until the fat lady sings. Responding to Jeff whats his name is beneath your writings and intelligence. I know it must be hard not to take the bait but realize that is what some people are: verbal master baiters.

    Like

  27. George Rebane Avatar
    George Rebane

    BillT – good points. This post for me was a catharsis after keeping my mouth shut for so long. And since I did unload (at least for me that’s an ‘unload’) on JeffP, it wouldn’t be correct to shut off the in-kind comment stream that has followed. I don’t intend this to change the basic policy on RR comment, and in that sense it is even consistent on this post – stick to the subject/topic of the post.
    But you can see the fabrications that continue to sneak into this thread – I don’t recall ever saying that sackheads should be “ignored” or that they “don’t bring anything to the discussion.” I did lament that anonymity brings out the latent animus in people, and therefore the reponses go off the message and attack the messenger. This same conclusion has now been published by several academics and other commentators, most recently a feature article in the WSJ.

    Like

  28. Michael P. Anderson Avatar
    Michael P. Anderson

    Well George, you dipped your toe. Hope it was satisfying, if not edifying. Full names, as always, is the name of the game.

    Like

  29. Jeff Pellne Avatar
    Jeff Pellne

    George,
    Be honest. Without allowing “sackheads” to comment on your blog, you would hardly have any commentary. Why do so few people in the community want to post on your blog to stick up for you? It’s so sad. Much sadder than the “sad tale of Anna Haynes” that you wrote about earlier.

    Like

  30. Nuff said Avatar
    Nuff said

    Latest example of Jeff’s thorough reporting from the couch … going deep into the controversial topic of whether Floyd Landis tainted the local bike race. Such an important issue that he MUST get the story out there … by once again offering only another anonymous source:
    “I did not feel like seeing Landis ride around town,” said one resident, who stayed home from the 50th annual Nevada City Classic and barbequed instead.
    One resident = Jeff Pelline?

    Like

  31. Steve Enos Avatar
    Steve Enos

    Sorry Nuff said (sackhead “name”)… The Union also covered this in a feature story “Brian Hamilton: Landis just glad to be racing again”.
    The issues around Landis entering and entering as a free agent-solo rider, letting the media know he was going to race, even IF he was “wanted” was covered in The Union story.
    Maybe you can take the time to read the story and the posted comments on The Union and understand that this is/was an issue and was/is being discussed by many in the community and bike world.
    Enought Said… next time use your name.

    Like

  32. Sammie Browne Avatar
    Sammie Browne

    I was never into blogs until the recent election …… then I found myself monitoring several including Jeff Pelline’s. Unfortunately, Jeff’s was the only one I wasn’t able to post on. Perhaps because I wasn’t in alignment with his way of thinking? Didn’t realize he was canned from The Union – maybe a bit of therapy on the couch is in order? From where I sit, there seems to be alot of anger coming through his blog articles whenever it has any reference to The Union or Jeff Ackerman.
    And why all the mass criticism of The Union? How about putting forth some positive suggestions if you don’t like what they print or how they run their newspaper? The just might take them! I mean, after all – without the community, businesses and consumers, there wouldn’t be a paper, so I would think they would listen.

    Like

  33. Steve Enos Avatar
    Steve Enos

    “some positive suggestions” for The Union… When Swift Media sends Jeff Ackerman packing things will be dandy.

    Like

  34. Sammie Browne Avatar
    Sammie Browne

    What exactly is wrong with Jeff Ackerman? Just curious …..

    Like

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