No More
I closed comments on my Rick Ousley post tonight. It was time.
When I first posted the story the morning it broke in the Birmingham News, I expected a few of my regular readers would leave comments, joining me in my speculation about when Mr. Ousley would go into rehab. I never expected the explosion of interest from people who’d never heard of Birmingham Blues before.
Now, seven hundred and something comments later, it’s time to shut this down. At first, there were lots of people coming here to share their pain and anger at Mr. Ousley’s betrayal. Some of them likely weren’t familiar with the blogging world, but they needed a place to vent, and they hadn’t found it anywhere else. I was glad to provide that for them.
Now, I think almost everyone with a dog in the fight has moved on. I pray that they’re continuing the conversation, and the healing, with trusted confidantes. We’ve moved on to people whose primary purpose seems to be attacking those who are hurting and trying to prove the “superiority” of their particular theology. That’s not healthy for those who are still suffering.
I don’t know that any of the commenters on that post (other than my regulars) will come here again. My politics may be too progressive. But despite that, they have been, almost without exception, gracious and appreciative of this space. I pray God’s blessing on all of them as they move through and beyond this painful time.
I’ve posted this, almost verbatim, as the final comment in the thread.
April 2nd, 2007 at 8:47 pm
No, wait, I’m not done!! I have more massaging to do!!! I must massage the facts to fit my narrative so I can impose my view on others!! Darn you Kathy, this was way more fun than rubbernecking at an accident on 280. Now what am I going to do with my free time? Clean house? Be subservient to my husband? Grow my hair? Auuugggghhhh!!!!!
April 2nd, 2007 at 9:05 pm
Thank you for providing the site in the days when all of us were feeling so much hurt and betrayal. Then the site became a place for those people “who know” more about scripture to bash everyone who did not agree.
Who will ever know the full scope of this situation? Only God, Rick, and Donna can answer those questions posed by so many. If anyone else has FIRST HAND knowledge of any situation with Rick, they need to contact the directors of his ministry or Randy Hall at Student Life.
April 2nd, 2007 at 9:08 pm
Thanks, Broken Heart. You’re right; those with first hand knowledge do need to pass it on to the appropriate people.
April 2nd, 2007 at 9:09 pm
God bless you and Brook Hills Broken Heart!
April 2nd, 2007 at 10:49 pm
709? That’s insane. Kos would love to see that many comments, methinks.
April 2nd, 2007 at 11:21 pm
Oh shoot, I didn’t say anything because I didn;t know anything. What the heck kind of blogger am I, anyway? Lack of knowledge should never stop one from commenting.
April 3rd, 2007 at 12:18 am
700 comments from about 10 different people. Kos has nothing to worry about.
April 3rd, 2007 at 2:18 am
fullcourt, dont you have witches to burn, children to indoctrinate and a husband to obey?
April 3rd, 2007 at 5:37 am
Fullcourt, you have WAY more time than I do. Are you addicted to the internet? Anything that masters you ( other than the Holy Spirit) is sin!
Zach, You are soooo bad…tsk, tsk..! However, the comment is funny!
April 3rd, 2007 at 6:24 am
All I can say Kathy is that post was some CRAZY reading. I just had to sit back and wonder what the hell is going on in B-ham. I hope they get it all sorted out. By the way, don’t think I didn’t notice the “progressive politics” comment. I know you really mean far left liberal when you say progressive! The only thing progressive about liberals is their taxes! (progressively more socialist that is)
April 3rd, 2007 at 8:25 am
BL, you’re so funny! I know you live in the hope that you’ll save me from my”evil” ways. Dream on, pal.
Zach, LOL!
Dan, Kos has nothing to worry about — FC, otoh, seems to be turning a lovely shade of green.
April 3rd, 2007 at 8:31 am
I’m sorry I hadn’t had the time to check the messages over the past day and a half. Wow! I’m still working on that forum, but after reading some of that, I’m not sure that it needs to be done.
From the beginning, that post was a magnet for one particular person (needing no introduction) whose purpose seems to be pinpointing church failures and then rubbing them in and posturing everyone. All you have to do is look at their blog to see it, too. Some people honestly have nothing better to do with their time.
My thought is that THIS will become the new post to comment on… We Christians can be quite persistent and bull-headed!
April 3rd, 2007 at 8:38 am
BL,
If you’ve been through all of the carnage that followed that post, you would have learned a lot. At first it was about a lot of good hurting people sharing after being let down by their former minister. It then became a theological finger pointing free for all. I much prefer to have you tell me I’m politically misguided than to be told by supposedly loving fellow Christians that my theology is wrong. I can have fun bantering with you about my politics.
But people who don’t know me telling me my Christianity is not good enough, that gets my dander up. Anyway, glad you’re back. Have you been overseas?
April 3rd, 2007 at 10:11 am
Just got through reading the last few comments… All I have to say is thank goodness for Bill. I am SO glad that I didn’t see that until the topic was closed, and I’m SO glad that I didn’t create another forum for that predator. She came here with the express purpose of luring people over to another site where she could impose her own agenda.
Particularly, I can’t believe that a woman who has had no seminary training and fully believes that a woman should not teach in church had the stones to argue theology with an area pastor who would have had seminary training… She must have outright gone against at least a dozen of her own beliefs! Must not have believed in them that much.
Zach… LOL, although I think your “sodomite” comment on that thread had to be the best comment EVER!
Side note… I’ve sung on the stage with George Vinson, and I’ve put down BGVs with his band’s singer, Tony Wachter. Tony and I recorded for Bob Wilson’s “Ready to Believe” together over at Brooks Brothers, and George has performed with our Praise Team several times at my church. I saw his name mentioned, and I thought, “Oh my goodness! People have heard of him?” Kind of like finding out that your husband is really Batman.
April 3rd, 2007 at 10:15 am
ALMod, your husband’s Batman? Well, I guess living in stately Wayne Manor should be a tipoff.
April 3rd, 2007 at 12:49 pm
Well, a man’s got to know his limitations……….
April 3rd, 2007 at 3:29 pm
Kathy, LOL!
April 3rd, 2007 at 4:58 pm
Strange Happenings in the Rick Ousley Donna Jones affair
http://thefullcourt.blogspot.com/
P.S. to Zach. I don’t believe in burning witches.
April 3rd, 2007 at 10:52 pm
I know FC, you’re supposed to drown them. my bad.
April 3rd, 2007 at 11:59 pm
FC—I really think you should pray about your addiction.
Y’all are all hilarious! By the way, this was my first blog experience…whew!
April 4th, 2007 at 12:27 am
I read it at first for normal reactions, comments, and suddenly it took on a whole new life - personal stories followed by sympathy, support and anger, and then a whole techie thing about IP adresses, etc. I was floored and went to my daughter, who explained that controversial topics get linked to blogs that get linked to blogs etc. so that explained who all those people were anyway. a lot of pain there, a lot of anger. a lot of people who want and need their say, but I think you were right to shut it down here. perhaps the topic needs a website of its own, but I wouldn’t want to go there. I don’t have a horse in this race, but I do feel for all the people who do.
April 4th, 2007 at 7:59 am
Zach, you’re still only half right. They drown witches, but only if they’re gay.
About the IP thing… It’s been a few years for me, but I did some homework on the AOL thing on the admin boards. AOL has changed a few things since I was a tech. Used to be you could easily block AOL users from certain sites (for various reasons). I guess AOL got privy and started using some proxies… Anyway, it’s now possible that an AOL user will show a different IP for different pages that they surf and that multiple users will show the same IP. Turns out, it’s been a problem for admins for quite some time. Shows just how behind I am.
April 4th, 2007 at 8:00 am
OOPS! That didn’t come out right… You drown them, but only if they’re gay, and only if they weigh the same as a duck.
April 4th, 2007 at 8:37 am
Almod, but wood floats and ducks float, so which should you use?
April 4th, 2007 at 9:21 am
Definitely a duck. Here’s the reasoning:
Witches burn. Wood burns. Therefore, it can be deduced that witches are made of wood. Wood floats and ducks float, so if she weighs the same as a duck…
Otherwise, you end up throwing her into the river to see if she floats, and that’s just silly.
April 4th, 2007 at 9:24 am
“She turned me into a newt! …It got better.”
April 4th, 2007 at 9:31 am
Would it have to be Queer duck?
(hums theme to “queer duck”)
“Queer Duck, he’s intellectual. Queer Duck, he’s homosexual”
April 4th, 2007 at 9:31 am
‘Bout darn time someone got the Monty Python reference!
April 4th, 2007 at 10:03 am
BRING OUT YOUR DEAD!
April 4th, 2007 at 7:44 pm
Alabama Mod, why would you even joke about killing a homosexual or a witch? You liberals are really haters!
April 4th, 2007 at 8:24 pm
I’m not a liberal, I’m a libertarian, and (as per definition) an extreme conservative. Liberals are, by definition, the type of people who like to nosey into people’s private lives.
I’ll even joke about killing evil bunnies. Now, you know full well that all vagrants must be destroyed by the Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch, as is commanded. For the Lord commandeth in the Book of Armaments (Chapter 2, verses 9-21):
…And Saint Attila raised the hand grenade up on high, saying, “O Lord, bless this Thy hand grenade that with it Thou mayest blow Thine enemies to tiny bits, in Thy mercy.” And the Lord did grin and the people did feast upon the lambs and sloths and carp and anchovies and orangutans and breakfast cereals, and fruit bats… And the Lord spake, saying, “First shalt thou take out the Holy Pin, then shalt thou count to three, no more, no less. Three shall be the number thou shalt count, and the number of the counting shall be three. Four shalt thou not count, neither count thou two, excepting that thou then proceed to three. Five is right out. Once the number three, being the third number, be reached then lobbest thou thy Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch towards thy foe, who being naughty in my sight, shall snuff it.” Amen.
By the way, if a homosexual jokes about drowning homosexual witches and ducks, does that imply self-hatred?
NEE!
April 4th, 2007 at 8:39 pm
Nee!
April 4th, 2007 at 8:42 pm
Wow! That rabbit’s dynamite!
April 4th, 2007 at 8:49 pm
“Oh, what sad times are these when passing ruffians can say Ni at will to old ladies. There is a pestilence upon this land, nothing is sacred. Even those who arrange and design shrubberies are under considerable economic stress in this period in history.”
April 4th, 2007 at 10:22 pm
Did you see him?! He was oppressing me!
April 5th, 2007 at 7:18 am
It’s only a flesh wound.
April 5th, 2007 at 8:26 am
I feel happy!
April 5th, 2007 at 9:04 am
Sorry, I thought we were doing lines from Dirty Harry.
April 21st, 2007 at 11:44 am
[...] If you want to catch up, see here, here, and here. Yes, I know I said in that middle post that we were going to stop this, but the current discussion has returned to the original focus, and that can be a healthy outlet. [...]