On fleeting fame and Royals baseball... John Brown reflects...

Based on my traffic stats today my brush with the non-celebrity un-greatness of Taylor Marsh is no longer burning up the blogosphere.

None of Marsh's photographer's agents have pounced on me for my transgression. None of the gnarled hearts and drooling mouths that populate her fib of a website are trying to defend her resume-inflation techniques. Things are quieting down. It's the joke at which everyone has laughed.

It was fun while it lasted. Now, onto bigger and better things. Unless, of course, the firestorm of controversy about The Silliest Blogger in Town should reignite. That would be fun.

Some of you (okay, most of you), found this blog as a result of Taylor's Tall Tales, so you might be wondering what's going to happen now that she's cackled that her life is an "open book" and is hunkering down, waiting for the storm of honest recognition to pass. Well, John Brown won't let you down!

No, I don't plan on picking on her day after day, becoming single-mindedly obsessed with exposing her resume inflation to everyone in the world. Okay, I might do that. It's not the main plan, though. That being said, everyone who'd like to write about Ms. Marsh is free to use my illustrations to accompany their posts.

I still owe a commenter a post critical of Barack Obama. Apparently, some people are under the mistaken impression that my expressed distaste for Monster and willingness to mock Monster-enabler Marsh is proof positive that I'm in the bag for Barry O. Yeah, he's my preferred choice right now, but he doesn't get a pass. So, I hope to get around to the part where I criticize Obama about something. I'm in the process of choosing the issue for concern.

I've also watched a few westerns that I'll eventually get around to reviewing. If you like that sort of thing, keep your eyes peeled.

Oh, and I also had a few dozen asshats complain that my attacks on Ms. Marsh lacked any substance because I didn't actually confront her on specific statements and issues. Well, my criticism of TM was about her fibby bio. I just assumed everyone recognized that she was a complete hack. I guess not. I'm trying to choose which of her god-awful posts to roast into ash for your viewing pleasure.

I'm getting tired of this "should Bush skip the opening ceremonies in Beijing?" nonsense. I have the right answer on that one, by the way. Stay tuned.

This FLDS thing? Right in my wheelhouse.

As a Royals fan, I'm loving their 6-2 start. I might have something to say about the boys in blue.

I'm hoping Mike Gravel releases a new video because he RAWKS!

I also find that John McCain is regularly willing to open his mouth in order to release excess bullshit. I'll pick through the manure so you don't have to!

I'll take requests, too.

Right now, though, I must make lasagna. I promised my wife. Then, I'm obligated to watch the Royals go for the sweep against the dreaded Yankees. Chris Chambliss, if you're reading this, I still hate you.






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Taylor Marsh warns of LAWSUIT in John Brown's future...

Talk radio personality (cue laugh track) Taylor Marsh wants to make sure I don't get in trouble.

She first mentioned it on her massively popular radio show (read: podcast), advising "gnats" and people who've been "plumbing" her bio, like me, might be getting a BIG BILL from the photographer that took the Glamour Shot-style pics that adorn her site.

Those of us who are running "blossoming hate sites and hate diaries" (her words), like John Brown, may be in violation of the photographer's copyright to the pictures.

Those "gnats" who launch "hate attacks" on Ms. Marsh may be cruisin' for a legal bruisin'.

According to a new post at her site, "that they stole copyrighted photos may come back to haunt them, however, because if the photographers find out their agents will indeed pounce."

Holy shit! I hope attorneys don't POUNCE on me!

I'm not that interested in the legal questions here. Though the risk of pouncing lawyers hired by Glamour Shot dudes is slight and the odds against them getting a penny out of John Brown or slim, I am going to remove all actual photos of Taylor Marsh from this site. That should make her happy!

Instead, I want to tell you a story about copyrighted photos...

Once upon a time, there was a right-wing freaky-ass blogger named Debbie Schlussel. One day, a Reagan Democrat blogger named Taylor Marsh wrote a post about this Schlussel character. Debbie got pissed off, because Taylor didn't agree with her. In her pissy fit, Debbie DEMANDED THAT MARSH REMOVE THE COPYRIGHTED IMAGES used to illustrate the post. She THREATENED MARSH WITH A LAWSUIT! What did Taylor Marsh do?

Taylor removed the offending images (and they were offending, ba-da-dum!). She also wrote this response:

I've spoken to my lawyer (my big brother) today, as well as a First Amendment attorney who's familiar with these types of things, thanks to a referral from another progressive. In addition, my brother also spoke to a copyright lawyer. It remains to be seen if bloggers are protected for "fair use" with photos used in reporting stories, because much of what we're seen to do is opinion, criticism and comment. However, as regular readers know, I actually do reporting and have broken stories before. Regardless, the minute I used Ms. Schlussel's picture, well, I've said it all already.

Frankly, the publicity of a lawsuit would be great. As for what Schlussel will get, good luck. But talk about a frivolous lawsuit.

You've got to wonder if Ms. Schlussel is trying to intimidate me, or if she is trying to squelch my right to free speech. I can't know for sure, but the inherent threat of a lawsuit seems to be focused on doing both, however unsuccessfully. Or maybe she thinks I'm stupid? Pity.

Now THAT'S AWESOME! I agree completely!

Hey Taylor, why do you think your photographer's attempts at squeezing dough from ol' John Brown would be successful? Is he gonna pounce on those copyrighted images of you on Google? Just wondering. You sung a very different tune when you were on the other end of this crap, don't you think?

What else did Taylor do? She replaced the photo of Schlussel with a hastily-drawn replacement.

I don't usually agree with Marsh, but this time I think she was on to something.

I've replaced those ultra-valuable copyrighted images that put me at risk of litigation with my own portraits of Taylor Marsh.

I had no choice.

Oh, and I hope Marsh and the Marshans don't take offense. After all, everyone LOVED the idea when Debbie Schlussel threatened litigation. I'm just following the leader...






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Royals / Yankees, 3:10 p.m... Squandering opportunity and freezing my ass off... Sneak previews...

A smart, self-promoting blogger would take advantage of this situation. My series of posts on "talk radio host" (hey, stop laughing) Taylor Marsh is attracting a lot of attention in certain circles. This could be my fifteen minutes of fame or my chance to create a large and loyal audience.

I'm getting emails. Welcome to the big leagues. Al Giordano is linking to you. First time reader, I might be back. Read about your post at Daily Kos. You're all over Democratic Underground.

The other day, I even received a mini-avalanche of visitors from Marsh's site due to a mention in the comments. Comments about the blog are popping up all over the place.

This new little hobby project has had two days in the past week with over 1,000 unique visitors. Yeah, I know. That's not BIG TIME. It's big for a little anonymous freebie blog, though.

So, this might be my big shot. Today should be the day I write the Greatest Post in the young history of Prepare Yourselves for a Settlement. I should be running to the door in response to opportunity's knock.

However, it's opening day in Kansas City. Gloomy skies, rain and a projected wind chill antithetical to baseball, but it is opening day. Royals vs. Yankees. 3:10 p.m.

I have priorities.

Tonight? The last of the Taylor Marsh posts: John Brown Explains it ALL. And, as promised, a post critical of Barack Obama, offered as evidence that my distaste for The Monster doesn't automatically make me a hack for Barry. Maybe I'll rip on McCain a little bit for good measure, too. I might as well be the Universal Offender.

Go Royals. I wish I had an ode to opening day that was as stirring as Tony's ruminations on the KU basketball national championship win.





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Who is John Brown... Just in case you were wondering...

My recent post about "talk radio personality" (cue laugh track) Taylor Marsh has led a few people to ask "Who in the hell is John Brown, anyway".

That's a fair question. Here's an honest answer.

My name isn't John Brown. I stole that from the abolitionist, another Kansan.

I live in the KC metro area, on the Kansas side in the ever-so-boring suburbs. I'm approaching 40 and some days I notice single thin, white hairs sprouting off the tops of my ears. I remove these immediately.

When I was a kid, I dropped a giant glass jar of peanut butter on my foot in the grocery store. I was wearing flip-flops and the store floor was hard. The force of the jar's landing resulted in the loss of my big toenail on my left foot. Eventually, it grew back. Even today, however, it is different. It has a certain "ridged" feel and it grows at about 3x the rate of my other toenails.

I'm happily married and I have a little kid who is far more awesome than your little kid will ever hope to be (if you happen to have a kid). My wife is far more awesome than your spouse, too.

I have a job. It's a pretty good one, too. Not great, but pretty good. It pays most of the bills. My wife has a pretty good job and it pays the remainder of the bills and gives us money to squander foolishly, as the middle class tends to do.

Before I took my current job, which is sales-related, I did many other things. One of those things was "small business owner". I was part of the allegedly small percentage of new businesses that didn't fail. Things were going good. I decided to shut down, though, because of the time involved in running my own shoppe. See how I used the double-"p" with a "e" spelling there. I'm crazy like that.

Before that, I was involved in social work. Before that, I taught. Before and during that, I went to school. I have a bachelors degree and more graduate hours than anyone on the planet who doesn't actually have a graduate degree. I kept quitting programs right before completion because I have moments of clarity and stretches of fucked uppedness. "Uppedness" is not a word. Even though I never put much effort into school, I was always good at it. My grades were on the high end of the spectrum and I won awards and attention.

Other jobs included a stint on the radio, doing hard labor, selling stuff, bossing cubicle people around, writing for other people and loads of stuff I'm not going to bother mentioning.

I don't like pancakes. I like waffles if they're crispy and topped with whipped cream and fruit.

I can be really nice. I'm talking nicer than pleasant. I can be a real prick sometimes, too. Occasionally, I'm a complete asshat. Fortunately, I'm right far more often than I'm wrong. That makes things easier.

I read a lot. I watch westerns sometimes. I like to review westerns, too. You can find some movie reviews on this blog. I root for the hapless Kansas City Royals. I wear contact lenses. I wear size 11 1/2 shoes and I'm 6' tall. As much as it pains me to write this, I am getting fatter as I age.

Politically, I classify myself as an Independent. That isn't because I can't make up my mind about things, though. It's because I think both "sides" are full of shit on some matters and closer to correct on others. If you're really all that interested in my overall political outlook, your best bet is to continue to read this blog and/or check out the archives. It comes out piece by piece.

Mainly, I dislike intellectual dishonesty. I dislike the bullshit hit and run politics that so often dominate our discussions. I'm okay with hypocrisy but only when it makes sense to be a hypocrite and it's done honestly and openly.

I don't mind arguing. I think arguing is an AOK thing. I don't even think it has to be done pleasantly all the time. At its core, though, the argument should probably be about the actual matter at hand and not the kind of tone in which we wrap it. Those who can sling a little attitude while making good arguments are fun and interesting.

I do find Hillary Clinton's candidacy grotesque. I intentionally and willfully call her a monster. I think her campaign causes soul cancer. I'm an Obama backer, but I have reservations about his stance on a variety of issues. I don't believe Barack Obama can make the unicorns and leprechauns pitch in together to create the Giant Rainbow of Ultimate Joy. I do, however, think that he is willing to entertain serious discussions in serious ways, something Hillary Clinton will never do. I don't hate John McCain. I don't really like him, either. I think he is the last 8-track tape in America's stereophonic history.

Taylor Marsh. I should probably address that whole thing, since it's becoming a bit of a controversy. I don't hate her. I think she's often wrong and usually silly. I actually have a begrudging respect for her. She's developed a massive and loyal following for herself, despite lacking the traditional background required to be taken seriously in her field. That shows chutzpah, moxie, or whatever and is somewhat cool.

So, if I don't hate her, why did I whack her around? I don't think I did. I kept seeing her name all over the place and couldn't get any idea of who she actually was. I did a little research. I wrote a few blog posts. The end. She is what she is. I think it's interesting, though, because she really does push her "credentials" even though the backstory is sort of a tall tale.

Why don't I use my real name? Why don't I tell you all about myself? Isn't it just as good for John Brown the gander as it is for Taylor Marsh the goose?

Well, I don't want or need to be famous for blogging my opinions. That's part of it. I like my anonymity. That's another. I'd prefer that the folks who read Prepare Yourselves for a Settlement judge it on its merits--the actual content. Do you like the writing? Do you like the quality of argument? Things like that. I don't want to be judged based on my background because I don't think it's all that important. I don't want to feel the need to "juice" my history to create false credibility, either. I just want to have my little slice of the web where I get to express my opinion and others get to assess it free of bullshit appeals to authority.


I'm John Brown. Thanks for visiting. Watch your step on the way out.





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