Hiding behind Face Book

Got into an argument with a guy I used to work with the other night. On Face Book. He didn't like my comment, and decided to send me a message and call me some names, and question my ethics, methods when I worked with him, and call me religiously intolerant because I didn't respect his LDS faith. OK. I expect that. I give as good as I get. No problem. Debate is healthy.

He doesn't get it. I don't respect ANY ONE'S faith! Mormon's always think it's about them. I'm not religious, and I don't see the need to respect anyone elses superstition past the point of not purposely going out of my way to offend them.

I grew up in a crazy church. The Presbyterians are Calvinist. And they told me that before I was born, God had decided whether I was going to heaven or hell. The die was cast, and no matter what I did, I couldn't change it by my actions on earth. But, God wants me to live a, "Christ centered life" anyway. WTF?

If I'm already slotted for a place in paradise, or a fire hole in hell, and nothing I could do would change that, why should I behave myself on earth? Why not party like, Motley Crue? Nothing I could do was going to change where I spent eternity.

Is that any crazier that believing in Golden Plates no one saw, or that, God lives on, Planet Kolob? And don't the Scientologist's believe in space aliens having something to do with what happens on earth, too?

So, I apologized to him, if I had truly slighted him, or he felt like I had said or done something to him on purpose, I WAS sorry. I have no intention to hurt your feelings. If your religion gives you comfort, or helps you cope with life, more power to you. I don't want to legislate religion away. Like, Republicans want to legislate THEIRS onto ME! I just don't believe it, and I won't show it the deference you think it deserves.

So he wrote back, and told me what a rotten person I was, and vented on me, as is his right. Like I said, if I give it, I expect to get it back. But then he did something so cowardly, so immature, it's unbelievable. He blocked my response. If you give it, take it back. You want to delete, unfriend, block me? Fine. I don't care. But don't yell, "I know you are, but what am I!" and then run into your house before you get the response.

Well, he was dumb enough to forget that as a public employee, he's on the State email system! And this isn't the first time dumb guys who work for the Department of Corrections forgot that I used to work there too, and I have a computer, and I know how to use it. So, I sent him my answer to his email at his State email address.

I did what my son and his soccer buddies would call, "Switch the field" on him. If all your opponents defenders are on the right side of the field, send the ball to the one guy you have open on the LEFT side of the field! They don't see that coming.

Here's his response, now that someone could actually look at what he's using the State email system for.

"Mr. Stickley (what? Not, Dear Jeff?), this is a formal request for you to not contact me in any fashion any more (So formal, when on FB, I'm an idiot and a bigot, etc?). I have saved all contact with you from these interactions (So? So have I) and you have now contacted me on my work email to make accusations and insult me, continuing something from a social networking site that has nothing to do with my employment to now using state resources to contact me because I blocked you on the networking site (run on sentences, Kyle. A good writer knows to quit when he's done). I consider these contacts harassment (Answering email you sent to ME is harassment? I hope you saved ALL the email of this last exchange, because you reached out to ME first) Please do not contact me personally any more and if you need anything professionally, please contact my supervisor David (I'll not include the man's last name, since he's a nice guy and I like him. And he's stuck with supervising guys who don't know you are supposed to put a comma before a proper name). Italics MINE. As if you didn't know.

This is sick and wrong for so many reasons. This guy started the fight because he didn't like a post of mine. But when he lost the war, he ran and hid, but he responded for a while until he realized that in a battle of wits, he was unarmed.

Then the, "harassment" stuff? Come on? I don't agree with you, but I answer your email anyway and it's harassment? Talk to some of the secretary's at Corrections. THEY can tell you what real harassment is!

And the, "nothing to do with my job" stuff? Please. If FB had been around when I was still working at DOC, and I'd been as insulting as this guy was to a citizen of this, "Pretty, Great, State", I'd have been facing a POST Review Board to see if I could keep my Peace Officer Certification! If you are a, COP in Utah, your off duty behavior is VERY much reviewable. You are told from the time you enter the Academy, that you are held to a higher standard. If you get busted for DUI off the job, you can still lose you Certification. If you are a total asshole on FB while still a, COP, isn't that the same thing? I think so.

And using state resources. No, I used MY resources. My computer. My connection. My power. And as a State citizen, I can send anyone who works for the State, email any time I want to. As long as I don't threaten them, I can say whatever I want, too.

His attempt to sound smart, and professional just falls flat. It's a lot like the, "Bevis And Butthead" episode, "Cornhollio". "Are you threatening me! I need TP for my, Bunghole!"

I am RETIRED from, Law Enforcement. I don't work for the DOC anymore. They can't take my pension, or my Birthday from me. I can say anything I want, to anyone I want. When you are still, "On The Job" you have to watch yourself.

So if you're going to be on FB, you should be willing to take what you give out. Sometimes you will lose an argument. If you don't want to, don't pick one!