Spencer’s attacks on Erich

Anyone who has read the writings of Erich, the Spencer critic who used to write the website Jihad Watch Watch, knows that he is rational and analytical in his writings and avoids personal attacks. Lately he has been having an e-mail correspondence with the team of Spencer and Slumber that is even more active than mine, since he writes back to them. To give an idea of the way Spencer talks, not just to me, but to any intelligent and persistent critic to his right, Erich sends the following sample of Spencer’s e-mails to him (Spencer also sent them to me, though I hadn’t read them prior to Erich’s showing them to me):

Erich writes:

I will here quote four of the emails Spencer wrote to me, each separate email numbered. These are not the only emails to me (he wrote about 25 to me in the span of two days, with his supporter “Mike Slumber” writing about 20 to me as well) where Spencer used immature language and demonstrated the emotional control of a junior high school kid. They are only representative examples. Frank Norman is the name I use in one of my e-mail accounts. Spencer’s reference to “Cary” comes form the fact that in a blog I used a photo of Cary Grant next to my name.

#1 and #2 are quoted in their entirety. #3 and #4 are excerpts.

1.

From: Robert Spencer
Date: July 9, 2008 8:17:17 PM EDT
To: frank norman
Mike Slumber
Lawrence Auster
Subject: Re: And the beat(down) goes on…

Fact is, my boy, is that I said, many times, “Muslim immigration should be stopped.” You charge me with unclarity on that, unjustly and falsely.

Fact is, my boy, that you started a website dedicated to showing that what I was doing was wrong, inadequate, misguided, whatever, without proposing a coherent alternative. That you would dedicate a whole website to this, when our movement is so small and embattled as it is, is to me a breathtaking display of poor judgment, sour grapes, and worse.

Fact is, my boy, that the list of people whom Auster has alienated would fill several phone books. That you dispute this contention only means that you haven’t done adequate research, or are willfully blind, or both. And the fact is that I have not alienated anything like that number. I may be a far worse jerk than he is, that I will grant you, but the proof of the pudding is in the eating, and it is he who has the (well-deserved) reputation as someone who savages people on his side.

Of course, given your record, I can see why that would not seem like a big thing to you.

You are NOT on my side. You are NOT my ally. You are a HINDRANCE to the anti-jihad effort in general. You are a TOOL of those who would destroy us.

Face the facts.

CORDIALLY
ROBERT SPENCER

2.

From: “Robert Spencer”
To: myhesperado@yahoo.com
Cc: “Mike Slumber”
“Lawrence Auster”

You’re the only guy this happened to, Erich! Frank! Cary! Whatever! Has it ever occurred to you that maybe it’s because your criticism was foolish, falsely based, unfounded, and unfair, as I explained to you before in my email about “Islam is evil” and non-jihadist Muslims.

I know I know, you haven’t gotten to that one yet, poor lamb!

Superciliously and arrogantly,

R

Yes—superciliously and arrogantly. Am I making fun of you? Yes, I am. Am I not taking you seriously? No. I am not. You haven’t shown yourself to be a serious character. You got me all wrong, spent months skewering me on false pretenses, and then expect me to kowtow for being mean to you?

You got the wrong chump, my friend!

3.

From: “Robert Spencer”
To: myhesperado@yahoo.com
Cc: “Mike Slumber”, “Lawrence Auster”

What are you doing, positively? You even conceal your identity. I am out there, getting threatened by Adam Gadahn and others and taking potshots from supercilious jerks like you and Auster. Where are you, and what are you doing, and what is your name, and how much like Cary Grant do you really look?

4.

From:”Robert Spencer”
To:
“Mike Slumber” Cc: “frank norman” Erich,

Oh, 1000 pardons for my trying to find common ground with this sanctimonious prick [i.e., Auster] instead of leaving him alone in his sanctimonious superiority.

You really are an idiot, aren’t you?

Love
R

[end of excerpts]

LA writes:

Spencer’s repeated use of the belittling phrase, “my boy,” his calling Erich “poor lamb,” his tactic of calling Erich an “idiot” and then signing, “Love, R.,” are familiar to me, because he has addressed me in much the same way. Here are two fragments from an e-mail exchange with Spencer in May 2006

From: Robert Spencer
To: Lawrence Auster
Sent: Monday, May 29, 2006 2:26.p.m.
Subject: Re: What you said about my “indignant” complaint

Larry, honey, try to pay attention. I know it’s hard for you, but try. You have just done it again—what I explained below. I wrote the passage below fully aware of everything that I told you. You accused me of bad motives on this score BEFORE I told you anything about this at all….

Yrs
R

From: Robert Spencer
To: Lawrence Auster
Sent: Monday, May 29, 2006 3:58.p.m.
Subject: Re: What you said about my “indignant” complaint

Sonny boy, I gave you evidence. You largely ignored it. Now you’re pretending I didn’t give you any. Didn’t your mommy tell you to play fair?

Update: And here is a further example of how the Slumber and Spencer team address Erich (or, in this case, a person they thought was Erich).

In the July 7 Jihad Watch thread where this whole dispute started, “Honor killing in Clayton County, Georgia,” in a comment directed to “anonymous,” who both “awake” (Mike Slumber) and Spencer believed was Erich, awake wrote:

You can respond to Robert’s supporting evidence as soon as you finish collecting your teeth off the floor.

We’ll be waiting, patiently.

Posted by: awake at July 7, 2008 2:49 PM

Seven minutes later, Spencer wrote to awake:

awake:

I doubt we will hear from Erich again, but maybe he will surprise us with some integrity.

Cordially
Robert Spencer
Posted by: jihadwatch at July 7, 2008 2:56 PM

So Spencer not only had no problem with a commenter at his site using such brutal violent language, he rushed to express solidarity with him in their common cause against the evil Erich, who deserved, metaphorically, to have his teeth kicked out.

Posted by Lawrence Auster at July 13, 2008 03:10 PM | Send