Our Kenneth
What I love the most about Ricochet is the community. Even those of us who are, um, former members of the community, for one reason or another.
(I'll pause here for a moment to say, once again, that if you haven't joined as a member, please do. Right now. We'll wait.)
Okay, with that said, many of you will remember a former member, Kenneth, who stirred things up with his acerbic wit and -- let's be honest -- sharper-than-necessary language. What's he been up to lately?
There's lots of funny stuff over there -- he calls his blog "The Full Kenneth," which means pretty much what you expect that it means. But I especially enjoyed his recent screed against the huge amount of land the government owns:
The federal government owns more than 30% of the land in the United States. Here in California, that share is more than 45%.
Now, no one would object that national treasures like Yosemite and Yellowstone should be preserved, in perpetuity, for the enjoyment of future generations.
But the problem these days is that federal bureaucrats and their environmental enablers increasingly militate for a regime in which the public who owns those lands are barred from enjoying them.
Take Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Park, for instance. Established in 1968, this 316-square-mile preserve spans a magnificent part of the high Sierra Mountains. But it’s tough trekking, so, for many years before and since the establishment of the park, dozens of small, family-owned companies have provided horseback tours that allow flatlanders to enjoy the area’s beauty.
No more. An outfit calling itself High Sierra Hikers – essentially two fanatic environmentalists who live in Lake Tahoe, hundreds of miles away from the park – recently sued the federal Department of the Interior, claiming that by allowing a few hundred tourists each summer to visit the park on horseback, the Department was violating the 1964 Wilderness Act...
...those two guys in Lake Tahoe found a big-time San Francisco law firm to file the suit. And, by coincidence, the federal judge who heard the case was a former lawyer for said big-time law firm. And when the two guys won the case, the judge awarded the big-time law firm millions of dollars in legal fees, while the small companies that had offered horseback tours for generations were put out of business. And hundreds of citizens who might have enjoyed the back country each summer were out of luck.
I know I'm stirring things up myself when I say this, but if you've got a moment and are so inclined, head over to Kenneth's blog and say hello.
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Comments:
Feb '11
Re: Our Kenneth
Kenneth is not just a former member, he is a four-time former member, since Kenneth, Tom Paine, Elena, and Nobody's Perfect were all his avatars and all were booted for his vitriolic rants against other members. So say hello if you like, but I think I'll stay away.
Mar '11
Re: Our Kenneth
I'm pretty sure his moniker "The Full Kenneth" is connected to Ricochet: Kenneth had a post saying we should pull all of our troops out of Afghanistan and Iraq, and Lileks noted in a podcast that while sympathetic to the view, he was not willing to go "the full Kenneth" and abandon the war all together.
Just goes to show that you can take Kenneth out of Ricochet, but you can never take the Ricochet out of Kenneth.
Re: Our Kenneth
I must say that, while I occasionally found Kenneth annoying, I for the most part enjoyed his rants, even when we disagreed.
Feb '11
Re: Our Kenneth
I didn't mind him being acerbic, it was the personal attacks on people that got him sent down. You can't see them now because they've been redacted, but he could be really quite nasty. Here's what The Logo itself had to say about one of the removals.
Edited on June 23, 2012 at 8:33pmDec '10
Re: Our Kenneth
There's another "new" member who I suspect might be the latest incarnation.
Feb '11
Re: Our Kenneth
The Great Adventure!
There's another "new" member who I suspect might be the latest incarnation. · 2 minutes ago
I thought this member might have been Kenneth, but he's gone now too, I suspect for his ridiculous, over-the-top rudeness to Western Chauvinist.
May '10
Re: Our Kenneth
I am glad that Kenneth has found a place to get the attention he craves, I hope it works out for him!
Jun '10
Re: Our Kenneth
I thought all the libertarians were leaving Ricochet...
Turns out they were all just one person...
Aug '10
Re: Our Kenneth
Shouldn't the title be "Our (former) Kenneth"?
Jun '10
Re: Our Kenneth
After a while I just blocked him/her , but he ate way too much space anyway. Honestly though, I have wondered for a while what happened to him. Of course my assumption was that he said something extremely rude aimed at a fellow member who happened to disagree with his omniscience.
I took extreme dislike to his demagogic incantations against Sarah Palin and her children. I didn't need to pay a fee at Ricochet to read that bullhockey. So thanks for the update Rob, but I will not be visiting his blog.
Nov '10
Re: Our Kenneth
Kenneth was a raw talent. It's just a shame he didn't always use it for the greater good. It is a bit quieter around here, and the shame is it didn't have to be that way.
I wish him well in the endeavor.
May '10
Re: Our Kenneth
Does saying "No comment" make more of a comment than not commenting at all?
Feb '11
Re: Our Kenneth
Lance: Kenneth was a raw talent. It's just a shame he didn't always use it for the greater good. It is a bit quieter around here, and the shame is it didn't have to be that way.
I wish him well in the endeavor. · 1 minute ago
Lance, you are a truly good person. Bless you!
Jul '11
Re: Our Kenneth
I tried to find out if I knew these two rabid anti horse environmentalists are since that is my hood. I could not find the founders of this movement.
As far as the ranter goes, he is where he belongs. Enjoy him if you choose but my few interactions with him were unpleasant. I like almost anyone other than mean people and admire the kind ones even if I disagree with them. He has a mean streak a mile wide and I compare him to Michael Savage whose considerable talents are often dominated by his dark side.
Jul '11
Re: Our Kenneth
Lance: Kenneth was a raw talent. It's just a shame he didn't always use it for the greater good. It is a bit quieter around here, and the shame is it didn't have to be that way.
I wish him well in the endeavor. · 6 minutes ago
Ah Lance, you are truly a true Christian man.
Jun '10
Re: Our Kenneth
It was kind of like having our own Mel Gibson. You never knew exactly what his mood would be, but you knew it would be interesting.
Dec '10
Re: Our Kenneth
Except Mel has talent. The only talent Kenny had was vitriol.
Dec '11
Re: Our Kenneth
Samwise Gamgee: I thought all the libertarians were leaving Ricochet...
Turns out they were all just one person... · 2 hours ago
Oops. I might have invited a couple to get a free book.
Jun '10
Re: Our Kenneth
I knew about Elena, but Tom Paine and Nobody's Perfect, too? Generally, I agreed with many of his posts, but he really wanted to be the alpha-male within Ricochet and it got annoying after a while. If he has to come back in disguise, well, that's just sad... really sad.
Jan '11
Re: Our Kenneth
Kenneth was/is not for everyone.
He was on a podcast.
I've heard that Steve Jobs may have also displayed some poor behavior.
I think Rob should have posted this on the member side. It seems, after all, to be sending us to a site competing for our time.
I may not be your goto source for character as I still listen to Radio Derb.
Edited on June 24, 2012 at 1:26am