Val Visits for a Second Time

Val Prieto said...

Ya no mas,

Your ad hominem attack on me tells us much more about your character than it does about mine, and, it is most probably the reason why your blog was removed from my blogroll.

As for Tellechea's upcoming post about me, what can I say. Im sure it will be pure genius and will be chock full of descriptors like "cocksucker" and such which he has used ubiquitously to describe me and others throughout his tenure as a "blogger."

What disappoints me the most with all of this is that we probably agree on more things than we disagree with and some of us cant see beyond those disagreements and, moreover, opt to air our differences in public, with a complete and total lack of respect towards the other.

So you all can continue to whine and bitch and call me and our contributors names till the cows come home. It only proves your worth and depth of character.

Of course, should any of you suddenly attain some maturity and with that grow some balls and be willing to discuss our differences privately or in person, I'd be more than happy to comply. Till then, please continue with your irrelevance and sepnd all your time bitching and moaning about waht is posted at Babalu while ignoring the important issues that could really use your attention.

13/6/07 3:44 PM


Manuel A.Tellechea said...

Val:

First, allow me to commend you on the remarkable forbearance you have shown since you last posted here nearly 2 months ago. In your position I would not have been able to let well enough alone. Of course, whether you responded or not was of no consequence to me. I should have thought, however, that it would have been of consequence to you. Here you would have enjoyed the right that you did not accord me at Babalú: the right to dissent. Just as others here speak what they perceive is the truth about you, so too would you have been perfectly free to have your say about them (and me) here.

For the second time, I never called you a "cocksucker," but I did say that you had been a protagonist in the biggest cocksucking in Cuban-American blog history. A fine distinction to be sure but one nonetheless. What it means is that you are not congenitally a cocksucker, but did on this one occasion engage in a monumental cocksucking vis-a-vis the Estefans. I don't think anyone can or does deny that; you yourself know it is true and are ashamed of it, as well you might be.

It is not a question of "probably;" we do in fact substantially agree on most matters concerning Cuba. The difference between us is a matter of approach. I happen to believe in free expression; you do not. By censoring and booting readers because they happen to disagree with your senseless ultimatums you are destroying the very work that means so much to you.

You know perfectly well that no one has praised you and Henry more than me in the past when your conduct merited it. I will be glad to dedicate the longest post in this blog's history to transcribing that praise if only to show that I, at least, do not have a personal animus towards you. It is your methods that I disapprove of. Nothing more.

I have been waiting, too, for you to attain some maturity, which in your case means recognizing that you, not me, are to blame for this situation. As the instigator it lies with you to take the first step towards dialogue and I am glad that you have done so (badly, but nonetheless). You have my e-mail address, or Ziva can give it to you. Write me. What you say shall remain private.

As for this blog — of which you are the undisputed godfather — it is no longer focused on you as it once was. In fact, I have written much, much more about Henry than I have about you. I hope you don't feel neglected.

The "important issues" are not ignored here. I try to keep a balance between posts such as this one, dedicated exclusively to Cuba, and the brief and mostly humorous posts which I dedicate to Babalú.

I may be irrelevant to others, Val, but I am not irrelevant to you. You still curse the day that you booted me from Babalú and wish with all your heart you could take it back. Let that be a useful lesson to you in future: do not attack without reason because you may find yourself being attacked with reason,

Regards to everyone at Babalú and my fervid thanks for making this your second home (oh, the hours, the hours you all spend here reading my "irrelevancies!").

13/6/07 5:00 PM


Val Prieto said...

Manuel,

The issue, as I see it, is that you have such a high regard for yourself and your opinion that you lack the common courtesy of abiding by the requests of your hosts. In this case, Babalu, specifcally in a post and comment thread where I had asked, repeatedly, that folks refrain from ad hominem attacks on certain people and focus their commentary on the specific issue at hand. In layman's terms, had you been at my home for a gathering, and had I asked you to please refrain from certain behavior, you had three choices: you can respect the hosts wishes and remain - dealing with whatever problem you had with him or her in private, or you could choose to leave the party under your own auspices because you felt you were being singled out, or you could continue that behavior and get thrown out of my house. You opted for door number three - and, even though I felt at the time that - due to the timing of your comment - I may have jumped the gun, I emailed you and I apologized to you immediately. yet you took it as the excuse for an affront against me and the blog. In other words, perdistes la tabla y te insultaste because apparently no one has ever put Manuel Tellechea in his proper place.

Surely, if I were at your home and you asked me not to piss on your geraniums and I went and found relief on said geraniums despite your appeals, You would have aksed me to leave, no?

Its all about respect. I gave you a forum to voice your opinions on a daily basis and never limited your expression of same nor edited your commentary nor deleted them. I asked you one time to please tone it down and you didnt. That tells me that you really could care less about the place you were visiting and the efforts your host went through to afford you said place in the first place.

So that's where we stand. Contrary to your delusional belief, I lose absolutely no sleep whatsoever over this blog or your opinions. I know I have been gracious towards you and reciprocated whatever respect you have shown me. If you chose to continue berating me and attacking my character, so be it. The archives and the associated commentary of my blog and the archives of this blog pretty much speak for themselves.

Some people are petty and some are not. Some people are well manered and some are not. Some people understand that some personal differences need be put aside for a common goal and some do not.

No matter how much you attack my character and my integrity, they will remain in tact, as you display a lack of both every time you attack me with such disingenuos zeal.

So please, continue reviewing our Cuban-American blogs, as your readers with a penchant for reading between the lines and understanding the nature of both you and I, will come to their own conclusions.

13/6/07 9:01 PM


Manuel A.Tellechea said...

Val:

If you had sent me an e-mail apologizing for booting me from Babalú this matter would not have advanced further. But I did not receive such an e-mail and must question whether such an e-mail was ever sent. I am glad to hear you admit, however, that you felt an apology was in order.

No ad hominem attacks were made on Gloria or Emilio Estefan at Babalú by any commenter; certainly not by me. However you were petrified that such a comment might be made and threatened to boot anyone who did. A man who apologizes publicly, as you did, for having doubts yourself about the Estefans' motives — doubts that you didn't publicly express — cannot be expected to evaluate fairly the opinions of others. Your ultimatum on criticism of the Estefans and attendant threat to expel those who disobeyed would have been boorish behavior whether you were entertaining your commenters in your house or on your blog. Are you in habit of limiting the expression of visitors to your home? Do you hand them a card upon entering your door which lists the subjects that they are not allowed to discuss while under your roof? Well, frankly, I should not be surprised if you did.

As I recall I was booted from Babalú for agreeing with Vic that not all communists are pro-Castro and not all Castroites are communist. The statement on its face is irrefutable and the name of the Estefans was never mentioned.

The real reason that you booted me was that you resented my presence on your blog for reasons unrelated to the Estefans. These reasons are quite obvious to everyone when you refer to me as "His Superiorness," "His Omnipotence" and "Genius."

You are quite right when you say that I will allow no one to insult me with impunity. This is known as dignity. "Putting me in my proper place," a phrase which clearly shows whom the monomaniac here is, is something which lies much beyond your ken in every way. On the other hand unmanning you is child's work for me. I do it so well that all your friends and enemies gather here just to witness the spectacle. No one in his right mind would believe that you are not bothered by it when you give every indication that you are and profoundly so. And, by the way, I have never attacked your integrity or character: I have only attacked your intelligence or lack thereof.

Some people are stupid and some are not. It really boils down to that.

13/6/07 10:03 PM


UPDATE:

It is interesting to note that the only one who has ever been called a "cocksucker" on this blog is Val Prieto by Val Prieto.