An Open Letter to Greg Aymond

Mr. Aymond:

You are perfectly entitled to expressing your opinions on the issues, but I know, without any doubt, that the things you have published about me are manifestly defamatory, hateful, and bigoted. You’ve repeatedly called me a “gimp;” you’ve parroted unfathomable and unbelievably painful lies about my late father; you’ve distorted my image in order to make me appear as a KKK member, among other things (when, ironically, you were actually a member of the KKK). And yesterday, you bragged about how you could “take” me, presumably, in a fight.

Congratulations, you can take a guy with cerebral palsy, and you can brag on the Internet about how you could beat him up. And by the way, you probably could, Mr. Aymond; my balance is really awful. But either way, when I read stuff like this, sorry– it kind of scares me. I don’t know you, never met you. All I know is what you’ve written about me, and it makes me think you could be serious; it’s not the first time you’ve implied physical violence against me.

To call your actions against me “cyberstalking” would be an understatement. I am not and have never been a public figure. I am a 29 year old, a former assistant in a small City government, and one of tens, if not hundreds, of thousands of Americans who operates a blog.

I don’t have any problem discussing or debating the issues with people, and I always enjoy a good challenge. But I am sick, disgusted, tired, and- frankly, worried by your continued provocations, defamatory statements, and threatening language. I recognize that my engagement may encourage your response (I probably should just ignore you), and maybe I’ve been relying on a mistaken assumption: The notion that you may actually listen, that you have the capacity to process, that, maybe, you’re not just reactive.

So I request this earnestly: Stop it. Stop posting altered photos of me. Stop calling me a “gimp” or a “pinko liberal.” Stop ascribing to me characteristics that have nothing, whatsoever, to do with me. You are actively defaming me. You have been for years, but, because, during that time, I worked for the government, I guess I just wanted to play nice. Greg, I don’t need to play nice anymore. If you ever again imply a physical threat against me, I will immediately alert the authorities, even if you think you’re just being funny.

I don’t think it’s a joke whenever a former KKK member publicly writes about how he could beat me up. I take that shit seriously. I take my personal liberty seriously. And I don’t know you, but based on your blog, I’ll take your threats seriously. Isn’t that what you desire? To be taken seriously? OK, sir, I will.

Mercy, Uncle, I Give.

Stop it.

And before you even think about turning this all against me and writing some stupid, ridiculous post with some absurdly altered image of me, just know this: I am more serious about protecting and defending myself than you think. You’re not writing about the Lamar White who worked for your nemesis and who never gave you a blog interview; you’re writing about a guy in law school in Texas. And that guy asked– pleaded– for you to stop defaming him.

Find something else to write about. I sure as hell will.

– Lamar

PS: Louisiana law (bold mine):

§40.3. Cyberstalking

1. For the purposes of this Section, the following words shall have the following meanings:
1. “Electronic communication” means any transfer of signs, signals, writing, images, sounds, data, or intelligence of any nature, transmitted in whole or in part by wire, radio, computer, electromagnetic, photoelectric, or photo-optical system.
2. “Electronic mail” means the transmission of information or communication by the use of the Internet, a computer, a facsimile machine, a pager, a cellular telephone, a video recorder, or other electronic means sent to a person identified by a unique address or address number and received by that person.
2. Cyberstalking is action of any person to accomplish any of the following:
1. Use in electronic mail or electronic communication of any words or language threatening to inflict bodily harm to any person or to such person’s child, sibling, spouse, or dependent, or physical injury to the property of any person, or for the purpose of extorting money or other things of value from any person.
2. Electronically mail or electronically communicate to another repeatedly, whether or not conversation ensues, for the purpose of threatening, terrifying, or harassing any person.
3. Electronically mail or electronically communicate to another and to knowingly make any false statement concerning death, injury, illness, disfigurement, indecent conduct, or criminal conduct of the person electronically mailed or of any member of the person’s family or household with the intent to threaten, terrify, or harass.
4. Knowingly permit an electronic communication device under the person’s control to be used for the taking of an action in Paragraph (1), (2), or (3) of this Subsection.
1. Whoever commits the crime of cyberstalking shall be fined not more than two thousand dollars, or imprisoned for not more than one year, or both.
2. Upon a second conviction occurring within seven years of the prior conviction for cyberstalking, the offender shall be imprisoned for not less than one hundred and eighty days and not more than three years, and may be fined not more than five thousand dollars, or both.
3. Upon a third or subsequent conviction occurring within seven years of a prior conviction for stalking, the offender shall be imprisoned for not less than two years and not more than five years and may be fined not more than five thousand dollars, or both.
1. In addition, the court shall order that the personal property used in the commission of the offense shall be seized and impounded, and after conviction, sold at public sale or public auction by the district attorney in accordance with R.S. 15:539.1.
2. (b) The personal property made subject to seizure and sale pursuant to Subparagraph (a) of this Paragraph may include, but shall not be limited to, electronic communication devices, computers, computer related equipment, motor vehicles, photographic equipment used to record or create still or moving visual images of the victim that are recorded on paper, film, video tape, disc, or any other type of digital recording media.
3. Any offense under this Section committed by the use of electronic mail or electronic communication may be deemed to have been committed where the electronic mail or electronic communication was originally sent, originally received, or originally viewed by any person.
4. This Section does not apply to any peaceable, nonviolent, or nonthreatening activity intended to express political views or to provide lawful information to others.

Acts 2001, No. 737, §1; Acts 2010, No. 763, §1.