John Shults Says, "Thanks...Nutbags!"

Breathe Deeply When Encountering "Nutbags"!

Feedback in today from John Shults who is none too happy with this site:

"Just wanted to thank you for your website. A neighbor told me I should check it out due to a high level of unintentional comedy. Boy, does your site deliver! What our Town has been missing is a bunch of nutbag flamethrowers who publicly and personally attack everyone they disagree with over petty issues. You are meeting that need (and then some!). The result is that the rest of us feel more unified as "non-crazy" people. Now I can look at almost anyone I encounter in Vienna (except for you all) and think "Hey -- we've got something in common: neither of us is a bitter nutbag like the people who run that website! Wanna grab a beer, neighbor?" Yes, the venom on your website is having a beneficial (if unintended) effect on Town unity. So as a non-crazy person, I say "Thanks...nutbags!"

It wasn't hard to figure out that John Shults lives five houses down from the Mayor's opinionated son-in-law. Imagine that? Wonder if Colbert, Seeman's son-in-law, was the "neighbor"?

There is a suspicion, for example, that if John was at the brunt end of the Vienna Town Council abusing his rights in some form or another, he might not be so cavalier with the use of the word "petty". John you are off in your use of the phrase 'nutbag' though. Are you sure you did not mean this fellow was the 'nutbag'?

As a follow-up we sent an email to ask John, "Can you clarify the 'petty' issues you spoke of?" The response received:

"Petty or no, most find that your public personal attacks on people are way over-the-line. The irony is that, for all I know, some of your complaints might be valid (can't say I know too much about them -- but I strongly favor personal property rights). Instead of trying to win people to your side, you focus on attacking everyone's integrity, calling their family members racists, making fun of them, etc. Is this really necessary? On another note, I apologize for calling you "crazy nutbags." Yes, I strongly disagree with the way you have led the discourse on Town issues, but for someone who thinks the personal attacks are too much, I should not have said that. I am sorry. Please accept my apology, and if you would have the grace to remove my e-mail from your site, I would appreciate it. (Frankly, I did not know my comment would launch me into the mix of this Town soap opera of which I want no part.)"

No part of it John? You posted a comment here with the full intention of it being publicly seen, we did not solicit you! If people like the Mayor want to be in the public eye as a public servant, take the heat. Pointing out strong political differences or pointing out outlandish behavior by politicians is not personal.

John, we did not create Tom Seeman's racist web site and we do not post there. The fact that it exists should be troubling to you. Perhaps, instead of 'shooting the messenger' of this web site, you might write the Mayor of Vienna and ask her to cease participation in it. Maybe even ask her to have it turned off? As you may or may not know, Tom Seeman is a political appointee in the Town of Leesburg. He is no innocent.

Our site has definitely attacked the integrity of certain individuals. Not all by any stretch, but definitely some and deservedly so. This site does use humor to point out the 100% hypocrisy employed by certain Town Council and Town board members. That will not stop. Next time when you want to "accuse" people of "something", get specific or someone might just call you a not-so-nice name like "nutbag".