My hijacked Blog: Part II

A good friend of mine, Mr. John Ansley (a Catholic educator), wrote the owner/webmaster of a website to express his concerns over the fact that my former Blog (The Ultramontane) had been hijacked and that he believed this to be the work of a certain individual. He also reminded the webmaster of this site that the "Ultramontane" Blog was still listed at this website. In other words, the link was still active.

Mr. Ansley shared his email correspondence with myself (since it was my Blog which was hijacked) and with another individual who is very active at another Catholic website forum which seems to be related to recent events in some way since I have received emails from an individual referring specifically to this particular website.

The person Mr. Ansley referred to in his email has posted his very email at yet another Blog and has referred to Mr. Ansley as a "local lunatic" because of his very real concerns. This person writes:



"Do you think he's completely insane and believes it or did he deliberately make it all up in an act of vengeance?"

And:

"Is he affiliated still with Holy Cross? Somebody ought to drop a dime there and clue them in - I wouldn't want him on campus...and that's the truth. It's diabolical and who knows where he'd take things if they didn't go along with his accusations."

Mr. Ansley is not associated in any way with Holy Cross College or the website of the Holy Cross Cardinal Newman Society. Nor is there anything "diabolical" about this fine Catholic gentleman. It should also be noted that Mr. Ansley has absolutely no reason to seek "vengeance" against the person we believe may have hijacked my former Blog. In fact, he has taken pains to defend this same individual from unjust accusations levelled by someone at the Holy Cross Cardinal Newman Society website.

Why would this person actually take the time to write an entire post - including the full text of Mr. Ansley's email - when his observations were never made "public" in this way but only sent via a personal email to two individuals? The answer is simple. In William Shakespeare's play Hamlet (Act III, Scene II), Queen Gertrude says to her son, Prince Hamlet, "The lady doth protest too much, methinks."

An innocent person would never have taken such great pains to make such a spirited and public defense. The lady indeed "doth protest too much." Not only does this person "protest too much," but in a personal act of "vengeance" (funny how we are sometimes guilty of the very thing we accuse others of), this person accuses Mr. Ansley of being a "lunatic" who may be "completely insane" as well as dangerous to children and engaged in the "diabolical."

You'll notice that I refrain from using this person's name. Sadly, this person has not only turned this into a public affair but has levelled harsh accusations against Mr. Ansley simply because he expressed his concerns over my old Blog being hijacked as well as his personal opinion as to who did it. The person who we believe hijacked my former Blog has accused me of offering "Kool-Aid" (in other words, false teaching) in the past and has been the subject of much discussion at other Blogs. For example, one prominent and well-respected Blog described this deeply troubled person as an "extreme zealot" who is "pretty much ignored by Catholic bloggers and has made a habit of attacking other Catholic bloggers." (Source: http://www.splendoroftruth.com/curtjester/archives/006353.php) .

Other well-known and respected Bloggers and online journalists such as Domenico Bettinelli and Amy Welborn have expressed their concerns over this individual as well. And, after asking this person not to email me anymore (after two angry emails in one day), this person wrote me three more the same afternoon! This even though I indicated I might contact law enforcement officials if the emails continued!

There is a prayer need here. Wherever we encounter such abiding hatred and lack of peace, we can be sure we are really in the presence of the diabolical.

Paul Anthony Melanson