Posted by Todd Zywicki:
Not John Engelman (I Think):
http://volokh.com/archives/archive_2009_05_03-2009_05_09.shtml#1241608791
Since my tet-a-tet with John Engelman responding to his challenge that
I produce evidence that Dartmouth used to have a speech code (see
[1]here and [2]here) I've received several emails asking me about
various strange anonymous postings on various blogs and websites that
have led people to wonder whether those too are from John Engelman.
Often these have come from blog administrators who have posted on
various issues related to Dartmouth's governance and are shocked by
the vitriol and personal attacks that a particular anonymous commenter
has generated in response. Moreover, the comments are reminiscent at
first glance of Engelman because of their bold denial of established
fact and their abusive tone.
It certainly seems possible that these anonymous comments spread
around the Internet belong to John Engelman, the hypothesis [3]here,
for instance. I don't know Engelman, but reading his letter and other
things he has written, however, his commentary seems more slapdash
(like the bold denial of a speech code that was easy to prove wrong)
than the sort of tightly-written sophistry of the anonymous commenter
referenced above.
In response to some of these inquiries I've asked a few other people
and they too doubt that Engelman is the anonymous Dartmouth commenter.
They suggest as a more likely candidate a fellow named [4]Scott
Meacham, Dartmouth Class of '95, a lawyer of sorts for the [5]National
Legal Research Group. From its website, it appears that the National
Legal Research Group is an operation that writes legal research memos
for lawyers. The tendentious nature of the anonymous commenter's legal
arguments suggests someone trained in law but not very accomplished at
it.
Meacham apparently is well-known to those who participate in the blog
discussions of the Dartmouth Association of Alumni blog and he is said
to be easily recognizable when he comments elsewhere, even
anonymously. The arguments made by the anonymous commenter on other
sites also mirror the arguments he makes under his own name on the
Alumni Association blog. He seems to be sort of a cyber-stalker who
immediately shows up at any blog or website anytime Dartmouth
governance issues are being discussed and launches personal attacks on
anyone who disagrees with him combined with a raft of disingenuous
arguments. Those who interact with him on a regular basis report that
he is especially obsessed with attacking little old me, which a quick
review of his voluminous bile-filled non-anonymous posts confirms. It
appears that I've done something to upset Mr. Meacham greatly.
The anonymous commenter [6]attacks Trustee T.J. Rodgers as well,
suggesting that perhaps I am not as special as I thought. He claims,
"T.J. Rodgers is well-known for his fiery and wild off-the-cuff
remarks, and he is completely unreliable as a source of anything to do
with the board's rules or processes." ("Well-known"?). He adds:
"Rodgers's own commentary is so fancifully inaccurate as to be
worthless as a source of information in this controversy, and you
would have been wise not to quote it." From what I know of Engelman,
he doesn't seem like the sort of guy who would insult T.J. Rodgers's
integrity with no evidence to support it, although it seems in keeping
with Scott Meacham's rhetorical style and is consistent with some of
the things Meacham said under his own name [7]here, saying, for
instance, "I can't figure out why he [T.J.] is so content to mislead
alumni and stretch the truth." The content is similar--the tone is
just much more aggressive and insulting (as might be expected) in the
anonymous post.
So, for what it is worth, those who are familiar with both Engelman
and Scott Meacham, Dartmouth '95, conclude that the anonymous
commenter sounds more like Meacham than Engelman.
On the other hand, Engelman and Meacham do not exhaust the potential
list of candidates who could be the anonymous Dartmouth commenter,
although they do seem to be the most plausible candidates. Paul
Mirengoff has elsewhere [8]discussed some of the things that members
of the Dartmouth establishment have said about those who disagree with
them, suggesting an ample list of possibilities.
References
1. http://volokh.com/posts/1241133475.shtml
2. http://www.thefire.org/index.php/article/10543.html/print
3.
http://hcrenewal.blogspot.com/2009/04/investment-bankers-strike-back.html#c2966164031139155594
4. http://www.lawlink.com/profile/2420
5. http://www.nlrg.com/whowe.htm
6.
http://hcrenewal.blogspot.com/2009/04/investment-bankers-strike-back.html#c2966164031139155594
7.
https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=21593996&postID=5820681182629424953
8. http://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2008/05/020601.php
_______________________________________________
Volokh mailing list
[email protected]
http://lists.powerblogs.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/volokh
