I don't remember when or where it was, exactly--in some offhand blog commentary, maybe in a discussion on a comment thread--but I made a public vow to write about Don "Shake Down Blogger" Allen every Veterans Day and Memorial Day as long as he continues to stick his nose in North Minneapolis politics, when he doesn't even live in NoMi and his angle usually seems to be "throw some money my way, and I will stop bashing you." (The fiasco with an advertising campaign for the Minneapolis Public School system is Exhibit A)
Why, you may wonder, should I care so much on Veterans Day about Don Allen and his mostly-irrelevant IBNN blog? (Despite the overblown format of the site and its delusional pretensions to being some kind of internet news service, IBNN is mostly a one-man show run by Don Allen and something of a poster child for adult literacy issues) Why should I care all the way from AFGHANISTAN as I celebrate my very first Veterans Day as a full-fledged war veteran?
Well, because soldiers look out for each other. Soldiers will even look out for a soldier who is DEAD. Soldiers will even look out for another soldier's BODY PART.
Some years ago, Don Allen robbed a bedridden veteran at the VA hospital, as revealed in documents published by the Irving Inquisition blog, click here. Click here, also, for more info.
And for that crime, I will make sure Don Allen is reminded on every holiday set aside to honor veterans as long as I feel this special "anti-honor" is deserved. My own father, a veteran of the attack on Peal Harbor, died at that hospital. That could have been my dad, that could have been the soldier beside me.
Looking at Allen's site recently and some of the b.s. he's trying to pass off...well, let's make a list, shall we?
1.) Bashing on the Urban League as usual. Don, do you think you could run things better if you had control of that organization and put all their funds in a Ponzi scheme?
2.) Trying to stir up dirt with the Minneapolis School System over the firing of a basketball coach at Patrick Henry High School. What's wrong, Don, things didn't go well with the Minneapolis public schools advertising contract?
3.) Bashing the Executive Director of African American Family services. This one says "post in progress" and is dated November 7. Hey, Don, since you apparently stole the whole "post in progress" concept from this blog, let me school you on that.
A.) You shouldn't take several days to complete the post, especially if you've got two completed posts above it. That just looks stupid.
"Premature blog-u-lation," if you will.
B.) "Post in progress" is not supposed to be used as leverage to shake down money, information, or action as a tradeoff for NOT finishing the post. You either have more info coming or you don't.
Well, I think I've said what I need to say on Veterans Day. Pray God that if sentry duty goes badly tonight and I end up in a bed at a VA hospital facility, some con like Don Allen won't be rummaging through my belongings, looking for my check book.
(Do Not Click "Read More")
Crickets Johnny, crickets. Who the fuck are you talking about? Have you been hitting that Afghani stash of mine?
ReplyDeleteI heard a story a few months ago about a military unit that pulled up to a farmer's field, where marijuana was growing, like, six feet high. They were about to burn the field when the farmer said, "Please, don't burn my field and I will tell you where there's a Taliban weapons stash!"
ReplyDeleteSure enough, the farmer made good on his promise so the field was left alone.
Hearts & minds! Hope the farmer is still okay though.
ReplyDeleteI understand why you bring this story to light every year, but the words Don and Allen need to be removed from the lexicon as they've proven to be useless. I petition changing the word "Don" to "lying" and the word "Allen" to "thief". These are more descriptive of the subject.