2007
Reality Checkpoint - a new internet verb, “calvan”
An amusing story of the reporter from the Sacramento Bee who didn’t have the appropriate ID to get past a Green Zone checkpoint is making the rounds. It’s amusing because it so perfectly illustrates the media’s disdain for the troops - and in fairness, probably for everyone else as well - and the patience and professionalism of your average, everyday soldier. The reporter wrote,
With nothing to lose I decided to get pushy. [...] I made it known that I was jotting down his name.
My security man was struggling with a smirk on his face. He knew my plan. I was going to bully my way back into the Green Zone. [...]
When you’ve got nothing to lose, I told my security officer, you do what it takes. He nodded in agreement.
The reporter, bombarded with negative comments, replaced most of the offending post with this tepid, semi-literate non-apology:
(Yes, I’m obviously new to blogging. Somtimes I share too much. The blogosphere has reacted and pointed out my folly. Yes, I can be pushy. I can also be wrong. I’v’e edited this post — and have shut down the comment feature.)
I could have a good time fisking just those six sentences, not to mention the original post, but why bother? Aside from the fact that LGF and Ace have the original post saved so it will live in infamy, DocWeasel thinks that Bobby Calvan might be salvageable. And the classic gem out of all this, in my opinion, was commenter David Vogel’s response:
If I could offer a correction, you did not have “nothing to lose.” Fabritsio Kuattrokki, the Italian hostage who - “I will show you how an Italian dies” - while trying to tear off his hood and look into the eyes of the men who were about to put a bullet through his head, had nothing to lose.
Calvan had nothing to lose, because although he was attempting to face down and bully a man with a gun, he accurately assessed that he had absolutely nothing to fear from a United States soldier. Anyone who thinks the threat of “jotting down his name” is in any way comparable to a loaded, automatic weapon, must have an ace in the hole - otherwise he would be a complete fool. Bobby Calvan, whether or not he will ever admit it, was relying - with good reason - on the professionalism of a man he despised. That’s a reality check. Calvan weaseled his way through the checkpoint in Baghdad, but maybe he’ll go through this one the right way.
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Well, maybe he won’t. While I was writing this post, he apparently took down the entire website rather than simply shutting down commenting and posting an apology. Well, if you’re interested in reading the comments on the post, which were classic, click here for the PDF. click here to read the original post and all the comments at Docweasel.
The only question left at this point is what is the definition of the new internet verb, calvan?
The Violence Worker offers one:
To be Calvaned is to write something about yourself that you think is so great an your readers find is so despicable, that every commenter lets you know just how loathsome you really are. Usage: Joe’s post got him Calvaned big time!
October 25th, 2007 at 4:31 am
He’s apparently pulled down the entire blog now, after first editing the post and taking out any negative comments he made. I guess he figured when his boss gets all the emails tomorrow morning he’ll be out of a job if the site is still up.
Luckily, some of us obsessives saved the entire page, including the comments.
http://docweasel.wordpress.com/2007/10/25/bobby-caina-calvan-blog-the-comments-preserved/
October 25th, 2007 at 7:57 pm
I find Bobby Calvan’s blog post to be disrespectful and insulting to the brave men and women who are in harm’s way. His behavior toward that soldier was reprehensible and then to gloat in such a public display demonstrates a lack of professionalism, deccency and class.
But what goes around comes around. As a means of pressuring Mr. Calvan and his employers into publicly apologizing to the soldier who was the recipient of the brow beating, I have registered the domain http://www.bobbycalvan.com and have posted Mr. Calvan’s blog entry in its entirety as well as replies and more importantly, the contact information of his employers at The Bee and The McClatchy Company.
You can help the Bobby Calvan apology campaign by posting the http://www.bobbycalvan.com link on other message boards. I’m not receiving any monetary gain, just saw an opportunity to make a point for only $10 and took my shot.
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If you have story ideas or thoughts you’d like to share with Mr Calvan he can be reached at bcalvan@sacbee.com. One can only imagine the amount of work and pressure he is under and as such he may not be able to respond to each and every one of your emails.
In case of such an event, you can direct your thoughts and story ideas to the conglomerate that employs Mr. Calvan. I am certain they will pass along your comments and questions. Operators are standing by.
To reach the folks at The Bee:
The Bee: 2100 Q St., Sacramento, CA 95816 | P.O. Box 15779, Sacramento, CA 95826 | (916) 321-1000
Joyce Terhaar, Managing Editor: 916-321-1004
Mort Saltzman, Deputy Managing Editor: 916-321-1012
The Bee’s Public Editor, Armando Acuna, investigates complaints of unfairness, unbalance or inaccuracies in The Bee’s news reporting. His conclusions are his own. To make a comment,
Send mail to P.O. Box 15779, Sacramento, CA 95852;
Call him directly at (916) 321-1250;
FAX: (916) 556-5690; or
Send e-mail to publiceditor@sacbee.com
Likewise, the folks at the Bee may very well be overwhelmed with fire coverage (our thoughts and prayers are with the Californians) and as such they too might not be able to respond to your thoughts and suggestions. Just in case, here’s how to reach the corporate head honchos that Mr. Calvan so thoughtfully alluded to in his blog.
The McClatchy Company
2100 Q Street
Sacramento, CA 95816-6899
916-321-1855
contact@mcclatchy.com
Financial/Investor Inquiries
Elaine Lintecum, Treasurer
916-321-1846
elintecum@mcclatchy.com
General Inquiries
Peter Tira, Communications Director
916-321-1941
ptira@mcclatchy.com