Friday, September 11, 2009

Andy Martin answers Lee Newcom and IllinoisReview.com, again

Martin says the IllinoisReview.com is a “totalitarian” web site that censors reasonable responses to personal attacks on candidates. Andy points out that Newcom has attacked him on the basis of a fictitious threat to punish “criticism.” Martin says “criticize away; just allow me to file a reasonable response.”

ANDY MARTIN
Republican for U. S. Senator/2010
“He Works for the People of Illinois”
Suite 4406, 30 E. Huron Street
Chicago, IL 60611-4723
Toll-free tel. (866) 706-ANDY
Toll-free fax (866) 707-ANDY
Web site: http://www.AndyforUSSenator.com
E-mail: mailto:AndyforIllinois@aol.com


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www.MarkKirk.us



September 11, 2009


Lee Newcom once again misstates the basis of my legal threat to IllinoisReview.com.

http://illinoisreview.typepad.com/illinoisreview/2009/09/the-candidate-whos-name-shall-not-be-mentioned-misues-me.html#more

I have never threatened Illinois Review for allowing criticism of me or my campaign. Never.

What I have threatened to do is sue because Illinois Review allows criticism of me to appear, and then censors or “locks out” my responses to the criticism.

I don’t see how Mr. Newcom would want to deny me the right to reply when people attack me. That seems to be elemental fairness.

There is a lot of criticism among Republicans and conservatives that some people are "banned” from IR. I do not take a stand on what people do. But I do know that if you allow people to publish critical and factually unfounded remarks, as IR has done in my case, then you need to allow the target of the remarks to post a reasonable response.

That is all I have asked IR to do, and IR has refused to do that. IR prefers instead to create a bogeyman about a nonexistent threat to sue about “criticism." I say “criticize away;” just let me reply. Is that too much to ask of a conservative publication?

I hope Mr. Newcom will familiarize himself with the facts before he makes an implied criticism of my position.

On the question of who is viable, and who is not, Mr. Newcom says “I have never met [Martin], never heard him speak and know nothing about except press and web site.” What’s wrong with my web site? http://www.andyforussenator.com/

If Newcom knows nothing about me, how can he decide I am not viable? Does he ignore my national reputation as one of Barack Obama’s fiercest and most successful critics?

www.youtube.com/watch?v=
j8zj_Fj3QpY&annotation_id
=annotation_259119&feature=iv

Newcom says his earlier column “praised” my opponents in the primary. I am sure they did not appreciate his faint praise. In reality, Newcom panned my opponents as not being ready for prime time. My characterization of Newcom’s writing is fair commentary.



Andy Martin


AM:sp

P.S. Within minutes of my posting this reply on IllinoisReview.com, someone had removed my remarks. Illinois Review may have become the “crossroads” of the “totalitarian community,” not the “conservative community [see IR masthead],” by the way IR censors reasonable debate and political speech.

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