BlackFive

Sent to him via e-mail and cross-posted at Laughingwolf.net

Michael,

A lot of good people are sending you messages today, and so I thought I would send you this short note. 

No one is denying that you've done some good work in Iraq or Afghanistan.  In point of fact, most have said all along you have.  No one is saying you haven't done some good for others, for you have.  Your help with my second embed was and is much appreciated. 

What people are trying to tell you -- friends, acquaintances, and others -- is that there is a problem and you and only you can address it.  This is indeed a rough form of intervention.  Uncle Jimbo has it right:  there is one common element to your multiple cases of being disembedded:  you. 

You've asked me to highlight some of your posts, and help promote them.  Time has held up some of that, but a larger issue has been that I've been worried about and unable to honestly recommend your work.  Just look at the rants -- pointed out by others -- and look at them as if they had been written by another.  From calling people monkeys to making some rather outlandish claims about those in power at almost any level you are showing signs of burnout and more.  It's the more that worries me, and others. 

My message is just one of many that I believe has come your way.  Those efforts, public and private, have not met with success, to put it mildly.  You have, in point of fact, slagged some of the people who reached out, and I suspect that such will come my way too. 

You have done some good work.  But, your actions impact more than just you.  Your actions have hurt other good embeds as well as yourself. 

Please stop, step back, and think.  Take some time before replying to myself or others.  If you can do that, and if you can admit that having this many people reach out to you should be telling you something, then I have hope.  If the response is what I expect given how you've dealt with things of late, well... 

I hope you will stop, step back, and get some input from some good people, even some professional input.  Take the time, decompress, restock, rebuild, grow.  Everyone is not your enemy, and while not everyone is your friend quite a few are supporters.  That's a heck of a resource for you to have, and I hope you will use it well and use it to grow.

LW