The Other McCain

"One should either write ruthlessly what one believes to be the truth, or else shut up." — Arthur Koestler

Oh, Dear God: Barrett Brown Again!

2012: Barrett Brown calmly explains why he’s going to ‘destroy’ an FBI agent Longtime readers will remember Barrett Brown, the former “Anonymous” spokesman who went to federal prison after a September 2012 incident in which he threatened an FBI agent’s family in a bizarre 13-minute video rant on YouTube. That episode went down while I […]

Barrett Brown’s Long, Sad Story

September 2012: Barrett Brown threatens to ‘destroy’ an FBI agent It’s been a few months since I’ve mentioned this pathetic soul (“Is Barrett Brown Back on the Junk?” July 1), and so I must remind you that Barrett is the journalistic fame-whore who, circa 2010-2011, attempted to cash in on the notoriety of the “Anonymous” […]

Is Barrett Brown Back on the Junk?

  Judging from his disheveled appearance and incoherent manner in a recent YouTube video, I think it’s entirely possible that Barrett Brown has returned to his heroin habit. He’s definitely returned to his idée fixe — the “Team Themis” conspiracy theory he spent so much time babbling about before his epic September 2012 YouTube meltdown, […]

Notoriously Crazy Felon Barrett Brown Has Been Released From Federal Prison

September 2012: Barrett Brown calmly explains his intent to ‘destroy’ an FBI agent “You don’t need a lawyer, Barrett. You need a psychiatrist, or perhaps a priest to exorcise your demons. You are traveling a road to destruction, as harmful to yourself as to any of your chosen enemies. Get help.” — me, to Barrett […]

America’s Finest Literary Critic Is in Federal Prison, and Rightly So

Damn his atheist soul, but Barrett Brown is an excellent writer. His mistake was to think this qualified him to be an “investigative journalist,” a task for which his heroin addiction probably disqualified him, as if his habit of associating with criminal terrorists were not bad enough. Fortunately for Barrett, he flipped out in September […]

The Crazy Is Always There

Bill Schmalfeldt ranting, 2011. (Image via Thomas Anderson at Vimeo) Deranged cyberstalker Bill Schmalfeldt was in court today in Carroll County, Maryland, facing charges of violating the peace order that prohibited him from contacting John Hoge. Reports that Bill would be representing himself in this case inspired much mirth online. It’s strange how, from a […]

Barrett Brown, Who Threatened Me, Is Sentenced to Five Years in Federal Prison

In September 2012, days before his final epic meltdown — ranting on YouTube about his plans to “destroy” an FBI agent — Barrett Brown threatened me, warning of dire consequences if I did not call him immediately. To that I responded with an email: “Look at yourself, Barrett: Publishing error-strewn ‘documents’ on Pastebin. . . […]

Barrett Brown Pleads Guilty

September 2012: Barrett Brown vows to ‘destroy’ an FBI agent News from Dallas today: A writer and activist linked to the hacking collective Anonymous pleaded guilty to federal charges on Tuesday alleging that he shared stolen data and posted an online threat saying he would try to harm a federal agent who was investigating him. […]

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