House of Eratosthenes

A man who identified himself as Winston Steward, 51, of Frazier Park, Calif., says he made up the name “Ellie Light” to protect himself from criticism and possible physical attacks, and used fake addresses across the country to get local newspapers to publish his letters.

“I am Winston Steward and have been sending the letters from Ellie Light,” he told The Plain Dealer in an e-mail late Tuesday, following a phone interview in which he said the same. “I hope this ends any confusion and sets the record straight.”

His e-mail address matched the address of the Ellie Light missives that were sent to newspapers to praise Obama and urged second-guessers to be patient as the president advances the Democratic agenda. The person identified as Ellie Light had been corresponding from that e-mail address to The Plain Dealer since last week, when the newspaper’s Web site, cleveland.com, disclosed that someone using the name Ellie Light was duping newspapers nationwide.

Many newspapers will not publish letters to the editor unless they are from local residents, so the correspondence from “Light” used addresses from newspapers’ own circulation areas. But news of Light’s tactics left multiple newspapers embarrassed, with some apologizing to their readers.
:
The story took several twists this week, as The Plain Dealer and “Ellie Light” spoke first through e-mail and later via phone. At one point Tuesday, the person who had been using the name acknowledged it was fake — but then said her real name was Barbara Brooks. The person spoke in a husky voice that could pass for either gender.

But public records, including those of marriages, property and professional licenses in California and Texas, and phone interviews eventually led to the identity of Steward. Those interviews included several with a woman in Texas who said she is the real Barbara Brooks — records appear to confirm this — and that she is married to Steward, who for now lives in their other home in California but plans to join her in their home near San Antonio.

The woman said her husband was using her name because he was afraid he might be attacked by “right-wing crazies up in Bakersfield,” about 40 miles from their home in a mountain community.

Late Tuesday, after several denials, the person who had been e-mailing under the name “Ellie Light” said he’d finally set the record straight. He said he was, in fact, Winston Steward. He repeated that in an e-mail, using the same account as he had when using the name “Ellie Light.”

He said, however, that he and Brooks are no longer married, a point Brooks disputed.

“He’s making up all kinds of garbage,” she said. “We’re not divorced. We’re not separated. He just doesn’t want anybody to trace him because he’s afraid of the right-wing crazies up in Bakersfield.”

Telling the rest of us who’s-who and what’s-what, as far as where our faith should be placed…on important and intimate staples, such as our health care…check.

Proving to be manifestly untrustworthy on such rudimentary matters as identity and place of residence…check.

Acting like his opinions are the opinions of zillions of others, when in fact it is not the case…check.

When caught, blaming it all on the right-wingers…check.

Yep. The guy’s a liberal alright.

Via Michelle.

There are right-wingers in Bakersfield?

I wonder if newspapers will ever catch on to the fact that press releases from groups with great sounding names that are actually not what or who the name suggests… is propaganda and just ripping it off the fax and printing it is not Journalism.

Activist groups like “Physicians Comittee for Responsible Medicine”, “Center for Science in the Public Interest”, “Humane Society of the United States” (which is NOT your local Humane Society) and a host of others basically “take out” editorials in papers across the country urging vegetarianism and other sattelites of progressivism.

Of course, only 5% of “Physicians” Comittee for Responsible Medicine are actually, you know, Physicians. But no matter. The name is impressive. The media is sympathetic to their causes. They don’t check. They just print.
- philmon | 01/27/2010 @ 10:54
I think it’s funny how they always claim to be terrified of these mythical right-wingers, whether it be after the Obama election, after Sept 11th, whatever.

Then when someone actually riots and causes mayhem, it turns out to be a bunch of leftists. Left wingers trashing the Oval Office on the way out. Left wingers destroying the careers of skeptical scientists. Left wingers issuing death threats against those who dare challenge their orthodoxy.

Anyone remember the Climate Change Summit in Hopen-Changen? Were the “protesters” upset because they knew that Kyoto and Crap N Trade would make everything more expensive as well as further perpetuate a big stinking hoax? No! They were there to DEMAND IMMEDIATE ACTION to save the Earth from “global warming!” Naturally, things got out of hand before long and the riot police had to be called in to restore order. Funny how this doesn’t seem to happen at Tea Party rallies, Townhall meetings, or any kind of “support the troops” event.
- cylarz | 01/27/2010 @ 12:24
Man, it’s a good thing Conservatives are too slow to pick up on this crap….

http://iowahawk.typepad.com/iowahawk/2010/01/to-the-editor.html
- rob | 01/27/2010 @ 13:52
That’s a riot!
- philmon | 01/27/2010 @ 13:55

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“Ellie Light”: He Comes CleanWednesday, January 27th, 2010

“Ellie Light”: He Comes Clean
Wednesday, January 27th, 2010