Here’s a post from five years ago today—
Dread Pirate #BrettKimberlin
Team Kimberlin has a new website called Bloggers Offense Team. (No, I won’t link to it.) The site’s logo is shown on the left. The choice of the pirate-related logo is interesting. Pirates aren’t semi-sympathetic, comedic characters from a Johnny Depp movie. They are criminals.
It think a mask just slipped.
* * * * *
And that’s how Brett Kimberlin came to be called The Dread Pirate Kimberlin. That nickname later expanded to include The Dread Performer Kimberlin, The Dread Pedo Kimberlin, and The Dread Pro-Se Kimberlin. A couple of days later, I published this further explanation—
The Dread Pirate Roberts, so the story goes, is a pirate of near-mythical reputation, someone feared across the seven seas for his ruthlessness and swordfighting prowess, and who is well known for taking no prisoners. Ships immediately surrender and give up their cargos rather than be captured, a fate they imagine to be certain death.
The Dread Pirate Kimberlin is more like a legend in his own mind, a pretender who wishes to be feared for his ruthlessness and legal ability and to be known for vanquishing all comers in court. Critics, he thinks, should immediately stop telling the truth about him and give up their First Amendment rights at his command.
It turns out that Dread Pirate Kimberlin’s legal acumen seems to be as fictional as Dread Pirate Roberts’ existence. And no one will surrender to Dread Pirate Kimberlin.
And that’s been pretty accurate thus far.