This is the second part of two; the first part ought to be read first.

An Objective Issue

What I am about to say does not change in any way what I said in the previous part of this article. I make no recommendations whatsoever about SOLO for others. I was a member for some time, as anyone who bothers to look at all I posted there can see. I think others might enjoy it as I did.

There is one aspect of SOLO that everyone has a right to know, however, that no one else is probably going to make explicit, but is very important if you take objectivity and truth seriously. Objectivism, the philosophy which Ayn Rand developed and named, holds the truth in the highest regard. For an Objectivist, no intentional evasion of the truth, no faking of reality, and no lie is tolerated. There is nothing worse, nothing more evil, more immoral, than a liar, to an Objectivist. The last "O" in SOLO, stands for "Objectivists."

For those who hold the truth is their primary value, SOLO is going to present some difficulty. At least three members of that forum use lies as their chief method of operation. Two are Barbara Branden and Nathaniel Branden, and the proof is available to anyone who chooses to examine the evidence. Just read the book, The Passion of Ayn Rand's Critics: The Case Against the Brandens

The other is Lindsay Perigo. Except for those things which no one lies about, nothing which that man says can be known to be true without verification. Anyone who chooses may go back to my articles on SOLO in which many of his prevarications are documented. But I can save you the trouble, because it is such a common practice, examples abound in almost everything he says and writes. Here are two very recent blatant examples.

Because No One Checks

I've already addressed and dismissed as a possible misunderstanding the false accusation about my claiming, ever, that I was "banned phor opposing homosexuality." In that same post is another accusation which is definitely not a misunderstanding, but a deliberate twisting of the truth. (There is another interesting twist to Mr. Perigo's method—when lying about someone, he almost always includes an accusation of dishonesty or lying against the person he is misrepresenting.) Here is the lie:

"On the matter of homosexuality, Phirehammer had demonstrated his dishonesty by claiming not to judge homosexuals as immoral while likening homosexual urges to impulses to steal and commit arson ... as soon as you *acted* on them, you *did* become immoral!" [http://solohq.com/Forum/Quotes/0688.shtml#17]

The following is a long post to the Mr. Perigo. It addresses some of the attempts to pervert what I said at that time and contains the passage he has twisted out of it obvious intended meaning. It is not necessary to read the whole post—I have bolded the passage in question; but it is good post and will give you a feeling for the kind of person you will be dealing with in Mr. Perigo.

My point (in the bolded paragraph above) had nothing to do with morality at all, and morality is never mentioned. I was addressing what determines an individual's identity. The list (a thief, a nymphomaniac, a pedophile, a homosexual) had no particular significance and could have included a pianist, a cook, and a sky jumper, and would have had the same meaning. It was only a post on a forum, not an essay, and the list was created off-the-cuff. This is so obvious, Perigo's obfuscation is either intentional or he suffers from some mental defect that prevents him from understanding the simplest of analogies.

He Really Should Check

The following prevarication is almost embarrassing. It is not only completely untrue, but its motive is so transparent, even a child could see through it. Most embarrassing of all is that the facts are actually true, someone was just as offensive and insensitive as Perigo claims—it just happens that it was not one of those he attributed it to, but one of his own "members in good standing." Here is Perigo's accusation:

Just who are these crass, cat-calling, Ku-Klux-Klanner, contributors to human suffering living in a fascist swamp? Well, here is the post that caused the entire incident to which Mr Perigo is refers:

The Ironic Truth

It turns out the, "phascist swamp," where members become so offensive to each other they drive each other away is SOLO itself. Whereas, that other place, where all views are tolerated and all arguments, so long as they are made without personal insult, are accepted, seems to have none of these problems. At least one transgender member is very active there, and is so comfortable, frequently starts her own threads. If anyone happens to see Ms. R... around, by the way, tell her she's welcome at the other horrible place. Most will disagree with her and explain why, but she won't be called names, and will be addressed as she chooses, and treated with the dignity every human being deserves— and she won't be lied to or lied about.

Reginald Firehammer is a filosofer and author of the book: The Hijacking of a Philosophy: Homosexuals vs. Ayn Rand's Objectivism. He is the author and host of The Autonomist, an online intellectual journal, as well as a contributor to The Rational Argumentator. In the future, he intends to produce a comprehensive treatise on ontology, consciousness, and ultimately filosofy itself. Mr. Firehammer can be contacted at [email protected].