My Rebuttal

I don't know if many of you read Drew Snyder's webpage on a consistent basis, but I try to as much as possible. He has an uncanny way of combining intelligence and wit through unrivaled articulation to bring you the latest news from his own perspective. That being said, when I got home today I turned my laptop on to engage in my usual routine of "blog checking". I usually begin with Snyder's page, if not for the simple reason that has established himself as the "blogfather". His blog is the easiest place to start from given that he has links to everyone else's sites. As the page came up, the title of his latest post caught my attention. It read, " Shooting off at the mouth", to which I thought to myself, "sounds interesting, I will read". As I began, I had no idea where this article would take me. Much to my surprise, it was about me and my "so-called" relationship with the elite society of friends based in Clinton, Mississippi who call themselves "The Dudes". (I recently wrote an article on this blog about some of the inner struggles among this group). Drew's article was filled with accusations that I claimed to be a member of this group when I am not, nor ever was. As the article reads from SnyderNews.Net, "Bradley Lum, the newest blogger on the block, has committed a grave error in the close-knit Clinton society by proclaiming himself 'a dude'." It goes on to read, "For Lum, a known associate of "The Mikes" - a rival to "The Dudes", to claim membership without formally being "made", his presumptuous and reckless statement could jeopardize his prospects when Dude leadership officially selects new members." As you might imagine their are quite a few questions that come to mind after reading this. First, when I made the move to Clinton as a young, immature fourteen yr. old, who immediatly became the first people I affiliated myself with? If I recall right, it was Garret "the parrot" Nowell (who just recently got engaged, congratulations Garret), Matt Flanagan, and John Lassiter who were all affiliated with the First Baptist Church in Clinton at the time. Correct me if I'm wrong but I have a hard time believing the "leadership" of this group we are speaking of was in place prior to the year nineteen hundred and ninety-eight. If these statements I have made hold true then that would mean I was around before the creation of this "elite society" thus in some indirect way granting me "founding status". However, it would be possible for me to have met both Flanagan and Lassiter, taken a three year hiatus and then rejoined after the group was already formed, yet I don't recall that happening. Second, who are "The Mikes"? I will be the first to admit that the personalities of certain people, namely the mikes, clash with those of "the dudes"and some actions they have taken don't sit well with members of the group, but does that mean that are a "rival group" infringing on the territories that "The Dudes" established almost a decade ago? Are they a violent group, would they do anything to get what they are after? I believe that the answers to these questions are all a resounding "no". If "the dudes" allow these actions to bother them in some way wouldn't that be adding fuel to the fire they don't want to start in the first place. This would be all the mikes need to give them any reason to believe they have a chance at gaining the status "the dudes" have throughout Clinton and most of central Mississippi. The bottom line is this, I have been an active participant in this organization for almost half of my natural born life. I am a few years younger than most of the members of this group, therefore making it difficult for some to view me as an equal. I'm ok with that , as long as we get all the facts straight and understand each other to a degree that it benefits the collective group as a whole. All thoughts welcome: