I generally hate writing. Just getting that out in the open. Actually writing isn't so bad. Proofreading is the part that sucks so I will skip that stage and ask you all to bear with me.
It's been a fallback argument from Anti-casino people from the beginning. Essentially, once they can't debate a person's argument they go to the tired argument of why bothering to debate an alias.
When it comes to names, I do concede that I walk that line like a tight rope. I've been known as Myd to many people. This nickname predates this internet era and actually predates the hide & seek games era as a kid. I'm too old at this point in my life to remember or even care about its origin. It just is. At the moment, about half the people in my life refer to me as "Myd" and half use my legal name. There is even one weird guy who is determined to call me Kevin for some unknown reason. Whatever you call me is the same to me.
Sure, you won't find Myd listed on any birth certificate or tax form. But I'm guessing with confidence that, of the usual posters on Patch, you won't find a social security card that lists "Deb" or "Mike" as the legal name. They are just a nickname just as Myd is.
There are even others who take it a step further. There is a "MilfordDad", a "Gamingfacts", a "Rogerwilco", an "Uglyhat" and many others. Does that make their opinions any less valid? Well that depends on which side of the casino debate they are on. At least when it comes to the tactics of the regular anti-casino folks. Certain people are called out while others are conveniently ignored. That is where I find hypocrisy. That is is the sole point of all this where I get annoyed. This is the real point of this post.
To end my meaningless rambling, I'm going to mention a specific man. His friends and family called him Paul. You won't find that name officially written anywhere though. It also is a nickname from his past. You won't see it on a tombstone or even in his recent short but coldly precise obituary. If you look at his birth certificate, WW2 Army discharge papers, or death cert, you would see his legal name was Arthur. However, he went by a third alias. And that third name was the one that mattered most to him. We called him Grandpa. That was the name that he decided that defined him the most. Not some legal name on a piece of paper in some clerk's office.
So in the end, whether its Gamingfacts, Deb Nilan, Myd, Sal Roque, Grandpa, or Tom Russ, its the name we choose to be seen as that truly counts and not necessarily a birth certificate.
Disclamers
I am neither for or against a Casino at this time.
I will probably never know Uglyhat's legal name and am content with that. Even though my opinions frequently clashed with his in the past, he's always been worthy of respect more than many "named" people.
My legal name has been revealed on the site before. I decided not to specifically reveal it in this posting as its far too easy to figure out as it is and to be honest, even Deb can guess it. Well, maybe.
