When we last left off, Berniece Van Der Berg was some upset “…If you persist in your hateful rhetoric and criminal threatening, I shall have no recourse but to follow legal action. Consider yourselves duly notified.”
Related: Moonlight Meadery Co-Founder in Londonderry Doesn’t Want Us to Exercise Free Speech
Yeah, that ain’t gonna happen – either the “stop your writing” or her threat for legal action. I, on the other hand, was/am enjoying this immensely a Pompous Progressive trying to pull a “Silence! Thou shalt not talk about me or my business even though I said some things that were really stupid“.
On Jul 20, 2020, at 6:15 PM, Skip <Skip@granitegrok.com> wrote:
This is HILARIOUS! Steve forwarded your email and I can’t stop believing you actually wrote this – and then sent it onward. You didn’t read our FAQs, did you?
[snip}
…you don’t have ANY authority to tell us what we can or cannot write at all. Even about Moonlight Meadery.
And then she wiped her Facebook page clean of the post that started this all off AND the “hateful rhetoric” she herself was using against the NH GOP, the GOP, Trump, and Trump supporters (and some of it was rightly disgusting). I think, not being a lawyer, this may be classified as “evidence tampering”. So in this email, I gently tried to tell her “hey, have you ever heard of the US and NH Constitutions?” by listing the Freedoms of Speech and of the Press outlined in both documents (in addition to making a bit of sport of her, above).
Given that it is clear that she can’t take a joke humorous approach to nudge her about her lack of knowledge on commentary, she wrote back (emphasis mine):
—— Original Message ——
From: “vanderberg@moonlightmeadery.com” <vanderberg@moonlightmeadery.com>
To: “Skip” <Skip@granitegrok.com>
Sent: 7/20/2020 9:14:13 PM
Subject: Re: Cease and DesistLegal will be in touch
Berniece Van Der Berg
Moonlight Meadery / Hidden Moon Brewing
Sure – she makes it sound like a little brewery has a “Legal Department”? Most likely not but I would think she has a lawyer to reach out to (already discussed that here). In any case, I once again responded (emphasis mine):
On Jul 20, 2020, at 9:34 PM, Skip <Skip@granitegrok.com> wrote:
Save your money – mine have already laughed at your email. Remember, they ALSO write for GraniteGrok and they are fully informed about this.
Oh, btw, I further exercised my Right to Free Speech as well as that of the Press: https://granitegrok.com/blog/2020/07/the-co-founder-of-the-moonlight-meadery-in-londonderry-doesnt-want-us-to-exercise-free-speech
I do have a question for you – have you ever heard of the Streisand Effect? https://granitegrok.com/blog/2015/03/a-nh-version-of-the-streisand-effect
You have YET to establish and relay on what LEGAL grounds you are making these claims. What NH RSA? What in the Federal code is your basis?
Sorry, but Progressive platitudes against Conservative commenting won’t hold up in a court of Law.
-Skip
Co-Founder, owner
GraniteGrok.com
And then she went “deep end” (emphasis mine):
—— Original Message ——
From: “vanderberg@moonlightmeadery.com” <vanderberg@moonlightmeadery.com>
To: “Skip” <Skip@granitegrok.com>
Sent: 7/20/2020 9:39:51 PM
Subject: Re: Cease and DesistLets see I Accept your iNvitation. But you are served.
Berniece Van Der Berg
Moonlight Meadery / Hidden Moon Brewing
Now, I have NO idea what she meant by “iNvitation” – the only thing I can think of is that I have “iNvited” her to keep talking. That’s what we do here – we want Progressives to keep talking. And of course, she obliged with the above.
What is REALLY silly is that she proclaims that she has now “served” me? Sorry, I don’t drink alcohol so it couldn’t be that to which she is alluding to. And no, it can’t be in the legal sense either:
On Jul 20, 2020, at 9:43 PM, Skip <Skip@granitegrok.com> wrote:
>> But you are served.
Email is not a legally recognized way of serving anything.
-Skip
Co-Founder, owner
GraniteGrok.com
Quick was the response:
—— Original Message ——
From: “vanderberg@moonlightmeadery.com” <vanderberg@moonlightmeadery.com>
To: “Skip” <Skip@granitegrok.com>
Sent: 7/20/2020 9:59:51 PM
Subject: Re: Cease and DesistMail coming
Berniece Van Der Berg
Moonlight Meadery / Hidden Moon Brewing
Well, it is now three days since. I’ll go remind her as I really want to see which way her lawyer is going to go:
-
- Do I take a little bit of money and tell her she, as an idiot, brought this upon herself – and don’t bother because they’ll file a SLAPP suit?
- Do I charge her BOATLOADS of money in order for her to learn a valuable lesson about Free Speech and public utterances?
I need to remind her I’m waiting…
—— Original Message ——
From: “Skip” <Skip@granitegrok.com>
To: “vanderberg@moonlightmeadery.com” <vanderberg@moonlightmeadery.com>
Sent: 7/23/2020 10:55:25 AM
Subject: Re[2]: Cease and DesistGood morning!
So, what law firm are you using so I can make sure I don’t toss it out as junk mail?
Oh, by the way (since you disappeared most of your Facebook page – I wrote about it), I also screen captured the entire Facebook post that your husband wrote to mitigate your mistake BEFORE you deleted me (and a lot of other people as well).
Nice touch: “Choke vomit”.
-Skip
Co-Founder, owner
GraniteGrok.com
