Maribeth Shanley
Thompson Station,#2REBUTTAL Individual responds
Thu, September 18, 2008
When Lynn first wrote to me and asked what the club was all about, what the dues were for and what she would be joining I wrote her an extensive letter explaining everything. I was very kind, open and honest in my response. By the second email from her I should have simply not answered her. Her response was very combative and it was evident that she had a chip on her shoulder and I happened to become her target. She found issue with this statement which appeared on the Website, www.ironcowgirls.com, "IF an Iron Cowgirl is a strong willed, independent woman, THEN the opposite of her is a woman who has not yet found her own inner strength and power." This very statement was used by the then Vice-President of Business for NCADV (National Coalition Against Domestic Violence) in a letter he sent to a nationally known motorcycle builder who, jointly Iron Cowgirls and NCADV were trying to encourage to build a motorcycle that would have been raffled off with all the proceeds after expenses going to NCADV. This statement, "IF an Iron Cowgirl is a strong willed, independent woman, THEN the opposite of her is a woman who has not yet found her own inner strength and power," seemed to aggitate Lynn and for some reason she became more obsessed with attacking me for any and every response I had to her questions. In her attack on me which appears on this site Lynn tries to put herself in the role of having taken the high road which was not at all the case. For example, her statement, "I mentioned that this stance implies women are weak. I informed Ms Shanley, with my experience in working with battered women that this is far from the truth. In fact, Ms Shanley herself was a victim and I informed her I would no more view her as weak than the next victim of domestic violence," is untrue. In her correspondence with me she not at all how she seems to want to project herself. She was extremely combative and seemed to want to bully me with her credentials and never expressed anything but anger with me. Having been a victim of violence I clearly recognize when someone is trying to play the bully role. When it became evident that this woman harbored incredible anger and was directing it at me I quite corresponding with her and in fact blocked her email address from my then ironcowgirls address. I surmise that my blocking her so incensed her that she decided to write what she did and post it to this Website. Unfortunately, when someone like myself puts theirself out there as an individual or business there will always be people who have such extreme anger in their lives that they will try to throw off that anger by turning that anger on someone they feel they can victimize. This is in fact the profile of an abuser. It's unfortunate that Lisa is as angry as she is and doesn't even recognize her anger for what it is. By not owning her own anger and trying to target someone like myself who had established Iron Cowgirls and the club as vehicles to encourage women to become all they can be is very unfortunate. Unfortunately too, the Internet is such a force in our world and is so unregulated that even unethical behavior is allowed without giving the person being complained about the opportunity to answer. I say this because I had no idea this letter was out there until my own sister brought it to my attention. Now you know the alternative side of this situation.