Hello Everyone,

This is my first post and I hope I'm not violating any rules at the get go.

Battletech fans have probably heard of Blaine Lee Pardo. He's written several sourcebooks and novels, which are very good.  He's also an all around good dude.

And he managed to upset some woke oxygen leaches enough to get him cancelled by Catalyst Game Labs.  Note that I didn't refer to them as aholes.  Aholes provide a very valuable function and almost 100% of the time, make you feel relieved.

https://amgreatness.com/2022/07/29/my-publisher-canceled-me-in-favor-of-an-activist-who-threatened-my-life/

I'm not the type to tell people what to do, what to buy, etc.  Normally; but I do try to nudge folks adopting a puppy dog or puddy tat to work with a shelter or rescue. 
But CGL isn't getting any more of my money in the future and I hope more people will boycott them.

Thanks for reading.

Cadmus12

Looks like he's leaning heavily into his politically charged fiction titles, and Catalyst (really their parent company) doesn't want to be associated with the guy authoring those. That's just a consequence of his actions, not censorship. You work for a company, you keep them happy or you are cut lose. He can still write BattleTech if he likes, but it'll be fan fiction.

Looks like he would do well to produce his own mecha game and setting.  Battletech is really long in the teeth and moribund.

Quote from: David Johansen on July 30, 2022, 01:45:54 PM
Looks like he would do well to produce his own mecha game and setting.  Battletech is really long in the teeth and moribund.

He wrote fiction for games. That's not the same thing as writing games.

Quote from: HappyDaze on July 30, 2022, 01:28:35 PM
Looks like he's leaning heavily into his politically charged fiction titles, and Catalyst (really their parent company) doesn't want to be associated with the guy authoring those. That's just a consequence of his actions, not censorship. You work for a company, you keep them happy or you are cut lose. He can still write BattleTech if he likes, but it'll be fan fiction.

Spoken like a true brainwashed woke scold.

What's next from you, "Oh if she just didn't wear that red dress, then she would have never been raped"?

Go follow the rest of the woke lemmings right off of a cliff, HippyDirt.

Quote from: jeff37923 on July 30, 2022, 02:00:19 PM

Quote from: HappyDaze on July 30, 2022, 01:28:35 PM
Looks like he's leaning heavily into his politically charged fiction titles, and Catalyst (really their parent company) doesn't want to be associated with the guy authoring those. That's just a consequence of his actions, not censorship. You work for a company, you keep them happy or you are cut lose. He can still write BattleTech if he likes, but it'll be fan fiction.

Spoken like a true brainwashed woke scold.

What's next from you, "Oh if she just didn't wear that red dress, then she would have never been raped"?

Go follow the rest of the woke lemmings right off of a cliff, HippyDirt.

Fuck off.

Let's call it more of "If she's a model for company A and wants to keep having photo shoots in company B's dress, she can expect that company A might not retain her services."

This guy lost nothing. He still keeps all the money he already made, but Catalyst doesn't want to retain his services for future work. He's already got his other line started,  so best wishes to him on that.

It doesn't appear he's leaning into anything.  He's asking to be treated the same as those with opposing views.  He rightfully feels the employer should be aware of the stalker in question and should be supporting him, not some wack job.

Quote from: HappyDaze on July 30, 2022, 02:13:25 PM

Quote from: jeff37923 on July 30, 2022, 02:00:19 PM

Quote from: HappyDaze on July 30, 2022, 01:28:35 PM
Looks like he's leaning heavily into his politically charged fiction titles, and Catalyst (really their parent company) doesn't want to be associated with the guy authoring those. That's just a consequence of his actions, not censorship. You work for a company, you keep them happy or you are cut lose. He can still write BattleTech if he likes, but it'll be fan fiction.

Spoken like a true brainwashed woke scold.

What's next from you, "Oh if she just didn't wear that red dress, then she would have never been raped"?

Go follow the rest of the woke lemmings right off of a cliff, HippyDirt.

Fuck off.

Let's call it more of "If she's a model for company A and wants to keep having photo shoots in company B's dress, she can expect that company A might not retain her services."

This guy lost nothing. He still keeps all the money he already made, but Catalyst doesn't want to retain his services for future work. He's already got his other line started,  so best wishes to him on that.

The guy's firing had nothing to do with writing for another company. His employer literally told him that it was because they were caving into a barrage of baseless complaints from someone who has apparently has been stalking him for years. This was about not having to deal with the unjustified harassment from a third party and them taking the lazy route out. This was the definition of being "cancelled".

Quote from: HappyDaze on July 30, 2022, 02:13:25 PM

Quote from: jeff37923 on July 30, 2022, 02:00:19 PM

Quote from: HappyDaze on July 30, 2022, 01:28:35 PM
Looks like he's leaning heavily into his politically charged fiction titles, and Catalyst (really their parent company) doesn't want to be associated with the guy authoring those. That's just a consequence of his actions, not censorship. You work for a company, you keep them happy or you are cut lose. He can still write BattleTech if he likes, but it'll be fan fiction.

Spoken like a true brainwashed woke scold.

What's next from you, "Oh if she just didn't wear that red dress, then she would have never been raped"?

Go follow the rest of the woke lemmings right off of a cliff, HippyDirt.

Fuck off.

Let's call it more of "If she's a model for company A and wants to keep having photo shoots in company B's dress, she can expect that company A might not retain her services."

This guy lost nothing. He still keeps all the money he already made, but Catalyst doesn't want to retain his services for future work. He's already got his other line started,  so best wishes to him on that.

He lost a source of income he's had for decades: new Battletech books. That's not nothing. But I see that you're all for companies getting rid of people because those people are subjected to bullying and death threats, rather than supporting them. That's a really extreme right-wing position you've got there in terms of supporting companies over workers.

Quote from: HappyDaze on July 30, 2022, 02:13:25 PM

Quote from: jeff37923 on July 30, 2022, 02:00:19 PM

Quote from: HappyDaze on July 30, 2022, 01:28:35 PM
Looks like he's leaning heavily into his politically charged fiction titles, and Catalyst (really their parent company) doesn't want to be associated with the guy authoring those. That's just a consequence of his actions, not censorship. You work for a company, you keep them happy or you are cut lose. He can still write BattleTech if he likes, but it'll be fan fiction.

Spoken like a true brainwashed woke scold.

What's next from you, "Oh if she just didn't wear that red dress, then she would have never been raped"?

Go follow the rest of the woke lemmings right off of a cliff, HippyDirt.

Fuck off.

Not from the likes of a cowardly mouth breather like you.

Quote from: HappyDaze on July 30, 2022, 02:13:25 PMLet's call it more of "If she's a model for company A and wants to keep having photo shoots in company B's dress, she can expect that company A might not retain her services."

This guy lost nothing. He still keeps all the money he already made, but Catalyst doesn't want to retain his services for future work. He's already got his other line started,  so best wishes to him on that.

You can twist it into whatever form you like, it will still be bullshit. The man was writing for Catalyst and made them good money. Catalyst was willing to take the heat from these woke scolds for awhile, but they let this author be cancelled when it got too hot for them because they allowed themselves to become spineless. Now we just have to stand back and wait for the dip in their sales.

HippyDirt, you are fine with all this because you are fine with people being in lockstep to others and not appreciating their independence. They are wearing a red dress by being individualistic, so they should get raped in your mind. Freedom is a lie to you. After all, if the mob yells for rape in the corporate world, then being cancelled is the next best thing! Fuck the fans, we are kowtowing to the tyranny of the woke scold stalkers! Screw the fact that this author has a family that he is supporting with his writing, he isn't woke enough for you!

You better not succumb to any conservative thoughts now HippyDirt, the woke mob may come for you next!

Quote from: David Johansen on July 30, 2022, 01:45:54 PM
Looks like he would do well to produce his own mecha game and setting.  Battletech is really long in the teeth and moribund.

This is true of a whole lot of properties. We need the dinosaurs to die off and new properties to step in and flourish

Quote from: David Johansen on July 30, 2022, 01:45:54 PM
Looks like he would do well to produce his own mecha game and setting.  Battletech is really long in the teeth and moribund.

Long in the tooth, yeah. Moribund, nah. More new players incoming, new shit being published (with yet more planned), and the Mercenaries kickstarter should do gangbusters.

That said, I'm A) not really surprised, given Blaine's vociferous sharing of his political views and the relative trajectory of Catalyst's own, B) not pleased with the decision, since Blaine is one of the legitimate OGs of the setting and I liked his interactions with the fanbase, and C) wondering if they'll retcon any of the shit that has already happed in ilClan (but doubt it).

Quote from: jeff37923 on July 30, 2022, 03:46:21 PM

Quote from: HappyDaze on July 30, 2022, 02:13:25 PM

Quote from: jeff37923 on July 30, 2022, 02:00:19 PM

Quote from: HappyDaze on July 30, 2022, 01:28:35 PM
Looks like he's leaning heavily into his politically charged fiction titles, and Catalyst (really their parent company) doesn't want to be associated with the guy authoring those. That's just a consequence of his actions, not censorship. You work for a company, you keep them happy or you are cut lose. He can still write BattleTech if he likes, but it'll be fan fiction.

Spoken like a true brainwashed woke scold.

What's next from you, "Oh if she just didn't wear that red dress, then she would have never been raped"?

Go follow the rest of the woke lemmings right off of a cliff, HippyDirt.

Fuck off.

Not from the likes of a cowardly mouth breather like you.

Quote from: HappyDaze on July 30, 2022, 02:13:25 PMLet's call it more of "If she's a model for company A and wants to keep having photo shoots in company B's dress, she can expect that company A might not retain her services."

This guy lost nothing. He still keeps all the money he already made, but Catalyst doesn't want to retain his services for future work. He's already got his other line started,  so best wishes to him on that.

You can twist it into whatever form you like, it will still be bullshit. The man was writing for Catalyst and made them good money. Catalyst was willing to take the heat from these woke scolds for awhile, but they let this author be cancelled when it got too hot for them because they allowed themselves to become spineless. Now we just have to stand back and wait for the dip in their sales.

HippyDirt, you are fine with all this because you are fine with people being in lockstep to others and not appreciating their independence. They are wearing a red dress by being individualistic, so they should get raped in your mind. Freedom is a lie to you. After all, if the mob yells for rape in the corporate world, then being cancelled is the next best thing! Fuck the fans, we are kowtowing to the tyranny of the woke scold stalkers! Screw the fact that this author has a family that he is supporting with his writing, he isn't woke enough for you!

You better not succumb to any conservative thoughts now HippyDirt, the woke mob may come for you next!

Jeffy, you really suck as a mind reader.

The guy has his independence. He can do what he wants with his own time and effort. However, the company doesn't want to associate with him anymore. They get to make that choice, just as he could choose not to associate with them if he choose.

Quote from: HappyDaze on July 30, 2022, 05:44:45 PM

Quote from: jeff37923 on July 30, 2022, 03:46:21 PM

Quote from: HappyDaze on July 30, 2022, 02:13:25 PM

Quote from: jeff37923 on July 30, 2022, 02:00:19 PM

Quote from: HappyDaze on July 30, 2022, 01:28:35 PM
Looks like he's leaning heavily into his politically charged fiction titles, and Catalyst (really their parent company) doesn't want to be associated with the guy authoring those. That's just a consequence of his actions, not censorship. You work for a company, you keep them happy or you are cut lose. He can still write BattleTech if he likes, but it'll be fan fiction.

Spoken like a true brainwashed woke scold.

What's next from you, "Oh if she just didn't wear that red dress, then she would have never been raped"?

Go follow the rest of the woke lemmings right off of a cliff, HippyDirt.

Fuck off.

Not from the likes of a cowardly mouth breather like you.

Quote from: HappyDaze on July 30, 2022, 02:13:25 PMLet's call it more of "If she's a model for company A and wants to keep having photo shoots in company B's dress, she can expect that company A might not retain her services."

This guy lost nothing. He still keeps all the money he already made, but Catalyst doesn't want to retain his services for future work. He's already got his other line started,  so best wishes to him on that.

You can twist it into whatever form you like, it will still be bullshit. The man was writing for Catalyst and made them good money. Catalyst was willing to take the heat from these woke scolds for awhile, but they let this author be cancelled when it got too hot for them because they allowed themselves to become spineless. Now we just have to stand back and wait for the dip in their sales.

HippyDirt, you are fine with all this because you are fine with people being in lockstep to others and not appreciating their independence. They are wearing a red dress by being individualistic, so they should get raped in your mind. Freedom is a lie to you. After all, if the mob yells for rape in the corporate world, then being cancelled is the next best thing! Fuck the fans, we are kowtowing to the tyranny of the woke scold stalkers! Screw the fact that this author has a family that he is supporting with his writing, he isn't woke enough for you!

You better not succumb to any conservative thoughts now HippyDirt, the woke mob may come for you next!

Jeffy, you really suck as a mind reader.

The guy has his independence. He can do what he wants with his own time and effort. However, the company doesn't want to associate with him anymore. They get to make that choice, just as he could choose not to associate with them if he choose.

And you likewise suck ass at reading comprehension, HippyDirt.

The reason why Catalyst Games cancelled this author is because a bunch of psycho fuckwits didn't like his conservatism and decided to fight the culture war against him by character assassination. He hasn't done anything wrong except exist. In the minds of those sending him death threats and you - that was enough cause to cancel him. You think that it is OK for the author to lose his livelihood because he is different than a bunch of nutbag haters?

Why don't we look at his bibliography? That should tell us whether or not he is important to the Battletech line of games.

http://www.blainepardoe.com/bibliography.html

Quote from: bibliography
Bibliography: Blaine L. Pardoe

Political Thrillers:
Blue Dawn - Defiance Press (July 2021)
A Most Uncivil War - Defiance Press (June 2022)

Political Humor:
The Democratic Party Playbook, 2022 Election Edition (May 2022)

True Crime:
Secret Witness – University of Michigan Press (April 28, 2012)
Murder in Battle Creek:  The Sensational Murder of Daisy Zick, The History Press, (June 2013)
The Murder of Maggie Hume - Cold Case in Battle Creek, The History Press, (August 2014)
Sawney Bean - Dissecting the Legend of the Scottish Cannibal, FontHill Media, (January 2015)
The Original Battle Creek Crime King:  Adam "Pump" Arnold's Vile Reign, The History Press, (June 2016)
A Special Kind of Evil - The Colonial Parkway Murders, WildBlue Press (June 2017)
Tantamount - The Pursuit of the Freeway Phantom Serial Killer, WildBlue Press (October 2019)

Military History (non-fiction):
The Cruise of the Sea Eagle, Lyons Press, (April 2005)
Terror of the Autumn Skies, Skyhorse Publishing, (July 2008)
Lost Eagles, University of Michigan Press.  (October 2010)
The Bad Boy:  Bert Hall Aviator and Mercenary of the Skies, Fonthill Media, (November 2012)
The Fires of October, The Cuban Missile Crisis that Never Was-The Invasion of Cuba and World War III, Fonthill Media, (October 2013)
Never Wars - The US Plans to Invade the World, Fonthill Media, (February 2015)

Business Management Books:
Cubicle Warfare, Prima Books, (Aug. 1997) (ISBN 0-7615-1066-4)
Business Rules:  The Cynic's Guidebook to the Corporate Overlords (July 2013)

Self Help:
The Life Book: A Grandfather's Gift (March 2018)

Horror:
Virginia Creeper – Hydra Publishing (June 2012) Horror

Novels:
Highlander Gambit, Penguin Books, ROC, 1995 (ISBN 0451-45489-8)
Contributed to Star Lord, Penguin Books, ROC 1995 (ISBN 0-451-45386-7)
Impetus of War, Penguin Books, ROC 1996 (ISBN 0-451-4529-0)
Exodus Road, Penguin Books, ROC 1997 (ISBN 0-451-45634-3)
Roar of Honor, Penguin Books, ROC, 1999 (ISBN 0-451-45761-7)
Co-authored By Blood Betrayed, Penguin Books, ROC, 1999 (ISBN 0-451-45769-2)
Measure of a Hero, Penguin Books, ROC, 2000 (ISBN 0-451-45798-6)
The Call of Duty, Penguin Books, ROC 2001 (ISBN 0-451-45856-7)
Operation Audacity, Penguin Books, ROC, 2002 (ISBN 0-451-45885-0)
Target of Opportunity, Penguin Books, ROC, 2005
Surrender Your Dreams (MechWarrior) December 2006
Fire at Will (MechWarrior) September 2007
Betrayal of Ideals (BattleTech) August 2016
The Anvil August 2018
Forever Faithful February 2019
Rock of the Republic 2020
Divided We Fall  2019
Hour of the Wolf 2020
Proliferation Cycle 2020
Leviathans - Armored Skies 2020
Tukayyid Anthology - 2020
No Substitute For Victory 2021




Computer Books:
BattleTech The Official Strategy Guide, Brady Games, 1994 (ISBN 1-56686-208-6)
Lemmings Chronicles, Brady Games, 1994 (ISBN 1-56686-245-0)
Wing Commander III Heart of the Tiger Strategy Guide, Brady Games 1995 (ISBN 1-56686-238-8)
Star Trek -- A Final Unity, Brady Games, 1995 (ISBN 90-395-0484-9)
MechWarrior 2 CD ROM Strategy Guide, Brady Books, 1995 (ISBN 1-56686-191-8)
Wing Commander IV The Price of Freedom, Brady Games 1996 (ISBN 1-56686-414-3)

Game and RPG Books:
The BattleTech Technical Readout 3025., FASA Corporation 1986.
Justifiers Second Edition StarChild Press
Axon Confrontation StarChild Press
Domination, StarChild Press 1989
Sabot and Laser, StarChild Press, 1989
More Tales From the Ether, the Mystery of Fort Dickerson 44-58 GDW 1989
Cranston Snord's Irregulars., FASA Corporation 1986
Star Trek IV, The Voyage Home Movie Supplement., FASA Corporation 1986.
Star Trek:  The Strider Incident., FASA Corporation 1987.
Sorenson's Sabers., FASA Corporation 1987.
Renegade Legions Fighter Recognition Manual, FASA Corporation, 1988
The Harbingers of Death., FASA Corporation, 1988
Satellite Down., GDW Games, 1988
RDF Manual., Palladium Books, 1987
Wolf Clan Sourcebook, FASA Corporation, 1991
Solaris – The Reaches, FASA Corporation, 1991
Legionnaire RPG, FASA Corporation, 1990
Clantroops, FASA Corporation, 1991
The Tessdrake Run, FASA Corporation, 1991
Star Trek, The Next Generation First Season Sourcebook, FASA Corporation, 1989
Mercenary's Handbook 3055, FASA Corporation, 1993
Fourth Succession War Military Atlas Volume 2, FASA Corporation, 1989
Bloodright, FASA Corporation 1992
MechWarrior RPG, Version 2, FASA Corporation, 1991
Rhonda's Irregulars, FASA Corporation, 1991
BattleTech Compendium, FASA Corporation, 1991
Unbound, FASA Corporation, 1991
Fourth Succession War Scenario Pack, FASA Corporation, 1989
TOG Fighter Briefing, FASA Corporation, 1987
Renegade Legion Fighter Briefing, FASA Corporation, 1987
Shannedam County Sourcebook, FASA Corporation, 1991
Centurion Technical Update, FASA Corporation, 1992
Leviathan Capital Ship Briefing, FASA Corporation, 1992
Centurion Vehicle Briefing, FASA Corporation, 1988
BattleTech Technical Readout 3055, FASA Corporation, 1992
BattleTech Technical Readout 2750, FASA Corporation, 1989
BattleTech Technical Readout 3058, FASA Corporation, 1995
ComStar Sourcebook, FASA Corporation 1992
Night Brood – Silent Death, Iron Crown Enterprises, 1993
BattleTech Rules of Warfare, FASA Corporation, 1994
Living Legends, FASA Corporation, 1996
MechWarrior Companion, FASA Corporation 1996
Leviathans!  Catalyst Games Labs, 2012

On-Line Publications
The Longest Road (BattleCorps) December 2004Great Gaffa's Ghost (BattleCorps) September 2005
Betrayal of Ideals (on-line novel) (BattleCorps) Parts 1-4 October 2006-January 2007
The Heart of Dixie (BattleCorps) 2005
Old Pus Eye (BattleCorps) August 2008
Desertion (BattleCorps) 2008
Abandonment (BattleCorps) 2008
Son of Blake (BattleCorps) 2009
The Loyal Son (BattleCorps) 2010
Desperate Measures (BattleCorps) 2011
Defiant Stand (BattleCrops) 2012

Articles
Infantry Against BattleMechs, "Stardate, Vol. 3 No. 4, Sept. 1987.  Pages 256 and 259
New Avalon Institute of Science, Training Manual Part 1.,Stardate Vol. 3 No. 4, Sept. 1987.  Pages 277-282.
Protomatter.  "Stardate Vol. 3 No. 4, Sept. 1987.  Pages 284-285.
New Avalon Institute of Science, Training Manual Part 2.," Stardate Vol. 3 No. 5, Oct. 1987. Pages 320-325
New Avalon Institute of Science, Training Manual Part 3.," Stardate Vol. 3 No. 6, Nov/Dec. 1987. Pages 439-444
Critical Hits in Starship Combat," Stardate Vol. 1, No.7, Sept. 1985.  Pages 12-15
Operation Shadowfall, "Stardate Vol. 1, No. 8.  Oct. 1985. Pages 10-17
The Bribery Gambit, "Stardate Vol. 3, No. 6.  Nov-Dec. 1987. Pages 433-435
Foodfight:  The Game., "The Dragon. Vol. V, No. 44. Dec 1980. Pages 40-52
Against Full Auto., "Action Pursuit Games.  Vol. 1, No. 3. Nov. 1987.  Pages 51-53.
Against the Wall., "Action Pursuit Games.  Vol. 2, No. 1. Pages 30,31,69,70
The Mobile or Floating Defense., "Action Pursuit Games.  Vol.2, No. 2.  Pages 44-46
The Smart Way to Buy a Copier., "The Office.  Vol. 104, No.5. Pages 50-54
The Right Way to Select Word Processing Software., "The Office Vol. 105 No. 5. May 1987.  Pages 38-49
Selecting the Right Software for the Executive., "The Office.Vol. 105, No. 11, November 1987.  Pages 138- 141.  (Photo onPage 138)
Dirty Tricks and Sneaky Tactics, Paintball Sports, Contributing Editor, Sept. 1991, Pages 68-72
Michigan's Big One, Paintball Sports, Contributing Editor, February 1990, Page 53
The Urban Version, Paintball Sports, Contributing Editor, January 1990, Pages 32-35
Michigan's Second Annual Big One, Paintball Sports, Contributing Editor, March 1991, Pages 28-32
The Secrets of the Intelligence Gatherer, Paintball Sports, Contributing Editor, October 1989, Pages 19, 20, and 34
Rooms Without a View, Paintball Sports, Contributing Editor, October 1990, Pages 32-34
Taking On Bunkers, Paintball Sports, Contributing Editor, April 1991, Pages 83-85
Retreat, Paintball Sports, Contributing Editor, March 1990, Pages 31-33
Tactics and Strategy -- Leading the Charge, Paintball Sports, Contributing Editor, September 1989, Pages 36-38
Mech, Lone Shark Saga Part III, Volume II, Issue V, Pages 4-8
Mech, Lone Shark Saga Part II, Volume I Issue IV, 1991, Pages 2-3
Mech, Long Shark Saga Part I, Volume I, Issue III, 1991, Pages 2-4
Mech, Lone Shark Saga Part IV, Volume II, Issue VI 1992 Pages 2-9
Mech, Lone Shark Saga Conclusion, Volume II, Issue VII 1992 Pages 4-7
The Keys to Successful Implementation of a Computerized Maintenance Management System, Reliability, Vol. 2, Issue 2, Pages 33-36 July/August 1995
A New Approach for Selecting a CMMS, Maintenance Technology, Vol. 7, No 12.  Pages 21-23, December 1994
Technology Training for CMMS Implementation, Reliability, Vol. 2, Issue 4, Pages 30-32, November/December 1995.
The High Cost of Data Capture for a Computerized Maintenance Management System, Maintenance Technology, Pages 27-29, April 1996.
Nobody's Victory, The Battle of Bristoe Station, Columbiad Quarterly Review of the War Between the States, Fall 1998, Pages 72-84
Do You Take This Vendor?  Inside Technology Training, June 1998, Pages 18-23
You Don't Want My Job – Technology Training Management, Inside Technology Training, October 1998, Page 80
Have You Outgrown Your CMMS?  Maintenance Technology, October 1999, Pg 58
The Impact of the Internet on Maintenace Departments, Maintenance Technology, February 1999, Pg. 56
Die Unsichtbare Hand (The Unseen Hand), GDI_Impuls, Summer 1999, Pages 42-46.
Lt. Ivan Roberts, Frank Luke's Other Wingman.  With Alan Roesler.  Autumn 2010, Pages 196-238. 
Zinn the Searcher, Michigan History Magazine, March/April 2011, Pages 25-30
The OSS's Unique Humanitarian Mission, The OSS Society Journal, Fall 2011, Page 42-44
Soldiers:  Count Felx Von Luckner, Military Heritage Magazine, December 2013, Pages 8-13. 

HOLY FUCK!! THIS GUY HAS BEEN CONSISTENTLY WRITING FOR BATTLETECH SINCE 1986!!

Pretty Goddamn important, it looks like. At least if you don't want to be losing money, that is.

But he has the wrong politics, so HippyDirt and Catalyst Games thinks that he should be thrown out. Great job, wokesters!

Hell, I'll just let him talk.

Quote from:  Blaine L. Pardoe
My Publisher Canceled Me in Favor of an Activist Who Threatened My Life

When corporate cowardice in the face of a minority of left-wing woke whiners alienates conservative fans, the fans need to speak with their money and remind publishers who they really answer to.

By Blaine Pardoe

July 29, 2022

For those that don't know me, I am an award-winning, bestselling author in numerous genres. I have been a speaker at the U.S. Naval Academy, the National Archives, and the Smithsonian on the subjects I write about. 

I started my writing career in science fiction for a series called BattleTech. BattleTech has been made into a cartoon series, video games, board games, and novels about giant robotic war machines called BattleMechs. Catalyst Game Labs is the current license holder for BattleTech, which is licensed by Topps and Fanatics. 

After 37 years of writing for the series, I found myself canceled for voicing my conservative beliefs.

In January 2021, two people complained to my publisher, asking that books I wrote be pulled from publication because they allegedly contained "hidden Confederate messages." Catalyst Game Labs responded that my political beliefs didn't matter as long as they were not in their novels. After a lengthy review of the books and my social media accounts, the company found no political messages, hidden or otherwise. 

They offered one of the protesters an opportunity to publish a short story in hopes of appeasing him.  I warned the company that the man was an online stalker who had been harassing me for nearly two years. Later, law enforcement would discover that this man was using a false online persona; that of a self-proclaimed lesbian nurse who was adopting two children. Catalyst Game Labs ignored my warnings.

In March 2021, my first conservative political thriller Blue Dawn was announced with a different publisher, Defiance Press. Outraged, my stalker contacted a fellow writer with the following directed at me: "I want to fucking shoot him in the fucking crotch for this shit."  And: "I want him to die in a fire."

The police got involved and, after an investigation, a judge put a protective order in place because of multiple threats. In reality, my harasser was a 39-year-old man living with his parents. He had been fired by his previous employer for issuing terroristic threats. He was charged and pleaded guilty. The man was a convicted criminal.

I moved on. To coincide with the release of Blue Dawn, I wrote articles for conservative websites such as American Thinker, PJ Media, Townhall, American Greatness, and others. I made it clear to Catalyst executives that I would mention my stalker in some of these articles as an example of woke extremism. Catalyst's president replied, "I would do the same thing if I were you."

When my last BattleTech novel, No Substitute for Victory, was released by Catalyst in February, my stalker and a small handful of people once again complained to Catalyst, Topps, and Fanatics. They took numerous statements from my social media out of context to paint me as an "insurrectionist, a seditionist," and other outright lies.

The smear campaign was led by the man who had threatened my life. I was told that Fanatics asked my publisher to "make this go away."

My publisher's solution was to inform me he would no longer publish my work. 

I asked if he had verified that the protest was not a handful of people using sock accounts to make their cause appear larger.  He told me he had not checked and that it didn't matter anyway. It also didn't matter that the quotes in question had been taken out of context or fabricated.   

I noted how other Catalyst contract authors and artists voiced radical progressive opinions far more offensive than anything I had ever posted. My publisher indicated he would talk to some of them. Conservatives tend not to complain, while the Left sees offenses everywhere.     

He informed me that my beliefs were alienating half of his customers. I pointed out that sales and ratings for my latest novel were on par with previous works. He then told me that sales didn't matter.   

I offered to write under a pseudonym like several of his other authors. He refused. Then I pointed out the most egregious aspect: "You are literally siding with a person that threatened the life of one of your most productive and popular authors." Ignoring that, he had assured me that he would communicate his decision to release me to the fans. He never did.

To be clear, my views are not especially radical. They are the same opinions held by tens of millions of other Americans.

While I was getting the Gina Carano treatment from Catalyst, I was proud that I didn't cave to these woke warriors. Such corporate knee-jerking to a minority of leftwing woke whiners does alienate fans—conservative fans. This is simply censorship. It can happen to any conservative who dares voice his opinions. As a result, my many fans will no longer see my work in BattleTech, simply because the publisher feared online backlash. Meanwhile, his extreme left-wing authors can spew their venom without fear of retribution because conservatives don't whine or threaten or  complain on Twitter.

Conservatives need to speak with their money by supporting conservative publishers or those companies that opt to ignore the politics of their creative staff altogether.


Publishers that throw conservatives under the bus out of fear seem to have forgotten their core business. They should focus on producing good content and not let the woke mob decide who works for them.

Caving puts the mob in charge of what content you produce. It's a lesson that both Disney and Fanatics/Catalyst would do well to learn.


About Blaine Pardoe
Blaine Pardoe is a New York Times bestselling and award-winning author. He is a regular contributor at American Thinker, PJ Media, American Greatness, Bizpac Review, and other conservative sites. His most recent works include The Democratic Party Playbook 2022 Edition, and the conservative political thriller, Blue Dawn. The sequel, A Most Uncivil War, is now available.

Jeffy, I didn't say it was reason enough...because barring a contract (and the author made no mention of such) a company is fully within its rights to end the relationship for any reason or no reason whatsoever so long as it's not for legally defined discrimination (and this doesn't qualify).

I'm not saying I like what Catalyst did. I haven't liked anything about that company since they screwed over their SR freelancers years ago. I don't wish ill upon the author,  and I hope he finds success away from Catalyst.