Message-ID: <3378B763.1475@xxxxxxxxx.com>
Date: Tue, 13 May 1997 14:48:03 -0400
X-PH: V4.4a@mx1.cso.uiuc.edu
From: Todd H[] 
Reply-To: toddh@xxxxxxxxx.com
Organization: vom Dixie xxxxxxxxxs
X-Mailer: Mozilla 3.01 (Win95; I)
MIME-Version: 1.0
To: tskirvin@uiuc.edu
Subject: Re: Your derogatory page
References: <199705131810.NAA13044@symcom.math.uiuc.edu>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit
Status: OR

Tim Skirvin wrote:
 
>         Know this: I have not mentioned your name to anybody on Usenet
> since you were plonked.  If I am sued, that will by necessity change -
> I'll have to find backup moderators, people to post my FAQs, and so forth.
> If this came to pass...

And you accuse me of threatening..  Tim, I'm not asking you for anything
unreasonable- certainly a bit of privacy for someone who hasn't done you
harm isn't that much to ask.  Now you're saying that if I proceed with
my pursuit of simple privacy, you'll start a net-wide jihad against me.
 
>         I didn't write the appended message, and I didn't ask for it to be
> written.  I did ask permission to mail it to you from the author - while
> it may not relate directly to this case, it's similar enough to be worth
> bringing up.

Let me deal with the two salient points, and try to forget it's
threatening tone-

> In short, you're upset because you acted like an idiot and now someone has
> chosen to detail precisely why they don't like you in a public web page.

Actually, it's quite like this, in this day of search engines- I have a
disagreement with John Doe, and he pisses me off.  So, I put an ad in
the Yellow Pages with his personal name and business name on it, that
says in large letters: "John Doe is a moron!"  Is that harrassment or
not?

> If you don't want to be held accountable for the opinions that you express
> in public, don't express opinions in public.  It's that simple.

True enough, and guess what- I have done just that.  Now quit punishing
me for being STUPID enough to have had a public opinion in the first
place.  Obviously it's a whole new world, where people like you can hold
a person's reputation hostage *forever*, just because I was fool enough
to hit the send button once a year and a half ago.

You're threatening now that if I proceed, you'll be sure everyone knows
just what I did- well, consider that again- do you *want* people to know
how to get to you?  If I do waste a few thousand dollars and get you a
criminal record, the only thing I would fear about the public exposure
you'd give me is that I'd become some hero of the general scum that you
have been having trouble with in the newsgroups.  Please remember that
I'm not one of those people- quite the opposite, I'm more like you and
agree with you and your ends more than you realize.  I just value my
privacy, that's all.

I'm not speaking to lawyers because I want to- quite the opposite.  I
feel that throwing money to one of these guys is a most repulsive waste
of the dollar.  I only do it because I feel that being harrassed by you
via the Web is slightly *more* repulsive.  If charges are filed (I won't
sue- it'll be a criminal case), then it'll be done only because you have
left me no alternative.

I asked you about a comprimise, you were the first to mention the word
comprimise.  Now let's talk about comprimise, and quit threatening each
other.  How about it?

-- 
Todd++;
vom Dixie xxxxxxxxxs
http://www.xxxxxxxxx.com/