On 2003-12-16 05:32:00, scottT wrote:
"Dear Ginger,
You asked regarding "choice between cash or faux martyrdom" falls into the category of the "fallacy of the excluded middle' Please elaborate. What's the excluded middle in this case?"
In this situation, the "middle" which the "cash or martyrdom" dichotomy excludes is a range of possible courses of action which involve both making money while avoiding involvement in reprehensible behavior.
The point I was trying to make is that by your actions, you have shown yourself to be a person who knows, in her heart, what is ethical and what is unethical. You have been willing to risk a degree or martyrdom, even if it means a possible risk to your monetary interests. For that reason I hold you in high esteem, and consider that your conduct is an example for the rest of us.
By comparison, you say Carey acted under threat of coercion? Hmmm. In this case, the "coercion" seems to consist of WWASP declining to pay her full asking price. This also provides an instructive example -- an example of how not to act.
"
No, there's a difference. What AIR wanted was for me to start censoring this forum. They made a threat, which they could well carry though. They could file suit against me. Fair enough. But that doesn't necessarily mean they can successfully censor this forum w/o my cooperation (coerced or not).
I had more than one reason for telling them to go pound sand and, incidentally, for inviting them to drop in and have their say.
One reason is that I want everyone, no matter how wrong I think they are, to have their say. I want as many viewpoints as possible on the table and to let the reader decide for themselves which ones make sense. That's just one.
Another is that, while I have lately spent WAY too much time reading and posting to this forum, I can't commit to monitoring every post. That's what I mean by involuntary servitude.
Even if I could do that, I don't have the skill set to make a good and valid legal judgement over what is and is not protected speech except when it's really obvious. So I'd have to hire a lawyer. The one I'd probably look to charges $250/hr, but he's pretty good. Anyone care to fund that?
If I change my policy so that I am responsible for the content and not the authors, I'd have to shut down the forum at some point for fear of litigation. I don't want that to happen.
Despite the unpleasantness and other related issues, these forums and the dozens like them scattered all over the net do do some good. I'm convinced of it.
Carey, otoh, had a different question put before her; give over the data or we will put you through hell trying to get it and, in all liklihood, get it either from you or from someone else regardless. There was no real purpose to be served by her resisting; they were going to get it anyway.
Plus, she's only been playing at this demented game now for about a year. She's a novice, as are a lot of you. Almost everybody seems to be still looking for a clearly defined good guy and an equally purely bad guy. But they just don't exist.
When I started looking into this, I purely hated Miller Newton. He was
the individual who, more than anyone (except my mother) turned my father against me. I still hate the SOB, but I also feel sorry for him. Even he is a victim in all this, as (likely) are Ken Lay, the Lichfields and all the rest.
The concept of that really started to sink in in a subconcious sort of way when I laid my dad to rest. To most of my proud Program graduate family, he was an embarrassment, a failure, someone to be pittied. But, to people who knew him, he was a hero. Got a full 1/3 page write up w/ a large and informal photo from the cub reporter turned managing editor of the local paper and so many people who's lives he'd touched in various ways looked me up to convey their condolances.
Dad never really bought into the program. He lived his own life his way for his reasons in the real world w/ real people; some who hated him, some who loved him. But these poor bastards will live and die in a world of illusion. They have no identity of their own. It's all invested in this false religion. When they're gone and the story of their heroic martyrdome falls apart, there will be nothing left.
Destroying them would be a redundant effort. I'd far rather try and wake as many of them up as possible.
Every day, make someone think!
What is most disturbing to me about ODD and other 'disorders' is that there is no real attempt to ascertain the environmental picture ? the social, political, and economic factors that drive a person's behavior. We're asking the wrong questions ? we shouldn't be asking, 'does this kid have a disease called ODD?' but 'why is this kid so at odds with his or her society?'
--Leah Harris, a progressive psychiatrist
_________________
Ginger Warbis ~ Antigen
American drug war P.O.W.
10/80 - 10/82
Straight South (Sarasota, FL)
Anonymity Anonymous