Important features for editors

[Steven D'Aprano]

On Thu, 04 Jul 2013 07:02:26 -0700, rusi wrote:

> On Thursday, July 4, 2013 7:03:19 PM UTC+5:30, Steve Simmons wrote:
>> Boy oh boy! You really are a slow learner Nicos. You have just offered
>> to commit a crime and to include dozens of others in that crime ON A
>> PUBLIC FORUM. Please think before you post.
> 
> For the record Steve, let me say, I find Robert Kern's objection barely
> sufficient.
> 
> And yours less than that.
> 
> Note that you are not objecting to the crime 

Which crime is that? Presumably you mean an actual criminal felony, not a 
mere civil offence. Under which jurisdiction?


> but to the public
> expression of it. Just look at your objection from the angle of a police
> officer, and you will see that it can certainly be construed as
> abetment/collusion 

If piracy is a crime, and not just a civil offence, then surely so is 
libel. You have just accused Steve Simmons of collusion in a felony, 
based on absolutely no evidence at all. That's as clear a case of libel 
as I've ever seen. Although I'm not sure that the damages should be 
terribly high -- there's little evidence that anyone treats your 
ridiculously exaggerated claims about other people's supposed crimes as 
anything but hot air.

But, putting damages aside, according to what passes for the reasoning 
that you have demonstrated here, your committing libel would make you 
equally a "petty criminal" as Nikos.


Speaking of petty, this whole witch-hunt is getting ridiculous. Don't you 
have something more productive to do? Accusing people of colluding in 
crimes because they fail to be sufficiently zealous in "objecting to the 
crime" is nuts.


-- 
Steven