From: Charlie Stross (charlie@antipope.org)
Date: Mon Aug 21 2000 - 13:00:36 MDT
On Sat, Aug 19, 2000 at 01:39:31PM -0700, Max More wrote:
> "Jamiro2002", please reveal your true name so that I may file a lawsuit for
> slander against you. Such lies pass *my* limit for tolerance.
I've only just seen this thread (my ISP's been down for two days) and,
while I'm pretty disgusted, I have to say that getting uptight over this
sort of allegation is counter-productive.
I can't speak for anyone else, but anonymous sock-puppets throwing
emotive accusations unsupported by evidence aren't going to convince
me of anything -- except that Max and Keith have some very dumb enemies
who are trying to be crudely manipulative.
On the other hand, I've been reading up on the Church of Scientology in
the past week or so -- research for a project -- and came across this
fun web page:
http://www.ncf.carleton.ca/~av282/terms.htm
I'd like to urge any Extropians who don't know anything about the Co$ to
read as much of it as they can stomach. It's a dictionary. It defines
referents within a language: concepts and terms used internally within
the Church. I don't think it's a fake. And I don't think I'm exaggerating
much if I state that trying to put myself inside the mind of someone
who thinks in these terms gives me the same queasy sensation I get when
I try to understand Nazism.
These guys would certainly consider libel, disinformation, and slander
to be acceptable ways of dealing with people who shine torches into the
murkier corners of their operations. And while they might deserve our
contempt (especially if, as seems likely, they're behind the flame-bait
posting that started this thread), they should be treated with the same
caution due to any other venomous insect.
-- Charlie
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