Is someone on the Internet crazy?

Posted by Greg Laden on January 29, 2010
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There is a big fight going on over at Quiche Moraine. Apparently, my friend and co-blogger Mike made a comment or two, months back, about someone and she didn’t like it. So she complained to Stephanie. Well, she complained to me, and I forwarded her complaint to Stephanie. And then they got into it. And Stephanie has turned what would otherwise be a series of emails worthy of little more than deletion into an interesting study of libel, defamation, accusation and loathing.


Libel and Legalistic Bullying


There are a couple of lessons to be learned here. One is don’t ever blog anything about an ex-spouse. I have actually blogged quite a bit about an ex spouse and many of you have read it but you did not know that you were reading stories that involved my ex spouse and there was nothing controversial. This is not to say that Mike did anything wrong. He did not do anything wrong. But if you want to avoid trouble, don’t ever start a sentence with “My ex spouse…” and end it with “…. but the medication would have helped” or whatever.

Another lesson is that when someone shows up in your crib yelling and screaming and pissing on you via email, the very first thing you should do, perhaps, is to tell them to have their lawyer contact you. Then ignore all other correspondence from that person. This way, they are forced to actually contact a lawyer, and the lawyer will probably talk them down.

Third, if you want someone else to do something that it is possible they may not want to do, it might work better to ask nice than to threaten with non-existent lawyers. Chances are the law is not really on your side (or anyone’s side) and the whole threatening with lawyers thing is a) obnoxious on the face of it and b) will make you look like a dumbass later when the lawyers do not show up.

Anyway, go read the post. And if you have a problem with this, GET A LAWYER!!!!

By the way, if you have something nice to say about Quiche Moraine this would be a good time.

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Comments

  1. #1 Mike Haubrich, FCD
    January 29, 2010

    At the advice of someone who knows more about how to handle this sort of thing, I will be quiet on the matter. However, to those of you how have written nice things in support, I do appreciated it.

  2. #2 Unikraken
    January 29, 2010

    It’s all really interesting how there was this lawyer who quickly vanished, but then again, lawyers vanish for many reasons. Like the presence of garlic or sunlight.

    We all support you Mike!

  3. #3 Azkyroth
    January 29, 2010

    As someone with a crazy ex-spouse myself, I will be following this story with great interest.

  4. #4 Donna B.
    January 30, 2010

    I always laugh when I read “I have a legal background” and think to myself… so what were you charged with that day in court?

  5. #5 ShellyT
    January 30, 2010

    Hmm, crazy is …

    [ed: inappropriate content by "Shelly" (details about Shelly removed at the request of M.H.) removed by the management. ]

  6. #6 DJ
    January 30, 2010

    wow, thats classy commentary.

  7. #7 Mouse
    January 30, 2010

    ^^ O.o

    And that’s what real libel looks like folks. Personally identifiable, statements of “fact” (not opinion) that are likely to harm reputation. … honestly?

    For someone talking about horrible, horrible life-shattering defamation…well, if you can’t see it I can’t help you.

  8. #8 Greg Laden
    January 30, 2010

    That will be all with the libelous commentary.

  9. #9 JRO
    February 1, 2010

    Q: Why is writing software just like your ex-wife?
    A: You make one mistake, and you have to support it for the rest of your life.

    I love QM and I love Mike!

  10. #10 Shelly T.
    April 3, 2010

    Now you have violated my privacy and exposed private information because I responded to your harassment. For Atheists who are trying to prove you are reasonable people, you have proven the opposite and gone against everything you say you stand for. You pretend that your atheist movement is about reasonable people, but it’s not. You have no ethics at all. You attack people and write about them just for the fun of it. This matter didn’t even concern you, it was about lies someone else was writing about me. My punishment for asking that these lies be removed was this bizarre load of abuse from 2 people I wasn’t even complaining about.

    How reasonable is it that a simple request to remove lies from someone’s website kicks up a sh*tstorm of abuse and violations of privacy? You’re totally putting to rest the idea that atheists are reasonable and logical. what you are is petty and it’s extremely unsavory how you all take such joy in ganging up on and abusing someone online just because you can.

    My original request to Stephanie was simply that she remove lies about me from her site and I didn’t bring up legal action until she refused to listen to my reasons through several emails. I wasn’t “obnoxious” until she became that way. So this is the reaction I get from the “reasonable atheists”. A reasonable request that started out quiet and private turns into a big private exposing of my privacy information on YOUR blog? This wasn’t even ever about you. You need to look at your behavior and see if you are being even remotely as you claim atheists behave — as moral and ethical people. I don’t see that from any of you.

    Shelly Thomas is the name I use online for privacy reasons as is my right. I have already requested that you remove my private information from this website but you probably won’t due to your abundance of morals and ethics from being an atheist who feels above the rest of us.

    What all of this proves is that your atheist movement is built on lies. You don’t have ethics or values after all, and you don’t react as other people do to a simple request. You all go berzerk and try to destroy someone’s online reputation. Pretty ironic.

  11. #11 Greg Laden
    April 4, 2010

    Shelly, you have never, for one tiny second, in private or in public, been anything even close to reasonable. Not even a little. You are one of the most unreasonable people I’ve ever encountered. And I’m a blogger.

    I am very happy to accommodate very reasonable people. You are not one of them.

    As I said to you in response to your email (which I will be happy to post if you contact me again, for no other reason than that I find you annoying) my policy in response to threats of legal action (which you have made) is to request a letter from your attorney specifying the nature of your concerns. I await your attorney’s letter.

    Be informed that it is not my policy to assume that emails you send me are private.

  12. #12 Stephanie Z
    April 4, 2010

    Shelly, the irony is that there would be nothing about you online if you weren’t giving every indication of trying to destroy Mike. The post at Quiche Moraine went up because you threatened to hurt him by posting things online. Your information above replaces one of those postings. There’s plenty of documentation that’s been kept of you doing the same thing elsewhere.

    Drop it. Stop hurting yourself. Get on with your life. And if you can’t do that, go talk to that lawyer. Just please be sure to give the lawyer the entire story of your actions in this. They hate to be surprised later.

  13. #13 I know what you did last summer
    April 4, 2010

    This Shelly sounds like a piece of work.

  14. #14 Shelly
    April 5, 2010

    I’m going to keep on doing what I’m doing to protect myself from you idiots until you take down the defamatory and libelous information about me that you have posted on your websites. [libelous and infamatory commentary removed by the blog owner]

    I already told you [inappropriate offensive word similar to n-word removed] I have no intention of harming anyone, just protecting MYSELF and what you have done to me. What have you done now? NOw you have revealed my private information online, a blatant violation of my rights to privacy. You have not heard the last of this because THAT was clearly illegal.

    Remove everything you have written about me and my private information and this is over. Otherwise, it’s not.
    It’s up to YOU.

    [The commenter is asked to see note above and refer to my earlier email. I am certain that I can accommodate your wishes as long as they are reasonable but under the circumstances I am advised to insist that you communicate your wishes to me via your attorney. I will only add at this point that you need to learn about what language is appropriate and what is not. Shame on you for your word choice. -gtl]