Public Thanks to Billy Beck
Wayne Mann
Jade...@erols.com wrote:
>http://www.inform.umd.edu/UMS+State/MD_Resources/MDSP/mann.html
FYI.....Since many of you are aware of the situation,
AND particularly because I wanted to publically thank Billy
for being more than a good person and exemplary human being
I am enclosing his message to me and below that a message I
received later that day from EROL.COM.
Thank you Billy.
X-Sender: wj...@mindspring.com
Date: Wed, 26 Mar 1997 13:54:18 -0600
To: t...@callamer.com
From: Billy Beck <wj...@mindspring.com>
Subject: A Rat In The Bag
Wayne (the one & only) Mann,
The following went out to Erol's Internet Service,
this morning, and
I have received a very prompt and thoughtful reply.
I hope you will forgive me if I was precipitant or
presumptuous,
but I simply went off like a bomb as soon as I saw what I
saw. I couldn't
help it.
If I could get that rotten motherfucker by the
throat, I would soon
be either in the hands of people who care for me enough to
pull me off him,
or under indictment for assault, which case I would happily
take up
as justifiable before a court of law.
In any case, I have been assured that "action will
be taken against
the account" of Jade...@erols.com. In a later message, I
was apprised
that his account will be "deactivated by the end of the
day". I so firmly
believe that we've seen the last of the rat-bastard that
I've already
posted a small gloat in the group.
Chin up, Daddyo.
~~~~~
To: ab...@erols.com
Subject: Complaint Pursuant to Pertinent Sections of "Erol's
Online
Policies" (http://www.erols.com/erols/agreement.htm)
Dear Sir or Madame,
This letter is intended to lodge the most emphatic
possible protest to the
online conduct of a Usenet participant usernamed
"Jade...@erols.com".
This person has, for months, engaged a campaign of
disruption in the
Usenet newsgroup alt.current-events.clinton.whitewater which
can now be fairly
characterized as monstrous. It should be emphasized that
all regular and
reasonable
participants understand the volatile nature of the group
resulting from the
subject to
which it is dedicated. We all know that political matters
are naturally
incendiary, and
the strongest of us must take the responsibility to bear
broadside shots as
reciprocal
to the shots we fire. No illusions: it's a tough group. A
single glance at
my record
there will bear this out. I am no shrinking violet.
However, it would never in *life* occur to me to engage
a manifestly malicious
and deceitful effort to defame and slander the most vile of
my opponants.
With that in
mind, I submit the following post for your consideration:
Path:
mindspring!cpk-news-hub1.bbnplanet.com!news.bbnplanet.com!feed1.news.erols.c
om!news
From: Jade...@erols.com
Newsgroups: alt.current-events.clinton.whitewater
Subject: WAYNE MANN: WANTED CRIMINAL
Date: Wed, 26 Mar 1997 00:13:08 GMT
Organization: Erol's Internet Services
Lines: 1
Message-ID: <333869f2...@news.erols.com>
NNTP-Posting-Host: wdr-as1s29.erols.com
X-Newsreader: Forte Free Agent 1.1/32.230
http://www.inform.umd.edu/UMS+State/MD_Resources/MDSP/mann.html
(end quote)
Checked against the record, this post may fairly be
considered the capstone
of an impertinent campaign to *not* address any of the
substantive material
posted by
the person against whom it is targeted, and more: the user
who posted this
material
has, in the past, consistently abused his target with the
most venal
harrassment over
certain of Mr. Mann's medical difficulties, and asserted
that long-term
therapies of
un-impeachable nature are, in fact, depraved drug abuse with
the unmistakable
purpose of impugning a character which is in no way subject
to or worthy of
the effort.
Finally, we are treated to the above post.
The Erol's user named above is fully aware that the
"Wayne Mann" named at
the included URL is *not* the Wayne Mann who has been a
contributor to the
Whitewater
group for more than two years now. This is evident in the
record: our Mr.
Mann is a
senior citizen in retirement and resides on the other side
of the continent
from the 24
year-old man who is named at the above URL as wanted for
murder in the state of
Maryland. The Mr. Mann of the Whitewater group has, prior
to this episode,
made clear
his age. "Jade...@erols.com" has evidenced much research
in Mr. Mann's
background (for the very purpose of finding personal details
useful in a
campaign of
personal *abuse*), and there can simply be no question of a
mistake.
This is clearly a case which is subject to review with
reference to your
publically
available "Internet Access Agreement" and "Erol's Online
Policies",
specifically:
IX. Termination.
1. You agree that you or Erol's may terminate this Agreement
for any reason
at any time.
1. PROHIBITED ACTIVITIES.
For purposes of the Prohibited Activities, the term
"information" means
material of any
type capable of being posted or transmitted on or through
the Access Service,
including material in print, graphic or pictorial form.
When using the Access Service:
(a) Defamation. You agree not to post or transmit on or
through the Access
Service
any information that is defamatory with respect to a person,
business, or
other entity,
product, or service.
(b) Fraud. You agree not to post or transmit any fraudulent
information on
or through
the Access Service. This mean any information that you know
or have reason
to know
is false, and that you intend for others to rely on.
(i) Harassment, Threats, and Abuse. You agree not to use the
Access Service to
harass, threaten, abuse, embarrass, or cause distress,
unwanted attention,
or discomfort
to any person or entity, by any means, including the use of
vulgar, hateful,
racially,
ethnically, or otherwise objectionable information.
(n) Disruptive Activities. You agree not to use the Access
Service to
disrupt the normal
flow of online dialogue, or otherwise act in a manner that
negatively
affects other
Subscribers, users, individuals, or entities.
There can be no reasonable question that this episode
in the campaign of
abuse qualifies under these sections.
Therefore, I approach you in good faith under the
following:
"6. EROL'S COMPLAINT RESPONSE PROCEDURES.
Erol's dedication to customer service means that Erol's
takes seriously and
responds to
all complaints about its subscribers' use of the Internet.
This means
complaints by both
Erol's subscribers and complaints by other Internet users.
Erol's believes
that its
customers should be able to enjoy full use of the Internet
without
interference by persons
who use the Internet in an improper or unlawful manner.
Erol's will respond to any complaint that involves online
activities that
are Prohibited
Activities under the Erol's Online Policies."
I am not qualified to comment on matters of law in this
case. (Although, If I
were the target of such stark defamation shown above, and
possessing the
resources,
I would very likely seek legal council on the matter.)
However, it seems a
reasonable
and common-sense appeal to present to you, that this
behavior is *wrong*. I
realize the presumption of my contention: if I operated an
ISP and this sort
of a complaint were
presented to me, I would be compelled by common standards of
decency to
respond in
the strongest possible manner.
Me? I want to see this person's account terminated
instantly. It's not my
call, however, because it is not my business enterprise. It
is *yours*, and
you must take
care of it. I fully understand the nature of the
responsibility, if not the
particular
dimensions that you face.
I can only plead to your sense of decency: please do
something about this.
A person has been un-fairly, falsely, and I believe,
maliciously and
knowingly, defamed
by one of your users as a murder suspect before a world-wide
forum.
I would only add that, while I substantively agree with
Mr. Mann (the one who
is *not* the subject of the above URL listed murder warrant)
on many issues
of discussion
in the Whitewater group, this complaint of mine would yet be
lodged in favor
of any of my
most passionate opponants in the group, if they were subject
to such evil
treatment.
And, I have undertaken this on my own initiative without Mr.
Mann's prior
knowledge or
consent (which is, I suppose, a risk in itself).
You see, it is my sense of honor which is aroused here.
This is unconscionable.
I can only trust that you will agree.
Quite Sincerely,
William J. Beck III - wb...@mindspring.com
~~~~~
Billy
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----------------------------------------------------------------------
X-Sender: ab...@pop.erols.com
Date: Wed, 26 Mar 1997 12:33:02 -0500
To: t...@callamer.com
From: Terms of Service <ab...@erols.com>
Subject: Re: Do you allow this?
> DO you allow this kind of harassment on an ongoing
>basis?
Nope. Recent evidence clearly indicates that I was
wrong in my
conclusions about our prior conversations. You have my
sincere apologies,
and I will furthermore be making a public apology in the
Whitewater newsgroup.
Terms of Service
Erol's Internet
\\/ayne //\ann
Remove NOSPAM from address for e-mail
"There has not been a single, solitary soul accuse me or my
wife of doing anything illegal not only in the White House,
in the presidential campaign, or in the governor's election."
Bill Clinton December 20, 1995
as reported in the Los Angeles Times on December 21, 1995