Response to Dan Peterson

[_truth dancer]

OK... I just visited the MAD board for the first time in a while, and read the thread discussing the law suit.

I'm not sure what I am missing. Let's see....

Gee's scholarship is threatened.

It seems clear to me that Gee (through Schryver) threatens CK with a law suit.

butt to libel Gee as a “liar” on the basis of your disagreement with his arguments is unwarranted, to say the least. Indeed, I have been requested to inform you that you may find yourself subjected to legal action in the near future on the basis of your continued insistence on publicly impugning the character of the good professor. (emphasis in the original)

Gee creates the "test" (which is more than unbelievably odd and I won't discuss my opinion on this).

Kevin contacts Ritner to ask about the circumstances of his removal from Gee's doctoral committee and Kevin informs Ritner what has been said about him over the last several years on various LDS discussion boards by those in support of Gee.

Ritner states that what has been said about him is not true, is potentially harmful to his career. He is not happy and contemplates legal action.

I'm just not sure what it is exactly that Kevin did "wrong," (even if there was nothing removed from Gee's post).

If I were Ritner I would certainly want to know if people were spreading inaccurate and harmful rumors about me. I would want the opportunity to respond.

Hmmm....

If Kevin mis-remembered or lied, OR if the MAD mods edited out Gee's threat, and/or lied about it, then there is a problem, in my opinion.

~dancer~

[_dartagnan]

1. What is the actual claim?

He said he was considering a lawsuit against those who call him incompetent. It was right before or after his statetemnt about how his critics usually aren't educated.

2. What is the motive for said claim?


His motive? Probably to intimidate. You'd have to ask him.


3. Why didn't you yourself copy it?

If I had any idea the mods would edit that part out, I would have. I'll check my cached files on my server when I get back in town, but there is an entire thread here started by CK called the "Egyptian Test" or something to that effect. There you find several references to Gee's remark, though it doesn't seem anyone actually quoted him word for word. In any event, there are too many references to his remark in that thread for it to have simply not existed. Obviously he said something about suing his critics. But now there is no trace of that comment. This is my point. The Mods took precautions since everyone was ripping me and Ritner for the recent lawsuit threat against DCP. They'd look like idiotic hypocrites if just days before, their number one defender of all that's Egyptian, eddentially threatened the same thing. They're good at rewriting history, or, as is the case here, erasing it.

[_dartagnan]

Dude, I wasn't ever aware of Schryver's comment about legal action, so I am not confusing the two. What I am referring to is the original Gee email that was pinned. It threatened a libel suit against those who called him incompetent. I remember this quite vividly because I commented on it a week ago, and then after the Ritner fiasco I decidedf to go snag the quote to shove in Dan's face. Problem is, it was edited out. I'm waiting to find out if the MADsters are denying that it was edited.

Are they?

I can't believe nobody here remembers this remark. WK and CK have to remember it. Wait until they post again.

[_truth dancer]

Kevin,

Yes they are denying it.

They posted the complete email and stated it had never been edited.

~dancer~

[_Runtu]

Aren't we forgetting the most important part? Dan Peterson still won't apologize for calling me a liar.

Seriously, though, I've pretty much stayed out of this whole mess. I can't remember an uglier exchange in all my time on these boards.

If I were a board nanny, I'd say we all need to just relax and stop with the accusations.

[_dartagnan]

TD, then they are lying through their damn teeth.

[_The Dude]

On that MAD thread CaliforniaKid responed to this:

Maklelan did start a thread titled "Another Lawsuit is Threatened" but I don't believe there was ever a first one. Right after Gee's test appeared there was a lot of sqwaking on this board (from the defenders) about libel and slander from CaliforniaKid. On Mormondiscussions some of us joked that CaliforniaKid might get a process server on his doorstep if he gave out his address, but nobody said Gee had threatened to sue. I haven't found any quotes from Gee's test that preserved this threat -- maybe those were edited too. And perhaps the least valuable piece of evidence against this is my memory; I don't remember seeing that threat in Gee's silly test. I don't think it happened.

He said

That's my feeling as well.

....

[_The Dude]

I would like to hear from Will Shcryver. Did Gee tell him there could be a lawsuit against CaliforniaKid? Or was Will just blowing smoke again?

[_dartagnan]

You don't seriously think Will is going to say anything incriminating do you, no matter what Gee told him.

I am pretty certain that Daniel Peterson has also spoken of possible lawsuits, either on MAD or (probably) on ZLMB.

[_The Dude]

You don't seriously think Will is going to say anything incriminating do you, no matter what Gee told him.

It should be entertaining, at least.

I am pretty certain that Daniel Peterson has also spoken of possible lawsuits, either on MAD or (probably) on ZLMB.

Maybe he did, but it might be best to drop this unless you can support your recollections. in my opinion