ATS Was Shown on MSNBC

I guess ATS is getting free advertisement, very tragic way to get the attention, I wonder if indeed this attention is going to attract many new possible prospects to ATS.

Originally posted by Gools

"They pegged me as a school shooter earlier this year," Weise wrote last year in one of the dozens of postings he made on AboveTopSecret.com, which bills itself as the world's most popular site for conspiracies, coverups, UFOs and other such topics.

Nothing too damaging there in my opinion.

Hope it doesn't get spun into something it's not by some idiot reporter somewhere.

No, I agree. I think if this was going to be spun - it would have already happened. I think the Nazi sites are a much more juicy angle for the press to follow.

Just interesting that someone picked out that post from here.

B.

STOP!

Think!!!

Can someone explain how this is a dark spot on ATS?

This person came here.. so do thousands everyday and if you have not noticed.. The come everyday.. long before any of this happened.

ATS had nothing to do with this very ill person.. other than the fact that this was one among many places this person spent time online.

We are NOT mind readers.. none of us.. Not the Staff or members .... NO one from ATS or any place in that person's life was able to see this coming. So why after the fact are we going to worry about ATS?

I have no problem with the media or anyone talking about ATS.. because when you really look at it.. click on the new posts here.. look at ALL there is available here for discussion .. there is nothing to fear.. Nothing here that could have driven this person over the edge.

ATS is what it is because of the vision of the site owner.. we have nothing to fear.

You should stand proud of ATS.. we have nothing to hide and will welcome all who come here seeking answers to this or any of the issues we all love to discuss here.

Sad and tragic as it is that this person (Weise) did what he did.. All that there is here at ATS is just a peek into the mind of that very ill person.

No one here could have read his mind then or now.. Think about it.

I wish just like everyone here.. There was something that could have been done.. But the reality is ATS is not much more than a video store that this person may have visited to get tapes.. Thats it!!

I am proud of ATS... there is nothing to hide here.. The top staff have been open on this and nothing has been removed or changed.. That should tell you something.

My own mother now 67 years old visits ATS.. My kids.. all four of them read much of what is here .. well most of it.. not the stuff that bores them to death.

This much I can say.. If the media and world come to ATS looking for answers into what drove this person over the edge.. Guess what?

They will not find it here.. at best all they will find is a peek into the mind of a very insane person.

Stand proud of our community.

We have nothing to fear.. or to hide, and NO guilt in any of this.

We are just a website.. a discussion forum.

Gazz



[edit on 24-3-2005 by UM_Gazz]

thanks, Bleys for the links. IMHO, all anyone has to do is look around and know that we're a benevolent website, and we care about our fellow posters and conspiracies. Nothing shady here.

ATS is the best

Originally posted by UM_Gazz
We have nothing to fear.. or to hide, and NO guilt in any of this.

We are just a website.. a discussion forum.

Agreed!

Too bad we can't vote for mods.

My main point in my first post on this thread was simply that this site could be swamped by the attention. (i recall a thread about what would happen if ATS ever became famous but can't find it right now)

This is a GOOD thing and the vetting process will keep out the riff-raff.

.

My gut is telling me to remove Weise's posts and preserve them for law enforcement requests.

The nature of "deny ignorance" seems to say we should not help feed a media frenzy over a tragic event like this.

I don't think the posts should be removed.

Couldn't they be helpful in getting into the mind of a troubled person to identify similar signs in other people in the future?

Originally posted by SkepticOverlord
My gut is telling me to remove Weise's posts and preserve them for law enforcement requests.

The nature of "deny ignorance" seems to say we should not help feed a media frenzy over a tragic event like this.

Yeah but, we are a cover up, and Deny Ingorance web site if we where to cover this up wouldn't that be against this web site's idea?

Peace

Zintac

[edit on 24-3-2005 by Zintac]

Originally posted by Zintac

Originally posted by Nerdling
This is terrible.

Actually this is beyond terrible.

Yeah not the Best PR for the site thats for sure.
Be ready for a flood of people trying to sign up.

Peace

Zintac

I think that is why they changed the membership process

It just woudn't feel right to me to see those posts removed...I don't know why but I would just suggest to not do it....just MHO

Originally posted by SkepticOverlord
My gut is telling me to remove Weise's posts and preserve them for law enforcement requests.

My advice is gather and back them up ready to hand over if "compelled" to do so, but leave them on the boards. The thread with all of his posts was a good idea.

Anybody including "authorities" should be able to view them in context.

If you remove them it looks like your trying to hide something and could be misinterpreted as an admission of some kind of responsibility (either by way of commision (we encouraged him) or omission (we did not help him). I know we did neither but impressions count for something.

Understand?

Take my advice... leave them alone.

Gools

Gotta agree with SO right now.

Good ol' MSNBC. Giving Joe Scarborough with his mysterious dead intern in his office scandal his own TV show. Plus being a news organization with ties to GE which is doing contracted work in Iraq. At least they don't allow conflict of interest to get in the way of a good story. Hopefully they will treat ATS as well as they treat Joe over there.


[edit on 24-3-2005 by Frith]

Originally posted by Gools

Originally posted by SkepticOverlord
My gut is telling me to remove Weise's posts and preserve them for law enforcement requests.

My advice is gather and back them up ready to hand over if "compelled" to do so, but leave them on the boards. The thread with all of his posts was a good idea.

Anybody including "authorities" should be able to view them in context.

If you remove them it looks like your trying to hide something and could be misinterpreted as an admission of some kind of responsibility (either by way of commision (we encouraged him) or omission (we did not help him). I know we did neither but impressions count for something.

Understand?

Take my advice... leave them alone.

Gools

I agree with you 100% on that it would not be wise to remove them at all. This would on make the suspicion That we had somethimg to do with it. As it is now every one can see what he said and typed. And keeps the web sites hands clean.

Peace

Zintac

I get the impression the media isnt going to frenzy, that way. Aside from showing the high-profile nazi site he frequented, alot, all news references that I have read or heard(including about that site) do not point or gesture blame in any fashion except to Weise himself.

De: In the other school shootings you've studied, not only is there the immediate trauma, there is lingering guilt. There were warning signs, there were threats and nothing was done. ...

Newman: And many of them feel for years afterwards as though they are responsible, because they didn't come forward. But they're not. We can't blame them for not recognizing how troubled he was. They weren't following his scripts on the Web, either. None of us were.

School shooter followed video game-like ‘script’








[edit on 24-3-2005 by smirkley]

Originally posted by drfunk
aww we're gonna look like a bunch of nuts now!!

We're going to look like a bunch of nuts now??????????
HAHAHA

Leave the posts up...and who gives a ____ if ATS is "compelled" to hand the posts over. The website is based in England right? What's the jursidiction?
Remember - "Authority is an illusion in the mind of govenors" - Lao Tse

...and we shouldn't be a part of anyone's delusions....

Originally posted by digitalassassin
I think that is why they changed the membership process

NO!!

The change was implemented on the 21st of March.

The connection between Weise and ATS was made on the 22nd.

No doubt that the change must have been in the works for some time before that.

Again. Be careful of creating the wrong impression with speculation.

ATS did not implement the new policy because of this incident.
.

Originally posted by smirkley
I get the impression the media isnt going to frenzy, that way. Aside from showing the high-profile nazi site he frequented, all references (including that site) do not point or gesture in any fashion except to Weise himself.

Problem is i don't rember them saying what this web site was about on air. and they have printed Most of the web sites he went to Nazi sites.

Seeing the didn't mention what where all about it may be taken the wrong way.

Peace

Zintac

Originally posted by smirkley
I get the impression the media isnt going to frenzy, that way. Aside from showing the high-profile nazi site he frequented, all references (including that site) do not point or gesture in any fashion except to Weise himself.

The role of the internet has not been "played" as much as I expected - I hadn't thought about that until you posted this. Yes, they mentioned some sites, his screen names - but no fixing of blame that he had been indoctrinated, recruited or led astray by extremist ideas. The press seems to accept that this was a kid who had severe emotional and psychological problems and simply did the unthinkable.


B.