The Long And Winding Post
Originally posted by SkepticOverlord
(Thanks for hanging in on this rambling long rant converted from notes for a podcast. I received advice on creating long posts from Majic so hopefully
it worked out.)
You're doing great!
Of course, I would be a poor mentor if I didn't have
some criticism for you. Double the post length and the per-word syllable count and you
may well be ready to advance from Padawan to Apprentice.
The People's Court
Originally posted by Springer
Bottom line of this mess is we are pursuing legal action. This will not stand as it is. Our acceptable remedy will be: they adjust the
presentation of the content to meet the Creative Commons rules we sent them in the first emails and they remove the nasty slander and outright lies
against Simon Gray, SkepticOverlord and myself in their blog.
We don't want any damages, we don't want anything but them to follow the rules. If they would've been decent in the beginning we wouldn't have to
deal with this now. They weren't, so deal with it we will.
While it's regrettable that this has become necessary, and I hold out hope that a settlement may yet be reached in lieu of trial, I am proud to see
the ATS staff stand up for our community.
It's easy to think of this as a staff-only matter, but it's not. What SOTT is doing is not just wrong, it's an offense to
every member of
ATS.
They haven't just stolen from us, but they have insulted us on top of that.
These things can be forgiven, but not until they decide to do the right thing, comply with the law and make reasonable amends for their wrongful
deeds.
If that requires legal action, then so be it, and god speed.
Mad Dogs And Englishmen
Originally posted by Springer
EDIT: One other thing we have going for us is the LLP (AboveTopSecret.com, LLP) is a British Company registered with Company House in the U.K.
This gives us status as a European Union Entity which will come in handy pursuing someone in France.
Jolly good show old chap, and whatnot.
Shill Game
Some readers of my posts may wonder why the hell I'm such a cheerleader for the ATS staff, especially after having been a Councilor for only a single
session.
Any good conspiracy theorist would ask: Am I a
shill?
No, I'm not. My only association with the staff has been as a member, Councilor representing my fellow members and as a member of the Deny Ignorance
Steering Committee (DISC), which leverages the opinions and expertise of certain members for certain projects as needed.
Ironically, it is my access to the DISC forum in particular which has had possibly the strong influence on my opinion.
The DISC forum contains a lot of information, including “behind the scenes” threads, which document many things that went on before I ever became
a member here.
ATS Secrets: Revealed!
When I first gained access to DISC, I took it upon myself to read through much of the older threads and see what sort of “dirt” I could dig up. I
mean hey, wouldn't you, given the chance?
It's natural and in-character for conspiracy theorists to assume that the veil of secrecy which surrounds ATS is there to cover up sinister plots and
evil deeds. After all, our curious and suspicious nature is what leads most of us to ATS in the first place.
What I found, however, in looking back through what amounts to a sampling of the “archives”, was a surprise – a pleasant surprise.
I discovered that there's really no difference (that I could see, anyway) between how the senior staff behaves “behind closed doors” and how they
conduct themselves publicly. Sure, there's stuff they won't mention publicly, but it's always for good reason.
Granted, I haven't been privy to moderators-only forums such as Cosmic or the Trash Bin (where I must imagine some REAL juicy tidbits may be found),
but based on what I
have had access to, when it comes to the ATS staff, what you see is what you get.
SOTT accuses ATS of being some sort of government-run COINTELPRO operation. Nothing I have seen at any time nor in any place even remotely suggests
this is true.
My respect for the ATS staff goes up as my knowledge of them goes up.
Folks, that is a very good thing, and one of the reasons I'm such a loyal ATS
fanboi now.
The ATS staff may not be perfect, but they
ARE ethical.
They practice what they preach, and that has earned my utmost respect.
Can I Get A Witness
Of course, maybe I really
am just a shill, and a COINTELPRO agent to boot, right? A “sock puppet” for The Man, perhaps?
Well, if I am, then I would be a fool to publicly say what I'm about to say.
Public Deposition
I am not an employee, contractor, agent, representative, proxy, functionary or surrogate for any government organization. I am also not an employee or
contractor of any corporation or business entity of which I do not have complete control.
I speak, write and act of my own free will and represent the interests of no one but myself.
My association with the ownership and staff of ATS is solely as a member of the website and community, and at no time has any member of the ATS staff
ever coached me to say any of what I have said about ATS.
I have no financial, personal, legal or any other connection with any member of the ATS staff except for those stated here and a small number of
private communications via U2U, and in a couple of cases via Skype (Skype rox!).
My experiences with the ATS staff as a member, Councilor and Deny Ignorance Steering Committee member have established to me beyond doubt the
exemplary character and integrity of the ATS ownership and staff.
They have earned my respect and I am not at all ashamed to say it whenever I can.
I am also willing to assert these facts in a sworn deposition if called upon to do so in any legal proceeding at the request of the ownership of
ATS.
I would prefer not to, however, because doing so would reveal my true identity, and I prefer to keep that off the public record.
However, I would do so if the ATS ownership asked me to.
Handling The Truth
I have seen many accusations leveled against the ATS staff and membership that I know for an irrefutable fact are false.
And not just false, but slanderous and defamatory as well.
The ATS staff is gracious and forbearing, but I caution that it would be foolish to mistake their good nature for stupidity.
Here's hoping that those who have made this distressing mistake will be inspired to correct it soon.
Very sincerely,
Majic
Proud ATS Member