Free Speech & Privacy

I saw a post about the American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine v. Wikimedia et al lawsuit at Citizen Media Law Project:  Defamation action against Wikipedia

From Wikipedia Signpost:

American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine sues editors

Courthouse News Service reports that the American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine has filed a defamation lawsuit against the Wikimedia Foundation and ten anonymous editors over edits made to the organization’s Wikipedia article. The Wikimedia Foundation is widely thought to be protected by Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act against liability for defamatory edits made by its users (see Signpost coverage of a previous lawsuit). However, Seth Finkelstein points out that the court summons names Wikimedia “solely as a nominal Defendent”, which may indicate that Wikimedia is only named so that it can be made to provide identifying information about the individual editors who allegedly defamed the American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine.

The summons and complaint: http://www.courthousenews.com/2009/09/01/Wikipedia.pdf

The 1998 NYT article:  Anti-Aging Potion Or Poison?

In my search for the current status of this suit, I found this article:

Quackbusters Sue Each Other - All is Not Well in Scumville … — an extremely interesting article by Tim Bolan about landmark case Barrett v. Rosenthal.

And after reading Tim Bolan’s front page, it is clear that he is NO fan of Wikipedia!

Wikipedia Doesn’t Like Me …

January 2nd, 2010 - Wikipedia’s General Counsel, Mike Godwin, is sending me nasty emails.  Apparently he doesn’t like me telling people how bad Wikipedia actually is, and he definitely doesn’t want me telling you what to do about it – when it effects you personally.  He actually, the other day, said I “was trying to destroy Wikipedia…”

Stand back while I turn down my testosterone levels.

Even though, in some ways, it feels good to have some people think I’m that kind of powerful, I can’t really claim credit for what’s happening to Wikipedia. The whole world is beginning to realize that Wikipedia is being run by the social equivalent of a pimply twelve year old.

Wikipedia is coming apart.  What I’m offering is a remedy for its victims.  How?  I’m telling people how to sue Wikipedians in the Courts to stop them from victimizing others.  I’ve got the formula to beat them (and I’ll tell what that is further into the article) – and Mike Godwin doesn’t want me to talk about it.  He says:

“Thank you providing evidence of intent to engage in strategic litigation aimed at shutting down Wikipedia.”

Yup, he really said that.  Let me adjust that testosterone knob one more time.

…”

The article is a great read, especially if you’re interested in “global warming”, climate gate and one person allegedly changing and deleting thousands of related articles at Wiki.

It is mind boggling to read these allegations about Wiki.  I just recently posted Wiki: SLAPP suits defined and major cases — and I didn’t see any mention of the suit against Wiki!

I’m a publisher with NO budget for lawyers and I expose fraudsters and crooks.

Of course they have the money for expensive attorneys.  I got no help from EFF or any of the other organizations when I was sued because I refused to delete “all references” to the subjects of my investigations.

It would be great if the recently introduced FEDERAL anti-SLAPP legislation would actually become law, but it would be even better NOT to have to litigate at all.

Can’t we somehow AVOID all this litigation?

Litigation is a complete waste of time, money and resources.  There is NOTHING positive to achieve.  Discovery is conducted PRIVATELY off the public record. MOST lawsuits are settled with confidentiality agreements and we don’t even know what REALLY happened.

I think we need to change the law to require ALL internet publishers to provide notice of dispute by any person who feels defamed and to include a LINK to that person’s website with THEIR version of the truth and whatever documentation they wish to post.

Let the PUBLIC decide who is right — based on the PUBLISHED evidence, available free of charge for anyone interested in the issues. Let us be the judge and jury.

Of course I requested identification of false statements when doctor Tameira Hollander and her attorney Irving Johnson demanded deletion of all “REFERENCES” to her and to a website of a person claiming that doctor Hollander almost killed his wife.

I also requested that Learned Jeremiah Hand, CEO Wellstone Filters Sciences (OTCBB: WFSN) provide me with a listing of false statements at my site and most important, he should have explained to me what he did to identify the persons who illegally pumped and dumped Wellstone Filters shares. I asked CEO Hand REPEATEDLY since 2005 and I never received a substantive response.

Who are the criminals?   CEO Hand did nothing to find out who illegally manipulated his company’s shares?  Did he and/or his friends and relatives profit from the dump and pump?   Just asking …  is that ok?  Is it ok to discuss the illegal market manipulation of a PUBLICLY traded company at a public website?

Instead of answering my questions, both doctor Tameira Hollander and Learned Jeremiah Hand SUED me and they eventually got warrants for my arrest for publishing the TRUTH and for asking questions –  because they have attorneys and I don’t, because we have too many crooks in robes and because there is essentially NO assistance from the free speech organizations for bloggers in lower courts.

As direct result of the Hollander and Wellstone lawsuits I received MUCH fewer reader comments at my sites and sources are even afraid to contact me privately.

After all, who wants to be sued and maybe even jailed?

Be afraid, be VERY afraid!

I’m willing to be imprisoned and go on a hunger strike to ensure that the word about all these issues gets out.

I can’t CHANGE that America turned into a fascist country, I can only try to draw attention to the corrupt system, as documented by the court filings and exhibits in my cases.

Filed under: Free Speech and tagged defamation, Wiki