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From: sethg@athena.mit.edu (Seth Gordon)
Newsgroups: news.admin,news.misc
Subject: JEDR, Templeton, and the law
Message-ID: <8386@bloom-beacon.MIT.EDU>
Date: 10 Dec 88 00:47:06 GMT
References: <13734@terminus.UUCP>
Sender: daemon@bloom-beacon.MIT.EDU
Reply-To: sethg@athena.mit.edu (Seth Gordon)
Organization: Thoughtcrime Associates: Miniluv Rm 101, London, Oceania
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nyssa@terminus.UUCP (The Prime Minister) in <13734@terminus.UUCP>:
`Well, if Brad can read this, according to my understanding of the
`laws down here, you will win a law suit for libel and defamation of
`character.

What *is* your understanding of the laws down here?  In order to win a
libel case, you have to prove the libeler made a *false* *and*
*damaging* statement about the libelee.  Sure, what JEDR has done might
have damaged Templeton's reputation, but was any of it *false*?

(If discussion of this continues, and I have time, I can dig up the AP
libel manual and look up the technical legal definition.)

Besides, a libel suit would cost JEDR a lot of money and time, even if
he won the suit.  To impose such a penalty on him, only for posting some
articles and talking to some reporters, sounds like... censorship.
Amusing, eh?

Also, according to my understanding of the laws up there, distributing
racist humor, as rec.humor.funny did, is *illegal* in Canada; a recent
K-W Record article quoted a member of the Canadian Human Rights
Commission as verifying this.

-- 
"Some people get results, I get consequences." --Jimmy Durante
: bloom-beacon!athena.mit.edu!sethg / standard disclaimer
: Seth Gordon / MIT Brnch., PO Box 53, Cambridge, MA 02139