Here are some words that I put last week to the comments section of the blog entry titled “Rob Can Be Exhausting and Perhaps Does Not Recognize Well-Supported Contrary Views As Well As I Wish He Would”:
“Alleged,” Azanon? Excuse me?
There are Post Archives. If you have any doubts, you can check.
My understanding is that you posted at the Early Retirement Forum. If that is so, then you were there in person to see for yourself.
Please do not insult my readers with use of the word “alleged.”
If you are afraid of what the internet sewer rats will do to you if you post honestly on the process questions, I understand. I am thrilled to have your contributions on the substance side, which help us all sort out these important matters.
But please do not insult my readers with use of the word “alleged” when describing the tactics employed by the internet sewer rats who through their dishonesty and abusiveness have brought on the second worst economic crisis in U.S. history. There are thousands of smart and good people in our communities. It is an insult to them to suggest that they would be tolerating the most vicious smear campaign in the history of the internet (by a factor of 50) if there were anything “alleged” about the threats of physical violence put forward by Lindauer and Greaney and those posting in “defense” of them.
The threat that Greaney put forward to have my wife and two boys killed in the event that I continued to post honestly on the safe withdrawal rate matter was not “alleged,” Azanon. The mother of those two boys did not view those threats as “alleged.” Neither did the office of the congressman (Rep. Frank Wolf) to which I reported them. Neither did the Purcellville police department. Neither did the special internet crimes office to which I was referred by the police department and which has opened a file on this matter.
I intend to bring legal actions against the internet sewer rats and against the site owners and blog owners who have tolerated them despite their clear promises to protect community members posting honestly from these sorts of individuals. There will be nothing “alleged” about the financial damages that these people will be paying in days to come. Many, many people have been hurt in very serious ways by the actions of the internet sewer rats (including the internet sewer rats themselves, to be sure). There is nothing even a tiny bit “alleged” about any of this.
Posts put to internet boards and blogs are recorded in Post Archives, Azanon. Please do not insult the intelligence of my readers by pretending that you do not know this. Any time you experience any doubts about any of this, you have Post Archives that you can check. Here is a link to the discussion board run by John Greaney, the author of one of the discredited SWR studies:
http://www.s152957355.onlinehome.us/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl?board=HOCO
That material is not “alleged.” It appears on the computer screen of any person who clicks on the link above. I know. I have checked.
Rob
what says
So…where is the threat? I just saw a link to a hilariously bizarre forum.
Rob says
Um — good point, What.
Truly outstanding post!!!
Rob
Evidence Based Investing says
“Alleged,” Azanon? Excuse me?
There are Post Archives. If you have any doubts, you can check.
Well he could check if you actually produced a link to what you claim occurred.
You have also added a claim about “threats of physical violence put forward by Lindauer and Greaney”. But you have not produced a link to those either.
You don’t seem to trust your readers to make up their own minds by examining the issue themselves.
And yes Rob, I know that this is an outstanding post, you don’t have to tell me.
Rob says
You don’t seem to trust your readers to make up their own minds by examining the issue themselves.
The ones who believe that honesty in investing discussions is important have more than enough material available to them just in this thread to figure out what is going on, Evidence. The ones who are so emotionally invested in Get RIch Quick investing as to be willing to overlook even death threats so long as they are put forward by those posting in support of Get Rich Quick are not going to open their minds because a link happens to appear in the thread.
You yourself are compelling testimony to this reality, Evidence. You have been present in the room when tons of manure was dumped on those expressing a desire that honest posting on SWRs and other important investing topics be permitted at the Retire Early and Indexing boards. Have you ever so much as let out a peep of protest? If “yes,” can you provide us with a link? (That’s a joke.)
I know that this is an outstanding post, you don’t have to tell me.
It’s not just that it is outstanding, Evidence. It is truly outstanding. Respect must be paid.
Anyway, just to cover the wildly unlikely possibility that there is even one person in any of the communities who remains not entirely clear on my position following nine years of this garbage, Rob Bennett opposes death threats and the other intimidation tactics that have been employed by the internet sewer rats posting in “defense” of Lindauer and Greaney. I favor the idea of the site administrators at all of the various boards and blogs honoring their promises to protect us from this sewage.
I would be grateful for anything you could do to spread the word to all corners of the internet, Evidence. You would be doing me a big favor and I would not forget.
Please take care, my old friend.
Rob
what says
The only thing I see in this thread are things that _you said_ with a generic link that are pretty much completely uncorroborated. You might as well have linked to Wikipedia.
So, I guess if you can’t actually produce a link to these grave threats that one does not exist because posting links is a pretty damn easy thing to do!
This sounds like crazy jibberjabber to me.
Rob says
I’m going to put you down as “Remains Undecided,” What.
I’m confident that I’ll win you over in the end, though. Maybe the next one will do the trick.
Rob
Evidence Based Investing says
I would be grateful for anything you could do to spread the word to all corners of the internet, Evidence. You would be doing me a big favor and I would not forget.
Just as soon as you produce a single link to these death threats or threats of violence, I will spread the news to any investing blog, discussion forum or board that I can find.
Absent evidence, I won’t be getting involved.
Rob says
Fair enough, Evidence. Thanks for stopping by.
Oh, my — What John Bogle hath wrought!
Rob