“Everyone Who Was Aware of the Error Was Under an Obligation to Point It Out. When People Are Intimidated Into Silence Through the Use of Criminal Acts, It Plants a False Impression in the Minds of All Community Members. They Think: ‘The Study Must Be Accurate Given That No One Is Saying That It Is Not.'”

Set forth below is the text of a comment that I recently posted to the discussion thread for another blog entry at this site:

Everyone’s ideas are out there.  Your opinion doesn’t count any more than anyone else, and there is no obligation to allow you to have free reign on anyone else’s board, just like you don’t allow it on your board.

No.

My opinion certainly doesn’t count more than anyone else’s. I obviously agree with that much.

But every site owner absolutely has an obligation to take action when people seeking to “defend” the Greaney retirement study engage in criminal acts (threats of violence, extortion, etc.) to suppress discussion of the error he made in it (he failed to include a valuation adjustment). People discussed the Greaney study at the old Motley Fool board on a daily basis. People handed in resignations from high-paying corporate jobs because of what Greaney said in that study. Everyone who was aware of the error was under an obligation to point it out. When people are intimidated into silence through the use of criminal acts, it plants a false impression in the minds of all community members. They think: “The study must be accurate given that no one is saying that it is not.” There would have been LOTS of people pointing out the error if no intimidation tactics had been employed.

I believe that the same laws that apply in every field of human endeavor outside of the investment advice field should apply in the investment advice field as well. That is my sincere take.

My best and warmest wishes to you and yous, Anonymous.

Rob