Maureen O'Gara No Longer Welcome at LinuxWorld 727
flood6 writes "On the heels of yesterday's article about unrest at LinuxWorld, editor James Turner is reporting in his blog that Sys-Con Media has decided to purge Maureen O'Gara from the print and online publications." From the post: "Sys-con Media listened to what I and my fellow editors, their advertisers and the readership was saying, and made the correct decision. Maureen O'Gara's bylined material will no longer appear anywhere in the Sys-con universe of sites or publications. We have received this commitment in writing from Fuat Kircaali, the publisher." PJ at Groklaw also has commentary on this development.
Hey (Score:3, Funny)
Ding Dong the Witch Is Dead (Score:5, Interesting)
Incidentally, was I the only person who felt that insinuating that PJ's religion was wacko was particularly ironic, given that Maureen's paymasters at SCO were based in Utah, home of the not-exactly-christian-orthodox Church of the Latter Day Saints.
Re:Ding Dong the Witch Is Dead (Score:4, Informative)
Re:Ding Dong the Witch Is Dead (Score:5, Interesting)
Remember, this is a case involving a self described gun nut who travels under assumed names [deseretnews.com]
This same nut in a company conference call described hiring people to follow PJ.This is a case involving "suicides" [sltrib.com] of people who have disagreements with the SCO management team that even SCO supporters can't explain (DiDio calling it "shocking and mystifying" and even Enderle [harktheherald.com] saying "Why commit suicide right after the settlement when the people you wanted gone are gone? The timing doesn't seem right, given that things were presumably going her way as far as the lawsuit was concerned".
Given the context, death isn't funny, even when talking about wicked witches like OGara.
Re:Ding Dong the Witch Is Dead (Score:4, Informative)
PJ has made that exact point on her latest GrowLaw post, explicitly stating that she does not believe in suicide and has been advised by law enforcement authorities to make that point publicly in advance.
I doubt O'Gara has any intention of committing suicide - vicious fucktards rarely do.
Re:Ding Dong the Witch Is Dead (Score:4, Insightful)
"believe in [noun] existing" : "I believe in the moon landing."
"believe in the trustworthiness of [noun]" : "I believe in my spouse"
"believe in the competence of [noun]" : "believe in yourself! You can do it!"
One of the most frustrating things about speaking with many people is that they will engage in the false equivocation fallacy of switching between those totally unrelated things and keep using the same phrase for all of them, thereby propping up all sorts of fallacies about nonbelievers.
Re:Ding Dong the Witch Is Dead (Score:5, Informative)
Anyone else feel that this post is just as as bad? Welcome to the muck and the mire. You are now exactly what you claim to hate.
Frankly if a member of the LDS church did okay such an insult it would be a violation of one of the Articles Of Faith. This one to be exact.
11 We claim the privilege of worshiping Almighty God according to the dictates of our own conscience, and allow all men the same privilege, let them worship how, where, or what they may
BTW a good number of Linux uses and developers are LDS. Novell is based in Utah after all. Not only that but BYU is very Linux friendly.
Here is the a page on using the BYUTV.org streams with Linux. http://www.byutv.org/streaming/linux.asp [byutv.org]
And here is a link to the BYU users group. http://uug.byu.edu/links.php [byu.edu]
Re:Since it sounds like you understand this... (Score:5, Informative)
Groklaw = Site run by PJ. pro-linux, OSS, free software site. Particularly anti-SCO as well.
Maureen O'Gara = Journalist who is either a paid shill for SCO or just amazingly sensationalistic.
Apparently there was some mystery about exactly who PJ is and what her credentials are since Groklaw is such an influential site in the SCO/IBM case. O'Gara found out who she is, and definitely overstepped the bounds of decency by publishing street addresses for her and her son.
People were pissed, so O'Gara's articles have been pulled off some web sites. Apparently the publisher's sense of moral outrage only kicked in when facing advertising boycotts.
Tempest in a teacup, but interesting none the less.
Re:Since it sounds like you understand this... (Score:5, Funny)
I do not believe the world works the way you think it does...
Re:Since it sounds like you understand this... (Score:4, Insightful)
I have no complaint about her discussion of the religion, as that provides context about an interesting subject. Publishing her mother's address is not ethical, and is borderline criminal.
--
Evan
Re:Since it sounds like you understand this... (Score:5, Informative)
The trigger for this whole fiasco, though, was a recent article by her. It was, to be blunt, venemous, and dirty. It published details about PJ (the maintaner of Groklaw)'s home address, her mother's home address, some supposed details about her religion, and used all of this in a really nasty attempt at ad hominem to conclude that groklaw was run by crazies who wouldn't know logic if it hit them in the face.
It has, thankfully, blown up in Ms O'Gara's face, which goes to show that there is some small sliver of justice in the world.
Re:Since it sounds like you understand this... (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Since it sounds like you understand this... (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Since it sounds like you understand this... (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Since it sounds like you understand this... (Score:4, Insightful)
Yeah, but scum have a way of rising back to the top of the pond. Keep an eye on her career. Wouldn't surprise me to see her show up in Washington as a lobbyist.
Re:Since it sounds like you understand this... (Score:4, Interesting)
Could the issue of illegal access to sealed documents as implied on Groklaw be a motive to her attempt to get all documents in the case unsealed, as well as the recent attacks on PJ? Should be interesting to see what comes of that...
Re:Since it sounds like you understand this... (Score:5, Insightful)
How about if she shook hands with the brother of the boss of a programmer who went to school with a guy who later worked for a boss who once owned an IBM PC for a few years before replacing it with a Compaq?
I'd say she'd be discredited if she was actually paid by IBM, but just living in the same city? Give me a fucking break.
Re:Since it sounds like you understand this... (Score:4, Informative)
>SCO's problems are always reported as crippling
>flaws, IBM's problems are "setbacks". It's a very
>nice PR job
I'll give you the benefit of the doubt and believe that you are not just trolling:
You don't need public relations to make people hate SCO. Everybody hated SCO even before groklaw started.
On the other hand, you need someone like MOG, to get a few people like you believe that SCO actually has something.
An example:
Not a long time ago the Judge (after many,many requests from SCO, of course) ordered IBM to produce all "non-public contributions to linux" they made.
See, there are no "non-public contributions to linux". It is not possible. What you are going to do, hack into kernel.org and plant the code when everybody is looking the other way?
Still MOG paints this as a major setback and a slap in the hand for IBM, while Groklaw obviously does not.
Naturally in a few months SCO and MOG will be like "IBM STILL HASN'T PRODUCED THAT LINUXCODE THOSE BASTARDS". If she still has a job that is...
Re:Since it sounds like you understand this... (Score:3, Funny)
This idiot's post is modded "insightful"?
I guess Maureen doesn't have a job, so she's modding
Re:Since it sounds like you understand this... (Score:5, Insightful)
Why is PJ's identity or religious affiliation relevant in any way? Groklaw is a resource for all the legal activity. Do you have some complaint against the factualness of what's being reported on Groklaw, or do you think a stalker's guide and ad hominen attack is the same as evidence? Groklaw isn't about PJ. It doesn't matter who PJ is. What matters is that SCO has been exposed by many people as having no real basis in fact for their claims. PJ has created a site that has successfully put the information out there, but the information is public record.
So do you have a complaint about information posted on Groklaw, or do you think that learning where PJ lives or how she lives is the same as a legally supportable argument?
Re:Since it sounds like you understand this... (Score:4, Interesting)
In regards to other FOSS issues, PJ does a terrible terrible job, presenting mainly Opinion (her opinion) as topic, with chitterings of approval coming from her chorus.
Re:Since it sounds like you understand this... (Score:5, Insightful)
Therefore I ask: are you aware of any factual inaccuracies on Groklaw? If so, did you make PJ aware of them? If so, did she amend or retract the article, if not did she give any justifcation.
And what, precisely was the disputed data?
PJ has co-orindated the collection of a body of high quality data. If you have evidence that contradicts that on groklaw, then I expect PJ will be glad to set the record straight. If you have better arguments, state them! She will probably print those too.
But if your best argument involves the lady's religion, her alleged employer, her work experience then you have nothing to say at all.
Re:Since it sounds like you understand this... (Score:3, Interesting)
I'm in an IBM town and given their penchant for laying people off to minimize retirement expenditures, I can assure you that my opinion is not biased in their favor.
I'm inclined to think that you've never been to IBM Vermont. IBM Vermont employs a few thousand workers, total.
Re:Mod Parent Flamebait (Score:4, Informative)
Well, I'd call that a pretty subjective and ill-informed judgement. Trying to keep away from the flamebait and encourage civil discourse, I'm aware of a lot of people who consider the LDS practice of post-mortem "baptism" at least odd, and some people were mightily offended when it was found that they were applying it to Jewish victims of the Holocaust. [cnn.com]
Of course, if we want to visit the historical files, then the LDS's history of polygamy and "blood atonement" [xmission.com] (murdering the sinner, commonly for adultery, but sometimes just for leaving the church or challenging the leadership or being in the wrong place at the wrong time) would make a lovely flamefest. The modern LDS formally repudiated "blood atonement" in 1978, but major splinter sects still advocate it [myeldorado.net].
But yes, it's pretty far afield for slashdot, and most individual Mormons are "good folk".
Re:Mod Parent Flamebait (Score:4, Informative)
Jews used to practice polygamy and many muslims still do ("legally" up to 4 wives if the husband is able to financially support each of them, so none of this wife-is-another-name-for-slave business, at least in theory) and I'm pretty sure that a lot of early Christain sects had similar views. So, in a judeo-christain world, polygamy really isn't terribly extreme and offensiveness is as much in the eye of the beholder as it is in the practice itself.
Finally (Score:4, Insightful)
Nah Nah Nah Nah (Score:3, Funny)
Nah Nah Nah Nah,
Hey Hey Hey
GOODBYE!
And please don't let the door hit you in the ass on the way out.
Re:How the hell is this funny? (Score:3, Funny)
Yes, it's true. This man has no dick.
Well, that's what I heard!
Of course (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Of course (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:Of course (Score:4, Insightful)
All i hoped for was to bring it to the light of the advertisers if anything
Everyone who did anything to help should be proud they took a stand
It was most likely a combination of things , The editors threatening a walk out , outrageous bad press on slashdot and other sites, the fact the articals were pretty much actionable and so on.
It may be a bit cheesy but there is still alot of truth the "Every vote counts " meme . If more people belived in it then it is one of those things that does grow in strentgh when you belive as you yourself get off your chair and do something about it
I totaly agree with you it was most likely the Horrible PR and the advertisers noticing , but i disagree with your sentiment that people shouldnt congratualte themselves for aiding things here
Perhaps im just a soppy left wing liberal with a bit too strong a belife in the power of the people . Who knows though
Re:Of course (Score:3, Interesting)
Interesting article at Groklaw... (Score:5, Funny)
Why did it take so long? (Score:4, Interesting)
Why did a magazine called LinuxWorld continue to print garbage by someone who is so obviously anti-Linux?
Re:Why did it take so long? (Score:5, Interesting)
Advertisers are a very important source of revenue, and for some the most important one. Have a look at Slashdot stories and keep the phrase "advertisers pay money" in your mind at the same time. Hmh, the average Slashdotter should edit /etc/login.conf and increase maxproc-max from 1 to 2 while doing this. They would need to relogin after this change, though.
Don't be so cynical (Score:4, Insightful)
One way that trade magazines stay afloat is that they offer advertisers the value proposition of having a carefully targeted readership. If you're selling consulting services around MySQL and you advertise in LinuxWorld, you can safely assume that you're reaching an audience with a much higher likelihood of being receptive to your message than if you were advertising in the Daily Mirror. That's not just an assumption advertisers make -- it's a fact that's aggressively promoted by the sales force of any trade magazine.
If your magazine is losing readers, however, or even perceived as losing readers, rest assured that the advertisers will realize it even before your CEO does. This kind of bad publicity isn't worth it for any magazine, even if some evil corporate brain behind LinuxWorld had a secret agenda to destroy Linux. You can't push a secret agenda if you go out of business, and it sounds like the salespeople at Sys-Con wisely saw that this was the way this was heading if the bad press lasted much longer or got much more inflated.
Re:Don't be so cynical (Score:3, Insightful)
Start looking at ownership of media and what "journalists" write negatively about. What do you find? Objective, critical and informative journalism? Hardly.
Re:Why did it take so long? (Score:4, Insightful)
A dissenting viewpoint is one thing, a misinformed, spiteful, dissenting viewpoint is another thing altogether. Maureen was the worst sort of "hack" reporter, and even her good pieces were filled with holes big enough to drive a Mac truck through. Basically Maureen got all of her information from the same lying scoundrels at SCO that halucinated about imaginary MIT rocket scientists, and mountains of infringing code, and she continued to spout their drivel long after all of the other pro-SCO reports like DiDio and Enderle decided that it would be better to go hide under a rock.
Then MOG topped off her reporting career with an expose that dripped hate, published private information about an individual, and ridiculed a major organized religion. That piece had no business being published in any professional publication. Heck, even the Weekly World News doesn't pull those sorts of tricks.
A dissenting opinion is one thing, but publishing that sort of junk makes the entire publication look bad. It wasn't a dissenting opinion, it was a jealous rant from a so-called reporter that was tired of having PJ rub the truth in her face. If it had been posted here on Slashdot it would probably have been modded down to -5 Troll, and that's saying something. Sys-Con's stock in trade is its credibility, and after publishing that piece their credibility dropped through the floor.
No advertiser wants to be a part of that sort of journalism, and that's especially true seeing as how most of Sys-Con's advertisers are very Free Software friendly. The advertisements I saw around the story were for companies like Monarch Computers (a Linux VAR), Arkeia, and EV1 (they are probably very tired of SCO at this point). An intelligent, and trustworthy, dissenting opinion is one thing, but MOG was neither intelligent nor trustworthy.
too little, too late... (Score:3, Interesting)
they are most certainly not acting because it was the right thing to do.
sum.zero
Here's the commentary from Groklaw... (Score:5, Informative)
Sys-Con has decided to listen to its editors, who took a very courageous stand, its readers and advertisers and will no longer publish any of Maureen O'Gara's writings. Here is the story, from James Turner, Senior Editor of LinuxWorld, who, together with Dee-Ann LeBlanc, forced the issue by announcing Sys-Con would have to choose between them and O'Gara:
The good news is, the right thing happened in the end. Sys-con Media listened to what I and my fellow editors, their advertisers and the readership was saying, and made the correct decision. Maureen O'Gara's bylined material will no longer appear anywhere in the Sys-con universe of sites or publications. We have received this commitment in writing from Fuat Kircaali, the publisher. Checking around the web sites this morning, I can see that her material is already almost entirely gone, I assume the remainder will dribble out over the next few days. Now we can return to producing a world-class web site and print magazine, with the kind of editorial control that we think is critical. You showed your support for our position, I hope you'll be equally kind to us with your readership.
My faith in the human race is restored. I do thank all those who took such a stand, publicly and privately. It means so much to me to know that there is still a line, an ethical line, and some things that we agree we ought never to do to a fellow human. Sometimes, covering the SCO saga, you can start to wonder what has happened to the human race. SCO's fundamental problem is, they never see that line until they have crossed it. Then they wonder why they are failing as a company and in their litigation.
By the way, we found out how many comments we can have before the software sinks, on the last story. It seems 1,181 is our natural limit, so please don't add any more comments to that story. We are holding on by our fingertips, while MathFox works his wonders. It's never happened before. Remember when we had to move away from Radio Userland because we were having too many comments for the software? Well, again we have so many comments the software is groaning. Here, we can make the necessary changes to be able to grow right where we stand. Your outpouring of support made a difference. I fell asleep with a smile on my face, believe it or not. I had no idea so many people cared so much about Groklaw and about me. I thank you all very much. I'll remember yesterday all the days of my life.
Here's the commentary from Groklaw's webmaster (Score:5, Informative)
The REAL commentary from Groklaw's webmaster (Score:3, Funny)
Re:Here's the commentary from Groklaw's webmaster (Score:4, Funny)
Summary not clear (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:Summary not clear (Score:4, Informative)
Re:Summary not clear (Score:3, Informative)
Re:Summary not clear (Score:3, Informative)
One Letter Away from (Score:3, Funny)
'n good riddance
On whores (Score:4, Insightful)
What is reprehensible and really hard to stomach is that she stooped to such lows as attacking Ms. Jones privacy.
Reminds me of the methods of a science fiction space opera nut cult.
Re:On whores (Score:5, Funny)
Where in San Francisco is this Tenderloin district you speak of?
Re:On whores (Score:3, Informative)
Bounded on four sides by Geary Street (top), Market Street and the Civic Center (bottom), Van Ness Avenue (left), and Powell Street (right).
Currently called "Little Saigon" as most of the population is now Vietnamese.
Actually, most of the hookers are found up around Larkin and Post just above the Tenderloin. Wander around there at two in the morning to see what I mean.
And, yes, many of them are Asian transsexuals - and believe me, most of those you cannot tell the difference - especially in the dark.
Ju
Re:On whores (Score:3, Funny)
Upon consideration; you're right, AC.
I hereby apologise to all hard working San Francisco crack whores for my truely unfair statement. Girls, you shine in comparison with Ms. O'Gara!
Is it enough? (Score:3, Insightful)
An ad-hominem cheap shot (Score:3, Funny)
Which old witch? The wicked witch!
Ding, dong, the wicked witch is dead!
Where will she go? (Score:3, Insightful)
It's not a question of if she'll show up again, but when. There's too much at stake for the other side to allow such a willing tool to go unused.
My bet that she starts her own blog. That way she can have a platform to expound on her quirky worldview, without these pesky editor types watching over her shoulder.
Or she may choose a new pseudo'nym and start writing about life in White Plains, Westchester [yahoo.com], and anyplace north of the East River and east of Long Island Sound. She seems really fascinated by that area. O'bsessed, you might say.
Some background info... (Score:5, Informative)
"Editor in chief"? (Score:5, Interesting)
Without evidence of the contrary , I must however assume she is still "Editor in chief" of "Linux Business Week" and thus still getting paid by sys-con.
The only thing which was made clear is that she could not publish articles authored by herself anymore.
Cheers,
Andre
Loss of Advertisers must have put pressure on (Score:3, Interesting)
But I still want to see her around. She and her kind have done more to help Linux than have hurt it. Everytime they FUD, they get called on it. MOG, Dido, Enderle, Dvorack, IDG, Gartner, etc. are losing their credibility.
Ok, what was she thinking? (Score:4, Insightful)
Did someone pay MOG enough to compensate for losing what little credibility she had left? I don't believe that - not because this would be "too evil" but because it would be plain stupid.
Phew. I'm seriously baffled.
Who is MOG? (Score:4, Informative)
The Growlaw site is at least truthful. Documents are retrieved, or linked from the court, volunteers go to the court sessions and write what actually occurred. MO'G wouldn't have attracted so much attention if she had at least been a little more intelligent about how she wrote her stories about the trial. I mean,lots of journalists are writing the story, and some are SCO positive, and they aren't attracting the same level of criticism that she is.
Hopefully this helps a few of the people who were unsure of who MO'G is, and if you want more information, go to the Groklaw site.
Simply Amazing... (Score:4, Funny)
Warning: mysql_connect(): User groklaw has already more than 'max_user_connections' active connections in
Cannnot connect to DB server
Editors (Score:5, Interesting)
Don't most people expect writers to bring drafts and editors tweak before publishing? I mean did NO ONE on staff read this article before it went live? Did they just hand her a publish account and let her loose?
She sounds like scum, but there's some serious procedure problems as well that allowed this kind of work to happen.
Re:Editors (Score:4, Informative)
O'Gara May Have Violated Federal Law (Score:5, Interesting)
If I were P.J., I'd be filing charges on O'Gara right now. Her actions are likely sufficient to fall under 18 USC 875(c), the Interstate Stalking Punishment and Prevention Act of 1996. She traveled across state lines in an effort to violate the privacy of an individual who has quite reasonable fear for her safety. O'Gara may also be liable under New York's anti-stalking laws as well [state.ny.us].
At the very least, I'd be filing for a restraining order by now.
Furthermore, Sys-Con was exceptionally negligent in ever allowing that sort of thing to be published. Not only is it a gross and blatant violation of journalistic ethics, but it's quite possibly opened them up to a devastating legal action.
It's beyond disgusting that something like that would ever be published - most bloggers wouldn't dream of pulling crap like that, but to have a supposedly "professional" organization allow potentially libelous and obviously private information to be disseminated is absolutely unconscionable.
Re:O'Gara May Have Violated Federal Law (Score:4, Interesting)
The last few comments i read from PJ (before Groklaw got
Re:O'Gara May Have Violated Federal Law (Score:4, Interesting)
If I were P.J., I'd be filing charges on O'Gara right now. Her actions are likely sufficient to fall under 18 USC 875(c), the Interstate Stalking Punishment and Prevention Act of 1996. She traveled across state lines in an effort to violate the privacy of an individual who has quite reasonable fear for her safety. O'Gara may also be liable under New York's anti-stalking laws as well.
At the very least, I'd be filing for a restraining order by now.
From what I saw on Groklaw, PJ is actually considering filing charges: Without commenting on the latest O'Gara article's contents, because I am considering legal action and can't comment directly at this time,... (PJ, Intimidation - May 9, 2005).
Furthermore, Sys-Con was exceptionally negligent in ever allowing that sort of thing to be published. Not only is it a gross and blatant violation of journalistic ethics, but it's quite possibly opened them up to a devastating legal action.
Yes it is, but it's my understanding that MOG was not only the journalist but also the editor. This made it nearly identical to a personal blog, rather than real reporting. In other words, it was all her, and Sys-Con apparently didn't have review powers until the load of cr*p was already published. This means though that if Sys-Con is still keeping her on as editor in other publications they are playing with fire.
Is this over reaction? (Score:5, Insightful)
Just my $0.02
You too can work FOR O'Gara!!!! (Score:3, Informative)
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Ah, yes, the thrill of the old-fashioned "yellow press" of the Hearst newspapers, where no muck was too deep to rake and no fact important enough to check.
Maureen's kinda funny. (Score:4, Funny)
She really reminds me of the gossip columnists in a Howard Hawks comedy of the 30's or 40's. It's weird how she takes you back.
Those were fun films, but I had assumed the somewhat stock characters were a parodies. I guess there ARE people who talk/write like that.
But I'd expect her to write for a paper called _The Tattler_.
So? (Score:4, Insightful)
Maureen O'Gara's bylined material will no longer appear anywhere in the Sys-con universe of sites or publications.
That's a pretty damn narrow promise. It says they will never put her name on another article again. Why not just say they will never publish an article by her again? Because they want to continue publishing her under other names, and allow her to stay on as an editor.
I have to admit, I came into this knowing nothing, and still know nothing... but come on, that line alone is sophistry at its most transparent. Plenty of words, promising nothing of substance.
Re:So? (Score:5, Informative)
see here [linuxworld.com].
Re:Censorship!! (Score:5, Interesting)
If O'Gara wishes to continue to spout her drivel, there are roughly 27 trillion channels remaining open to her.
Wrong, wrong, and wrong. (Score:5, Insightful)
She was basically fired.
Get it straight.
Re:Wrong, wrong, and wrong. (Score:4, Informative)
Correction, she was not fired. Nowhere in the article does it say she was fired.
They simply said her articles would not appear on any of their sites. She still remains Editor-in-Chief there though...
Re:Censorship!! (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Censorship!! (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Censorship!! (Score:5, Insightful)
No one is telling her she cannot publish. No one is shutting down her site. Sys-con is declining to purchase her column because of gross unprofessionalism. Firing someone for failing to perform the duties and responsibilities of their job is hardly censorship.
It's common among geeks to assume laws and principles are some sort of rigid inflexible code. if publisher.cuts_off($writer) $action="CENSORSHIP";
And doesn't it put the lie to your bait about us "screaming censorship at every turn" when "we" indeed do fail to live up to this charicature?
Re:Censorship!! (Score:5, Insightful)
Maureen O'Gara posts a story, which includes:
1. PJ's address
2. PJ's phone number
3. Some comments about PJ's car and the contents
4. Some snide comments about PJ's religious affiliation
5. Some snide comments about the interior of PJ's place
6. The address of PJ's mother
7. Pictures of PJ's front door
8. Pictures of PJ's car
Get a clue.
Re:Censorship!! (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Who is she and what did she do? (Score:3, Informative)
Since you can't get to groklaw to find out (PJ's server is being slammed right now)
Mo'G recently wrote and published a highly vitriolic attack on PJ, including things like personal phone numbers, addresses, and the address of her mother's home.
Way off-base, and totally wrong thing to do.
Re:Who is she and what did she do? (Score:5, Funny)
Full Aritcle Text (Score:5, Informative)
Darl McBride and Laura DiDio have complained bitterly about receiving nasty email and late-night phone calls. That's kid's stuff by comparison. Without commenting on the latest O'Gara article's contents, because I am considering legal action and can't comment directly at this time, think about this: Have Linux "zealots" ever put up personal info on how to find Darl McBride's mother, with pictures of her home and the number on her mailbox so any stalker can find her readily? That was O'Gara's intent. Has anyone published who DiDio calls from her landline phone? Can you imagine the press conference SCO would hold, and what names they would call the FOSS community, if anything like that happened?
Who are the "extremists" now? The "cyberterrorists"? The violators of the law and of all things decent? Who are the enablers of stalking and violence?
But the big picture is this: it's official now, not just a guess, that my readers simply don't care who I am or what I am. They really don't. Groklaw isn't about me, and my work stands on its own. Anyway, they know me by now as a person, because in my writing they see my inner person, how my brain works, my heart, my ethics. We're old friends by now, and you always stand by an old, true friend. That is exactly what has happened.
Groklaw is exactly what I told you from day one, a blog written by a paralegal who became a journalist. I do it myself. All by myself. Well. Me and the entire worldwide FOSS community. All the rest is just their paranoid ravings and imaginings. Literally thousands of members and readers contribute to Groklaw, and millions read what we present.
You know why? In part, because I never take the low road. Really. That's the secret to Groklaw's success. It's a place on the Internet where we can speak to each other as adults, in a civil atmosphere, without meanness or ad hominem attacks and work together with a common purpose, regardless of our varied backgrounds and preferences in other areas. Politics is off topic. So is religion. And so are insults. I don't even let comments remain if they attack people like Maureen O'Gara. I once wrote an article to ask people not to attack her verbally, when others did so on another website. (In that article I wrote that she was a good journalist. I take that part back. I tend to be too kind.)
I have been flooded with emails of support and donations. I'd say whatever the dark side's intent, it has boomeranged. And I also want to thank everyone for all the words of support and the donations. I will try to write to you all personally in time, but I couldn't wait to tell you how touched I am by the overwhelming number of good wishes. Thank you. It means everything to me that you responded as you have and have seen through this latest and most foul attempt at intimidation and character assassination. Did you notice? They only attack me as a person. What does that tell you about the integrity of Groklaw that they were forced to stoop to that?
On a personal note: I've heard from several who are seriously warning me that they think SCO is setting me up so that they can arrange my "suicide". You know, like Val Kreidel allegedly was so overwhelmed by what was printed about her by Maureen O'Gara and others that she ended it all?
I have no experience in such things, so I can't evaluate their warnings, but I have taken note that three persons on the SCOX Yahoo Finance board, one known to be a SCO supporter if not an insider, have already predicted my suicide, two of them since this article.
So I feel I should say this, just for the record, just in case, worst-case scenario: I don't believe in suicide, and I certainly don't care what Maureen O'Gara thinks about me. So if you hear about my "suicide", it isn't one. And you can take that to the bank. She has
Re:Full Aritcle Text (Score:3, Informative)
Perhaps not his mother but his (and his wife's) home address and phone # were posted on Slashdot. It led to the harrasment that they were bitching about in the first place.
References:
one [zdnet.com.au]
two [silicon.com]
Re:But we already knew who PJ is (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:But we already knew who PJ is (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:So who is she (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:So who is she (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:So who is she (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:So who is she (Score:5, Insightful)
Groklaw allows anyone who's willing to take the time (and it takes a lot of time), to understand just how (un-)likely it is that SCO will win some or all of its major lawsuits.
This is why no one really cares who she is.
Re:So who is she (Score:4, Insightful)
Yep, and she'd be the first to agree I'm sure.
On another note, who she is is particularly interesting to me. It demonstrates that people who seem to fit a certain stereotype on the surface, can go much deeper and shatter those stereotypes at the core of their being.
I also think it's worth noting what a humble woman like PJ can accomplish that the money at SCO can't. What a blow to the big ego's who think they are something because they have money and attorneys and yet here is this woman they judge by outward appearances, thwarting their BS public perception campaign. LOL.
That article did not really say who she is. That article only addressed who she appears to be. If you want a glimpse of who she is, one need only go read her writing, see what she has built and accomplished. The surface details are meaningless. Groklaw is a testament to who she is and what kind of person she is.
In a way, her outward appearance makes her that much more dangerous a foe to people. My Aikido teacher is in his 50's, he's this short Japanese man who does accounting part time. He looks small and not much of a threat. I'll bet he weighs 150lbs. Yet, my 200lbs, my strength(can bench 250), and my youth are all vanity. I couldn't kick his arse if I wanted to. Many times he has done things that have blown me away, nearly magical. For one, he had me and several other students come at him, just to try to restrain him. With atounding control, discipline, and gentleness, he deflected the 3 of us(all of us physically bigger than him). I honestly could not get to him. I ended up face down on the mat before I even knew what was going on. I pity anyone who judges him by how he appears and attempts to push him around. They will leave that encounter bewildered, in pain, and humbled.
The rich powerpunks at SCO are just too stupid to recognize that they don't have what it takes to stand against someone like PJ. They don't understand or recognize the nature of her strength because they don't value inner strength or truth, but they think appearances are all that matter. They are wrong and everyone who thinks that way will lose when they go against someone whose strength is being true to who they are, as opposed to masquerading as something they aren't.
Re:So who is she (Score:5, Informative)
She is a paralegal. That means the value of her legal opinion is not that of a lawyer, but in excess of the general populace.
What she would be an expert at is the gruntwork of the legal profession. Knowing the ins and outs of the "system," which, as it happens, is her role at Groklaw, because. .
. . . why does her opinion matter so much in this case.
It doesn't. O'Gara is a pure opinion piece writer. Groklaw is fact based. They publish the court records. This is PJ's area of expertise. While commentary on the record is offered legal opinion is defered to lawyers, who, oddly enough PJ is in contact with and who actually write for the site.
The value and accuracy of the material at Groklaw can largely be judged by the fact that SCO and O'Gara choose to attack PJ on a personal level, rather than than attacking the validity of the material and opinions available at Groklaw.
Such is always the tactic of the irrationally vicious. Same crap as saying that if you don't approve of attacking Poland you're for terrorism and and against God and the Homeland.
You always know that someone is full of shit when they start resorting to this sort of thing.
Next thing you know they'll start implying that PJ's lying because her dog looks funny, whether she has a dog or not.
O'Gara and her ilk can say any lies they like, because they are speaking "opinion." PJ can't, because she is speaking the court record.
KFG
Re:So who is she (Score:5, Interesting)
Whether Maureen O'Gara acted under direction from SCO and company, or whether she is just a biased journalist, remains to be seen. But the recent spate of articles against PJ is more of an attack against Groklaw's effectiveness (and by inference in my opinion, free and open dialog). The fact that O'Gara et al have stooped to personal attacks in itself says a lot about their desperation (again, IMHO).
It's really comical in one sense, yet dangerously close to blatant hate mongering (I can't think of any other way to say it, sorry). For a professional journalist to publish personal details like Maureen O'Gara did is inexcusable (I'm sure Maureen wouldn't want her personal details published on a web page -- imagine all of the anti-SCO kooks out there that might use it for nefarious purposes).
In any case, apparently the only thing that SCO can come up with to counter Groklaw is to try and paint it as an IBM lackey or worse, and so both Groklaw and PJ has been under attack recently. All I can say is, when it comes to trust and integrity, who would you pick: SCO or Groklaw?
Re:So who is she (Score:4, Insightful)
So, if you can't attack your opponent's position, you attack him or her directly. It happens all the time in the political arena (if you vote for my opponent, you will be voting for a convicted puppy-kicker), as well as the legal arena (character witnesses and credibility attacks, anyone?), and often in the journalistic world (hell, that's basically what journalism is these days), so it was just a matter of time before the mud was slung over the technical fence.
What's really fantastic is, in the O'Gara "article" under discussion, the only way she backs up her implication that PJ is an IBM lackey is by pointing out that she lives in "IBM Territory". So, I'm sure, do hundreds of thousands of others. Is everyone in this area an IBM stooge, O'Gara? Then, MOG goes on to attack the woman's religion, for crying out loud! So she holds a religious belief you yourself don't subscribe to. Big deal. You know, SCO is located in Utah, and they have lots of Mormons there, maybe Darl & Co. are a bunch of Latter Day Saints stooges and kooks.
Everyone, open your eyes! It's so obvious that the Mormon Church, Brigham Young University and the Salt Lake City Olympic Committee are behind the SCO actions!
Re:So who is she (Score:4, Insightful)
Nothing is that simple. Obviously O'Gara works on the edges of the computer world trying to get scoops(The word vulture seems strangely appropiate).
She has obviosly thought that by ingratiating herself with SCO she will have a front seat in the fight. It is no coincidence that on the last phone conference SCO announced they had private eyes looking into PJ. A few weeks later MOG gets here scoop. However I doubt she was ever directly paid(although the distinction is marginal)
However she has made two cardinal journalistic mistakes. By getting so close to SCO, she has lost all objectivity to a point that her articles cannot be trusted and also she has allowed it to become personal with PJ.
No good journalist would ever allow those things to happen. In doing so she has lost any respect that others may of had of her. Basically she is now an non-entity.
Re:Honest question (Score:5, Informative)
Re:Can you say BIG BROTHER (Score:4, Insightful)
MoG can publish her opinions as much as she wants. In any venue that she can.
She has done so. Now comes the consequences of her speech.
People are free to vote with their dollars. Vast numbers of people are free to let advertisers that they don't approve of advertising on a site that features such a hateful personal attack which is completely irrelevant to the SCO vs. The World cases. Publications, upon hearing the reaction of advertisers, are free to can MoG.
There is no censorship here. MoG is free to publish elsewhere, such as on the G2 properties which she has complete control over. Anyone wishing to support her with advertising or subscriptions is completely free to do so.
Are you saying that I must be happy and shut up about what MoG writes? Are you censoring me saying that I am not free to express my disgust to the advertisers? Who is the censor now?
Re:LinuxWorld == George Bush (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:LinuxWorld == George Bush (Score:4, Interesting)
This was neither. This was a personal attack run by an angry, bitter woman against another woman. Not seeing what there is to *support* in that behaviour.
Re:Original Article (Score:5, Informative)
Google cache, text only. [64.233.161.104]
Re:Original O'Gara Story (Score:4, Insightful)
I suppose somebody could make a redacted version with that stuff removed, but there wouldn't be anything left. The article is just a recitation of this personal info and an attempt to insinuate vague negative things about PJ as if they were supported by the personal info, which they aren't.