Tearing Down The Curtain
It had to happen, and it inevitably did!
Kaosium wrote this post a few days ago.
http://www.internationalskeptics.com/forums/showthread.php?postid=7429155#post7429155
In it, he clearly used a logical device to point out that, technically speaking, Lumumba could not be excluded from the investigation if the ToD was 11.30pm-plus (since his alibi didn't cover him up to that time). Kaosium was essentially pointing out how ludicrous the police investigation was, and that it was as pretty much as likely that Lumumba was involved as it was that Knox/Sollecito were involved.
In response to this post of Kaosium's, I wrote the following prescient post:
And that premonition has now, depressingly but predictably (and somewhat hilariously) come true. "One could not make it up"........
LOL! I don't even read there anymore, and won't bother to now. I saw the crash, I don't care to see the burn. I suspect they ought to think long and hard about what happened to Daric Ritchie, how I tried to keep that troubled teenager away from them, and how limited the scope of that was in comparison to what they've done.
I've seen it before, it won't end well, I'm pretty damn sure. Never quite like this though, on some level I have to salute the dark majesty of the achievement, unless one of the below things is actually true.
If anyone is curious as to what I'm referring to, I will make this claim. It is definite they had a peripheral effect on the media coverage of this case, notably with Andrea Vogt, Barbara Nadeau and possibly others. As John Kercher referred to the online tribute in one of his pieces, and his laundrylist of 'evidence' seems Machine-like and that's Some strange way to count Alibi's, it is
possible (remember that doesn't go to probable in my world because I think it
might be so) they've had an effect on his understanding of the case and the odds of acquittal. Perhaps even his mental health, though I truly hope that isn't the case.
It is also true they've repeatedly attempted to silence or defame people from speaking out on the case, both in the ether and in the real world. We're talking ex-FBI agents who lost their jobs, judges who faced admonishment, even just school teachers in Hawaii who wanted to teach part of the case in class, or professors from Leeds University who came to the conclusion Amanda and Raffaele were innocent and said something.
It just so happens I'm
probably the only one not with them that happened to explore their website last summer hidden back in there somewhere, I think it was the
Rabbit Hole though I don't recall for sure, when they were discussing the holes in the case and that they knew Amanda would probably be acquitted, though there was hope amongst some of them conditions in Perugia would allow for a second conviction. They knew the police had botched the whole thing pathetically, I didn't put it all together at once, but what they've done similar to what Rolfe posted recently about prosecutors, created a delusion. One that had an effect on the coverage of the case, though minor. It's also had an effect on conditions here at JREF, though that's irrelevant to me, and kinda funny, though a bit frustrating at times.
How this could happen? Anyone researching a book or trying to write a column about this case and went online in search of information was bound to come across PMF and be amazed, the amount of materials they had accumulated and the number of intelligent, insightful people who were discussing the case was extraordinary in a sense. They no doubt gained credibility with people because they helped dispel some of the atrocious early reporting on the case due to police lies. You can see if you go back to the beginning they did a lot of good work. I don't hate them, I can
imagine the attraction of all of a sudden becoming an influence, however minor, on an issue of some attraction to some people, I have
sympathy, they're people too, just at this point they need to reconsider what they're
doing. There might well be consequences, people don't like being fooled.
However, the ones here at JREF who hold this thread in contempt are right in a sense, this is just about a court case in Italy, it ought not cause such a fuss. It just happens the effect of what poor media can do to an issue or people intrigues me, as that effect caused me to lose all interest in politics. Plus poor
Amanda and
Raffaele are real people who really got screwed over, I'm interested in how it turns out. They can post whatever they want about me, 'Kaosium' is just a name I picked for a game a dozen or so years ago 'cuz I thought it sounded neat. It's just words on a computer screen, wisps of ether in the end signifying nothing. It seems some take this so very much more seriously, and that's probably not good. I have a different attitude toward it,
I found helpful in posting on the internet.
I've been posting some long responses recently in hopes of catching people up who might just becoming interested in the case, and it helps me compose my own ever-changing opinions on what happened and might still. Nobody just coming into this is gonna read the 65k posts now accumulated on this subject, geez when I started posting it was about halfway through the first continuation, though I'd read all the PMF archives beforehand. You're welcome to believe I'm just a propagandist for the Gogerty-Marriot/FOA PR supertanker of doom, but that's not the case, keep that possibility in mind too. I'm interested in the actual truth of the matter here as it fascinates me. Nor do I expect anyone to think this 'discredits' PMF and TJMK, only they can do that to themselves, and the ones whose opinion on the matter I respect most are the ones that can see that for themselves. Just keep in mind the possibility they (hopefully--that was a year ago let us hope it's still something of a
game) don't believe the trash they're formulating, though for some reason the guilt of Amanda
and Raffaele.
Some people believe whatever they want to believe and can be fooled by anything that has the stamp of authority on it, I'm interested in the people here and elsewhere with the imagination to understand how something like this could happen and the rationality to see through illusions. I bear no ill will towards those who haven't been able, or interested enough, and may never be willing, regardless of whatever words they've posted to the ether.