[Exitpoint]

Originally Posted by Zhuria

Yeah, and ellipses aren't generally spaced like that.

Again, did I say it was proof? No! I said it was INTERESTING because I'd never seen anyone type it like that before.

How do people type an ellipsis? I was taught to do so in college - maybe elsewhere people do something different? Dot - space - dot - space - dot.

Do other people type: "..." ? That's just three periods. Perhaps you're right, and I type it in a non-standard way (along with my alter ego, of course - the one that posts stuff while I'm in federal prison ) - but I've not ever thought of my typing of this as a particularly unusual grammatical form online.

I do know that some word processors will fill in a proper ellipsis - which isn't just three periods, with or without spaces, but a different character in most font sets. To trigger that character to auto-fill, one types in "dot space dot space dot space" and the application auto-corrects. Perhaps that's a common tick in computer geeks like me? Never really thought about it, I suppose.

Regards,

ds

[Zhuria]

Doug, please explain for us why you sign "Fausty" on your posts at a base forum?

[Zhuria]

Oh, my god.

Logan, that is epic.

[Exitpoint]

Several folks have asked why anyone would be saying stuff like this about me if it wasn't true. Suggesting, by extension, that it MUST be true - otherwise why would the rumors even be out there.

It seems a reasonable question to me, so I'll provide the short answer as the long answer is, well, long.

Back in 1998, I was running a small internet service provider. We provided hosting, mostly for small companies but also for individuals. It was one of several companies I worked for at the time, as a technical manager.

We were approached by a person demanding personal information about a customer of ours. This customer, who had a small personal website, apparently had bad blood with the person who contacted us. Naturally, we didn't give out information on our customers - and I told the person inquiring this was the case.

He then threatened to publicly attack me if I didn't turn this information over. He was quite specific that he'd accuse me of animal abuse - an accusation, he pointed out, that would be both effective in causing me harm and all but impossible for me to dis-prove. I was a breeder of Golden Retriever, a field trial trainer, and an active AKC Hunt Test judge at the time - as well as a co-founder of a Golden rescue group, and on the boards of many other breed organizations. So, a whisper campaign would indeed have a direct effect - and be very difficult to stop, ever.

I weighed the situation, and in the end stuck to my principals. I would not turn over information on a customer of ours - unless they broke the law, of course. The person who made the threats followed through, as he had warned. "Evidence" was fabricated, packets were sent to the police, my parents were "informed," animal control was called. Many, many posts were made online about the "proof" that existed.

Of course, no such thing existed. The police came, looked around, laughed about how silly the thing was, and left. Animal control stopped by our kennel, had coffee, shook their heads in disgust at the whole smear campaign and left. The AKC board of directors, having been "informed," looked into it, formally rejected the claims, took no actions, and I continue to this day to be a breeder and judge in good standing with them. In short, nothing happened - it was all a bunch of hot air.

But, and here I was probably naive, online things didn't die down like they did in the "real world." Online, the story grew legs and ran. Despite no proof, soon there were all sorts of people who knew someone who knew someone who knew this SCARY story about this AKC judge who was BANNED from ever owning dogs again, etc. I figured it was all silly and didn't bother responding. Then, it picked up steam and we started getting death threats left on our front door, etc. (I was married at the time, though we separated and divorced years later). It stopped being so funny, and started taking on a bizarre life of its own.

In the end, I hired a private investigator to track down the person who had started the whole thing over the little website whose owner's private information we wouldn't disclose to somebody with a vendetta against him over some old, interpersonal fight. We found him living in a run-down trailer in the midwest, working part-time at a piano tuning company. By then, years later he was deeply sorry for what he'd done. He disavowed all involvement in later efforts to fan the flames, and I believed him. I still do. We never sued him, he didn't even have a car to his name - what would the point be?

Ever since then, every few years, someone "discovers" the old fragments of this old drama from a decade ago. It's suddenly "news," and off it goes again. More than once, a business deal or personal relationship in my life has gone sour and, with a quick google search, the spurned partner can find all those old tidbits. With a few more-current posts re-linking my actual name to it, there's even MORE "proof" and off we go. I've been targeted by blackmail attempts more times than I can count, as a result: "pay me $10,000 or I'll disclose your big secret." I've never paid, and this has just resulted in MORE fuel being added to the pile.

My federal prosecutor watched how this worked, and was honestly disgusted by the story of how I came to be smeared by this stuff. My parents were stunned that nobody could stop it. Lawyers have said I should chase people around, try to clean up the old lies out there. Of course, that's impossible. And now, anytime someone decides they don't like me - well, there's the old tidbits. Add a few more on, and it's all current again.

After I was arrested, for my narcotics charge, in 2005 (already discussed in detail in this thread - not a rumor, a fact, something I don't deny, etc.) and I was in pre-trial detention, things went even FURTHER over the top. Of course I didn't know this until I served my time and was released in 2006. Clearly, someone or a small group actually went to great effort to link me to anything that could make me look bad. I walked out of prison, having done my time for my one count of possession of a controlled substance, to enter a firestorm I'd never even imagined previously. And now, of course, I was ALSO a drug pushing scumbag - so the old rumors seemed even MORE true. Self-fulfilling.

Who pushed these smears while I was locked up? Why did they work so hard to make sure they were very, very well circulated in the horse world? Why are they suddenly popping up again, now - one week after Capone has been stolen? I think anyone with a clear mind will have their own ideas. I prefer not to speculate when I don't have concrete proof, so I won't. I will say that it seems very, very unlikely to be random.

In reality, I suspect that about 95% of the people who pass along these rumors don't know they are untrue. They aren't doing anything to be intentionally malicious. They THINK they are spreading a "big secret" about a "bad guy." Those who might be benefiting (or hoping to benefit) from spreading these rumors about me certainly don't mind that others help in the effort, without even knowing it. I don't choose to get angry at those unwitting participants, however.

Regards,

ds

[Exitpoint]

Originally Posted by Zhuria

Doug, please explain for us why you sign "Fausty" on your posts at a base forum?

Not to sound dismissive, but according to that post - it was made while I was in prison. I'm not sure how "I" would be signing anything, while in prison.

Am I missing something?

Regards,

ds

[Exitpoint]

Originally Posted by Logan and Ruby

<old stuff from 2000>

Wow, ironic - crossed posts.

Please note that I posted the information about the old rumors spread on me, and the website hosted by a company of ours, BEFORE this post was made.

I'm quite glad the old posts will get brought forth - it's the exact information highlighting where this all started, years ago, as an interpersonal squabble that I got pulled into the middle of for no reason other than I wouldn't turn over customer information.

Once again, after ten years of this stuff being passed around: why isn't there anything, not one thing, that shows I've ever been charged, investigated, convicted, or even accused of anything like this by any law-enforcement organization?

I'm still waiting for someone to explain that. Anyone?

Regards,

ds

[Logan and Ruby]

Is internet access not allowed in minimum security prisons?

[Logan and Ruby]

who are greg and judy meyers? and what on Earth do they have against you to take the time to write out a letter about your conduct? You could sue them for slander Doug, doubtful anyone would send a letter like that unless they had serious reason to believe it to be true..especially if in part your professional image tarnished in the process..thus inhibiting your ability to earn any type of income...sounds like an EXCELLENT case of slander to me, and I would sue sue sue. Have you, ever sued anyone accusing you of these things?

[Exitpoint]

So far, in the last 36 hours, I've made 67 posts in this thread responding to questions. Each time "proof" is offered, I've pointed out where there's a significant and easily-confirmed problem. I've provided an explanation for why this has all gone on, for as long as it has - which also can be confirmed by those curious enough to use their net-surfing skills to good effect.

The photos that "prove" whatever is being proved here are of some different horse. The posts that "prove" I'm some other screen name happened when I was in prison.

Nothing concrete, nothing. Despite a clearly-organized campaign to smear me - and despite an odd lack of discussion about why Capone was stolen and why these smears are suddenly so important - not one piece of concrete information to connect me to animal abuse of any kind. Despite a decade of these rumors being circulated.

This is like a bad Woody Allen movie. Or perhaps Tarantino.

Regards,

ds

[Exitpoint]

Originally Posted by Logan and Ruby

Is internet access not allowed in minimum security prisons?

No, it's not. Absolutely forbidden. Please feel free to contact the U.S. Bureau of Prisons to confirm that statement.

Regards,

ds