by toasty » Mon Jun 23, 2014 01:13
maoman wrote: I'll bite.
...and I'll bite back.
maoman wrote: Please point out ZD's mindless followers on sites, with a link to specific posts, please.
You know fine well that the worst posts are archived on that other site you used to admin. Shall I post some of the lies from there? How no one was going to take the case? Evidence was tampered with? How about the personal attacks? The attempts to out users? I had one of your personal friends try to do that to me, claiming I should feel empathy with ZD given that I'm such a heavy drinker, as he put it, as evidenced by how I got hammered at a restaurant he was working at. I could have replied that a) I was far from hammered both times; my wife was with me b) drinking and drunk driving have about as much to do with each other as consensual sex and rape and c) KEY POINT HERE: I left in taxis both times... But, hey, I thought, "why stoop to their level."
maoman wrote: I've never claimed to be a friend of ZDs,
But you do know him. EYE called you out on that years ago. I could see when the wagons were circling and when the attempts to stifle outrage over ZD's actions were starting, so I asked for an honest disclosure of who knew the guy. I give you credit for admitting a relationship with him. However, you have consistently tried to downplay that relationship. Being someone's housemate, you would get to know someone rather well. I think your relationship is much closer than you admit to. I, similarly, think you are much less impartial than you claim.
[b]maoman wrote: and I have no comment (and never did) on his guilt or innocence.
[/b]
Perhaps, but you heavily suggest at his innocence. If his trial was "flawed" as you put it, what are people to conclude from that? You were also responsible for moderation of the ZD threads on flob during your tenure and you threw the rule book away when it came to ZD's supporters. Supporters could attack anyone who believed him to be guilty, they could post outright lies even and nothing was done.
And if you have "no comment" on his guilt or innocence, why do you so consistently attack and put down those who believe, like the courts do, that he is guilty of his crime?
Having attended two of his court appearances, I stated, and still believe, that his trial was seriously flawed.
Are you a lawyer? Then why do you try to come across as authoritative? The way you word your "appearances," you seem to suggest you were involved in the trial in some way, rather than a mere member of the public gallery. You're not a qualified attorney, here or elsewhere and, given your admitted relationship to the defendant and to those who support him, your opinion should be viewed with suspicion.
But perhaps we should rely on the opinions of the qualified lawyers in this community, those with real legal educations? You know, like Omniloquacious, for example? Oops, no. He's said ZD's guilty more than once. Better not ask him.
Do you know who else would have attended his hearings? The UK rep office. Do they agree with your assessment?
What about all those expat businesses who often help when expats get into trouble here? No help for Dean? Do they think his trials were flawed or not?
maoman wrote: Can you concede the possibility, just the possibility, that ZD is guilty as sin AND the legal system is imperfect?
If he's guilty, and the courts came to the correct decision... what exactly is your point again? :facepalm:
But, hey, he's had two trials, a civil lawsuit and an extradition process in a completely different country. They've ALL gone against him. Are they all flawed? In your expert opinion?
maoman wrote: I see far more mindlessness coming from people who have very little knowledge of the case, never attended even one court appearance, yet are more than happy to speculate as to what happened and parrot other uninformed opinions. How many court appearances did you attend, just out of curiosity? You weren't present at any of the ones I witnessed.

More of that "no comment," but the people who believe ZD is guilty are "mindless." Oh, I see. You want mindless? How about ZD's claim of another video. Want absolutely ridiculous? How about his claim that the Geneva Convention people were looking into his trial.
No, mindless are the people who still cling to fairy tales with no concrete evidence to support them. You'll never see the pro-Dean camp discussing anything more than broad, sweeping generalizations about supposed corruption and media misinformation. What they lack is anything material to show how any of what they say applies to this case at all. Must be true if someone said it though, right?
Why do people have "hard-ons" about this case? To be honest, I didn't originally. Oh, sure, I believed he did it. But it wasn't until sites that claim to represent all of us started showing bias and hypocrisy and started posting bold-faced lies that it started really getting up my arse.
It's about time you just stopped. There is no conspiracy. There is no miscarriage of justice. There's no plot to string up innocent foreigners. There's just a guy who made a terrible error in judgment and an innocent person paid for it with his life (and shame on the person who responded with the non sequitur that innocent people die every day-- show some basic morality!).
You want this to go away? You want to stop widening the schism you've created in the community? Stop it with the "I-have-no-comment-but-anyone-who-thinks-Dean-is-guilty-is-mindless" nonsense.