WHAT HAPPENED TO THIS THREAD & WHY?
The good intention of this thread was to warn other forum members of a potential problem. I spoke with Todd about the issue via PM and asked him to do what he thought he must, but take the high road.
The result of the post was 25 pages of feeding frenzy. Now, the frenzy may or may not have been warranted. I don't know. What I do know is that the result of the feeding frenzy was worse than the wrong doing that was being exposed.
What do I mean? Simply this. You can't slander someone online (defamation of character) in the name of "shame, shame, shame" and get away with it. Sooner or later it will bite you in the a$$!
Think about it. What if you did something wrong and then had your whole reputation slaughtered so you could no longer work? Who is responsible for your not being able to work?
Just to be clear, since I have already received several "freedom of speech" lectures through PM; free speech IS NOT FREE. It comes with responsibilities. The biggest responsibility of all is to not impose on other people's liberties. That's right, what some idiot does is no excuse for doing wrong. No matter how angry it makes you feel.
So, I mopped up this thread by deleting all posts after the original. Letting people know what happened is not the issue. Defamation of character is.
I feel badly for all parties involved in this whole event. It's a shame it happened. That said, it's a matter for a civil proceeding, not an Autopia.org open court.
I have banned Holden_C04 for conduct unbecoming an Autopia.org member and for bring embarrassment to the community. Should he make right with the car owner and post a public apology, he's welcome to come back.