Posted by Rick [Rick] on November 22, 1999 at 23:17:57 {k/.KBikg627mY4XD8K2cFMFBt36Xyc}:
In Reply to: *My Take on Area 51 posted by Farkel on November 22, 1999 at 19:58:26:
> The infamous Charles Manson was convicted of murder on circumstantial evidence. There is much more circumstantial evidence that points to Bibleman as being GB than there was for Manson to being the mastermind of many murders.
Hi Farkel, you know, at first I wasn't going to dignify this with a response, but just now I was channel surfing before going to sleep. I hit a premium satellite channel in the middle of a movie called "Velvet Goldmine" (1998; Writer-direct Todd Haynes). It's about the life of a fading 70's rock star after his (faked) death. It's obviously a B-rated movie and after 20 seconds I'm about to continue surfing channels, when a woman giving advice a weeping young starlet says between puffs of a cigarette, "just because you see two people in bed together doesn't mean they were having sex . . . but it makes for a very strong case."
I suddenly realized the significance of the point you're trying to make. Honestly I don't have an answer. People expect me to have answers because I run this board, and I try my best, but I don't know the solution. Suppose it turns out 'Diana Ross' is doing a "drag" impersonation of a GB member? We throw Princes Di off the set, and suddenly we've set a precedent that anyone who doesn't measure up to our standards of who they claim they are, is "fake."
Isn't the price we pay in a free democracy the knowledge that some of the guilty get off scott free, to protect the innocent? Isn't it better to let 9 guilty parties free to protect 1 innocent party, than to convict all 10 just to guarantee we nail the guilty 9?
Shouldn't we simply drop the matter until we can prove one way or another if the GB member aka Area 51 is not who they claim they are? There's a chance we might be wrong. We should never be so arrogant as to claim that under ordinary circumstances the principles of a justice system applies, but because we are "all knowing" we can dispense with the formalities -- because we know for a fact someone is "guilty."
Well, my cruise to dreamland is making a final boarding call. Goodnite! ;-)
Rick