Libelling Alain Delon
I have finished my response to the Carter-fucking-Ruck libel report. Now it is a case of waiting to see how much of my ‘credible evidence’ and continuously pointing out reporting of fact should not be viewed as legally dangerous will help the book remain as juicy as it should be.
Even though I have fought as hard as possible to keep the text intact, responding to a libel report is a strategic game. Although I think it is madly over cautious, I concede the line: ‘Anyone who claims they can give a definitive and totally accurate history of the origins of the Mafia is a liar,’ is potentially libellous. If I accept Carter-Ruck’s suggestion: ‘that the word “liar” is replaced with “mistaken” or “misguided,”’ it looks as I am co-operating. This allows me to rant more effectively over Charles Heung.
I really want to every reader to know: ‘Leading Hong Kong actor and businessman Charles Heung is the son of one of Sun Yee On's founders and has never brought libel actions against those who claim he is a leading player in the society today.’ I suspect some compromise form of words will have to be found, but I do not do crime-lite. What is the point of writing about the Sun Yee On Triad if I have not got the courage to tell you who is suspected of directing many of its operations?
Amongst those Carter-Ruck feel may have cause to sue me if they read the book are: Italy’s Christian Democratic Party (yes I know, it does not exist anymore – a point I did make to Carter-fucking-Ruck): Gregorio Bellocco: Bernardo Provenzano; the American Democratic Party; Kaoru Ogawa; Peter Fitzroy Godber; Otaria Kvantrishvil; Boris Yeltsin; Sir Dyno; a certain ex-Ambassador to Belgium; Ceca Raznatovic; Marie-Reine Le Gougne; former Lithuanian President Rolandsas Paksas; Jacob Zuma; John Paul Getty III; Darrren Nicholls; the Essex constabulary; the FBI; Interpol; Ernest Shinwell; Cardinal Michele Giordano and Alain Delon. (As if libelling Alain Delon would ever be something I want to do!)
They were also worried about Al Lewis, the actor who played Grandpa in The Munsters, but hopefully pointing out the fact he is dead will reassure them there is no likelihood of legal action from that corner. My 'private conversations with the Serious Fraud office' are now likely to become ‘sources’, but Carter-Ruck’s over caution in my view is best demonstrated by the fact they even felt uneasy over me telling the story of how former US Presidential candidate Thomas E. Dewey bribed prostitutes with fixes of heroin to get them to testify against ‘Lucky’ Luciano. Aside from it being a true story, Dewey died in 1971.
The worst casualties are the entries covering the outlaw biker gangs. It seems the people Carter-Ruck are most worried about are Hells Angels, Pagans, Outlaws and Bandidos. This is probably because the bikers make so much money through enforcement and assainations for the Mob, methampthetamines, vice and pornography that they can easily afford lawyers like Carter-Ruck. Being able to afford lawyers like Carter-Ruck makes anyone scary.
Even though I have fought as hard as possible to keep the text intact, responding to a libel report is a strategic game. Although I think it is madly over cautious, I concede the line: ‘Anyone who claims they can give a definitive and totally accurate history of the origins of the Mafia is a liar,’ is potentially libellous. If I accept Carter-Ruck’s suggestion: ‘that the word “liar” is replaced with “mistaken” or “misguided,”’ it looks as I am co-operating. This allows me to rant more effectively over Charles Heung.
I really want to every reader to know: ‘Leading Hong Kong actor and businessman Charles Heung is the son of one of Sun Yee On's founders and has never brought libel actions against those who claim he is a leading player in the society today.’ I suspect some compromise form of words will have to be found, but I do not do crime-lite. What is the point of writing about the Sun Yee On Triad if I have not got the courage to tell you who is suspected of directing many of its operations?
Amongst those Carter-Ruck feel may have cause to sue me if they read the book are: Italy’s Christian Democratic Party (yes I know, it does not exist anymore – a point I did make to Carter-fucking-Ruck): Gregorio Bellocco: Bernardo Provenzano; the American Democratic Party; Kaoru Ogawa; Peter Fitzroy Godber; Otaria Kvantrishvil; Boris Yeltsin; Sir Dyno; a certain ex-Ambassador to Belgium; Ceca Raznatovic; Marie-Reine Le Gougne; former Lithuanian President Rolandsas Paksas; Jacob Zuma; John Paul Getty III; Darrren Nicholls; the Essex constabulary; the FBI; Interpol; Ernest Shinwell; Cardinal Michele Giordano and Alain Delon. (As if libelling Alain Delon would ever be something I want to do!)
They were also worried about Al Lewis, the actor who played Grandpa in The Munsters, but hopefully pointing out the fact he is dead will reassure them there is no likelihood of legal action from that corner. My 'private conversations with the Serious Fraud office' are now likely to become ‘sources’, but Carter-Ruck’s over caution in my view is best demonstrated by the fact they even felt uneasy over me telling the story of how former US Presidential candidate Thomas E. Dewey bribed prostitutes with fixes of heroin to get them to testify against ‘Lucky’ Luciano. Aside from it being a true story, Dewey died in 1971.
The worst casualties are the entries covering the outlaw biker gangs. It seems the people Carter-Ruck are most worried about are Hells Angels, Pagans, Outlaws and Bandidos. This is probably because the bikers make so much money through enforcement and assainations for the Mob, methampthetamines, vice and pornography that they can easily afford lawyers like Carter-Ruck. Being able to afford lawyers like Carter-Ruck makes anyone scary.
posted by David at 12:52 PM
8 Comments:
Catapultam habeo. Nisi pecuniam omnem mihi dabis, ad caput tuum saxum immane mittam
I would just like to point out that personally I think posting comments in Latin is neither big nor clever. Showing you know the Latin for catapult could possibly be considered as a demonstration of public school boy tendencies or being lawyer-like in my book on ponciness. The odd 'modo fac' is OK, but this blog is already cryptic enough to have its own obscure Bowie reference monitor without the need for a volunteer ancient argot translator.
The true significance is that they are not vetoing the entire book per say.
Regardless of how much you might need to massage a few points, for you to get a 100,000-word book to be let through at all is a masterstroke and significant success in itself.
Just bask in your glory for while, seethe at the pettiness of it all and bank the final cheque.
I believe the phrase might mean: 'I've a catapult. Give me all the money or I will fling an enormous rock at your head.' Unless I’m missing something, putting this comment in Latin is just someone being a twat.
Dolium volvitur. There's nothing clever about posting established net.phrases.
While I suppose the robbery motif of the phrase does at least tie in to the book's theme, it hardly seems to constitute any sort of comment! (Google 'Catapultam habeo' if for some reason you mistrust Kid Atari's linguistic skills -- or 'dolium volvitur', for that matter; I claim no Latin props!)
Good luck with the riposte, though. When I did the Kabbalah book for them, I tried to warn people away from Rabbi Berg's celeb-sucking "Kabbalah Centre" (like Madonna, Britney & Paris Hilton are reliable spiritual guides...) - they wouldn't even let me detail any of its bonkers beliefs, or put in a link to a site quoting bona fide newspaper articles about the 'organisation'. The best I could do was give a link to some Cult Watch people, and a strong warning to check all potential teaching sources out on that website first. *sigh*.
Hmm ... a Catapult eh !!!
Sure you don't mean a sling or maybe even a crossbow?
No? Well if your sure you mean catapult, then the very notion of anyone owning a Ballista or Trebuchet and using it in some form of extortion racket is to my mind quite amusing.
Asuming that such a criminal had managed to aquire one that is fully working and mobile, unless they were also cowardly enough to intending on attacking someone while they slept it would be almost impossible for it's users/owners to have any real accuracy enough to harm a specific individual.
Yet, having said that, in a world overrun with guns, knives and doctored killer drugs, I feel there is almost something poetic about being "Trebuchetted to Death"!
As such, if I had a choice of being knifed from behind in a dark alley or attacked by a huge flying rock travelling a vast distance then by all means, aim it up and fire away.
is eram intentio facio vos smile , operor non take vita sic serio , utor veho meus amicus utor Mr Atari operor non take res sic personally secundum totus is est non vestri page EGO amo vos propinquo dickon is est an attitude futurus complexo
My take on the Carter CRAP is this: they have their heads so deep into the idiosyncrasies of the law, they have forgotten to see the forest through the trees. Sounds like they just purged for show every possible reason why you can't do it, to justify their lofty egos as the end all to the tell all.
And by doing that, they have become ineffective advisors for having lost sight of the task before them.
Post a Comment
Links to this post:
Create a Link
<< Home