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Petitioner David Hobbs told the court he had been harassed continually since March 1999, and was afraid of "Internet terrorism." Yet he was instrumental in creating a new Usenet group alt.scott-abraham.sucks in May, and the newsgroup is still active, with posts archived to Deja-News. Are these the acts of a man who has been stalked, harassed and terrorized since March? Or of a man who does his own stalking and harassing? You decide. Here's the story, with references to the main posts involved.
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On May 6th, petitioner David Hobbs posted to the Usenet newsgroup alt.config, the newsgroup that deals with issues of which proposed Usenet groups will be propagated to servers worldwide. He asked for help in re-establishing the group "alt.scott-abraham.sucks." In the post, subject Help in re-setting up a group he states that he was the one who had the group originally set up, and asks for expert help in re-establishing it:
I need help in setting up or re-setting up a group. I had somebody create alt.scott-abraham.sucks for me because rec.skiing.alpine is now spending close to 200 messages a day discussing him and his issues. I am trying to re-route all of the scott abraham stuff out of the group so we can continue discussing skiing. Please, somebody help either set up a new newsgroup for scott-abraham based tyrades or re-propose
alt.scott-abraham.sucks, as most of the content will be toward our dislike for this member. He makes Mike Vandeman look like a saint.
 Deja.com message: Help in re-setting up a group
He received three replies:
Three things:
1) Groups of that kind should be in alt.bonehead.*, hence
alt.bonehead.scott-abraham.
2) If there are almost 200 messages a day being posted about Scott, maybe he isn't the only person in rec.skiing.alpine with issues.
3) No one has ever rerouted an unpopular person out of a newsgroup by creating a new group in his honor.
W. MacPherson!
Deja.com message: Re: Help in re-setting up a group
This should be alt.flame.scott-abraham or alt.bonehead.scott-abraham, so it'll be like like groups, even though it's a pretty bad idea anyway. He'll still continue to harass you in rec.skiing.alpine, and just get an ego boost from the hate group. :(
--
Ray Vanlandingham
Deja.com message: Re: Help in re-setting up a group
Trolls want attention, and creating a newsgroup for them is hardly the way to deny them that. It won't make him leave, and people will probably still keep complaining about him in rec.skiing.alpine. Have you tried forwarding his messages, along with headers, to abuse@earthlink.net?
James Moar
Deja.com message: Re: Help in re-setting up a group
Undeterred by this advice, Hobbs successfully continued his efforts.
On May 6th, petitioner Hobbs showed great pride in what he referred to as "our" newsgroup, alt.scott-abraham.sucks. "It's sure nice to see our new newsgroup is propagated on our server... Yippee. Now, we can just keep it alive forever...." Deja.com message: Re: OT Re: A Peace Plan Proposal - WARNING - LONG AND SERIOUSLY OFF-TOPIC
Another RSA poster replied:
It is a shame that some one started a new News Group called
alt.scott-abraham.sucks It takes a very vengeful person to do such a lowly deed.
I see why Scott has been so adamant in his crusade. What goes around comes around...
JQ
Dancing on the edge
Deja.com message: new NG
When another poster compared Scott to a well-known flamer, Mike Vandeman, a third poster replied:
Hardly, having tussled with Vandeman for years, and having read r.s.a. for quite a while, this comparison is offensive. Sure, Scott is loud, rude, and obnoxious- he's never pretended to be otherwise. OTOH, if you have an issue with him, and you deal with it honestly, he can be flexible and generous. Imagine Scott as Howard Stern, and Vandeman as Ken Starr. I think Howard is funny. I think Vandeman and Ken Starr are pathetic. The tactics that those crusading against him are actually quite similar to Vandeman's endless word twisting tricks (though Vandeman actually exhibited more intelligence than one would expect from someone so immune to reason). The attacks are totally out of proportion, and may have crossed over into the realm of actionable slander. Being loud, rude, and obnoxious isn't a crime.
--
- alan
Deja.com message: Re: new NG
I replied to JQ:
I agree, JQ.
I held off saying anything, since David had e-mailed me calling for a truce. He told me he was reasonable and civil and asked if differences could be worked out off-line.
Now he's started in again. So much for his word.
The other solution for keeping stuff off of RSA, of course, is to simply drop it. Continued posts on RSA announcing the newsgroup isn't dropping it.
XlMeister
Deja.com message: Re: new NG
On May 14th, petitioner Hobbs posted to alt.scott-abraham.sucks to boast of re-propogating this flame newsgroup, in a post with the subject "My ISP is great." He states: "I just got my ISP to re-add this group, so it will propagate on our servers again. I think that now that XXXXX is behaving himself, I too will join the side of good (just kidding)...."
Deja.com message: My ISP is great.
Anthea Kerrison, the woman from Australia who was involved in the "Whistler Invasion" and who e-mailed Det. Shirey posts from RSA for Det. Shirey to use in evidence at the hearing, also fought attempts to discontinue the group. Anyone can begin a Usenet group, by starting it on his ISP's server and having it propogated to other servers around the world. Usenet newsgroups created solely as a gag or to carry out a personal vendetta can be "rmgrouped," that is to say, a "remove group" message can be sent to servers around the world not to carry the group as part of the Usenet hierarchy. The Usenet newsgroup alt.config is where discussions to cancel a Usenet newsgroup are held.
A message was sent out to cancel the alt.scott-abraham.sucks newsgroup:
In article cmsg rmgroup alt.scott-abraham.sucks <925997838.11159@deepthot.aurora.co.us>,
Jay Denebeim wrote:
> This rmgroup is being issued for the following reasons:
>
> * Joke Group
>
> --
> This rmgroup message has been signed. To automate add the following
> to your control.ctl file:
> rmgroup:altconfig@deepthot*:alt.*:verify-alt.config
...
For your newsgroups file:
alt.scott-abraham.sucks Someone in rec.skiing.alpine doesn't like him.
In that thread, another poster stated:
This is a useless group created as a misguided attempt to deflect attention from and existing group it has no long-term purpose on usenet.
This rmgroup is sent from outlook express and is intended to asses the adding of custom headers.
--
Floader
floader@email.com
On May 7th, Anthea Kerrison posted a protest message to the alt.config newsgroup:
Oi! We're using this group.
Go rmgroup something else, please.
Ant
Deja.com message: Re: cmsg rmgroup alt.scott-abraham.sucks
Someone else proposed cancellation of the newsgroup, and on May 9th Anthea Kerrison replied:
In article <199905080005.AAA27768@berlin.neuropa.net>,
Anonymous wrote:
> Please consider removing this newsgroup from your server:
> alt.scott-abraham.sucks
>
> JUSTIFICATION:
> There is no interest or following for this newsgroup. A search of
> Deja News found NO current or archived postings for this group.
...except the 52-odd posts to it.
even though it hasn't been allowed to propagate onto normal news-servers....
So, Patently Un-True!
ant
Deja.com message: Re: None
Here's a link to the 98 posts in, or about, "alt.scott-abraham.sucks" for the period Ma1 1 through June 30, 1999: Deja.com search: alt.scott-abraham.sucks
On May 6th, a newsgroup alt.bonehead.scott.abraham was proposed. The proposal even went so far as to say that it was Scott Abraham who was the newsmaster who proposed the group!
Subject: None
From: Anonymous-Remailer@See.Comment.Header (Newsmaster)
Newsgroups: alt.config
For your newsgroup file:
alt.bonehead.scott-abraham
Discussion group for usenet flamer Scott Abraham
CHARTER:
alt.bonehead.scott-abraham is a discussion forum for victims of
hate-mail, flaming, spamming and other violent attacks by Scott
Abraham (scottabe@speakeasy.org). Binary files and pictures are not
allowed. Advertising of any kind or type is strictly prohibited.
Other related newsgroups and web sites may be mentioned. No other
inter promotion is allowed. Cross-posting is not allowed.
JUSTIFICSTION:
Scott Abraham has continued very abusive behavior by flaming, spamming
and threatening usenet participants. This has occurred primarily in
the newsgroup rec.skiing.alpine and has gotten completely out of hand.
Critics would suggest that setting up this newsgroup will only spur
him on and flatter him. This group is needed to try and get him and
those who don't like him to take their discussion out of
rec.skiing.alpine and into alt.bonehead.scott-abraham. This appears
to be the most correct hierarchy for this forum. Participants in the
rec.skiing.alpine newsgroup have reported his behavior to his IPS and
news server on dozens to no avail. This seems like the only
appropriate next step.
A search of Deja News found that during the period of 2-5-1999
through 5-5-1999:
Over 25,000 messages were posted containing the name "Scott Abraham"
Over 8,000 messages appeared to have originated from Mr. Abraham
himself by containing his email address scottabe@speakeasy.org -
That's nearly 250 messages per day on many occasions that are of or
about Mr. Abraham. This should more that justify sufficient traffic
for this site.
PROPONENT: Newsmaster, (scottabe@speakeasy.org)
Thank you for your consideration!
Organization: The Scott Abraham Support Group
This proposal received the following comments:
"Newsmaster" via an anonymous remailer? I don't think so.
BW
Deja.com message: Re: None
>JUSTIFICSTION:
Dictionaries are cheap these days 'ya know?
> A search of Deja News found that during the period of 2-5-1999
>through 5-5-1999:
>
>Over 25,000 messages were posted containing the name "Scott Abraham"
>Over 8,000 messages appeared to have originated from Mr. Abraham
>himself.
Liar.
Jay
Deja.com message: Re: None
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Concerned? Comments? Reactions?
Feel free to E-mail us. Please feel free to distribute this story of Internet censorship as widely as possible, provided that your intent is to halt court intervention in freedom of speech in cyber-space, and that it is not used for commercial purposes for financial gain to you. We can also accept (non-tax-deductable) contributions to a legal defense fund to seek to remove the gag from our Assistant WebMaster and combat court attempts to moderate discussions in Usenet groups. If you use this item, please do us the courtesy of letting us know when and where it is used, and what responses were received.
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