wrote:
Chess One wrote:

The only difficulty in a libel is having to prove that such material was
taken seriously by anyone. But, who knows who reads what on usenet? PI.


Bzzt. Wrong again. Jerry Falwell certainly took Hustler's proclaimation
that he "screwed his mother in an outhouse" seriously, but was unable
to win his libel case. Who read it didn't matter, what did matter was
whether a *reasonable person* would believe it.

And I hate to tell you this, Phil, but neither you or Rob would be the
example of a "reasonable person." To say nothing of trying to prove
harm...

But the Prozac boat bit was great; Rob couldn't have looked sillier if
he stepped in a bucket and fell down a flight of stairs.

And best of all, Mitchell carefully placed the bucket so HE could trip
on it! Does he honestly expect anyone to believe that when he posted to
a depression newsgroup about Prozac that he was talking about a
sailboat?

It's amazing
to see him posting about Neil "dying a lonely, unwanted man in his
little apartment" one day and then accusing him of libel in such a
short time. If anything, Neil has been the model of decorum while Rob
continues to hassle him.

Thank you.

His obsession with him might be seen by a Freudian as homoerotic desire.