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October 2002 - Several years ago I created FruitWall which is a small line of text on phonelosers.org that any visitor can customize for all the other visitors to see. Occasionally people will try to cause trouble with FruitWall by posting phone numbers or other information that isn’t allowed. In 2002, someone started posting a lot of attacks against a guy named Pete Scott who runs a website called Crimelife. The stuff he posted would only stay on the main page for a few hours at most, but it would remain in the log file until I emptied it. The log file was accessible to anyone and it was only emptied once or twice per year, whenever I had the time to go in and empty it. Months go by and I don’t notice anything more posted about Pete Scott. Then I get an email from a guy named Jamie Buck…
Date: Thu, 26 Oct 2000 11:57:12 -0500
From: “Jamie Buck” jbuck@smithlawetal.com
To: rbcp@phonelosers.org, pete@rida.net
Subject: Webmaster, please!
Hi Brad,
A while back, I posted some pretty mean and untrue things to your
“fruitwall” page. I wonder if there’s some way I could have them
removed? 208.53.71.140 is the number. You see, these allegations are
untrue, and the person mentioned in them asked me to have them removed.
Any and all references to Pete Scott and Crimelife.com, and anything from
#208.53.71.140. Thanks, Brad, I appreciate it.
Sincerely,
Jamie Buck
cc: Pete Scott
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And here’s what I replied back with…
Date: Sun, 29 Oct 2000 05:31:11 -0800 (PST)
From: “Arbie” brad_the_carter@yahoo.com
Subject: Re: Webmaster, please!
To: “Jamie Buck” jbuck@smithlawetal.com
So let’s see, you spent a few months spamming a section of my page
with obviously slanderous material against this guy and now you’re
asking me to do you a favor? Guess that’s too bad for you. I
guess you should have read the part of that page that says, “Do not
post the personal information of yourself or others, we’ve had to
ban the use of numbers in this form since we are liable when
somebody posts access codes on our page.” And I doubt you really
feel bad for the guy, you’re just trying to keep yourself out of
trouble since Pete has been in contact with you. Calling a person
a child mollester is not a smart thing to do, especially when your
IP address is obviously logged.
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Date: Mon, 30 Oct 2000 07:41:03 -0600
From: “Jamie Buck” jbuck@smithlawetal.com
To: rbcp@phonelosers.org
Subject: Re: Webmaster, please!
Ack, well, thanks anyway.
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Date: Mon, 30 Oct 2000 05:57:07 -0800 (PST)
From: “Arbie” brad_the_carter@yahoo.com
Reply-to: rbcp@phonelosers.org
Subject: Re: Webmaster, please!
To: “Jamie Buck” jbuck@smithlawetal.com
Darn it, you were supposed to get mad at me and call me a jerk or
something. I hate people who are nice. You know it’s about time I
purge all the messages on that page anyway so I’ll try to get them
all wiped out soon. Not for you, just that the page is getting
pretty huge and needs to be purged.
I’m just curious though, what happened? Did this guy contact your
ISP and he’s trying to get you in trouble now?
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Date: Mon, 30 Oct 2000 08:02:26 -0600
From: “Jamie Buck” jbuck@smithlawetal.com
To: rbcp@phonelosers.org
Subject: Re: Webmaster, please!
Thanks!!! No, he didn’t, we were involved and the allegations are
actually true. He couldn’t really get me in trouble since I can prove
that I’m telling the truth, but I honestly just want him to leave me
alone. He did trace my IP back to my ISP, though, which is the only
reason he knew it was me. That, and the impeccable spelling (ahem!).
He’s a scourge and a menace to society, but that goes without saying.
I don’t know why I posted what I did, I guess I never thought he’d
find it. A more likely scenario is that one of his fawning
fifteen-year-old admirers found it and directed him to it.
By the way, I love your page. And if you ever need legal advice,
just ask!
Thanks again,
Jamie Buck
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Now after these emails, I actually get a phone call from Peter Scott of
crimelife.com. He tells me about the log files and politely asks me to take them
down immediately. He sounds nice enough but is trying to hurry me up
about it. So I tell him that I probably won’t have time to do it this
week but I will definitely remove the log file for him this weekend. He
seems satisfied enough, says thanks and we hang up. Then later he
sends me this email:
From: “Peter Scott” pete@rida.net
To: rbcp@phonelosers.org
Subject: Fw: Webmaster, please!
Date: Mon, 30 Oct 2000 12:15:06 -0500
Brad,
As per our conversaion on the telephone.
You have been given notice to remove/reset this page ASAP.
http://www.phonelosers.org/fruitwall_log.html
The statements on this page are damaging and untrue.
If you refuse to remove this page, you may be named as a
defendant in action taken in regards to this matter.
Screen shots have been taken showing this page on YAHOO.com and at
PHONELOSERS.org, and a copy of this page has been forwarded to my
attorney.
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Date: Fri, 3 Nov 2000 17:31:45 -0500
From: “Arbie” brad_the_carter@yahoo.com
Subject: Re: Fw: Webmaster, please!
To: “Peter Scott” pete@rida.net
Idiot - I told you on the phone I would delete it. You don’t have
to follow up with threats. I thought I was very nice about it and
now you’re threatening to take me to court?
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From: “Peter Scott” pete@rida.net
To: rbcp@phonelosers.org
Subject: Re: Fw: Webmaster, please!
Date: Fri, 3 Nov 2000 18:00:31 -0500
have it your way then
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Date: Wed, 8 Nov 2000 16:17:30 -0800 (PST)
From: “Arbie” brad_the_carter@yahoo.com
Subject: Re: Fw: Webmaster, please!
To: “Peter Scott” pete@rida.net
See you in court, sexy!
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So obviously I’m a little pissed that after I was nice to him on the
phone and I really was going to take the stuff about him down, he
says he’s going to sue me. So later that month I finally DO clear
the log file out just because it really needs to be cleared. There
are over a thousand entries in it, all displaying the date, IP address
and the message posted. I decide to be a jerk by clearing out every single line
of the log except for the several dozen posts that have Pete’s name in them.
After I’m done and I’ve spent a few minutes laughing at my supreme cleverness, I
send a couple of emails.
Date: Wed, 29 Nov 2000 10:11:22 -0800 (PST)
From: “Arbie” brad_the_carter@yahoo.com
Subject: Re: Pete
To: “Jamie Buck” jbuck@smithlawetal.com
Hey, I finally cleared my 6 meg FruitWall file today. Check it
out:
http://www.phonelosers.org/fruitwall_log.html
I’m going to email Pete now and ask him if he still wants to sue
me.
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Date: Wed, 29 Nov 2000 13:15:43 -0600
From: “Jamie Buck” jbuck@smithlawetal.com
To: rbcp@phonelosers.org
Subject: Re: Pete
Oh, my god. I am awestruck, Brad. Words fail me.
~J
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Date: Wed, 29 Nov 2000 10:12:16 -0800 (PST)
From: “Arbie” brad_the_carter@yahoo.com
Subject: Re: Fw: Webmaster, please!
To: “Peter Scott” pete@rida.net
Hey sir, I cleared my FruitWall log file this morning. Will
you call off the lawsuit now? See for yourself:
http://www.phonelosers.org/fruitwall_log.html
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From: “Peter Scott” pete@rida.net
To: rbcp@phonelosers.org
Subject: Re: Fw: Webmaster, please!
Date: Wed, 29 Nov 2000 14:12:47 -0500
I owe you one.
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And that’s the legend of the FrutWall Posting Scandal of 2000. I left the messages about Pete on the top of the log files for several years before finally clearing them away. Since they were on top, they were the first thing that people saw when they viewed the FruitWall logs. I never did hear from Pete again and I still haven’t been served with a lawsuit from him.
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