A look inside the mind of erad3 (most-likely Jared Loughner)

I would say that the ATS staff and ownership were smart enough to realize that deleting information and trying to bury any and all material affiliated with this person would have caused even more grief, more speculation and even more curiousity on the part of the media and those who were following this story.

It would appear that ATS did an excellent job of heading this collision off at the pass, and instead of trying to erase the post's in question, simply offered the material up as a means of transparency so that all information was available for the world to see.

Hiding it would have seemed dishonest and sneaky and it would not only have aroused even more suspicion and prompted people to dig deeper, but it would have allowed the mainstream media to paint any picture they saw fit. Without having the real posts for anyone to see, the MSM could have printed anything and speculated whatever they wished, making an already difficult situation even worse.

So I applaud Bill and Mark and the staff here for using their head's, remaining calm, and giving forth whatever information was available. Proper evidence that if you speak and act reasonably and do not try to behave in a deceitful manner, that good thing will come out of a bad situation.

And for those complaining about the T&C...you should have read them when you signed up. If the rules of membership have become suddenly unacceptible, please realize that the door works both ways and you are free to leave out the same way you came in.

All i can say is if any of you did what Jared Laughner did i would turn over any and all information... From what i have seen so far this is a very selfish community too caught up in their own games to look at the bigger picture or to really care that people have been hurt.

reply to post by MemoryShock


Enough said. I get it !! I got it, and Im good. Thank you so much for enlightening me as to how things work around here.I was completely unaware that I too could use anything anyone here on ATS says (including the owners, staff, and members verbatim)FYI ,Your little t&c disclosure means nothing when it come to exposing intimate confidential information on a national scale perhaps international scale, regardless if the mental ill apply.In this case it does not.

Originally posted by ShogunAssassins
All i can say is if any of you did what Jared Laughner did i would turn over any and all information... From what i have seen so far this is a very selfish community too caught up in their own games to look at the bigger picture or to really care that people have been hurt.

Shogun, consider for a moment, I mean really consider how you would feel if you had written or posted something here that was somehow construed or misunderstood as tying you to Loughner and/or his actions. Would you be in support of ATS giving your personal information to the authorities? Remember that even if you were proved completely innocent of any wrongdoing, the harm would already be done to your reputation with your family, your neighbors, your friends, your employer..... Do you see why protecting ATS user's privacy is so important to the ATS staff?

reply to post by Fractured.Facade

Nothing fascinating about him. He was totally incomprehensible. He just happened to find this website to log on to and spew his nonsense. Can we please not give him any more credit than he merits?

reply to post by rushunt


So sorry friend, cannot talk now...will explain. Best as always! No disrespect intended.

Originally posted by oliveoil
reply to post by MemoryShock

 

Enough said. I get it !! I got it, and Im good. Thank you so much for enlightening me as to how things work around here.I was completely unaware that I too could use anything anyone here on ATS says (including the owners, staff, and members verbatim)

I think people forget just how findable they are on the Internet.

We have been through this issue before, when Jeff Weise (en.wikipedia.org...) was discovered to be a member of ATS. In fact, we've been through this more than once.

When someone does something like this, people start searching for reasons why the situation occurred and how they might figure out if someone they are in contact might behave the same. If you have one bit of information (Youtube video, board ID) people can fairly easily find your writing on forums and in other public places on the Internet (it's not magic -- just a combination of uber-leet googling skills and the wisdom to recognize what topics someone may talk about repeatedly.) Messages linger in caches and in quotes and in a lot of other artifacts.

If you wish to be truly anonymous, forget about being online. Better yet, educate yourself about what kind of footprints you leave on the Internet and if you give your information or present yourself in public forums. You should be in control the information that you give about yourself -- because no one else can protect you.

(this is why, when we find it, the staff usually remove personal names and emails from messages.)

reply to post by oliveoil


You are the Empress with No Clothes...truly. I can honor your sentiments, your heroism, but you cannot not truly believe from your side of the ATS looking glass that you have a grip on this reality. You must trust someone some day Olive Oil. If it is not today, close your account with ATS.

By the way BRAVO! ATS site owner et al....bravery, balls and brains!

hi all.

I find that the Super Sane and the InSane look alike from "50 feet away"!
I got this image once when I looked down a rural road and i saw someone walking either TO me or From me, his legs were moving but i could not see enough to tell if he was walking to me or away from me.

ATS brings the supersane and the insane. These are people who stand outside of the row of sheep, marching in the flock. insane on one side, the supersane on the other.

the supersane might be writing about maybe *how* to build an anti-gravity device or maybe of some new way to feed the world better. the insane would give a rant about something, something that some might consider to be supersane, but there is something "funny" in the Presentation.

the sane people are those who do not ask questions, follow rules, raise their kids and want peace and quiet and want final answers for keeps.

and...

when you open the birdcage to let 100 birds out, some are going to flop down onto the floor and be eaten by cats.
not all are capable to fly. not all people are capable to become "supersane"! some are Called to be, but there is a "short circuit" and they become insane.

the sane people say...
--"you never can have too much insurance"!

--"your not married *yet*?!!"

---"when are you going to settle down"?!

---the prison camp next door? *what* camp next door?"!!

---do not rock the boat.

-etc...etc....

so BOTH supersane and insane are here on ATS, and i Betcha.......
betcha that the next TEN "insane, blow-a-gasket-soon, people, who will, within the next six months, Do Damage to people, are right here on ATS, right now! Tis the very Nature of this ATS! You all are handling this well, I guess.
the Price of freedom is to let these insane continue to take the soapbox stand. to ban these people, in advance, detecting a certain "danger" to their rants; is to nullify what ATS stands for!

"danger to their rants" infers someone who decides what is dangerous and what is not dangerous!!
[who guards the guards?]

[even someone who writes about his anti-gravity device, why he could be seen by Big Oil as supremely dangerous to everything that they $tand for, plus putting millions of people out of work and maybe putting a million home town gas stations out of business, why they want to keep things the way they were, thus a suspicious death might be next for this guy who dabbles in anti-gravity!]
"danger topics" is in the eye of the beholder!

freestone

reply to post by oliveoil


Are you purposely being obtuse? I find it hard to believe anyone who uses the internet can be this utterly clueless (I am NOT trying to be mean, I am completely serious).

The ATS user name "erad3" was ALL OVER THE INTERNET Sunday morning with over 4,000 search returns. Anyone who has the ability to read the word "search" in the search box here at ATS and knows how to type his user name in would have instant access to his posts, all of them.

Seriously, it sounds like you should get off line immediately if you actually think anything you post on websites (ATS or any other) is "private". They're NOT, and for a good reason, the concpet of the internet is the FREE EXCHANGE OF IDEAS AND INFORMATION.

Springer...

Well said. I think ATS has clearly taken the correct path. Perhaps this thread is your statement, and our community's response here on ATS is the only real statement that needs to be made. Transparency with this information is crucial in demonstrating in a "real world" way what our values are all about here.
I myself started a thread here "Talk Of Armed Revolution On ATS Inappropriate".
( Can anyone help me put a link to my thread in here? Please??? MODS?? )
I drew some heat from some people, but I stood by my original statement. It is very sad that anyone anywhere would ever commit a crime of this magnitude. This is causing a lot of pain in our society as a whole, and regionally in Arizona......locally in Tuscon, and in the homes of the families and friends of all of those people.
My thoughts and condolences are with those people. I have been on here for years in different incarnations, and ATS is a very familiar, personal place for me. it's un-nerving to think that a person capable of this atrocity was roaming around in here.

I'm going to re-post the first part of my post here, and I think the content is relevent, ( again ), and it will speak for itself.

Before I open this can of worms, I will say that I absolutely, unequivicably believe in the Right of Free Speech. I believe that ATS members should be able to voice opinions that are controversial and not within the boundaries of the mainstream media here. That's part of what ATS is all about. However, as an ATS member and as an indivdual, I am concerned by the amount of posts that are either directly or indirectly calling for an armed revolution here in the United States, and the inferrences towards the concept of the President meeting an untimely end. I'm not referring to average people who are fed-up with our government, corruption, and "the system". I am one of those people. But there is a certain tone with some posts, especially ones which advance the idea that something would, should or will "happen" to The President of the United States, that I find disturbing as a citizen.
ATS has been working hard lately on keeping insults, trolling, and general rude behavior towards other members to a minimum, and has in fact instituted a "No Tolerance" stance towards such behavior on other threads. However, while the Moderators don't tolerate personal insults or off-topic comments, they allow people to openly advocate armed, violent revolution and the "concept" that our duly- elected Commander in Chief be assassinated. In my opinion, this is inconsistent with, if not the letter, the spirit of ATS Terms and Conditions.

You can't call another member an idiot, but you can call for armed violence and a political coup via political assassination. I'm having trouble reconciling this.

I don't want to be over-ran by the conservatives here. I know how you feel, I've been reading the threads. You won't change my opinion, and if you want to trash me personally for voicing my opinion, then go check your hypocrisy at the door. I know of course that I've opened the door to being ridiculed and such, but that doesn't matter.

It's illegal to call for the armed over-throw of our government, as well as for advancing the idea of killing the President. We are a Nation of Laws for a reason.

You don't like how the last election turned out? Become more politically active. Are all politicians inherently corrupt? Run for office and give us someone who is honest. You don't like the current administration's legislation? Draft some legislation and present that to your elected Representatives, but please stop whining and threatening violence. At least here. Say whatever you want down in your bunker or in the church parking lot.

If anyone else here feels the way I do about this, please speak up and lend me some support. I know there must be other people here who feel the way I do about this issue. If you disagree with me, fine, we are fellow citizens and I have thick skin. I can handle it. If you just want to trash me because I've spoken from my heart, then insert your favorite bone-cutting insult here and apply it to yourself.

I'm curious about how the Mods and even SkepticOverlord feel about what I've said. Please feel free to jump in.




[edit on 2-1-2010 by moonzoo7]

[edit on 2-1-2010 by moonzoo7]


signature:
PREPARE YOURSELVES; OUR DNA SURVEY OF THIS SYSTEM IS NEARLY COMPLETE...

reply to post by Springer


reply to post by Springer

Are you purposely being obtuse? I find it hard to believe anyone who uses the internet can be this utterly clueless (I am NOT trying to be mean, I am completely serious).

If you are suggesting that I am slow at understanding ATSes "policy" than yes, you would be correct.

BTW, Thank you again for pointing out the obvious

. Bottom line is that ATS cares nothing about its members privacy. Maybe I just dont understand why. Maybe you could shed some light on this?
Yeah, yeah, yeah, rules are rules and thats whats posted in the T&C. However, this does not make it right.

Question. What does ATS gain by hanging ones dirty laundry out so everyone can see? maybe more traffic?how about more sponsors? let me pat ATS on the shoulders for being no less than humane. BTW you have no real evidence that erad3 is he.How embarrassing would it be if someone else popped up claiming to be erad3.

It is impossible to make everyone happy. Kind of sad though, you shoot eighteen people the least of this guys worries is a few lame ramblings on here. This guy is still alive. He can speak for himself. This guy had no known affiliations. There is no need to speculate. A member here made a heartfelt attempt to try to get him to get help. That is far more than he would receive elsewhere.This is a private website. If you want secret writings...Buy a diary.

Are you being serious? You are posting voluntarily onto a public website. That is not a lawsuit, that sounds like a LOLsuit, because it would be laughed out of court. By posting here, you areintentionally posting for all to read, and by pressing POST you are consenting. I am nearly speechless over the lack of logic I found in your post, and am wondering if the post is even for real.

Originally posted by oliveoil
reply to post by SkepticOverlord

 

Regardless, If ATS intentionally posted for all to read, my threads and posts,(with out my consent) believe you me, there would be a lawsuit filed.FYI, I do believe that ATS does not have consent to post to the general public anything that its members (identifying who there are ) or ( presuming who they are) post. If any one can point out where the T&C says otherwise I would much appreciate it.

Originally posted by oliveoil

Originally posted by MemoryShock
reply to post by oliveoil

 

17) Rights In Posted Materials: By posting on this message board, you relinquish all exclusive copyrights to any materials you Post and furthermore, you grant TAN non-exclusive, non-revocable worldwide, royalty-free rights to copy, distribute, display, reproduce, modify, adapt, create derivative works, and publicly perform the materials in perpetuity in all forms. This license applies to all works of authorship including, but not limited to, written materials (e.g., text), audio, audio-visual materials, graphics, and images (including, but not limited to, graphics and images used as avatars). You also grant all third parties the right to copy, distribute, display, reproduces, and publicly perform the materials you post under the terms of the Creative Commons License. TAN has the authority to decide to display your postings or not, and you grant TAN the right to modify your posts, remove offensive material, modify your post title to accurately reflect content, remove vulgar comments, remove insults, or delete any other content deemed inappropriate, all at our discretion.

Terms and Conditions

My Bolded

Well , there you have it folks, ATS reserves the right to SELL YOU OUT!! Thanks MemoryShock for going though the trouble and pointing this out. A shinny new tinfoil hat for you. I think ill just stick to what I know best., Religion, faith, and morals, something the attorneys and most of the staff here at ats are unfamiliar with. Any way, good luck with that ATS. As far as ATS members; Be very concerned about the information you post. ATS has the right to use it against you.And they will.oo-

edit on 11-1-2011 by oliveoil because: 45

Um, how are they selling you out? If you signed up and began posting with out even a vague notion of the terms and conditions, and without the logic in your mind to reasonably reach the conclusion you are posting on a public forum thus what you write is public, then maybe you sold yourself out.

reply to post by hotbakedtater

Um, how are they selling you out? If you signed up and began posting with out even a vague notion of the terms and conditions, and without the logic in your mind to reasonably reach the conclusion you are posting on a public forum thus what you write is public, then maybe you sold yourself out.

Does the same T&C apply to WATS?. is this public knowledge also? If so, than I have some major dirt on people. I signed up under the notion that I could obtain secret information obtaining ufos. If anyone could get this info what would be the point of ATS. I was under the impression that only ATS members could get such info.

reply to post by oliveoil


This has nothing (less than nothing) to do with "policies"...

Ask yourself WHY you post on a site like ATS.

The average/typical/rational answer is, to get your opinion/theory/belief/concern out to the widest audience POSSIBLE, to have a REAL VOICE.

Looking at it from that perspective, do you now realize how incredibly inane your complaints seem?

I hope so.


ETA (Edit To Add): After reading your last post, I can assure you that RATS is EXACTLY what we say it is, NOT indexed by the search engines and ONLY viewable by members who have RATS access. Have you read NOTHING here that pertains to our policies? Seriously, you rail against our policies but, by your questions, it's apparent you've never actually READ THEM.

Springer...

reply to post by oliveoil


THIS is why YOU should have read the T & C BEFORE hitting submit Olive.

I think ATS is doing the right thing here.

Me too. I saw it today on Washington Post and Slate websites.

It is truly horrible. I did not know Erad here on ATS. But if he was having trouble with things, his best course of action was to end his own insanity and not (involentarily) taken the lives of others. I'm not advocating suicide. Only that in a purely philosophical sense, his decision was wrong IMO. What he does with his own life we have little moral control of, as our society does not provide 100% accurate moral compasses.

Still, I feel very badly for all who have been gravely affected by this incident. Hang in their ATS owners, staff, and membership. Washington Post is just trying to point the finger at someone. Honestly, if the Washington Post and the MSM actually covered UFOs like they should, maybe this young man wouldn't have felt so depressed and out of touch with the world. If the MSM wants to point fingers, we have as much right to point the finger back at them. If we are going to all point fingers, then everyone is guilty on some level. We have built our society to what it is today, and it is not perfect. Therefore pointing fingers does little at this juncture and ultimately the blame lies squarely on the shoulders of the shooter.

It looks like thanks to google searches, etc, many blogs, websites, and media outlets are pointing the way to ATS to investigate his posts:

is.gd...

wireupdate.com...

Originally posted by moonzoo7
You can't call another member an idiot, but you can call for armed violence and a political coup via political assassination. I'm having trouble reconciling this.

That is not entirely true. Direct threats or petitioning for such are not tolerated and removed when they are noticed or alerted to.

However, indirect rhetoric which come across as posturing or reactionary may get past our notice.