great idea

I would just like to say....

oh hold on, excuse me while I seek council...I'm so sorry, he said I couldn't say what I was going to say.

What a great idea for a new scuba forum! Lawyers down under - simply submit your post there first for approval to the other forums!

It is a shame that people can not express a negative thought without having to worry if it is going to come back and bite them.
I'm glad to see that you caught yorself in time FF. I am sure that there will be someone out there who thinks your idea might work.

I think both of you are missing something. You have every right to express a negative thought. You do not have the right to commit libel or slander an individual. For example, "I think you both are morons." That is a negative thought and protected by the 1st amendment. On the other had, if i say "i have slept with your sister and she was bad." B]That is an untruth. It did not happen. [/B] Nor can i substantiate this in any way. In this case you have every right to defend yourself from my comments. IMHO this is a good thing. It keeps unsubstantiated stories from hurting individuals. On a final note, I do not know either of you and was kidding about the moron thing. Please don't take offense I was trying to make a lighthearted point. Unless of course, you are in fact one, then you deserved it.

Ok week, I will buy that. But if you did sleep with my sister and she was bad, by you telling evreyone that, that is you expressing a negative thought. If I really was a moron and you were making fun of my disablity, which caused me hardship, then I think I would have the right to defend myself. I'm sure this thread was a sarcastic spin off of Natures original thread. I belive he had the right to express him self and voice his feelings. If he was speaking the truth of how things were done there, how can that be slander. I think slander would be knowingly making false allegations, which I have to assume he is not doing, and yes should be able to be defended to the limit.

Interesting.
Allow me to expand on the logic for a moment:

(premise 1) opinions may contain perceived facts.
(premise 2) perceived facts may be false
(premise 3) one who expresses falsehoods commits slander
(conclusion) All who express opinions about facts commit slander

(I should have gone into law...)

Every see Monty Python's Search for the Holy Grail....
The bit where they are figuring out if a person is a witch... I can't recall the entire scene as I would have liked to but basically the use the same sort of logic to come to the conclusion that is she wieghs as much as a duck then she must be a witch... LOL

Those movies kill me...

What if she sinks and drowns?

Well then she's not a witch.

And if she floats?

Then She's a Witch!!! Burn her!!!

I love Monty Python to.
(Would you like an after dinner mint sir? It is but wafer thin.)
:hehe:
Jeff