Community archive
by jamesrl
Take a good close look at the profile.
I never represented to anyone that I worked for the City of Missisauga. Go back through the archives. Use Google.
I was indeed an IT Departmental Manager for a Government organization - but not a municipal or provincial government. And that organization's workplace was in the City of Mississauga. I am no longer there, but I was when I first signed on here some 5 years ago.
And yes, that is my real name. Been mine for 43 years.
What benefit would it be to anyone to post articles here under a stolen name?
Caveat Emptor indeed. Methinks someone owes me an apology.
James
.
Guess what, there's no "Maxwell Edison" where I work either. So what? Moreover, even if what you say is true, why would a person represent himself to be someone else if it wouldn't bring any benefit to him? "James Linn" answers technical questions and gets involved in discussions, and that's about all anyone around here cares about anyway.
But the real question I have is what's YOUR motive for starting such a discussion? And why should we believe you and not "James Linn"?
Signed,
Maxwell Edison
ACME Widget Company
Anytown, USA
by jamesrl
The profile says:
IT Department Manager
Missisauga, ON
The person from City of Mississauga leapt to the assumption that I am trying to represent the City of Missisauga. In fact I left my employer blank, and Missisauga, ON is the city in which my employer resided. In one view of the profile, it asked employer type, and I listed government employer - I worked for a Federal Government agency.
I can see why someone might be confused, but to accuse of fraud, thats a bit much.
I have yet to see an apology.
James
by mschan
To James Linn: thank you for your claification on this issue. In fact, I believe my coworker very likely may have written to TechRepublic seeking to have your account removed on the basis of forgeries. Almost anyone in our department saw the name and identity shown believed that it is my coworker (or rather, someone who claimed to be him.)
As for me "look before I leap", I have considered whether a person named "James Linn" may be a resident in Mississauga. A check on the phone book and canada411.ca came up empty. Had your name turned up, I probably would have given it the benefit of the doubt.
I apologize for your inconvience (although if I have a choice to do it all over again, I would do exactly the same.)
by mschan
To "Maxwell Edison": you certainly have every right to choose not to believe in anything that I (or anything one else) had said.
"Benefits" do not need to be monetary. For example, in the 1995 Ontario election, someone made changes to news releases from Mike Harris (former Ontario Premier) with "extravagant" campaign promises (such as claiming to restore capital punishment if he got elected) and posted them to Usenet. There were enough confusions going around that the PC Party campaign manager had to make claifications.
My motive is simply to stand up for a coworker friend - no more and no less.
by jamesrl
That your friends name and mine are not the same.
If you take the time to actually read the profile you will see that it doesn't say "City of Mississauga" is my employer.
So how would anything I have said here hurt your friend?
As for the provincial election, I was quite involved in it. I campaigned for someone who became a cabinet minister, and I was involved in the communications aspect. I never saw any of those fraudulent postings(I tend to ignore the usenet groups around election time) and I never saw anything from the Campaign Team about those postings. I don't deny they happened, but I don't know anyone who took them seriously.
I find it ironic that you are worried about me smearing someone else's reputation - when I post opinions and respond to technical questions in a helpful manner. And you didn't hesitate to smear my reputation. And hiding behind the weasal words of "potential" doesn't help. If a judge were to look at the whole message, the message is pretty clear. You made an attempt to smear my charecter.
You should be ashamed.
James
by mlandis
Nothing personal, and remember you did ask for the translation:
"go screw yourself and the horse [you came in on?]"
I think.
I am pretty sure it's Latin from a later period. Vulgate maybe? I do ok with the writings around the time of Ceasar or Cicero.
I would have changed it to
"Caveat lector" Reader beware.
Maureen
by jamesrl
If you say if you had to do it over again - you would still slander me.
You made a mistake. You did not understand how the profile is made up. My company name did not show up because I chose not to reveal it. You assumed my location was my employer - even though I am sure you refer to your employer as the City of Mississauga.
But worse, you assumed it was for fraudulent purposes. It doesn't matter what you or your co-workers may have thought. They were wrong and you were wrong. And its human to be wrong - but apologise not for being wrong but for attempting to smear my reputation unjustly.
As for your 411 search, I worked in Mississauga, but live in another community. If you had looked in other communities in your phone book, you would have easily found me. If you would have googled me you would have found that I have been posting on the Internet for over 10 years. I did not state my employer in my profile, but I am not hiding. But even if I was unlisted, there is no justification for your slander.
If you wonder why I am upset, I know that some prospective employers google candidates. You could have damaged my reputation. And that by the way is grounds for legal action.
In the future you should be very careful of what you allege. I am very proud of my name. Just because you haven't heard of it before, doesn't mean it doesn't have a proud heritage. And as for my reputation, I have been through RCMP security checks, and been cleared by the government for access to "Secret" information. I have had police checks run so that I can go on school field trips with my kids, and so that I can conduct a children's choir at a church.
I urge you to apologise without reservation. My inconvenience is not the issue here.
James Linn
by mschan
I didn't get to your voicemail until today, as I was away from office.
I have deleted my original message based on our conversation.
I apologize for the situation that I place you (and my coworker - I know he's reading) in.
I can give you my private email address should you need to contact me further.
by jamesrl
I will admit I am taking this very personally, but it was and is a personal matter.
You did not directly apologize for the attempted smear on my name and charecter. And your removal of your initial post covers up your transgression.
Surely the issue isn't cleared until I am satisfied.
James
by mschan
Removal of the post is not to cover up. As you have said you are concern about prospective employers using Google search, retraction of the message is the right thing to do.
I'll be happy to conduct further conversation in private via my personal email address should you need to.
by cactus pete
MSChan -
Just apologise and get it over with. We will all move on.
by tomsal
by jamesrl
But the Title was "James Linn is a potential Fraud"
It went on to accuse me of fraudulently using someone else's name and protraying myself as an employee of the City of Mississauga. Neither of which is actually true.
Part of the confusion was that my profile said that I am an IT Department Head, and the next line was Mississauga, ON. In one of the fields in the profile, I do have listed that I work for a government organization(which I did when I filled in the profile). These people came to the assumption that I was trying to pass myself off as someone with a similar but not the same name, who works for the City of Mississauga's IT Department.
The rest I think you can get from the emails.
I still think I am owed a publicly posted apology that acknowledges the mistake of accusing me of fraud. That I have yet to get. I do agree that a private apology is not sufficient. I don't take slander lightly.
James
by mschan
but I guess it was hard to find because it hung off another chain. So I'll repeat the statement here:
"I apologize for the situation that I place you (and my coworker - I know he's reading) in. "
I believe we can all move on.
by tomsal
Hi James,
Thanks for informing me, I was curious especially because I've read and been reading your posts on TR for quite a while now, I think the both of us even slammed heads (figure of speech of course) in some of our discussions. However, we always took it as just "sticking to our guns/opinion" and never personal.
You should take slander heavy, you have all the right to..I take it as a HUGE issue as well and would fight ferociously anyone who slandered me.
I read the message below with the apology posted again, I'm in no position to judge but it appears the guy is at the least trying to make at least a small amends. Ultimately since slander is a form of personal attack, you alone must deem if the apology posted in this thread is sufficient.
For any value its worth...sorry you had to experience this stuff and I look forward to your continuing contributions on this board.
Tom
by hal 9000
It is up to you to decide if the offered apology is sufficient to meet your needs.
Like you I too value my reputation quite a lot and would fight hard to maintain it.
However I can not help but think that this entire thread is only rubbing salt into the already open wounds. If the original posting has been removed why did this person find it necessary to start it off again for everyone to see?
Also I did notice that the person involved doesn't have a "Peer Listing" so he/she is hiding behind an uncontactable name and posting this rubbish. I too would take offense to this type of thing happening as it is nothing if not unprofessional.
Col
by jamesrl
In another post you said if it happened again, you would do it again.
That shows that you really are not understanding of the nature of the injury.
Please, if you really want to apologize, acknowledge that you were wrong to do what you did. I deserve and expect no less.
James
by mschan
"In another post you said if it happened again, you would do it again."
If I can turn back the clock, given the exact situation, exact same data in front of me, etc. would I have made the same mistake again? I have to admit - I probably would have made the same mistake again.
Since the posting, you have corrected me with your side of your story, I corrected the situation by retracting the original statement and offering you an apology.
I once again apologize for the information I posted about you in the first place and the situation I placed you in as a result (and my coworker also.)
by jamesrl
I don't want to drag this out.
But what is lacking, when you mention you would do it again, is any sense of responsibility for your actions or the damage you cause. If you would do it again, you clearly don't understand what libel or slander is.
From dictionary.com, Libel is: A false publication, as in writing, print, signs, or pictures, that damages a person's reputation.
The act of presenting such material to the public.
You made a mistake. You published an allegation of identity theft with intent to defraud. You gravely insulted my integrity, honesty, and my name. Take responsibility for your actions, and show me you understand why it was wrong. Apologizing for my inconvenience doesn't cover it.
James
by jamesrl
I appreciate the sentiment.
For what its worth, I can't even recall when we have butted heads, so it obviously wasn't important.
James
.
......he should buy you a beer and call it a day.
by mschan
"I don't want to drag this out."
Me neither. Honestly, I don't want to post another message in this thread, but I should make a claification.
"But what is lacking, when you mention you would do it again, is any sense of responsibility for your actions or the damage you cause. If you would do it again, you clearly don't understand what libel or slander is."
I fully under what libel or slander is. I take it seriously also. But note - I didn't say I would do it again _from this time forward_.
Let's review my comment:
"If I can turn back the clock, given the exact situation, exact same data in front of me, etc. would I have made the same mistake again? I have to admit - I probably would have made the same mistake again."
What I said was - knowing what I knew, learning what I have learnt then, given same exact information, would I commit that same mistake? Yes, I probably would have, because I didn't know any better _then_.
If _after this incident_ I do that same thing again, then I deserved to be smacked.
I hope this settles it. Again I apologize to you for the incident.
by jamesrl
Thanks for your honesty.
James
by hal 9000
Why did this person decide that he had to place a posting deriding you because you have a similar name to his friend who is also a Peer here as well?
I would have thought that the affected party if they felt so much of a disservice would have made the original posting.
Don't you?
Maybe it's just stupid me but I can not see just why M Chan had to start this off when he was not directly affected.
Col
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