[Peace-discuss] Fw: TARGET: Rep. Joe Wilson -- who yelled "You lie!" at Obama

[LAURIE SOLOMON]

Of course, we have neglected the fact that Senators and Representatives are
immune from legal action against them for anything that they might say on
the floor of the Congress, in committee meetings, or even within the
congressional chambers while it is in session.  Moreover, should the subject
of the slander or libel be a public figure, it is even more difficult for
them to bring a legal action against the purveyor of the alleged slander or
libel; it is even more difficult if the source of the alleged slander or
libel against the public figure is a sitting legislator or even a public
official who produces the slander or libel during the course of fulfilling
their public duties.  Of equal importance is the fact that a third party
does not have standing to take legal action against another for acts of
slander or libel that involve a party other than themselves.

 

From: peace-discuss-bounces at lists.chambana.net
[mailto:peace-discuss-bounces at lists.chambana.net] On Behalf Of Jenifer
Cartwright
Sent: Friday, September 11, 2009 7:08 PM
To: John W.
Cc: Peace-discuss; Karen Medina
Subject: Re: [Peace-discuss] Fw: TARGET: Rep. Joe Wilson -- who yelled "You
lie!" at Obama

 


Thanks, John. I knew there were obstacles but had forgotten the specifics.
Even so, you'd think there'd be lawsuits galore against some of these
guys... tho' some are deep down dumb enuff to convince any court that they
truly didn't know they were "mistaken."

 

Meanwhile, talking heads on News Hour tonite said that Wilson did himself
and his Party so much harm by his outburst that they think he must have been
a Democratic plant!! (If only, huh?)

 --Jenifer

 

 


--- On Fri, 9/11/09, John W. <jbw292002 at gmail.com> wrote:


From: John W. <jbw292002 at gmail.com>
Subject: Re: [Peace-discuss] Fw: TARGET: Rep. Joe Wilson -- who yelled "You
lie!" at Obama
To: "Jenifer Cartwright" <jencart13 at yahoo.com>
Cc: "Peace-discuss" <peace-discuss at lists.chambana.net>, "Karen Medina"
<kmedina67 at gmail.com>, "Ricky Baldwin" <baldwinricky at yahoo.com>
Date: Friday, September 11, 2009, 5:21 PM

 

On Fri, Sep 11, 2009 at 4:51 PM, Jenifer Cartwright <jencart13 at yahoo.com
<http://us.mc449.mail.yahoo.com/mc/compose?to=jencart13@yahoo.com> > wrote:


I'm sooooo sick of these damned right-wingers saying whatever they want and
getting away w/ it, plus of course all the media attention -- equal time and
then some. And until there are some real consequences, it won't stop. I do
NOT want the Dems/progressives to get down to their level -- i e constantly
referring to Laura Bush as, "Boyfriend-killer Laura Bush" or referring to
Republicans as "Draft-dodging chicken hawk Republicans," but there needs to
be some way to stop it. So maybe censure in this case would be one way to
start the process. I think we need more libel and slander lawsuits as well.

 --Jenifer


The trouble with libel/slander/defamation suits is that they're so hard to
win.  There are a number of elements to them.  The speaker/writer must make 

1) a statement of fact, not opinion or satire
2) which is untrue, and
3) which the speaker/writer KNOWS to be untrue, and 
4) which causes actual, demonstrable harm to the subject of the utterance.

In addition, if the statement is made by the media and/or with reference to
a "public figure", the person who claims harm must prove "actual malice" on
the part of the speaker/writer/publisher.

The burden of proof is always on the plaintiff, so all of these elements
present significant hurdles or barriers to winning a lawsuit.

John Wason



 



--- On Fri, 9/11/09, Ricky Baldwin <baldwinricky at yahoo.com
<http://us.mc449.mail.yahoo.com/mc/compose?to=baldwinricky@yahoo.com> >
wrote:


From: Ricky Baldwin <baldwinricky at yahoo.com
<http://us.mc449.mail.yahoo.com/mc/compose?to=baldwinricky@yahoo.com> >
Subject: Re: [Peace-discuss] Fw: TARGET: Rep. Joe Wilson -- who yelled "You
lie!" at Obama
To: "Peace-discuss" <peace-discuss at lists.chambana.net
<http://us.mc449.mail.yahoo.com/mc/compose?to=peace-discuss@lists.chambana.n
et> >, "Karen Medina" <kmedina67 at gmail.com
<http://us.mc449.mail.yahoo.com/mc/compose?to=kmedina67@gmail.com> >
Date: Friday, September 11, 2009, 2:51 PM


Absolutely.

I don't think censure is the way.  We'd probably do better with a rowdier
system, even like the British Parliament with all its faults, where the PM
has to actually go down on the floor and debate.  Of course, it hasn't made
Britain a workers' paradise.  But at least they have National Health - for
now.*

Ricky

*That has to do with other factors, in my opinion.

"Speak your mind even if your voice shakes." - Maggie Kuhn

--- On Fri, 9/11/09, Karen Medina <kmedina67 at gmail.com
<http://us.mc449.mail.yahoo.com/mc/compose?to=kmedina67@gmail.com> > wrote:


From: Karen Medina <kmedina67 at gmail.com
<http://us.mc449..mail.yahoo.com/mc/compose?to=kmedina67@gmail.com> >
Subject: Re: [Peace-discuss] Fw: TARGET: Rep. Joe Wilson -- who yelled "You
lie!" at Obama
To: "Peace-discuss" <peace-discuss at lists.chambana.net
<http://us.mc449.mail.yahoo.com/mc/compose?to=peace-discuss@lists.chambana.n
et> >
Date: Friday, September 11, 2009, 1:48 PM

Representative Joe Wilson's outburst tells us more about him. He is
dumb enough to think it is a good idea to have people living among us
that DON'T have access to health care.

He made a fool of himself.

-karen medina

 

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