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Re: Formal Retraction



On Thu, 7 Jun 2001, Greg Morin wrote:

> On November 29, 1999 I made a post to the APD ...
<snip>

Sometimes attorneys are just too bizarre for words.

> I hereby wish to formally retract that statement.
<snip>

The retraction is sure to draw more attention than the original
statement.

> I have requested (at the direct legal bequest of Kent Marine, Inc.)
> that the above paragraph be removed from the archive and substituted
> with the following:
<snip>

Gee.  I liked the original wording better.

APD is an open forum where most of us are free to express our personal
opinions, subject only to the sometimes searing replies by our peers.  I
realize that a representative of an aquarium-products manufacturer can't
enjoy that freedom as much as the rest of us.  Just the same, it would be
much more in step with the nature of this forum if Kent Marine chose to
reply through a technical representative, publicly, on APD, rather than
working through their attorneys outside of the forum.

In choosing their course of action Kent Marine has neglected an
opportunity to defend and promote their product.  Instead, their chosen
course of action is -- from my point of view -- a public relations
blunder.  Their "request" for a retraction suggests that Dr. Morin's
personal opinions were substantially correct and that legal leverage was
necessary because Kent Marine couldn't otherwise defend either their
product or their promotional material.

The only problem with Dr. Morin's original statement arises from his
credential as a representative of SeaChem.  Perhaps there is a better
solution than altering the body of the letter; just remove from the
original letter the signature line that creates the association with
SeaChem, and let the personal opinion remain as it was originally stated.

And of course, all of this discussion goes into the archive.


Roger Miller
Freely expressing a personal opinion