On Mon, 14 Jun 2004 00:37:15 -0700, "Bill H" <bill@nospam.net> wrote:

>How do you figure?

P-U-B-L-I-C  F-I-G-U-R-E.  Under the law you have "private
individuals", "semi-private individuals", and "public figures".  If
you picked a name out of the phone book and started saying the kind of
shit you do about Bush about this "private individual" instead you'd
get your head handed to you in court.  A private individual, who does
not seek out the spotlight, does not appear in the news regularly, and
does not make statements to the press is entitled to extremely narrow
interpretations of the slander and libel laws.  You'd have to prove
each and every word you said was true, up to and including your name,
and that nothing you said was with malicious intent.  A diatribe
against your ex-girlfriend by name, on USENET, would get you nailed
upside down on the wall because you're dragging her 'personal' life
into the open.

A "semi-private individual" is one who has appeared in the media or
appears on an infrequent basis and makes statements to the public.  A
spokesman for a firefighter union would be a semi-private individual.
Someone who rescued a cat out of a tree and talked about it with
Eyewitness News/Live at Five would be a semi-public individual.  He
has the same basic rights as a private individual except that you can
talk about him, it just has to be overall truthfully.

A Public figure is one who seeks out publicity and exposes himself to
public scrutiny and criticism.  Because he appears in public and can
respond in public his privacy rights are extremely limited and he
bears the burden of proving not only that what you say about him is
false but was said with malicious intent and w/o regard to the truth.
It's usually enough defense to say, "Ah heered on a "Bush-Sucks!"
website that he war in bed with them Ay-Rabs and helped plan the 9/12
attack and I sed it on USENET cause Ah'm too stupid to check mah
sources!"

The only way Bush could get Moore would be to prove that he had a
personal and malicious intent in filming his "documentary".  You'll
never hear Moore publicly say, "I filmed this because I hate Bush and
want to see him strung up!"; for a "Stupid White Man" he's remarkably
astute in keeping his ass out of court.  He may splice a film segment
so that a statement from President Bush:

"I see no reason to apologize for the destruction of the WTC, as I had
nothing to do with it.  Talk to those who planned and executed this
deed about  taking full responsibility"

now reads, 

"I apologize for the destruction of the WTC and take full
responsibility!"

but ONLY FOR ARTISTIC INTERPRETATION, y'know, and not because he has a
grudge against Bush.  (this is not far from what Moore did in "Bowling
for Columbine" and other screeds he's written.  He explains 5, 6, 7
hours of film splicing to make it sound like the interviewee said
something 180o from what he actually said as "interpretation".)
--
Randi Rhodes, Air America radio host, suggesting 
President Bush's assassination to a caller:


R: "Yeah.. take him out and you know "Hail Mary, full 
of grace, God is with ou-" [Randi makes the sound of 
a blast] ... Works for me."

TITLE 18 Sec. 871. - Threats against President and successors to the Presidency 


(a) Whoever knowingly and willfully deposits for 
conveyance in the mail or for a delivery from any 
post office or by any letter carrier any letter, 
paper, writing, print, missive, or document containing
any threat to take the life of, to kidnap, or to 
inflict bodily harm upon the President of the United 
States, the President-elect, the Vice President or 
other officer next in the order of succession to 
the office of President of the United States, or 
the Vice President-elect, or knowingly and willfully 
otherwise makes any such threat against the President,
President-elect, Vice President or other officer next
in the order of succession to the office of President,
or Vice President-elect, shall be fined under this 
title or imprisoned not more than five years, or both.