[Politicalities]

DUmmies are famous for jumping the gun: Ra^thergate, Al Qaqaa, exit polls, "I BELIEEEEVE!", Jeff Gannon, Valerie Plame, Downing Street Minutes, etc. This is not a good quality to have, and we should be cautious about falling into such a trap ourselves.

I counseled caution when the "Scamdy" stories started breaking. Was it possible the whole thing was a fraud? Yes, certainly. Had the whole thing been proven to be a fraud? Certainly not. We didn't have enough evidence to say with a high enough degree of confidence that the DUmmies had fallen for yet another sucker bet, and I tried to tell a few people that. This didn't stop a huge number of FReepers from openly asserting certainty that Stephenson was a scammer. And now, apparently, he's dead. Assuming that's true (there's no obituary in the paper yet, but this is fairly new), it kind of makes those who jumped the gun look a little foolish, not to mention petty and heartless. May a lesson be learned.

[cripplecreek]

Don't know don't care.

[Incorrigible]

Oh my!

[Space Wrangler]

Hmmmm. Another scam to escape the coming wrath? Or was his illness real and he and his cohorts just decided to be really shifty about the money and facts for no reason?

[trisham]

We didn't have enough evidence to say with a high enough degree of confidence that the DUmmies had fallen for yet another sucker bet, and I tried to tell a few people that. This didn't stop a huge number of FReepers from openly asserting certainty that Stephenson was a scammer. And now, apparently, he's dead. Assuming that's true (there's no obituary in the paper yet, but this is fairly new), it kind of makes those who jumped the gun look a little foolish, not to mention petty and heartless. May a lesson be learned.

*************

Perhaps the lesson should be learned at DU as well:

BuffyTheFundieSlayer (1000+ posts) Fri Jul-08-05 04:03 AM

Response to Original message

57. I'm so sorry to hear that I never had a chance to cyber-meet him, having joined after he left for his surgery but I know he was well loved here. I know he will be missed.

Note to any lurking freepers: F*ck off!

[OldSmaj]

And now, apparently, he's dead.

Well, I've tried to imagine a scenario wherein I would or should give a rat's patootie about any of this, especially since no one got any of my money in the deal.

The idiots and mouth-breathers at DU will find something to piss and moan about, regardless of the situation.

I say ignore them, one and all, let them mourn this person, let them blame us, Bush or anyone else they desire.

Bottom line is this:

They don't count, their silly little grievances don't count, the whole bunch of them are irrelevant and if it gives them some sort of solace to grieve for this...whoever...Andy person or whatever, then so be it.

Now let's move on.

Without that bunch of pox-ridden, inbred, malicious bunch of idiots to worry about.

[MadIvan]

It may be true. It may not be true. The prudent course of action is to ignore it, as at the moment we cannot know either way.

Regards, Ivan

[HairOfTheDog]

May a lesson be learned.

Indeed. The threads by the DUmmie Funnies junior detective league trying to find out all Andy's personal business were nothing less than mean spirited and juvenile. PJ-Comix should ask that they all be deleted if he'd like to save face for the forum.

[Cyclops08]

OK, so I'm mean spirited. The whole thing was fishy, and I'm not sure I believe this either.

My sister died of pancreatic cancer. I know what happens.

Frankly I'm of the opinion that Andy is making a run for the money, and his "death" is a ruse.

[subterfuge]

Are you sure this isn't about Andy Kaufman?

[Dashing Dasher]

This is gonna be fun to watch.

[WinOne4TheGipper]

IF this is true- and that's a very big if considering the type of people on that website- I would like to apoplogize for those photoshops I did a couple months back.

[Lx]

Damn, I sure hope he knows, knew Jesus. I wonder if the cause is the fact that they (Doctors) waited so long between diagnosis and action?

What sucks is that as far as the Doctors are concerned, the surgery was a success.

Prayers for Andy and his family and his friends.

I don't think now is a time for ghoulish conspiracies. Damn, I though they got it all, I wonder what he died from?

[KC_Conspirator]

We need to start pushing a story about how Andy Stephenson faked his own death for insurance reasons.

[MamaB]

When I read this earlier today, I did not know what to think. I went to the newspapers in WA and could not find anything on it. I found lots of articles about him on the web but nothing about his death.

[MamaB]

Did you go to the link with the photos of Andy?

[Flightdeck]

Here's a lesson you should learn: Looking at that message board turns one into a senile lunatic.

[Ditter]

If Andy is indeed dead, may God Bless His Soul. May I offer a fitting epitaph? "See I told you I was sick".

That is what I suggested for my mother-in-laws tombstone. The rest of the family didn't agree.

[Cyclops08]

I wonder if there will be photographic evidence of a funeral.
Open casket? Will the DUmmies be invited?
Will he need to raise another cash plea to get buried?

Some of you bleeding hearts can lament the skepticsm, But the way the Scamdy affair was run, it raised everyone's eyebrows.

[StrangerInParadise]

I'll bite. Who is/was Andy Stephenson? And why should I care?

Seriesly.

[Always Right]

I think they are certain Andy is gone. RIP.