Official "I'm sorry for what I said about Elizabeth Smart" thread

[Grig]

OK all you freepers who where claiming ES was somehow a willing participant, easily dupped, or a runnaway.

Here is your chance to show us how mature and adult you can be. read this http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/867965/posts?q=1&&page=51#14 then post here to admit your error and apologize. I will freely forgive anyone who does so.

[lady lawyer]

You will defend yourself till the cows come home, I'm sure. But Mitchell had short hair, was clean shaven and soft-spoken when Lois Smart gave him an afternoon's work. We know that from the composite drawings that were released. The composites were based on the family's recollection of him the day that he worked there.

Agreed, Lois Smart shouldn't have done it, but there weren't all the "red flags" you seem to think there were. On the other hand, a lot of people pick up day laborers at the casual labor office. My guess is that a lot of those people have frightening criminal records. No one ever checks.

They hired Ricci through regular channels. They didn't pick him up off the street. They had no idea he had a criminal record.

[Alberta's Child]

I know who you think I am. You think I'm that Elizabeth Smart girl that ran away."

--- Elizabeth Smart, in response to one of the first police officers on the scene after she was identified by several bystanders.

If there were two possibilities in this case -- 1) Elizabeth Smart was abducted, or 2) her departure was not entirely "involuntary" -- and her initial response to a police officer was a denial that she was the girl "who ran away," then it would seem that the evidence on this specific point of fact would clearly point toward #2 as being the more likely scenario.

Regardless of what really happened, I believe this fact itself is reason enough to lay off anyone who speculated that Elizabeth Smart may not have been abducted.

[Sloth]

(Ping)

[sinkspur]

Those who blame Elizabeth Smart have the same mindset as a pedophile.

My little social experiement is turning out just as I thought it would.

It's only taken six days, but FReepers are already calling each other pedophiles and angrily demanding apologies.

Emotional overinvolvement in these stories provokes this kind of reaction every single time.

It'll get worse.

[BADROTOFINGER]

I hate to be the Posting Nazi, but please keep arguements on the thread that they started. Posting Nazi rant over...:-)...JFK

[new cruelty]

ok, i'll bite.. what little social experiment?

[Don'tMessWithTexas]

BTW, anyone with an IQ over 70 would hold their opinions, especially about the character of a young woman, until they knew all the facts. The bottom line is anyone who would run at the mouth about that sort of thing is irresponsible, indecent and devoid of class. The good book says that the tongue is dangerous thing. It also says that God will judge tale-bearers. Quit justifying and just say you're sorry.

[Alberta's Child]

There was however evidence that ES was kidnapped at knifepoint.

Correction -- there was no evidence that ES was kidnapped at knifepoint until a few days ago. The original story was that she had been kidnapped at gunpoint.

It was (and still is) little discrepancies like this that prompted every single question on this thread about the real story here.

[MEG33]

I must sadly agree.

[Grig]

"I believe this fact itself is reason enough to lay off anyone who speculated that Elizabeth Smart may not have been abducted. "

What is now knonw is reason enough to admit your error and apologize for being wrong.

[Don'tMessWithTexas]

Learn this lesson AC, measure twice, cut once. Until you are sure of your conclusion don't speculate.

[Alberta's Child]

BTW, anyone with an IQ over 70 would hold their opinions, especially about the character of a young woman, until they knew all the facts. The bottom line is anyone who would run at the mouth about that sort of thing is irresponsible, indecent and devoid of class.

Funny how none of that seemed to matter to Mr. Smart when he launched into his bizarre tirade against Congressman Sensenbrenner of Wisconsin.

If you don't want anyone to speculate about the facts of a case like this, then I'd suggest you shut off that "Amber Alert" system and leave me alone when I drive down a highway.

[Amerigomag]

If someone spread a wicked rumor about my daughter

You have me at a disadvantage because I am not familiar with the ire of your passion.

But if these individuals were simply speculating about the circumstances of the girl's departure from the home, statistically thier guess was more likely than your's.Far more children run away from home than are abducted, even by a family member.

The other observation that I offer is that both groups apparently agreed that the adults involved were the reasoned villians, not the juveniles. Both apparently wanted the adults involved prosecuted to the full extent of the law.

[ewing]

IMHO, I'm guessing Mitchell and Wanda told Elizabeth to say 'the Smart girl that ran away,' it proabably sounds more convincing.

[Alberta's Child]

What is now knonw is reason enough to admit your error and apologize for being wrong.

No, I'm actually much more rational than that.

The only thing I know now that I didn't know yesterday is that two people have been charged in this crime. Anything beyond that is no less speculative than it was a week ago, or even six months ago.

[alnick]

It was abundantly clear to anyone who applied even the slightest bit of logic that ES used the words, "you think I'm the girl who ran away," because over the course of the nine months that she was held captive she likely had the idea that everyone thought that she had run away repeated to her over and over and over again. To use that as a way to condemn a teenage victim of a pedophile kidnapper is disgusting. She did NOT bring this on herself. She did NOT run away.

[FreePaul]

...calling a teenage kidnap victim a liar without good reason.

It would be hard to call her a liar since she hasn't made any public statement. The only thing we have heard are quotes from her family and the police. According to those reports she did lie to the police but I guess there are various explanations for that.

[new cruelty]

All things considered, DMWT, the two in question have been charged, but not yet convicted. Even now the conclusion to this drama is unclear.

[Guillermo]

A FReeper FReepmailed me...he (she) was convinced that Smart ran away to marry this guy, and that her little sister was in on it the whole time. She made up a story about an intruder, just to fool everyone.