Date: Thu, 31 May 2007 21:15:29 -0400 (EDT)
From: "Keith F. Lynch" <kfl at KeithLynch.net>
To: WSFA members <WSFAlist at KeithLynch.net>
Subject: [WSFA] Re: Slander
Reply-To: WSFA members <WSFAlist at KeithLynch.net>

Candy Madigan <candymadigan at mindspring.com> wrote:

> No, that is not what you were told.  You were told that Elizabeth
> had to kick you out of a party when it was time to go and that you
> argued with her about it.  You were not an uninvited guest, you were
> simply a guest who didn't leave when told to do so.

I was told very similar stories by several people.  Your version
may not have contained the part about my not being invited, I don't
recall.  I would of course have preferred to hear it directly from
Elizabeth, rather than second-hand, but she angrily refused to explain.

> No, this was not since Ravencon, and I told you that at the time.

Yes and no.  When I told you that I was absolutely certain that I
hadn't been to her condo in years, then you said the event must have
happened years ago.

But of course it makes no sense that she would suddenly become upset
with me three years after my alleged offense, given that she had
invited me over at least twice since the last event at her place that
I didn't leave in the middle of, and at least once since the last
event at her place that I attended at all.

I've been to your place 16 times.  Have I ever argued when told it was
time to go?  Has anyone here ever witnessed me doing anything of the
sort, anywhere at all, ever?

mike.nelson at seahunt.org wrote:

> I was told during Balticon that you had attended Elizabeth's most
> recent WSFA Fifth Friday meeting (which I ASSUME took place on
> Friday, 30 March 2007, since that is the most recent fifth Friday).
> I was told that you and Elizabeth had a disagreement as to when the
> event was ending.

WSFA's online archives are in too much disarray for me to determine
who, if anyone, hosted Fifth Friday on March 30th.  What I do know is
that I went nowhere that day except to work, with a brief side trip to
a post office.

Was anyone at a Fifth Friday event on that date?  If so, do you
remember where it was, who was there, and whether anyone refused
to leave?

> Two other people were still present when Elizabeth asked you to
> leave.  When Elizabeth explained that the two other people were
> staying overnight, you allegedly insisted on staying since you felt
> the event had not ended yet.  Apparently, Elizabeth had to strongly
> insist that it was time for you to leave.

I trust that everyone here realizes that this would be grossly out of
character for me.  Not to mention that I haven't been to her condo
since 2004.

> Like I said, this is what I heard from someone else.

Thanks.

"Lawhorn, William - BLS" <Lawhorn.William at bls.gov> wrote:

> To all readers please note that this is an issue between
> individuals.  This is not a WSFA issue.  WSFA does not condone
> our actions nor have any say in them.

I posted this to WSFA, not because you and Elizabeth are WSFA members,
but because you and Elizabeth are WSFA *officers* (or will be starting
tomorrow).  You are the public face of Capclave 2009.  I'm not a WSFA
member, but I most certainly am a Capclave member.  I've been a member
of every Disclave and Capclave since 1980, and I'd like to continue
to have a friendly and pleasant con closer than Baltimore or Richmond.
I, like many others in and out of WSFA, have worked very hard for
years to make that possible.

I hope club members think real hard about whether you are really the
face the club wants to put on Capclave.  It's not as if Capclave could
afford to lose any more members.  Or as if your irrational outburst in
your party can be kept secret from fandom.

> The following will NOT be discussed during any WSFA business
> meeting.  If I am present and it is attempted to be brought up I
> will note that it is out of order, since it is not WSFA business,
> and end the matter that way.

Whether people as un-fannish and hostile as you and Elizabeth should
be WSFA officers most certainly is WSFA business.

> Keith has every right to come to any WSFA event/meeting and even
> rejoin if he so chooses.

I do not feel welcome there, and as you and Elizabeth both well know,
I never go anywhere I don't feel welcome.

I would not have been upset if you had spoken to me privately,
preferably long before the party.  But your actions were humiliating
to me.  And it's small consolation that you certainly harmed your
reputation in fandom more than you harmed mine.

I've been called many things, but this is the first time I've ever
been called "creepy."  If anyone thinks I'm creepy I'd appreciate it
if they'd tell me, *privately*, explain in what way I'm creepy, and
suggest what I can do to change this.

I'm friendly (except when attacked), helpful, hard-working, honest,
tolerant, forthright, discreet, clean (I had taken a shower and put on
clean clothes that morning), and a great conversationalist with very
broad interests.  I never go where I'm not welcome.  I don't know what
more anyone wants of me.  While I certainly understand that I don't
share everyone's interests, and am likely to wander off from a
discussion of, say, football, slash, or rock music, I can't think of
anything I've ever done or failed to do that could possibly justify
my being publicly treated like some loathsome bug that just crawled in
from a crack under the toilet.

> As to your response to me.  The use of the F-bomb directed
> specifically to me and then at others.

You are confused.  I never use that word.

> That is why you will no longer welcome at any "party" that I am
> hosting or cohosting.

That's unnecessary, as your actions absolutely guaranteed that I would
never attend any event that you're in charge of, nor recommend any
such event to others.  That of course includes Capclave '09.

> Now at Ravencon, what you failed to notice is that everytime you
> entered the parties there, Elizabeth left.  Yes, she left her party
> so she didn't have to be around you.  She has been doing that for
> quite a while now.

I didn't notice, because it didn't happen.  I recall having a pleasant
chat with her at Ravencon.

If she has been avoiding me because of something I did or failed to
do at a Fifth Friday she hosted three years ago, do you have any
explanation as to why she only started doing this recently?  Or is
she claiming I have been to her condo since 2004?  If the latter,
she's lying.

> The sign I posted on the party board for flyers had a 9:00-?
> Notation.  Guess what "?" can be 9:01.

Clever.  Be sure to save that thought.  You can reuse it to explain
and justify actions you will take at your Capclave.  I'm sure WSFA
will be suitably impressed and forgiving.

> "I promptly left, and did not return."  That statement of course
> does not include that you walked into the other room of our party
> before you left.

I left by immediately returning to the hallway, not by entering
another room.

> Nor does it include that Saturday night, you returned to our private
> party, and you were again asked to leave.

Wrong.

> "This is the first time in 28 years of going to cons that I've
> ever been asked to leave an open party."  Fandom is generous and
> forgiving.

Except for you and Elizabeth.

> No doubt about that.  It is also tolerent, too much so some times.

What exactly have I ever done that has strained anyone's tolerance?
Defend myself against malicious lies?

> Candy has responded fairly clearly as to what the problem was for
> Elizabeth.

Candy has said what Elizabeth told her.  That doesn't make what
Elizabeth told Candy true.  As I said, not only is it false, it isn't
even remotely plausible.

> I will add that Elizabeth stopped having full WSFA club events at
> her home because she didn't want to cause a problem.  I was at the
> party in question, ...

Then perhaps you can tell me what date it was.  If it was three years
ago, why was I invited by Elizabeth several times since then, and why
was Elizabeth open and friendly to me as recently as last month?

If you say I was at Elizabeth's condo more recently than 2004, then
you're not just malicious, but also a liar.

> Your choice not to come to Capclave is yours and yours alone to
> make.

Yes, obviously.  I will probably be at this year's Capclave, as I have
told others I would be there (though I may leave early if I'm made to
feel unwelcome).  2008, I haven't decided yet.  2009, I definitely
will not attend if you're in charge.  2010 and later -- if you're in
charge of 2009, I doubt the question will even come up, as I doubt
Capclave would still be around.

I'm not the only one who chooses whether or not to come to Capclave.
People, knowing your character, are likely not to come.  Others,
knowing that their friends won't be attending, won't attend either.
And it cascades from there.

I've done more than my share to try to save, and to publicize,
Disclave and Capclave.  This email will probably be my last attempt.

Oh, about that Capclave Wikipedia page I set up?  Someone has flagged
it as containing unreferenced statements.  I had been meaning to fix
that.  But I'm not going to bother.  If someone else wants to, go for
it.  If not, it will soon be automatically deleted.