I'll try to keep this simple. If you've read my past diaries, you know that I have had an ongoing battle with a group of Wisconsin thugs known on Facebook as "Operation Burn Notice" and "Knot My Wisconsin." These are two Facebook groups (the former moreso than the latter) that giggle and brag about stealing lawfully-signed petitions in the Scott Walker Recall Effort in Wisconsin and burning them. Hence, the name.
They finally crossed a legal line by taking copyrighted images from my copyrighted blog, altering them in a disgusting fashion, and splashing them all over their Facebook pages. I did what you're supposed to do. I filed a DMCA and Copyright Complaint with Facebook maintaining my ownership of the images, showing how these groups had stolen and altered them. A counter-complaint was filed by someone calling himself "William Jenkins." (More on him later). He maintained that I did not own the images in question and was only using the complaint to harass the group.
We each had to "Electronically Sign" these documents, under penalty of perjury, stating that our contentions were based on fact. I provided the URL to the stolen images on the Facebook sites, the URL to the originals on my copyrighted site, and proof that I did, in fact, own the website and domain from which they were stolen.
Then, I proved that this William Jenkins who filed the counter-complaint was a sock puppet. The address he gave "under penalty of perjury" went to the PO Box of a failed business in Antioch, IL. The phone number he used was from a nice, elderly couple in Kenosha, Wis., that I talked to on Tuesday. They knew nothing of these shenanigans and knew no one named William Jenkins. The e-mail address he gave, williejenkins666@gmail.com -- well, do a Google Search to see what sort of vile, profane commentary passes for discussion with this individual. This is the same "William Jenkins" who lists his occupation as "Union Slave" for the Kenosha Unified School District. An e-mail from the press spokesman at KUSD says they do not now nor have they ever employed anyone by that name.
I shared all this information with Facebook so they could dismiss the counter-complaint and allow me to just continue using Facebook to stay in touch with my kids, nieces and nephews, friends, and fans of my blogs and books.
Facebook responded.
They banned me.
When I got up this morning, Facebook had finally responded to my request to find out why I had been banned. Apparently I had been using Facebook to approach strangers about dating and business.
There are two things wrong with that.
1. I'm a nearly 57 year old man (January 4, thank you) who has had Parkinson's disease for 12 years and is happily married for 22 years. If I were cheating on my wife, she would have to drive me to the date.
2. Business? I'm retired. I don't spam people with my books or blogs. I invite people to "like" my Facebook fan page. That is the extent of my huckstering.
Opinion? Someone filed a complaint with Facebook alleging that I had hit him or her up out of nowhere asking for a date and then to sell them something. Facebook, as it is FAMOUS for doing, did not bother to check the allegation. They just banned me. End of problem.
Except... not quite.
Now, I am not demanding that anyone here go through this 10-piece story I wrote on my blog. You have the basics of the case in front of you. But I want some attention here. I want to let Moms and Dads know that their kids are not safe on Facebook. That anyone can say anything they want about whoever they want to say it about, and Facebook will not even live up to its own terms of service. In short, I want Facebook to be held accountable, and I need to make as many people in the world aware of what I, one guy with Parkinson's, went through so that others can avoid the same sort of harassment and vile, vicious attacks I endured.
Here are the stories. Read them if you have time. Comments always appreciated.
1. Are You Safe on Facebook? Don’t Be So Sure!
2. At First, I Thought it Was a Bunch of Kids
3. ‘EvilConservatives’? Isn’t That Redundant?
4. Cowardice, Thy Name is EXAMINER!
5. Fired for ‘Writing While Liberal’
6. Facebook’s ‘Shoot First, Ask Questions Later’ Policy
7. Trying to Arouse the Sleeping Giant That is Facebook
8. OPEN SEASON ON COPYRIGHTS AT FACEBOOK!
9. Are You Safe on Facebook? Can You Trust the Examiner?
10. Oh. Now I Understand Why I Was Banned.
I know that's a lot of reading, especially in these busy days before Christmas. But I just want as many people to know about this as possible. Ideally, I'd like to tie all 10 stories into a single piece that might interest a progressive magazine. And I will continue to use whatever means are available to me to get the word out about this situation.
Thank you for your time. Whichever tradition you follow, have a happy holiday!