This article is written from a personal viewpoint and all statements made are either correct at the time of publication or an expression of opinion.

When I joined Live Journal in 2003 I had no idea what was coming. Things were fine for a while, until all heck broke loose in September 2005.

It started when Jeremy/Lima PCP attacked a good friend Melissa Lutak (who I have since lost touch with). My defences of her led of course to him attacking me (see the Lima PCP article). Included in this was a report to Live Journal about Jeremy (Lima) and his conduct in violation of their Terms of Service. All they could say in response to that was;

Because LiveJournal offers many technical solutions to protect yourself from harassment happening in comments, the Abuse team generally will not intervene in such situations.

Morgan of the Live Journal Abuse Team on September 18, 2005

This places the onus on the individuals to react correctly themselves, which is presumptuous to say the least.

Further, the Abuse Team cannot determine libel and defamation, as these are specific legal concepts which can only be determined by a court of law.

Morgan of the Live Journal Abuse Team on September 18, 2005

This attitude is the same as Google’s, and is equally unacceptable.

Although we agree that the use of the term ‘retard’ is disturbing and in poor taste, it does not constitute a violation of the LiveJournal Terms of Service. In order for material to be considered a violation of the Terms of Service, it would have to specifically threaten or incite harm against a particular racial, ethnic, or social group. The use of a term, even a negatively-charged term, cannot be considered a violation.

Morgan of the Live Journal Abuse Team on September 18, 2005

To place such a restriction on the definition of “hate” is to allow mental health issues. And it got the following response from me.

It is quite clear that you are not prepared to uphold your own TOS, and are not willing to protect those who should be protected within your domain. I have already indicated that rainbow_glitter can not control lima_pcp because he has numerous ID’s – and in fact regards LJ as a joke anyway, as the link to Encyclopedia Dramatica demonstrates.

As you have refused to assist – I hereby instruct you to delete my account from Live Journal. I no longer require it, on the grounds that you do not provide a safe and hospitable environment on the Internet for disabled people.

You should be ashamed of yourselves. This site will be listed on my website as a site to avoid for sufferers of Aspergers Syndrome for the above reasons.

Phil Gluyas (as Timelord) on September 18, 2005

Morgan responded that Amber Cody could ban Jeremy from her journal, completely ignoring my original complaint attracting the following point;

As I stated to you, she CAN’T take any action!! The man’s an infestation! It’s up to YOU to get rid of him! And you have refused to, and you are making excuses. That’s why I am leaving – and I will be making sure as many peopl as possible know that Live Journal supports the abuse of disabled people.

Phil Gluyas (as Timelord) on September 19, 2005

That commentary attracted the following ridiculous remark from Morgan;

We are unable to remove a user from LiveJournal simply because he disagrees with others on the site or expresses negative thoughts and opinions. As long as the user is not making explicit threats against minorities or evading comment bans placed upon him, his comments are considered allowable under both the Terms of Service and the ideal of free speech. LiveJournal is committed to preserving as much free speech as possible for its users, even if that means others may well be offended by differing opinions and beliefs.

Morgan of the Live Journal Abuse Team on September 19, 2005

Stupid idiot! Free speech is a myth, and I let Morgan have it (along with the fact that this was not about a simple disagreement on a viewpoint – it was bloody hate speech!);

This is how terrorism starts. Also known as incitement of hatred. Bravo. It is possible to abuse the first amendment, and you are allowing it at the expense of a disabled person – in blatant violation of international human rights laws.

Therefore, Live Journal supports terrorism.

Don’t deny it. Delete lima_pcp – or be forever known as a supporter of terrorism. And not having the guts to make the tough decisions to preserve the spirit of your own TOS. Don’t give me that freedom of speech line. It’s a fallacy and the sooner you learn that the better.

I will only tolerate a reply if it says that you have agreed to act correctly. Otherwise don’t bother. I am seeking assistance from the authorities regarding your lack of action as I type this.

Phil Gluyas (as Timelord) on September 22, 2005

For the record, the advice was to take legal action which of course at the time I couldn’t because I didn’t have enough legal knowledge (I could do it now of course).

Of course, Morgan did reply and just repeated the previous commentary. She also threatened to shut off the entry if I didn’t provide new evidence. I responded by calling Live Journal cowards and terrorism supporters.

Then just a couple of weeks later, I should have had them with Amber calling on me to commit suicide (see the article on her). I reported it, only to have Morgan say this;

While these statements are disturbing and in poor taste, they do not constitute a violation of LiveJournal’s Terms of Service. We cannot consider a user telling someone that he should kill himself to be a threat, as this statement evidences no intention of committing a violent act, nor assisting another user in committing self-harm; it is expressing an opinion, which is permitted by the LiveJournal Terms of Service. We recommend that, if you are offended by the content posted by the user in question, you simply ignore them.

Morgan of the Live Journal Abuse Team on October 7, 2005

This is a careless and totally unacceptable response without a doubt.

How would you feel if I decided as a direct result of this post to take the instruction? You would be an accessory to murder, that’s what would happen – because you didn’t punish the perpetrator. And it would hold up in court as well.

How dare you allow the encouragement of suicide on your forum! That’s an absolute disgrace! You have NOT given a proper account of yourselves in this matter, and you are a disgrace to the human race.

Phil Gluyas (as Timelord) on October 7, 2005

I then tried to throw US Law at them

You are in violation of US Code Title 42 Chapter 144 Sub Chapter I Part A 15001 (a)(16F) by not acting against user rainbow_glitter

Phil Gluyas (as Timelord) on October 7, 2005

I quoted the section and then I said;

The comments made by rainbow_glitter are clearly abuse and violation of human rights of a person with a developmental disorder known as Aspergers Syndrome. You are guilty – by way of not acting – of defying the goals set by congress under this part of the US Code and allowing the abuse and the violation of the human rights of a disabled person with a developmental disorder. I am of course referring to myself.

To be consistent with federal law, it would be in the best interests of Live Journal to immediately act against user rainbow_glitter.

Ignoring the user is an instruction that is too late for someone with a developmental disorder. The attack has already occured, and a failure to act is detrimental to the individual’s mental state and capacity to function properly in normal society.

Phil Gluyas (as Timelord) on October 7, 2005

US Code Title 42, Chapter 144 provides guidelines for state and national support programs for individuals with developmental disabilities. It is not applicable to private entities such as LiveJournal.

Morgan of the Live Journal Abuse Team on October 7, 2005

All I can say to that is – BULLSHIT!

They are lucky that I couldn’t use that law against them, being in Australia.

There was more nonsense from them during the War of the Professionals, which I won’t detail here but needless to say it was more of the same cowardly histrionics. The only time Live Journal actually acted correctly was with DMCA issues. They remain a dangerous place to be for those on the Spectrum and should be avoided at all costs.

PHIL GLUYAS