Comments on: It’s Such a Long Way Down~

By: zeek

zeek — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 16:57:18 +0000

no she textually appropriated.

By: imani

imani — Wed, 16 Jan 2008 23:41:46 +0000

Deb, I’d venture that the key word in your comment is “quoted”. Cassie Edwards didn’t quote anything — that’s the problem, isn’t it?

By: evagale

evagale — Wed, 16 Jan 2008 22:42:49 +0000

Deb, nice to see you here-but I have to ask:

“The seriously hateful and obscene comments here and elsewhere are reckless at best, libelous at worst. No one wants to be hung in the public square without a fair trial. C.E. hasn’t even had a hearing yet. The ignorance of the general public about copyright law is understandable but the the meanness and rush to judgement is truly nasty.”

What on my post is obscene and hateful? Not for anything, but I’ve been one to tell people it’s getting out of hand, so don’t go lumping me in with that kettle of fish.

By: FerfelaBat

FerfelaBat — Wed, 16 Jan 2008 20:11:25 +0000

Hi, Deb. Glad to hear a voice of reason. In my comments and posts on this topic I have been very careful not to pre-judge CE. My focus has been (as yours appears to be) completely on the circus started by the SBs. Unfortunately, taking that position results in complete strangers searching your entire body of work for the “witch mark”, because the only reason you could possibly not be on board with the “P” pillorying is you are guilty of it, too. If they can’t nail you on that cross, they find something — anything — to hit you with. There’s no stopping this with anything but time. It’s like the Boxing Day Tsunami, they’ll be picking up the bodies for months afterward.

By: Deb Smith

Deb Smith — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 16:29:23 +0000

Please, everyone, be careful using the term “plagiarism.” It’s a legal term with specific and very damaging intent. There is significant evidence — nothing has been determined in any viable legal sense — that what C.E. did is NOT “plagiarism.” You may disagree with her methods, you may think it’s sloppy writing, etc. but there’s a HUGE difference between quoting nonfiction material under the “fair use” statue of copyright law, and “plagiarism.” Particularly if the works quoted are so old that they’re no longer protected by copyright and are thus in the public domain. C.E. may be completely innocent. We don’t know yet. The seriously hateful and obscene comments here and elsewhere are reckless at best, libelous at worst. No one wants to be hung in the public square without a fair trial. C.E. hasn’t even had a hearing yet. The ignorance of the general public about copyright law is understandable but the the meanness and rush to judgement is truly nasty.

By: evagale

evagale — Mon, 14 Jan 2008 23:15:11 +0000

Hello, TT. I don’t think anyone has said that what she did was right, allowable, or acceptable under any circumstances. I do think that the first investigation into the situation should have unfolded a bit differently, and because a person has done something horrible doesn’t mean that they should be treated as less than human.

And there is no such thing as accidental plagiarism.

By: T.T.Thomas

T.T.Thomas — Sun, 13 Jan 2008 03:44:34 +0000

Hi everyone….I came across this site while looking around to see what people across a wide spectrum think of the Cassie Edwards situation. I did post earlier today on the Bitches site, and yesterday I wrote about this in my own blog. http://ttthomasopinionhead.blogspot.com/

Basically, I’m finding it hard to consider there is such a thing as “accidental Plagiarism.” On her own website, Cassie Edwards says: “I only write Indian books now and I make certain that all of the research that I use in my books is authentic and interesting.”

I do a great deal of research for my historical novel, and I know that after a while, it all becomes a blur. That said, however, I could never mistake someone else’s “voice” as my own, and using someone else’s words is like stealing someone else’s lover: there’s no way you don’t know you’re doing it.

By: Toni Andrews

Toni Andrews — Fri, 11 Jan 2008 21:51:46 +0000

I actually posted on this topic today–and found out that a number of my writer friends are paranoid about “accidental plagiarism.” Not that the CE stuff can be mistaken for accidental–it’s too blatant.

Still, I can’t imagine she’s sleeping too well at the moment, and I can’t help but feel a pang of sympathy. A very small pang.

By: Renee Rocco

Renee Rocco — Fri, 11 Jan 2008 13:22:52 +0000

Great post, Eva. I only wish I had the same sense of people being good as you do. Sadly, over the course of the past weeks I’ve lost my sense of trust for people, that deep down, there is good even int he meanest of bullies.

With that said, CE was dead wrong. There is no excuse for her actions.

By: FerfeLaBat

FerfeLaBat — Fri, 11 Jan 2008 04:43:27 +0000

Actually, this should guarantee a huge first print run for their upcoming book.