Are the McCanns too sensitive to alternative points of view?

[Alice Purjorick]

Why don't you get down off your hobby horse of parental culpability and for once deal with the subject of the thread which wonders if the Drs McCann are being a tad sensitive to the lies, hatred and innuendo directed at them and their daughter.

They are maligned and abused not by one stalker ... which can be so bad that people have committed suicide as a result ... but by a coterie.

There is probably not a minute ... second of every day that dawns that somewhere in the world someone is not sitting at a grubby keyboard typing grubby lies about them.

Why do these people do that?  It is beyond my comprehension that there are people who think that may not be damaging, particularly since that is the object of the exercise, and who think it odd that the target of the lies should be less than happy about it.

So you admit it isn't many then?

[Lace]

I would nominate that post as the post of the day if we had one.   The biggest difference between the Maddie case and Ben's case is that in the former the parents were made official suspects with one of them refusing to answer some pretty straight forward questions. The Needhams were never made formal suspects in the disappearance of their own child if I recall correctly?

No Kerry wasn't made a formal suspect Angelo222.

Kerry's brother was  a suspect though,   this is from Kerry's book Ben,  what the Greek police said to Stephen Kerry's brother -

'You see the baby,  take the baby for a ride on your motorbike and the baby falls off.   He dies.  You panic and bury him.'

'The indicator on your motorbike is broken'.  Bafounis had continued.  'My men noticed it this morning'.

'So?' It was all Stephen could do not to laugh,   the accusations were so preposterous.

'It broke when you crashed with the baby.'

'No, it didn't.   It's been broken for ages'.

Bafounis went on.   'You crashed,  the bike smashed,  the baby died.   You buried him'.



Now,  can you imagine if that had been one of the McCann's? 

[Alfred R Jones]

As I have said before, I can only speak for myself. I wasn't convinced by their story but I don't tell lies about them. I put a lot of effort into supporting what I say by reference to the PJ files or to direct quotes. If what I quote suggests their story wasn't true that's because they contradicted themselves.

There are many opinions expressed, but only on the internet which cannot be silenced. An attempt was made with 'the dossier' debacle but it failed spectacularly.

Why should I feel empathy with people when I don't know what the truth is? I will leave that to those who believe without question everything this couple say.

You don't have to but you could always keep your opinions to yourself or not air them publicly.  Voicing them helps no one and potentially causes distress to innocent people.

[Lace]

Poster's should read Kerry's book Ben,   there are so many similarities to the McCann case,  they thought the Greek police weren't doing a good enough job too,  I also came upon a part where Kerry said she was laughing her head off about a joke she had just been told and a passenger asked if she was  Ben Needham's mother,  she answered that she was and the passenger said,  how could she laugh when he was still missing.   Now imagine if that had been Kate,  there would have been a photo on the internet with the caption 'Kate laughing when Madeline is still missing'   implying that she doesn't care.

[G-Unit]

You don't have to but you could always keep your opinions to yourself or not air them publicly.  Voicing them helps no one and potentially causes distress to innocent people.

As I have often said, I don't accuse or abuse. I try to use the PJ Files and direct quotes to support my conclusions. As you have said previously, neither of our opinions makes any difference in the scheme of things. If my posts distress any innocent people perhaps they are too sensitive to alternative points of view. Alternatively, they are free to join the forum and give their opinions too. It's a democracy here, everyone can have their say.

[Alfred R Jones]

As I have often said, I don't accuse or abuse. I try to use the PJ Files and direct quotes to support my conclusions. As you have said previously, neither of our opinions makes any difference in the scheme of things. If my posts distress any innocent people perhaps they are too sensitive to alternative points of view. Alternatively, they are free to join the forum and give their opinions too. It's a democracy here, everyone can have their say.

This is the bit I struggle with, and it must be (IMO) because you lack the ability to empathise.  You seem unable to see why posts which infer implicitly or explicitly that they are liars who know where their child's body is hidden should cause them any distress and prefer to blame them (the victims*) for being too sensitive.  Well of course they bloody are, why wouldn't they be?!

*yes, I know you don't believe they are victims but you must also surely concede that as you don't know what happened they may actually be the parents of a child who was abducted.

[Lace]

Let's face it, the McCanns have attempted to understate their own culpability from the beginning.  The hastily put together story about the child checking was just the beginning.  They knew from those first hours that they were going to be criticised and by their own parents.  The refusal to answer questions is a recurring theme with them, remember those interviews which Gerry walked out on?

STORY about child checking Angelo?    waiters state they saw them getting up to check.

Gerry walked out as he was told he mustn't speak about the investigation,  that is why they had a pact of silence they were told they would imprisoned if any of them spoke out about the investigation.

[slartibartfast]

No Kerry wasn't made a formal suspect Angelo222.

Kerry's brother was  a suspect though,   this is from Kerry's book Ben,  what the Greek police said to Stephen Kerry's brother -

'You see the baby,  take the baby for a ride on your motorbike and the baby falls off.   He dies.  You panic and bury him.'

'The indicator on your motorbike is broken'.  Bafounis had continued.  'My men noticed it this morning'.

'So?' It was all Stephen could do not to laugh,   the accusations were so preposterous.

'It broke when you crashed with the baby.'

'No, it didn't.   It's been broken for ages'.

Bafounis went on.   'You crashed,  the bike smashed,  the baby died.   You buried him'.



Now,  can you imagine if that had been one of the McCann's?

I bet her brother called them f***ing t***ers. No, it was all he could do not to laugh.

[G-Unit]

This is the bit I struggle with, and it must be (IMO) because you lack the ability to empathise.  You seem unable to see why posts which infer implicitly or explicitly that they are liars who know where their child's body is hidden should cause them any distress and prefer to blame them (the victims*) for being too sensitive.  Well of course they bloody are, why wouldn't they be?!

*yes, I know you don't believe they are victims but you must also surely concede that as you don't know what happened they may actually be the parents of a child who was abducted.

More assumptions. You know nothing about my abilities or lack thereof. Having examined their statements I don't think they have told the whole truth, but I don't recall having accused them of knowing where their child's body is hidden. If others have then I suggest you ask them your questions. I'm not able to speculate on what justification those people can offer. I speak only for myself and my posts.

If the McCanns are the parents of a child who has been abducted I feel for them, but the only people to blame for the uncertainty are themselves, not others. The way they have spoken and behaved is what has caused me and a lot of people to disbelieve them, nothing else.

[G-Unit]

STORY about child checking Angelo?    waiters state they saw them getting up to check.

Gerry walked out as he was told he mustn't speak about the investigation,  that is why they had a pact of silence they were told they would imprisoned if any of them spoke out about the investigation.

I can't find the link at the moment, but I was reading about a Portuguese newspaper contacting Russell O'Brien for some reason and he said the pact was that only Gerald Mccann would speak to the media.

[Brietta]

Hypothetically what type of evidence would start to make you question the McCanns and put a stop to your personal crusade to defend them? I don't mean that rudely - I only say crusade because of your post count. For instance would positive DNA corrobation make you think twice if the tests were made again with today's more advanced forensic techniques? It would me. For now I think I'll choose to believe them and on the balance of all I've read I do but imo it's definitely not black and white. Ultimately of course the law will decide...

I don't make it a practice to set myself up as judge and jury on anyone ... and I think it inherently dangerous that others utilize their right to free speech by abusing it.

The issue at the moment is that Scotland Yard and the Policia Judicairia have an active missing child case on their hands which a coterie of like minded people are doing their utmost to denigrate and derail quite simply because they do not like the child's parents.

It must be unprecedented for the investigation into a missing child to be deplored in the way the one for Madeleine McCann has been and will continue to be ... I challenge anyone to give another example.

If there are those who criticise Madeleine McCann's parents for perhaps being 'sensitive' to other points of view ...
why do they think anyone should be subjected to the tripe that is heaped on an innocent family day and daily is acceptable in any way whatsoever. Certainly one of life's great mysteries.

The weird practice of reiterating misinformation and assertions which have been proven to be wrong on a conveyor belt which goes in circles doesn't make it any more true on the twenty thousandth pass than it was on the first one.

How long was it before they were forced to accept that the shutters can be raised from outside?  One of their own showed how it could be done

[slartibartfast]

The weird practice of reiterating misinformation and assertions which have been proven to be wrong on a conveyor belt which goes in circles doesn't make it any more true on the twenty thousandth pass than it was on the first one.

TBH, that applies to both sides.

[Mr Gray]

TBH, that applies to both sides.

im not so sure it does...we had a poster claiming the dogs were circumstantial evidence and that they had found human remains in PDL..... both claims were false....do you have examples of supporters making such claims

[Mr Gray]

Hypothetically what type of evidence would start to make you question the McCanns and put a stop to your personal crusade to defend them? I don't mean that rudely - I only say crusade because of your post count. For instance would positive DNA corrobation make you think twice if the tests were made again with today's more advanced forensic techniques? It would me. For now I think I'll choose to believe them and on the balance of all I've read I do but imo it's definitely not black and white. Ultimately of course the law will decide...

personal crusade...no...other posters may post less here but also post on other forums...I only post here. My support isn't just for the McCanns its for thev principles involved...justice and internet abuse. As I have said I have been the target of abuse after a clip of a tv docu I was featured in was posted on you tube. Posters felt they had a perfect right to be abusive...libellous etc and as the channel was sited in the US there was nothing I could do.It has now fortunately been removed. I will answer the rest of your post later...working now

[Alfred R Jones]

More assumptions. You know nothing about my abilities or lack thereof. Having examined their statements I don't think they have told the whole truth, but I don't recall having accused them of knowing where their child's body is hidden. If others have then I suggest you ask them your questions. I'm not able to speculate on what justification those people can offer. I speak only for myself and my posts.

If the McCanns are the parents of a child who has been abducted I feel for them, but the only people to blame for the uncertainty are themselves, not others. The way they have spoken and behaved is what has caused me and a lot of people to disbelieve them, nothing else.

I judge you to have a problem with empathy based on the opinions you voice here, in the same way you judge the McCanns by what you've read, without really knowing them at all.  Most of the posts you make on the subject imply that you think them guilty of some wrong doing or other, and you seem to hold them responsible for your own actions.  It's quite bizarre.