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Kil
Evil Skeptic
USA
13477 Posts |
 Posted - 08/09/2011 : 20:46:54
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Montreal Police: Take "Mabus" death threats seriously
OVERVIEW
For several years Dennis Markuze has harassed and threatened scientists, writers, public figures, atheists, and their friends under the pseudonym "David Mabus". While this was previously a minor annoyance, the intensity and frequency of his contact have increased.
"Mabus" attacks now include hundreds of Twitter accounts (used and discarded as they are reported). He has threatened young boys and girls as well as adults (including Rys Morgan, 16, who was acknowledged by some in the science community for exposing a dangerous quack medical treatment). In fact, anyone who associates with scientifically and skeptically minded people like PZ Myers, Phil Plait, James Randi, Brian Dunning or Michael Shermer is likely to become a target for unsettling rants and threats to their life and well-being.
Markuze has even gone so far as to attend meetings of such people, including attending the American Atheist Convention in October 2010, held Montreal.
It is time for the police to take his threat seriously. The problem must be addressed before it escalates beyond Internet bullying and veiled threats to become something worse. |
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Uncertainty may make you uncomfortable. Certainty makes you ridiculous.
Why not question something for a change?
Genetic Literacy Project |
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The Rat
SFN Regular
Canada
1370 Posts |
Posted - 08/10/2011 : 04:28:51 [Permalink]
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| Signed. |
Bailey's second law; There is no relationship between the three virtues of intelligence, education, and wisdom.
You fiend! Never have I encountered such corrupt and foul-minded perversity! Have you ever considered a career in the Church? - The Bishop of Bath and Wells, Blackadder II
Baculum's page: http://www.bebo.com/Profile.jsp?MemberId=3947338590 |
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Valiant Dancer
Forum Goalie
USA
4826 Posts |
Posted - 08/10/2011 : 06:01:06 [Permalink]
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| Signed. |
Cthulhu/Asmodeus when you're tired of voting for the lesser of two evils
Brother Cutlass of Reasoned Discussion |
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sailingsoul
SFN Addict
2830 Posts |
Posted - 08/10/2011 : 08:38:39 [Permalink]
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| Signed. This looks like it might get the intended results. One day ago, Aug. 09, there was 250 signatures. Today they reported 1500 and when I signed it was up to 1754. After typing this I refreshed the screen and it went to 1788 signatures. Seems it's going nicely. SS |
There are only two types of religious people, the deceivers and the deceived. SS |
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Kil
Evil Skeptic
USA
13477 Posts |
 Posted - 08/10/2011 : 09:08:47 [Permalink]
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Originally posted by sailingsoul
Signed. This looks like it might get the intended results. One day ago, Aug. 09, there was 250 signatures. Today they reported 1500 and when I signed it was up to 1754. After typing this I refreshed the screen and it went to 1788 signatures. Seems it's going nicely. SS
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When I posted this, there were under 200 signers. This should get the attention from the Montreal police that it deserves... Good greif though. That guy is busy. He has pissed off thousands! |
Uncertainty may make you uncomfortable. Certainty makes you ridiculous.
Why not question something for a change?
Genetic Literacy Project |
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sailingsoul
SFN Addict
2830 Posts |
Posted - 08/10/2011 : 09:49:39 [Permalink]
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The Montreal Police tweeted this,,,@SPVM Police Montréal
Please stop sendind e-mails to our media adresse by signinig the petition.We are investigating the case. Thank you for your help.
4 hours ago via web |
The ball is in their court. I would love to see Dennis' face when the police show up. SS
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There are only two types of religious people, the deceivers and the deceived. SS |
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bngbuck
SFN Addict
USA
2437 Posts |
Posted - 08/10/2011 : 10:04:27 [Permalink]
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| Signed. I hope to see many thousands more. |
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Kil
Evil Skeptic
USA
13477 Posts |
Posted - 08/10/2011 : 12:04:30 [Permalink]
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Originally posted by sailingsoul
The Montreal Police tweeted this,,,@SPVM Police Montréal
Please stop sendind e-mails to our media adresse by signinig the petition.We are investigating the case. Thank you for your help.
4 hours ago via web |
The ball is in their court. I would love to see Dennis' face when the police show up. SS
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Oh... So this got their attention. But many of called them and they have done nothing. So screw them and there media address. Maybe they will actually do something this time. |
Uncertainty may make you uncomfortable. Certainty makes you ridiculous.
Why not question something for a change?
Genetic Literacy Project |
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Dr. Mabuse
Septic Fiend
Sweden
9688 Posts |
Posted - 08/10/2011 : 12:32:04 [Permalink]
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Signed it too.
During ~1 year I've reported every Markuse sock-puppet that registered at Skepticality, and various ISPs in Montreal are getting tired of my e-mails. One of them finally responded to me that they've banned him from their network, but he is still using Internet Cafés who uses this particular ISP, and claim they can't do more.
Maybe the Montreal Police can get off their collective asses and do something instead. I hope they do. It is my firm belief that Markuze needs professional 24/7 supervision.
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Dr. Mabuse - "When the going gets tough, the tough get Duct-tape..."
Dr. Mabuse whisper.mp3
"Equivocation is not just a job, for a creationist it's a way of life..." Dr. Mabuse
Support American Troops in Iraq:
Send them unarmed civilians for target practice..
Collateralmurder. |
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sailingsoul
SFN Addict
2830 Posts |
Posted - 08/10/2011 : 13:03:10 [Permalink]
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PZ has blogged on this today. Let us hope this attention goes somewhere. If not we will only have to wait what Mabus will come to.
I've read he's threatening people signing the petition. Mabus is commenting
Kyle VanderBeek, Senior Software Engineer
I apologize to those being threatened and abused by what appears to be Mabus himself in the comments of this very petition. I will work with Change.org to get those cleaned up according to their TOS.
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Interesting. SS |
There are only two types of religious people, the deceivers and the deceived. SS |
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Kil
Evil Skeptic
USA
13477 Posts |
Posted - 08/10/2011 : 13:23:07 [Permalink]
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From Tim Farley on facebook:
| A very helpful police Sgt. Detective just phoned me and we had a nice conversation about a mutual friend. That's all I can say for now. |
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Uncertainty may make you uncomfortable. Certainty makes you ridiculous.
Why not question something for a change?
Genetic Literacy Project |
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Kil
Evil Skeptic
USA
13477 Posts |
Posted - 08/10/2011 : 13:47:22 [Permalink]
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More from Tim Farley:
Tim Farley:
Big news. In the space of 15 minutes this afternoon, I got a phone call from the SPVM and from a reporter from the largest French-language newspaper in Canada, both about you-know-who. Things definitely seem to be afoot.
The Detective asked for me not to post her info and to play it cool for a while. She confirmed that the sticking point for them up until now has been that they haven't had a victim who BOTH (a) lived in Montreal AND (b) was willing to press charges, and that tied their hands. They now have a one and are moving forward, but they have to take things in sequence. She wants to do this "by the book" so Markuze doesn't get off on a technicality. She pleaded with us to be patient.
Mere MOMENTS after I got off the phone with her, a reporter from the largest French-language newspaper in Canada called me. When I told him I had just been on the phone with SPVM, he all but took credit for that. I believe William Raillant-Clark (of the TUMBLR post that quotes me) gave him my info. He basically interviewed me, and I sent him links to a bunch of computer forensic stuff (screen shots, copies of emails, IP address traces, lists of emails) that I've collected. So I assume we are going to see something big in the mainstream press about Markuze shortly. |
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Uncertainty may make you uncomfortable. Certainty makes you ridiculous.
Why not question something for a change?
Genetic Literacy Project |
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sailingsoul
SFN Addict
2830 Posts |
Posted - 08/10/2011 : 22:50:20 [Permalink]
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| Well there was about 250 signatures after day one. There are +3000 signatures at the end of day two, for this "insignificant" issue for the Montreal Police. Maybe this social media tool has a value.SS |
There are only two types of religious people, the deceivers and the deceived. SS |
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Kil
Evil Skeptic
USA
13477 Posts |
Posted - 08/11/2011 : 08:21:38 [Permalink]
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Here is the english version of a Quebec news paper from this morning, or it might be an english translate via google:
Death threats on the Internet: "Die, atheists, die"
It opens:
Montreal police opened an investigation into a man who would send death threats over the internet for almost 20 years after the onset of an online petition denouncing the inaction of the authorities. The young man's mother, alleged to have sent thousands of hate messages to the people he accuses of being "atheists," says that "it would not hurt a fly."
Every day since 1993, Paul Z. Myers, a biology professor at the University of Minnesota, began his day with the same ritual: serve his mailbox death threats received by a certain David Mobus, whose real name was Dennis Markuze, Montreal .
The professor, who runs a blog on science, says he receives up to 200 messages per day. "Do we have the right to burn PZ Myers?" "We will bury you," "atheists, we will cut off the head" and "die, atheists die," it said in one of these recent emails , sent to the entire Faculty of the University of Minnesota... |
And then there is this from The Montreal Gazette:
Police finally take notice of Twitter threats
Bombarded with "a few hundred" screen shots of various Twitter threats alleged to have been issued by a St. Laurent man - and by more than 3,200 email complaints from all over the world so far this week - Montreal police said Wednesday they have begun a criminal investigation.
The threats apparently include death and decapitation.
A fast-growing online petition launched Monday demanding Montreal police "Take 'Mabus' death threats seriously" quickly swamped police email facilities, spokesperson Lt. Ian Lafrenière acknowledged: "It was kind of crazy."
He refused to confirm the identity of the St. Laurent man, who often tweets under the name 'David Mabus' and who did not return phone calls seeking comment made to his work and home numbers.
Police investigators have been assigned following a formal complaint filed with Station 7, Lafrenière said. He said he couldn't provide the date the complaint was first filed or any developments in the probe.
But Tim Farley, a computer-security expert in Atlanta, Ga., told The Gazette that, "as instructed" by Montreal police, "I filed a report with the Atlanta police on this person in January when he first started sending me direct death threats." Farley said he also faxed that report - on Feb. 10 at 3: 43 p.m. - to Station 7 in St. Laurent, the station nearest to where the man apparently lives and works.
"Today (Wednesday) was the first time anyone from the SPVM has ever called me," Farley added... |
Read on..
But hey! It looks like the petition drive has worked! Something is finally being done! And with the press jumping in, it's also become a story. While Dennis is probably loving the story part, a guess would be that he knows the jig is up.
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Uncertainty may make you uncomfortable. Certainty makes you ridiculous.
Why not question something for a change?
Genetic Literacy Project |
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Randy
SFN Regular
USA
1990 Posts |
Posted - 08/11/2011 : 08:37:25 [Permalink]
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| That's a great start. Now to get charges brought against him. |
"We are all connected; to each other biologically, to the earth chemically, to the rest of the universe atomically."
"So you're made of detritus [from exploded stars]. Get over it. Or better yet, celebrate it. After all, what nobler thought can one cherish than that the universe lives within us all?"
-Neil DeGrasse Tyson |
| Edited by - Randy on 08/11/2011 08:39:41 |
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Kil
Evil Skeptic
USA
13477 Posts |
Posted - 08/11/2011 : 08:39:55 [Permalink]
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| Yeah. Got it. Took me a while. I had to tiny it too. |
Uncertainty may make you uncomfortable. Certainty makes you ridiculous.
Why not question something for a change?
Genetic Literacy Project |
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Dennis Markuze petition
