<HTML><BODY STYLE="font:10pt verdana; border:none;"><DIV><FONT color=black size=2><SPAN style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><FONT face="Geneva, Arial, Sans-serif"> <DIV><FONT face=Verdana color=black size=2><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt">Posted today (August 4th, 2004) on Doug Wilson's weblog, <A href="http://www.dougwils.com">www.dougwils.com</A>:</SPAN></FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Verdana color=black size=2><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt"></SPAN></FONT> </DIV></FONT></SPAN></FONT></DIV> <DIV><B><FONT face=Verdana color=black size=4><SPAN style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; FONT-SIZE: 13.5pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana">Plagiarism, Aye</SPAN></FONT></B><FONT face=Verdana color=black><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana"><BR><B><SPAN style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">Topic: </SPAN></B>General Ruminations</SPAN></FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Verdana color=black><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana"></SPAN></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Verdana color=black><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana"></SPAN></FONT><FONT face=Verdana color=black><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt">As some may recall, a booklet that I cowrote with Steve Wilkins entitled <I><SPAN style="FONT-STYLE: italic">Southern Slavery As It Was </SPAN></I>was at the center of quite a hubbub last February. What some may not realize is that Canon Press pulled the title from their inventory around the time of that controversy. This was not because we were at all embarrassed by the thesis of the booklet, but rather because someone had informed us that there were some real problems with the citations and footnotes. We pulled the booklet immediately, revised it, and it is now awaiting republication in its new and refurbished condition. I am posting this now because some of our local Banshees have got wind of all this and have raised the cry of Plagiarism (between intermittent sobs of outrage).</SPAN></FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Verdana color=black><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt"></SPAN></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Verdana color=black><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt"></SPAN></FONT><FONT face=Verdana color=black><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt">I have pasted below a couple of quotations. The first is from a footnote in the revised edition, which is forthcoming. I have deleted the gentleman's name because I do not want to be one who associates him in any way with the caliber of discussion on the likes of Venom 20/20. The second quotation is from a letter of mine some months ago to interested third parties. The upshot is "sloppiness, yes, plagiarism, no."</SPAN></FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Verdana color=black><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt"></SPAN></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Verdana color=black><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt"></SPAN></FONT><FONT face=Verdana color=black><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt">From the footnote:</SPAN></FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Verdana color=black><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt"></SPAN></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Verdana color=black><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt"></SPAN></FONT><FONT face=Verdana color=black><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt">"In fact, we would like to publicly thank Dr. _________________, a gracious Christian scholar (who differs with us enthusiastically), for alerting us to some grotesque mistakes in the footnoting of our first edition."</SPAN></FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Verdana color=black><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt"></SPAN></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Verdana color=black><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt"></SPAN></FONT><FONT face=Verdana color=black><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt">From the letter:</SPAN></FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Verdana color=black><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt"></SPAN></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Verdana color=black><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt"></SPAN></FONT><FONT face=Verdana color=black><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt">"This <I><SPAN style="FONT-STYLE: italic">was </SPAN></I>a competence issue, but I believe the problem was primarily in the area of editing and electronic transfers, etc. and not in the area of thinking that <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" /><st1:City w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Lincoln</st1:place></st1:City> did a lot of bad things to the Constitution. But whatever kind of problem it was, <I><SPAN style="FONT-STYLE: italic">nostra maxima culpa</SPAN></I>, and it has been dealt with. My deep thanks to Dr. ___________________ for catching this."</SPAN></FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Verdana color=black><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt"></SPAN></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Verdana color=black><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt"></SPAN></FONT><FONT face=Verdana color=black><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt">These quotations above are provided for those who are interested in reasonable explanations rendered by reasonable people.</SPAN></FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Verdana color=black><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt"></SPAN></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Verdana color=black><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt"></SPAN></FONT><FONT face=Verdana color=black><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt">But for those who are on heap big warpath, regardless of the facts, I do have a few rhetorical questions for <I><SPAN style="FONT-STYLE: italic">them</SPAN></I>. First, if there is no such thing as fixed truth, what could possibly be the problem with plagiarism? I believe plagiarism is a sin, but of course, I believe there is such a thing <I><SPAN style="FONT-STYLE: italic">as </SPAN></I>sin. Second, if there is a problem with plagiarism anyway, despite your ethical relativism, then are you willing to apply all your current rhetoric to the doctoral dissertation of Martin Luther King, Jr.? If not, then why not? Or perhaps is your outrage <I><SPAN style="FONT-STYLE: italic">selective</SPAN></I>? Third, am I to feel honored because these charges are being made by Dr. Nick Gier, a man whose scholarship I have personally encountered? And last, rounding things out, do you really think that <I><SPAN style="FONT-STYLE: italic">any </SPAN></I>of these current tactics are going to get me to back down? Do you not know that I have heeded the exhortations of Tom Petty?</SPAN></FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Verdana color=black><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt">----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</SPAN></FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Verdana color=black><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt"></SPAN></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Verdana color=black><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt">Dear Visionaries,</SPAN></FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Verdana color=black><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt"></SPAN></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Verdana color=black><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt">After reading this pathetic assemblage of lame excuses and "Hey, look behind you" attempts at misdirection, I'm afraid I'm just not in the mood for Tom Petty. Give me the Ramones; I wanna be sedated. </SPAN></FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Verdana color=black><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt"></SPAN></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Verdana color=black><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt">I taught freshman composition for a number of years, and I've heard better dodges than these from drunken fraternity boys. It is no defense for Doug to point at Martin Luther King's plagiarism and declare that because King did it, too, Doug's own intellectual thievery doesn't matter. Please. The cat has no right to barf on the sofa just because the dog took a dump on the rug.</SPAN></FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Verdana color=black><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt"></SPAN></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Verdana color=black><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt">Come on, Doug -- you can do better than this. And if you can't, then I suggest you start plagiarizing your excuses, as well. Try cribbing from Jake Blues in this classic scene from <EM>The Blues Brothers</EM>:</SPAN></FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Verdana color=black><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt"></SPAN></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Verdana color=black><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt">Jake: Oh please don't kill us. Please, please don't kill us. You know I love you baby, I wouldn't leave you. It wasn't my fault.</SPAN></FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Verdana color=black><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt"></SPAN></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Verdana color=black><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt">Carrie Fisher: You miserable slug. You think you can talk your way out of this? You betrayed me.</SPAN></FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Verdana color=black><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt"></SPAN></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Verdana color=black><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt">Jake: No, I didn't. Honest. I ran out of gas. I had a flat tire. I didn't have enough money for cab fare. My tux didn't come back from the cleaners. An old friend came in from out of town. Someone stole my car. There was an earthquake, a terrible flood, locusts. It wasn't my fault! I swear to God!</SPAN></FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Verdana color=black><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt"></SPAN></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Verdana color=black><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt">Carrie Fisher: Oh Jake, Jake, honey.</SPAN></FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Verdana color=black><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt"></SPAN></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Verdana color=black><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt">See? Works every time.</SPAN></FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Verdana color=black><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt"></SPAN></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Verdana color=black><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt">Joan Opyr/Auntie Establishment</SPAN></FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Verdana color=black><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt"></SPAN></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Verdana color=black><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt">PS: That's Reverend Banshee to you, Pastor.</SPAN></FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Verdana color=black><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt"> </SPAN></FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML><br clear=all><hr>Get more from the Web. FREE MSN Explorer download : <a href='http://explorer.msn.com'>http://explorer.msn.com</a><br></p>