Talk:CAM: Complementary and Alternative Medicine

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After consulting an attorney who has dealt with libel suits, While no one specific was mentioned, I have removed the section "The involved" as it is sufficiently vague and insulting enough under US libel law to cause the skepticwiki problems. Since we are now hosted on a US server, we will take a default stance of keeping things factual while avoiding entanglements of libel. This was not an attempt to move to NPOV (Neutral Point of View) and SkepticWiki will continue to maintain SPOV (Skeptical Point of View.)

While nobody specific was named in that section in a libelous way, it did leave an option for the persuit of a libel lawsuit by CAM practitioners, and I can't afford to take on lawsuits.

-Ducky

[edit] Misguided cautiousness

You've got to be joking! That's nonsense. Not only is the SPOV a legal right in the USA, it is evident on every skeptical website, book, newspaper article, etc. No lawywer can touch us on this one. We can even name specific individuals and call them "quacks." (I'm not recommending it, even though I do it myself. That's a personal decision for anyone else to make.) That one has already been tested in courts, to the best of my knowledge. If you cave in so easily, then this wiki has just lost its justification for existing.

It may be a legal right, and it may even be a winnable case if brought against me however unless you are volunteering to fund my legal fees to prove that in court, I will play this somewhat safe. -Ducky

I really don't think you have anything to worry about. It would only be in relation to biographies of living persons (look at the template for talk pages) that there could be any trouble, and as long as the policy is followed, there shouldn't be any trouble. Just follow the JREF and Quackwatch as examples. They are very direct with criticisms of living people. It just needs to be done correctly with backing from verifiable and reliable sources. Please don't let fear of a supposed problem that may never become real hamper and cripple this project. It's too valuable. If you get any actual threats, then publicize them here and we can discuss them, while the idiots get their nefarious threats aired publically. If necessary, you can then revise any problematic wording. -- fyslee 04:53, 31 July 2006 (CDT)

Except by the time I get those threats I already have to incur the cost of attorneys to fight it. I cannot afford that fight, nor will I subject myself to that risk. As long as we stay factual we are fine, but the entire list provided was not because it was sweeping generalizations. This is an indefensible position that I am not going to leave open for me to have to incur attorney's fees over. It is also not open for discussion. -Ducky

To boot, that portion of the entry was poorly done and unneccessary. -Ducky

I still think you don't need to worry so much, but it's your decision. You're the boss here....;-) -- Fyslee 15:27, 31 July 2006 (CDT)

[edit] CAM title

I've wondered for a long time why we don't just use the standard title (CAM) for this section, and elsewhere on SkepticWiki. Can't be just change it? Search engines won't find us as readily when we use non-standard terminology. When anyone searches for "CAM", they should find SkepticWiki. -- Fyslee 05:01, 31 July 2006 (CDT)

This is something I agree with you on. -Ducky

Moved. if you think of a better title, post it, and we can discuss it. -Ducky

Looking good. Now the template needs to be labeled accordingly. -- Fyslee 15:29, 31 July 2006 (CDT)

Like that? :) -Ducky

[edit] "Toxins"

I listen to Loveline a few nights a week and one of the things that clearly makes the veins in Drew Pinsky's head bulge is the BS word "toxins". I agree with him completely. Whenever hucksters talk about GI health it's always to get rid of feces and toxins, but they never go into what the toxins are. Same with the cayanne and honey tea fast (or whatever the hell it is), they never tell you what "toxins" you're getting rid of, they just suggest what you should drink for a week.