lastlady wrote:What do you care!!! You should be happy right! Yes yes you guys spend lots of time pointing out everyone's bonehead moves. What do you do to contribute postivly to this world???
I am not happy with Reno's self-destruction. I view Reno as the human equivalent of a house fire. A sad, unnecessary waste. The difference is that Reno threw away his own life. The tragic part is that Reno may not have been (mentally) able to take the steps necessary to avoid his own destruction.
I don't give a rat's rectum about Reno one way or the other. I neither like nor dislike him. My interest in this case is largely intellectual. I dealt with Ed Brown a number of years ago, so I followed this case in large part because of my contacts with him and that it was local to me. What I do care about is that Reno flushed a chunk of his life down the toilette for nothing. A damn waste.
Plenty of people on Quatloos advised people who were Reno supporters what Reno needed to do to minimize his sentence. For whatever reason, Reno's "supporters" where much more interested in creating a Martyr to the Cause our of Reno than actually helping him. As Joe Hass and the rest of that lot are living proof of, it is much easier (and safer) to push someone down the path of martyrdom than to go down it themselves.
lastlady wrote:Reno saved lives and never hurt anyone. Reno is a man of conscience, moved by injustice. As Reno's friend what have I done to hurt his case? Name it! The judge is going to do what he wants end of story.
The fact that Reno never hurt anyone is why his jail sentence is only 96 months. I am amazed at this "Reno never hurt anyone" defense. If someone points a gun at you head and threatens to shoot you, but doesn't pull the trigger, is that OK? Of course not. Threatening to kill someone is a crime too (both under the law and any sense of justice).
lastlady wrote:Oh okay... we are all stupid and you are all so smart. So go do something with those smarts. Go contribute to someone in a good way. I notice this site hand picks and only brings up the stuff they wish to criticize, nothing else. Nothing positive or constructive, just blah blah stupid people blah blah stupid people blah blah blah.
It is not just "blah blah stupid people blah blah blah." Unless people show up with a crappy attitude, most of the posters here are helpful to even the most hardened tax denier. Read all of the messages to Van Meter's Revenge on what Reno needed to do to minimize his sentence. Reno did the exact opposite, and the result was exactly as predicted. This is not an "I told you so" comment, nor bragging about how smart ee all are. Anyone who was not in denial about reality could have predicted that Reno would get whacked harder after hearing his pre-sentencing statement (I was there).
Finally, as for doing "something with those smarts," I already do. While I suck and painting, hanging drywall, or other useful skills, I do not suck at what I do for a living. I don't thousands of dollars of my legal services every year to help people who are unable to afford attorneys. My law practice is dedicated to helping "the little guy." I do not have any clients that are banks, insurance companies, or other institutions. One of the reasons I spend time at Quatloos is to keep up on the various scams that the scammers are using to target people like my clients (the desperate often do desperate things).
All people like Joe Haas do are try to take advantage of other people's misfortunes for their own ends and without caring what happens to anyone but themselves. Lastlady, I do not know whether you are in the Joe Haas category or if you are a genuine friend of Reno. If you are a genuine friend, then you can stand by him and stay in contact during the next 6-7 years while he is in prison. Tell him to drop Joe Haas like he has the plague (because he does, the insanity plague).