Stanton responds to Kary and summarizes status of the dispute

Stanton Peele: On being banned from CD, the St. John's server, and Lord knows what else

I write about the matter of my being banned as one of the "CD3" (along with Rob Ryley and Robin Room) from the CD list by listowner Jeff Schaler with great trepidation because I am faring so poorly in this dispute. First, I was kicked off the CD list. Then, as a result of writing the President of St. John's about our being banned, I was banned from all lists administered at St. John's by the server manager. I'm afraid soon someone will revoke my e-mail address and confiscate my computer!

But things can get worse still. If I complain about being locked out of the entire St. John's system, then the server manager -- Paul Karangianis (known as Kary) -- informs me, "I'm going to crosspost it to SJUOWNER with the recommendation that they let the victims see what you two [the other is Tomec Smith, who was banned from CD only after defending the original CD3] are trying to do to them." The victims are thousands of people dealing with emotional issues who form the bulk of lists on the St. John's server -- which I had no idea of previously. These people are victimized, it turns out, by my protests about my banning. I thought I was communicating on an independent, purely professional list which I held to professional standards of conduct and academic freedom of speech. That it was administered at a major university reinforced this picture in my mind. But I was misinformed.

But wait, more is happening. I was invited to participate on the PBS program, "Debates/Debates" on the topic of "Is Abstinence the Answer for Alcoholism?" to be taped this Wednesday (November 19). Jeff Schaler and another professional and I were to debate three abstinence-only professionals. Although the show's producers asked me for a commitment over a month ago (which I gave them), and one producer arranged on Thursday with me for my transportation to the show in New York City, I received a message from Jeff Schaler late Friday afternoon informing me that, "As team captain for the televised debate,. . . I have decided to replace you with somebody else. Warren Steibel, producer of Debates/Debates has been informed and he supports my position. A replacement has been secured and he has gladly accepted the invitation. His participation is now confirmed by the producers of Debates/Debates. Your invitation to participate is now cancelled."

My fellow banishee, Robin Room, has written about his banning from CD on the Addict-L list. After first noting that Rob Ryley and I disagreed with the positions Robin took on CD, he reports: "Stanton and Rob Ryley, to their credit, ... started quite pleasantly asking people to be a little more courteous and to stop piling on me. This infuriated the CD commander's faction even more, so all three of us were excommunicated if we did not fully retract and apologize for the error of our ways within three days. There was no answer to Rob Ryley's request for a specification of exactly what he was being asked to retract, since he had taken the same position substantively as the CD commander's faction."

But I had the advantage of having Jeff author a bill of particulars as to my sins on CD and in general.

I think the tone of the note speaks for itself. I won't comment on the charges against me, except to say that most people would not if asked to make a list of my major sins include that I (1) claim the 12-step facilitation treatment in Project MATCH differs from AA, (2) reify addiction (i.e., claim it is real), (3) take insurance payments for practicing therapy, (4) irrationally defend Robin Room.

Here is Jeff Schaler's bill of particulars against me:

Stanton:

The below is no evidence of anger. Robin's lying is a fact. We have plenty of evidence on record here. When a person lies he is a liar. It's a fact. You ARE playing voyeur. Saying that is not evidence of anger. It's a fact.

Now YOU are distorting the facts. That means you are being like Robin. Amos has presented a plethora of evidence supporting his assertions. You, like Robin, are now denying that evidence exists. What could possibly be your motive in doing so?

I think you've contradicted yourself in important ways on numerous occasions: You claim the Twelve-Step Facilitation variable [this is in Project MATCH] is substantively different from AA. I can only wonder what your motive is in asserting that. I think you know it's not true.

You reify addiction. You conveniently construct the meaning of addiction to serve your own purposes, eg if there is no such thing as addiction there would be nothing to write about. Addiction to drugs no more exists than addiction to the English language.

You criticize the treatment industry for treating a non-existent disease, yet you acknowledge publicly you get paid by health insurance companies for treating people in therapy. You've been taken to task for that before. You've been a hypocrite in that way.

I can only wonder what your motive is in defending Robin now, especially after attacking him.

Jeff