Hey all,
While I normally do two posts regarding idiocy when its this grandiose, I feel a bit bad here, but whatev.
Toni (Starlyn1) and friends,
First of all, COPYRIGHT IS ENFORCABLE ON THE INTERNET. It is. If you have questions, "Toni," you may speak to my lawyer, and if you would steal my ADVICE word for word and SIGN YOUR NAME TO IT, this tells me that a large part and parcel of your site is a collection of the work of others - not your own. If you are so "spiritual," you would know this sort of behavior would bring you a lot of "bad karma." You took my intellectual property, and now that you have been called on it, the best defense would be to simply admit it - not pretend the wronged party is the person to attack.
You have not even bothered to contact me directly, instead posting to a group. I offered you speak to me privately, and you scurried away from that fast enough...but I am told you have a shop, so I would be happy to call you. Since public speeches are your preferred method, I will speak to you in your language.
If any of you would follow the type of person that defends this sort of behavior, you would deserve what you get. You are following someone who's work is not even theirs, who's thoughts are not theirs, and who defends illegal theft and misrepresentation by saying it was for the greater good. My site is here, a link to it would suffice, quotes around what was being said, and signed "Cat." Not signed "Toni" but with my signature. I have been copied quite a bit...as of yet this is the first instance of someone stealing my word for word advice. I'm tempted to take legal action if not only to teach that copyright law is very easily enforced, especially on a dated blog, that I can't "mess with" the dates, nor can I retroactively publish something to look like mine...and the arrival of your site on the scene is very much traceable as well.
Even more amusing is that several practitioners have told me they liked my website disclaimer on my business site (not the one on this site,) asked to copy it and replace the certain names (ie my site name with theirs,) and I was totally okay with this word for word copy. Seriously. Why? They asked my permission to use my work, and further, the piece didn't contain well-known catch phrases of mine from 3 years ago as did the plagurized item we spoke on yesterday.
As for am I "spiritual"? First off, that is effing rediculous. Considering none of you have met me personally or even bothered to come and speak to me one on one through emails or in any private setting, you are in no place to judge. But I will answer you here since you all seem only comfortable with me answering you in a public forum:
I am spiritual...but I'm not flakey, and I do not hide behind such claims in an effort to make others look worse. I find it troubling that someone outed as theif of intellectual property who signed her name to my work actually makes this accusation, and has people who are okay with that, but I guess that's because I'm normal. I do not believe that being spiritual makes a need for me to be someone you can kick and steal from. I have always stood up for myself. I have a strong belief in the divine and in spirits...does that make me spiritual? I have studied many religions and many paradigms, and have come full circle back to what I love (Hoodoo) many times. Does that make me spiritual? I pray every day and meditate every day even without a spell or a need to do such a thing, but because I WANT TO - does that make me spiritual? I have assisted people in trouble at cost to myself - both in cases of their spiritual safety and physical safety...and you feel perhaps THIS makes me spiritual?
I think anyone defending someone's blatant theft of my work and signing her name to it (her name was SIGNED, people,) might want to consider that I have been typing up pages and pages of free spells which I could have easily put in a book for SALE since most of this blog is my original work (except where noted and quoted, you know, like proper people do,) and then being cavalier about stealing it when spoken to might want to consider WHY they would take that person's side over mine.
The thing is, with such flimsy arguments and criticisms as those made in this person's defense have been given, I don't really feel the need to further defend myself against people who, lacking any creativity or intiative, could not even be bothered to directly contact me because they fully comprehend that they have no argument worthy to defend such behaviors. My grammar, spelling, and my "unenforceable laws" which certainly plagued Perez Hilton when he's violated them are not a concern to people who wish to brand me as "unspiritual," for asking why someone would SIGN HER NAME to a direct quote of mine and then defend it as "a friend emailed it to me" (ridiculous if you knew it already, though, right,) and say I'm "not spiritual," for having pride in my own work. However, if you are interested on defending yourself, I have gone on some lengthy tirades in the past regarding other people I have problems with, and right here in this blog. Perhaps you can use the copy and paste function in an effort to get me to argue with you, and in the hopes I don't recognize my own work again. Its damn good, so thanks.
Sincerely,
~Cat
COPYRIGHT 2008 THE ORIGINALNINJACAT, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
Wow, she sounds like a total bitch. I'm getting pretty irate about widespread plagiarism within the occult community; I actually had a woman steal the ideas/layout of my shop, (including Craftsman's Corner) and repost my shop anouncement, word for word, on Witchvox. Two posts below mine. and expect me not to notice. wtf?
Maybe Toni doesn't consider you to be "spiritual" because you aren't a doormat.
Atta girl!
Posted by: Carmin | October 26, 2008 at 01:22 AM
LOL, I hand everyone their own ass. I HATE people who steal copyrighted material. It doesn't help that I have a degree in art and therefore view people who steal intellectual property as being some of the lowest of the low.
Posted by: Cat | October 26, 2008 at 10:39 AM