Early Tuesday morning, Scott Rohter, the owner of WePluribUS.net, issued what can only be construed as a public threat of intimidation and harassment against myself and other conservative bloggers who have taken exception to the way he treats people.
“I WANT YOU TO KNOW THAT I AM NOT DONE JOE. I WILL NOT REST UNTIL PEOPLE KNOW THE TRUTH ABOUT YOU… WHAT AN UNETHICIAL MAN YOU ARE, AND TOM HARRISON, AND TIM SELATY, AND DEAN CHAMBERS TOO. WHAT LIARS YOU ALL ARE INCLUDING DIANE SORRI. I will be watching you from now on Joe Newby,” he commented on my latest Examiner article about his site.
Rohter is upset that I did not post on his site, but did post on Facebook while juggling work, writing and family in the middle of a move. You can get up to speed on the situation here and here. Keep in mind that until now, I have defended and supported Rohter in his effort. I have even offered him advise over the phone when he wondered how to attract more users. One of the things I told him was to let people be themselves.
After my run-in with him last Friday, I published an article about some of the tactics he has used to raise funds for his site, and the way he treats people in general. Since then, I have heard from many people who have had dealings with him, and they have not been pleasant.
Examiner’s Dean Chambers, one of those mentioned in Rohter’s threatening message, has more here, including reports that show Rohter has a history of this kind of behavior.
Steven H. Ahle, a man I consider to be a trusted friend and colleague, has also encountered Rohter, and had this to say about leaving WePluribUS: “To me the threat of being removed from Rohter’s site is like being evicted from hell.”
You can read Ahle’s article here, but the most touching part, at least for me personally, was this comment directed at Rohter: “I know Joe Newby. Joe Newby is a fr4iend of mine. And you sir, are no Joe Newby.”
Rohter has posted an article at his blog, which I will not link to, accusing me and others of lying, etc. He is now spamming Facebook with that article, using it as a tool to attract people to his site.
I’m no lawyer, and I don’t pretend to be one, but I think his actions may skirt Oregon law, which defines harassment in part as: “Publicly insulting such other person by abusive words or gestures in a manner intended and likely to provoke a violent response.”
It also says that a “person is criminally liable for harassment if the person knowingly permits any telephone or electronic device under the person’s control to be used in violation of subsection (1) of this section.”
We’ll keep you informed as the situation progresses. Stay tuned.
Related:
- Audio: WePluribUS.net’s Scott Rohter unplugged, uncensored and unhinged
- How NOT to run a social media site: The story of Scott Rohter and WePluribUS.net
- Social media site bullies users, demands cash, deletes users who don’t pay
- WePluribus site owner has history of belligerence, unprofessionalism (Video)
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