May 12, 2005
Subject: Taubman
When I first started reading the saga I thought that you were a guy with way too much time on his
hands and a little geeky (I mean, you did put up a fan site to a "mall," after all :) ). Then you
struck me as perhaps an annoying person who was a little too picky and should have just accepted
their amended settlement. I mean, it was just legal jargon, right? Realistically it didn't really
mean anything. But after reading through the whole saga (well, your summaries, at any rate, as I
just couldn't wade through all the legal filings) I think you are one of those unsung heroes who
make this country great – one of those people who have integrity and principle at their core,
who just will not be pushed around, and who will not let an injustice go unanswered. You also have a
great sense of humor. It probably helped you keep your sanity when confronted with some very
unreasonable and dishonest people in a system that seems remarkably inefficient, rife with
inconsistency, and with little regard for fact. Who knew that it takes a bunch of Appellate Court
Judges to understand a case that an average person can follow (at least when it is laid out as you
have on your web site)?
Anyway, I just wanted to thank you for taking the time to post the comedy of briefs on the web, as
it has been an education. I think that you have great material for a high-school- or even
college-level text book on how the justice system works in reality. It would help people understand
the true cost of a lawsuit, and how right or wrong is often not as important to the outcome as the
depth of one's pockets.
You have a real talent for compiling and summarizing things in a way that is easily understood
and yet still compelling. I hope that you will put that skill to work toward some of the causes that
NGO's like Public Citizen fight for.
Great job, and thanks for going to bat for us little guys.
