Sean 'Vile Rat' Smith Fundraiser Campaign Reaches $100,000

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Sean 'Vile Rat' Smith Fundraiser Campaign Reaches $100,000

Posted by Unknown on Wednesday September 26, 2012 @08:17AM from the no-good-dogooder-internet-people dept.

First time accepted submitter jansaell writes "When Sean 'Vile Rat' Smith was killed in the attack on U.S. Consulate in Libya, the EVE Online MMO and Something Awful communities banded together to help the family of a fellow gamer. A fundraiser for Sean Smith's family has now passed $100,000."

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more info by alphatel · 2012-09-26 08:17 · Score: 5, Informative

Who was Vile Rat

--
When the foot seeks the place of the head, the line is crossed. Know your place. Keep your place. Be a shoe.
1. Re:more info by Anonymous Coward · 2012-09-26 08:36 · Score: 0
  
  TL;DR
  Good person. Sad story.
2. Re:more info by Anonymous Coward · 2012-09-26 08:53 · Score: 0, Flamebait
  
  Exactly. He and goons used to mock other players who died. Gianturco (the Mittani - goon leader) was actually banned from the game for calling on another player (complete with that player's real name) to kill himself. While his family may have my sympathy because a tragic violent end is always hard to deal with, I certainly don't agree with putting this guy on a pedestal. His "handle" says it all, after all.
3. Re:more info by MacGyver2210 · 2012-09-26 09:06 · Score: 3, Interesting
  
  I flew with him several times, over many years, both with and against him. He was a good guy, even when he was the bad guy.
  May his soul be free to visit every corner of space for real.
  
  --
  If the only way you can accept an assertion is by faith, then you are conceding that it can't be taken on its own merits
4. Re:more info by MacGyver2210 · 2012-09-26 09:08 · Score: 1
  
  You're both quite off the mark. He was a pretty awesome guy, and you shouldn't let the bullshit that Mittens pulls reflect on other players. He wasn't always in goonswarm.
  
  --
  If the only way you can accept an assertion is by faith, then you are conceding that it can't be taken on its own merits
5. Re:more info by Archangel+Michael · 2012-09-26 11:14 · Score: 1
  
  Well, according to Obama, he (Sean Smith) was "just a bump in the road".
  No, I'm not trolling, Obama really said that about the attacks and deaths in Libya. And yes, I do know the context of the entire quote.
  Just sayin that if you want to make Mittens into a callous idiot, it is quite easy to make Obama into a Muslim Brotherhood loving Commie Pinko who doesn't care about his ambassadors. But then again, Obama get the pass, while Mittens doesn't.
  And no, I am not voting for either of them, just giving some third party perspective about how "news" is covered by commentators. And while everyone was lamenting Mitten's airplane window comment, they flat out ignore Obama's "bump in the road" crap, which IMHO is about 20x worse.
  
  --
  Agent K: A *person* is smart. People are dumb, stupid, panicky animals, and you know it.
6. Re:more info by Anonymous Coward · 2012-09-26 14:43 · Score: 0
  
  ummm... wrong Mittens, jackass. this actually hadn't been about the election until you read it in -- thanks!
7. Re:more info by khallow · 2012-09-26 15:45 · Score: 1
  
  It would make for a more interesting election though.
Tax man by Alain+Williams · 2012-09-26 08:23 · Score: 1

I hope that the tax man has the decency to leave this alone - not remove some percentage of it.
1. Re:Tax man by i+kan+reed · 2012-09-26 08:31 · Score: 4, Informative
  
  Lifetime limit before gift tax starts taking effect in the United States is $5,100,000. It won't apply here.
2. Re:Tax man by wonkey_monkey · 2012-09-26 08:32 · Score: 1
  
  Why, is that what would normally happen? If so, why shouldn't it happen in this particular case (as opposed to all the other cases)? If not - why bring it up?
  
  --
  systemd is Roko's Basilisk.
3. Re:Tax man by True+Vox · 2012-09-26 08:32 · Score: 1
  
  Well, I assume they will, unless they have good corp/faction standings at their local station.
  
  --
  "Gratuitous complexity is akin to chaos" - True Vox
4. Re:Tax man by Anonymous Coward · 2012-09-26 10:36 · Score: 0
  
  I hope that the tax man has the decency to leave this alone - not remove some percentage of it.
  Doubtful. Gifts are taxable above an annual exclusion except in certain circumstances.
  http://www.irs.gov/Businesses/Small-Businesses-&-Self-Employed/Frequently-Asked-Questions-on-Gift-Taxes
That's in dollars, not ISK, right? by crazyjj · 2012-09-26 08:29 · Score: 2

Just checking. And hoping no one scams it away in some corp. coup or something.

--
What political party do you join when you don't like Bible-thumpers *or* hippies?
1. Re:That's in dollars, not ISK, right? by Guppy · 2012-09-26 08:34 · Score: 4, Informative
  
  Just checking. And hoping no one scams it away in some corp. coup or something.
  Dollars. And FYI, someone did indeed attempt to create an in-game fundraiser scam for Vile Rat, seeking ISK donations. Didn't take long for Goonswarm to issue a "Kill on Sight" order for him, and the character was removed by GMs shortly after.
2. Re:That's in dollars, not ISK, right? by PPH · 2012-09-26 08:37 · Score: 3, Funny
  
  Bitcoin. Don't worry. Its perfectly safe.
  
  --
  Have gnu, will travel.
3. Re:That's in dollars, not ISK, right? by szyzyg · 2012-09-26 08:46 · Score: 1
  
  If I could have made legitimate isk donations I'd have 300billion to spare, that's maybe $10,000 in PLEX.
4. Re:That's in dollars, not ISK, right? by Nocturnal+Deviant · 2012-09-26 09:02 · Score: 1
  
  Had I known about him he wouldn't have left station, and I am not even a fan of the goons. But to have someone die and take advantage of it is just wrong.
  
  --
  -Noc
5. Re:That's in dollars, not ISK, right? by Anonymous Coward · 2012-09-26 09:33 · Score: 0
  
  As opposed to the many different ways people are being taken advantage in game? Don't you think the people that were scammed should have thought for a minute and thought how would donating an in game currency going to help a family in the real world?
Wrong concern by Anonymous Coward · 2012-09-26 08:34 · Score: 0

It'll be the seventy-five percent administration fees that you have to worry about.
1. Re:Wrong concern by _xeno_ · 2012-09-26 08:39 · Score: 3, Informative
  
  If you'd donated, you'd know that you can opt to pay administration fees at donation time. And, according to their FAQ:
  
  How much does it cost to raise funds on YouCaring?
  It's completely free to create and maintain a fundraiser. There are no monthly, annual, or any other fees. The only cost is the small fee PayPay charges to process donations. We made the decision at the beginning of YouCaring.com to make the site free of any fees. Our site is supported 100% by donations from a major contributor and the public. The only fee is from PayPal which they charge to process the credit cards. As far as we know, YouCaring.com is truly the only free fundraising platform of its kind.
  So the only fees are the fee PayPal charges to do the transaction, and whatever percent you decide you're willing to chip in to YouCaring.com when you donate. Which can be 0, if you wish.
  
  --
  You are in a maze of twisty little relative jumps, all alike.
2. Re:Wrong concern by Anonymous Coward · 2012-09-26 10:07 · Score: 0
  
  And if you weren't a complete idiot, you'd realize that there are two groups here: the website collecting donations (which may or may not be a scam itself, they have no webrep that I can find), and the people receiving that money. Who are self-named "goons" and basically the liars and cheaters of the Internet.
  But, hey, whatever. I'm sure that a group dedicated to scamming others wouldn't run some fake charity based on a well-published current event. Certainly not.
  Idiot.
Relevant Video by Anonymous Coward · 2012-09-26 08:39 · Score: 0

One of the videos we produced for the fundraiser
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gWMNlEdRCw8
1. Re:Relevant Video by szyzyg · 2012-09-26 08:48 · Score: 1
  
  Forgot to login... and to link it Fly Safe Sean
  I'm donating from my adsense earnings.
2. Re:Relevant Video by Cruciform · 2012-09-26 09:11 · Score: 2, Insightful
  
  I'm curious to know if Goonswarm would have raised money for the family of the guy Mittani was trying to bully into committing suicide.
  Too bad not even the death of someone valued to their own gang will change behavior in the long run.
3. Re:Relevant Video by Cruciform · 2012-09-27 02:54 · Score: 2
  
  Funny how I was modded a troll for that.
  Seems some people either didn't watch Mittani *BRAGGING* about trying to drive a guy to suicide, or they think it's funny that Goonswarm make a habit of bullying people.
  They may be raising money for one of their own, but that doesn't mean they're not scumbags.
Only in America ... by PPH · 2012-09-26 08:44 · Score: 2

...could a person with the moniker 'Vile Rat' be assigned to a foreign diplomatic post.
What a country!

--
Have gnu, will travel.
1. Re:Only in America ... by idontgno · 2012-09-26 09:09 · Score: 4, Interesting
  
  "Vile Rat" is an anagram for "I Travel". The Foreign Service seems like a logical choice.
  
  --
  Welcome to the Panopticon. Used to be a prison, now it's your home.
2. Re:Only in America ... by Anonymous Coward · 2012-09-26 09:15 · Score: 0
  
  From wikipedia:
  ``he served as a Ground Radio Maintenance (2E) specialist''
  ground rat -> vile rat
3. Re:Only in America ... by Anonymous Coward · 2012-09-26 15:06 · Score: 0
  
  Ground Rats, was the old mascot of his AFSC, Ground Radio when he was in the air force.
Will dearly miss VR by Anonymous Coward · 2012-09-26 09:03 · Score: 0

You've got a serious contrast in that eve blog post.. VR was a legend, everybody liked him. Cant say anything but good things. Conversely you've got Seleene talking about him, who is a certified crackpot/grandstander. (Who cheated on his wife with a girl in his alliance while he was stationed in germany iirc)
I thought scamming was okay in the game? by Anonymous Coward · 2012-09-26 09:25 · Score: 0

CCP has gone soft
Did he drop... by Anonymous Coward · 2012-09-26 10:15 · Score: 0

any good loot?
Re:the CIA already gets my taxes as a "donation" by Anonymous Coward · 2012-09-26 12:40 · Score: 1

I wish I had mod points... ...but instead I'll just say this:
Fuck you.
Re:Wanna drive an AC crazy? by 19thNervousBreakdown · 2012-09-26 12:45 · Score: 1

I was crazy once. They locked me up in a padded room. I died there. They buried me with bugs! I hate bugs. They drive me crazy.

--
<xml><I><am><so><damn>Web 2.0</damn></so></am></I></xml>
Appearances are deceiving. by Anonymous Coward · 2012-09-26 21:51 · Score: 1

Despite the bad rep we get as a bunch of back-stabbing, stealing, plotting, conniving evil subhumans, us EVE players look after our own.
Best community is best.
He died as he lived... by Anonymous Coward · 2012-09-27 04:34 · Score: 1

...playing a video game in a dark, grimy room.
The Internet Is Where It's At by TwistedEthernet · 2012-09-27 06:52 · Score: 1

This is why I love the internet and gaming/nerd community. They can be goofy and downright terrible, but when something like this happens they get serious and get things done. This is why I'm proud to be a geek.