Reply #10: the slate article is interesting in view of usa libel law

[pitohui]

under usa law you cannot libel the dead

Everyone who could question (his stories)—his mother, father, and grandmother—has died.

and i'm uncomfortable with this:

Pelzer is magnificently free of the New Age spirituality that clogs so much self-help literature. He's Ayn Randian. He survived because of his own strength, not divine intervention. The only god he worships is the god of the self. Unfortunately, he worships it all too much. Pelzer is unspeakably self-congratulatory: "I'm the real deal." He reminds readers of every award: "Here I was, an Outstanding Young Person of the World." His other characters constantly tongue-bathe him: "You're the most inspirational person I know." His book "is one in a million." Everyone else speaks in "ain'ts" and dialect, but Dave always sounds like a Rhodes scholar. He exaggerates his accomplishments. He refueled planes during the Panama invasion and the Gulf War: This he describes as "play a major role in operations Just Cause, Desert Shield, and Desert Storm." He calls himself a "Pulitzer nominee," though he wasn't a Pulitzer winner or "nominated finalist." Someone may have submitted his book for the award, but by that standard, if you mailed this article to the Pulitzer judges, I would be a "Pulitzer nominee" too.

above cites from slate article printed here:

http://www.slate.com/id/90532

wiki sez that his brother doesn't agree that his story is true either, but wiki changes day to day so who knows

i think i'm going to reserve judgment on this guy, he has obviously found a multi million dollar cash cow in being "the child called it" and that squicks me a little so maybe i can't be fair