I've been watching this discussion unfold for the last 24 hours, and it's become a complex, long-tentacled argument... writers arguing back and forth about the perils of piracy and plagiarism.

My comment was this: I HATE piracy. I HATE plagiarism. Of the two, I hate plagiarism more. MUCH MORE. A college student copying my textbook because he can't afford the book doesn't piss me off nearly as much as someone stealing my work and selling it as his own.

This has actually happened to me.

I HATE plagiarism and piracy. It happens across all genres-- I actually had to send a "cease and desist" e-mail to a well-known financial planner (this person was actually on TV) who had completely plagiarized one of my articles, slapped his name on it, and posted it on his website as his own-- and I found out that even had the balls to sell the article to a local newspaper.

My article, which was originally titled "Identity Theft Still Americans’ #1 Complaint," had been almost entirely plagiarized a 2006 article series called "The Senior Scam Alert" written by me.

Why should I have to remind another accountant that they are essentially committing a felony? Nothing surprises me anymore.