In view of your erroneous assertion that there is such a
thing as "food-grade" butane and propane fuels, the
committee has assessed you 11 Incredibility Points. It would
have been less, but your firm insistence without checking
any reliable sources - or even the company whose products
you were discussing - raised it to that level.

Your characterizing Mr. Pastorio as a liar when in fact, he
was not doing so cost you another 13 Points, for two
reasons: First you knew full well that he wasn't lying, and
that is, itself, a lie merely designed to cause distress.
And, second, you offered it as a sneaky, blind-side attack.

Your insistence that only one BernzOmatic product didn't
carry the California warning is either a lie for the sake of
"winning' an argument, or an example of not doing even the
most basic of checks to determine accuracy. In either case,
it has a dishonest overtone that the Committee said should
cost you an additional 18 Points.

The most egregious of your faux-pas was to leap to the
unwarranted and unchecked insistence that because the butane
lighter (not a propane torch) didn't carry the California
warning, it somehow had different properties than other such
products. The fact that there is no separate MSDS as
required by regulation for it, you chose to ignore and
evade. The fact that you were told that BernzOmatic said
they had no "food-grade" fuels made no difference - and you
didn't check to determine the accuracy of the report. You
didn't just say the product was different, you strenuously
and repeatedly asserted that the butane had no "heavy ends"
in it and was therefore free of carcinogenic properties. You
made that statement with no evidence and only the deduction
of your faulty reasoning, based on missing facts which you
didn't try to check. This one cost you 54 Points because the
reality was only a phone call away - to BernzOmatic customer
service - and you didn't avail yourself of the opportunity
to get the correct information.

As you should know, when Credibility Points reach 40, all
further statements should carry a reference to another
source. When they reach 55, they should carry a reference to
a known authority. When they reach 75, they need the
authority and a way to contact them for corroboration. As no
one has ever before surpassed 90 points, the Committee is at
somewhat of a loss to deal with this situation. Members are
divided about how to handle it. Some have suggested that you
need to document everything except your name, while others
want proof of that, as well. Some think your posts should
appear in a special color, perhaps a brilliant mauve, as a
signal that all might not be regular and credible about this
note. Still others think you should henceforward always sign
your posts "Mark Thorson 96CP" so everyone will know
automatically not to believe anything and to suspect
ulterior motive for everything.

The Committee adjourned after unsuccessfully trying to make
a Creme Brulee crust with the BernzOmatic Lighter because
the flame wasn't intense enough to melt enough sugar to
actually create a crust in a 4" souffle bowl. Before
adjourning, two members thought it would be reasonable to
assess you another 25 Points, but that missed carrying by
one vote out of 55. You barely dodged that bullet.

Words to the wise...

The Credibility Committee