A Necessary Causal Link

One necessary causal link is often forgotten. Is the following statement valid?  -

Kossara Vymezal, niece of the Dennitzan head of state, has been sold as a slave on Terra so, of course, there is outrage on Dennitza.

No. The statement should read:

It has been reported on Dennitza that the Gospodar's niece has been sold as a slave so, of course, there is outrage.

There are two points here. First, of course, the report might be false - although, in this case, it is not. But, secondly, the Dennitzans must first be informed about an event before they can be outraged by it.

Someone has, surreptitiously:

(i) arranged for Kossara not only to be arrested, charged and convicted but also sold;
(ii) prevented the Terrestrial government from knowing either the identity or the status of this particular prisoner;
(iii) ensured that her arrest and enslavement are reported on Dennitza.

Therefore, Dennitzans are understandably, although mistakenly, enraged at the Terrestrial government.

Sometimes, in acrimonious arguments or disputes, it has been assumed that I had acted on knowledge that I could not possibly have had at the time. Yes, x was true. No, there was no way that reports of x could have reached me before I took a particular action. When attributing motives for any action, it is always necessary to check what the person responsible for the action could have known at the time of the action.