You don't know diddly, only claim to do so. Much of what goes on goes on privately. I don't believe in airing others dirty laundry publicly unless they first put it into the public domain and then only if it neds to responded to to set th record straight. It is not only unseemly, but a character flaw.
But for someone who's world revolves around anonymous gratuity from anonymous people on an anonymous bulletin board, what is not posted publicly does not exist.
Once their gone, here comes BobJ to condemn them...
Asked and answered.
BadJoe points out that one of the moderators has been tasked with "making book" on posters (on this board and off)...
That occured long before there ever was a mod board. There was a time (and still is now) when white supremecists decided posters at FR would be easy pickings. A few researchers volunteered to keep track of them, find out where they came from and figure out what their agenda was. When they were discovered, they were jettisoned and Jim and John would keep watch to make sure they didn't get back in.
So you see, there is a history of keeping track of certain posters who would use FR for their own nefarious purposes that might discredit the site. The fact that this responsibility was passed on to the mods when created does not surprise me. Did I think they might have gone too far in investigating well known long time FReepers? Probably. But, I do support this kind of defensive policy for the site and believe what problems they had early on have been worked out.
...and on this very thread that same moderator proceeds to regurgitate that very thing about OWK.
I would have advised against using mod resources to post anything on the site, but the fact is that what was posted is in the public domain here that anyone could have retrieved. It also proved the OWK was being disingenuous by representing himself as an even tempered and polite poster.
Why, as now only a casual user of FR, would I not believe everything BadJoe had to say?
It seems to me those predisposed to believing them will do exactly that. Those not so predisposed would probably ask for more documentation before believing such damning accusations.
Why would I EVER believe that all of the bad apples are somehow NOW in brown pastures?
I don't remember anyone making this claim. It would seem logical that the brown pastures have both good and bad apples, just as the green pastures.
As long as the roots are strong, the garden will thrive. There will be growth in the spring.
When you solicit donatations and rely exclusively on other people to supply your value (content), guess what? You actually DO owe those people something.
People volunteer and donate of their free will. Nobody is obligated in any way, including Jim. When they do so, they are relying on Jim, as the gardner, to use good sense and take care of the pasture. If at any point they feel this is not being done, they have every right to take their water can to the brown pasture and do a little watering on their own.
Also, when you make statements that FR is being operated for the benefit of the country, it also makes it hard to then in the next sentance make the statement that Jim "owes us nothing"...
That's what would be called an illogical conclusion. statement. Just because Jim is doing what he feels is right for the whole country, a collective effort, it doesn't necessarily follow that he owes an individual a thing. In fact he doesn't owe anybody anything since his motives and efforts are altruistic.
Jim does what he does for love of country, as I and others do. If anyone thinks what they are doing is for Jim, they may be unpleasantly surprised when they call in that IOU they think they are building up.
As for me.... I have on numerous occasions offered my assistance to FR on many different levels. None of which, except my donations have been accepted.
This may be true. I remember trying to hook you up with JohnRob on forum programming, but evidently he didn't feel he needed any help. I wouldn't make the mistake of transferring what appear to be Jim's motiviations to his son. John appears to act on his own schedule and terms and they appear to revolve around his forum programming and management business.
That's cool, but don't imply I havent made the offer.
That wasn't directed at you specifically. I wish I had a dime everytime someone contacted me about a great idea or activism opportunity, and, when told "Great! Go to it and how can we help?" was responded to with something akin "Oh. I didn't mean I would do it. I'm to busy but I think it is critical that you get on it right away."
Not a criticism though. I appreciate the thinking that goes behind the idea presented, but, we are all volunteers with full plates not to mention jobs and families.
We are now proceeding into the '04 election cycle for real (which is the only reason I have vented so much hot air on these threads). At the end of the day, how FR participates in that process will be the determiner if all the flowery rhetoric has any actualy basis in fact, or is just for show.
I wouldn't expect to see too much. Many of the people on FR who are working behind the scenes in the GOP having been doing so for yaers and they don't run here and post everytime they sign up a new voter.
Their lives and identity don't revolve around FR. They just quietly go about their business getting things done.