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I can't help when reading some of these post (while seriously totally confused about what the entire flap is) and remembering the early days of Compuserve, Prodigy, etc. back in the days we thought we were on the cutting edge with a 2400 buad rate modem and had to pay extra to go into chat or post on forums (thank goodness that in the forums you could download, read and reply offline).

Many of the things I've read in this thread remind me of the same arguments, whining, complaining about "fairness", attacks on the Sysops if someone got "banned" (as I did on the Republican Forum on Compuserve for 6 months once) that went on back then. And by "back then" I'm talking only around 1991-92 or so.

I think this is an incredible forum and I appreciate the hard work and money it takes to keep it running. I too have had a couple of post taken out but I didn't question as to why. And just as recently as a few weeks ago, I got a nice stern warning from Jim about a post.

Did I get angry and whine and complain? No, I realized I broke a rule. I re-read the rules. I didn't think before I posted and I could have made the real point I wanted to make without being so crass in my statement.

But all in all, I also realize that Jim owns this site. I do not. And I don't think that just because I donate money I have any "rights". Because if I, for some reason, get tired of it or feel mistreated, I'll leave. That's my responsibility, not Jim's or his staff.

And I laugh even harder when I hear the "people are leaving and starting their own sites so that must prove Jim sucks" arguments. Can't those type of people quit whining and realize they are just excersing their right to be Americans? No, some of them probably think FR is now an entitlement like cable, telephones, free health insurance, and not getting an annoying phone call.

Why can't they just go their merry way and do their own thing and be positive in their venture? Why do they feel they have to tear someone else down? I don't know about you, but that's the MO of the left wing.

Many of the things I've read in this thread remind me of the same arguments, whining, complaining about "fairness", attacks on the Sysops if someone got "banned" (as I did on the Republican Forum on Compuserve for 6 months once) that went on back then. And by "back then" I'm talking only around 1991-92 or so.

That's one of the cool things about Usenet - no one can "ban" you from posting there unless you REALLY mess up badly enough that your ISP cancels your Internet account. Then, you just get another and carry on.