Replies

Well, I've reviewed your account and I'll have to offer a partial apology. Looks like you were not suspended before your banning, but you were definitely warned several times in September. You even documented your discussions with the moderators over on one of the AFer sites. And also I see that you were not quite as caustic as Arator. There were several abuse reports submitted about some of your posts, but not nearly as many as some of the others who got banned. The final straw that got you banned is when you became and active anti-freeper and even started dragging some of their garbage into FR. If you want to be FReeeper, you should avoid doing eschoir's bidding.

Thank you for the well-reasoned reply. I must say I didn't expect an answer at all, much less a civil one. I'm archiving it just in case. >;^)

Thanks again,
Callahan

Well, I've reviewed your account and I'll have to offer a partial apology. Looks like you were not suspended before your banning, but you were definitely warned several times in September. You even documented your discussions with the moderators over on one of the AFer sites. And also I see that you were not quite as caustic as Arator. There were several abuse reports submitted about some of your posts, but not nearly as many as some of the others who got banned. The final straw that got you banned is when you became and active anti-freeper and even started dragging some of their garbage into FR. If you want to be FReeeper, you should avoid doing eschoir's bidding.

JR: Can we have Harry back? CanWeHuhPleaseCanWeCanWePlease???

Harry, looks like JimRob is extending an olive branch. Even sounds like he's kinda apologizing for banning you with not all that much cause! Take the olive branch! Then we can trade barbs again. I'll trade you Barb Shelton and Barb(i) Benton for a younger Barb(ara) Eden. ;^)

But don't "Arator" on us, e.g., don't be a d**k for absolutely no reason and try to p**s off the management for the sake of tweaking them. Not saying you ever have, just don't want to see you share his fate.

As an FR part-timer, I think it's maybe worth chipping in with a few non-mainstream points of view:

I come here for the breaking International News stories, and the commentary and exchanges that develop. Some of the cultural/social/religious threads that develop are interesting, too, but the point is not everyone who logs in here (and who would be willing to contribute a nominal monthly or quarterly fee) is also a Ditto-head/AMtalkRadioListener/etc. I value the exchanges of different points of view, but most especially when they're conducted respectfully and rationally. Minority viewpoints aren't always tolerated fairly. (And come to think of it, "ethnic minority" points of view, specifically, are often badly received. That's my one admitted domestic "hot button" issue; otherwise, I tend to drift across the 'independent' center-line from either direction.)

But anyway, here's my two cents:

1.) If you need to impose a user fee, I hope you keep it nominal. The regulars here are mostly a pretty interesting crew, but you're just going to be preaching to the choir and the already-converted, if it gets too high.

2.) Along with the paid-for 'right' to access the website (Please, keep it going!), I hope all y'all can work out a responsible set of ground rules that encourage civility, and help to minimize the flaming, innuendo and character assasination. Personality issues should not be automatically confused with dissenting ideas.

All that being said, I really got a surprise when I got near the bottom of your letter...
There's someone out there with a screen name not unlike my own (MoJoWrrrk'n)! And he's been banned? How many people have confused me with him?

Oh, well; it's not that big a deal, I guess...

I've taken some time to read your reply over again and feel that I must take issue with a couple of phrases. Now that I have posting privs, why not rebut and debate, eh?

"....but you were definitely warned several times in September. You even documented your discussions with the moderators over on one of the AFer sites."

True. But check the contents of the warnings. Those warnings were not (for the most part) for being "vicious" to other posters. Most of those warnings had to do with "baiting moderators". There was one poster who requested that I not speak with her again. I accidentally replied to an article she posted and thereby recieved a warning from you around this time frame. Again, my post was not "caustic" against the poster.

"There were several abuse reports submitted about some of your posts, but not nearly as many as some of the others who got banned."

If I had to guess, I'd say most of the abuse reports had to do with the content of my articles. Not caustic replies. A few weeks ago, tpaine was involved in a tussle with the Admin Moderator. Word of the scrap was posted all over the AF sites. The Admin Mod let it "slip" that he has the capability to reach back FAR into the archives and compare how many civil replies there are as opposed to how many flames. One would think the Admin Mod could do the very same in my posting history. He/she might be surprised to find that I'm NOT caustic, as a general rule.

"The final straw that got you banned is when you became and active anti-freeper and even started dragging some of their garbage into FR. If you want to be FReeeper, you should avoid doing eschoir's bidding."

I note that Pesky is having fun with this part of your reply over at the AF board. It is false, you know. I don't do Eschoir's bidding. The day I got banned for posting "AF material" (aka the Substitution of Counsel text from the docket), I grabbed the text from a post authored by a fellow who goes by the name Snopes. Pesky didn't post that info. I brought it over here and posted it on the PROPER thread (staying on-topic, as it were) and got scorched for my trouble. Anyhoo, NONE of this was done at the behest of Eschoir.

I don't even work "in concert" with my relatives and friends most of the time. I'm damn sure not working "in concert" with Eschoir.

Happy Holidays,
Callahan