I very much appreciate both your public and private responses to my concerns. I hope you don't mind if I respond once more; I'm not trying to make a big issue of this, but your post was provocative, and I really am troubled by what I think I see here.
Isn't the offender (in your comment above) a member of FAB? I think most reasonable people would expect a member of FAB to know the guidelines, and to know what the reasons for those guidelines are. In my opinion, he quite intentionally harmed someone (I appreciate your explanation, but I still do not believe there is any excuse for him to have posted someone's full name and whereabouts - and I saw it all happen) far more than "ned" ever could have. In fact, he is continuing to boast about what he did to this other FReeper on another site. In fact, he is still spreading false rumors about this woman's voter registration status - after the reason for her status was revealed and brought to his attention by others.
That, to me, doesn't sound like someone who understands the gravity of what he did.
Having said that, I really have no quarrel with your banning "ned" - I just don't believe he/she was all that you suspect he/she was, based on my own experience with him/her and the evidence put forth.
People get away with far worse than having multiple IDs around here, unfortunately.
Thanks again, AM - I know your job is not an easy one, and I do not say these things to be critical of you. I want to make that very clear. You guys have always been fair to me, and I applaud the job you do. Regarding this particular juxtaposition of two offenses being treated so differently, I just don't "get it", I guess.
Daughter
Not to mention, he had dogged - perhaps even cyber-stalked - the other FReeper for weeks previous, even making derogatory graphics about her.
People get away with far worse than having multiple IDs around here, unfortunately.
Unfortunately, too true. Being familiar with the various incarnations of "ned", I find the idea of him/her being an anarchist out to destroy FR ludicrous in the extreme - especially since the different identities were not, as far as I could tell, an especially big secret (maybe they were, but I assumed that if *I* figured it out, everyone else had too...) and most were clearly meant to be humorous.
I don't find anything at all humorous about cyber-stalking and posting personal information, however.