Unreasonable threats to ban from forum

[Hogeye]

<private message contents removed>

Barbara hijacked the thread about black welfare mentality in New Orleans. She switched the topic to her personal experiences on welfare, and segued into an objectionable rant on how wonderful and necessary government plunder and redistribution is.

You asked me to give a short answer and take the discussion to another thread when something "hits an anarchism nerve." I did just that. I don't see that you have any cause for complaint. BTW: Pointing out that someone is off-topic and offering to discuss it on a new thread is hardly pretending to be a moderator. What a frivolous complaint!

It appears to me that you are blaming me for other people's hijackings. Besides the one above, Darrel hijacked the "political quotes of the day" thread with an anti-capitalist rant. A moderator chose to transplant the diversion, but instead of starting the transplanted thread with Darrel's rant, as would be logical, he only transplanted my reply to the anticapitalist rant. This not only eliminated the context of my reply, but left the original hijacking rant unanswered.

It is clear to me that you simply want to suppress anti-statist opinion on the forum. I don't hijack threads any more than anyone else. I am more prolific than all but a couple of other posters, but I doubt if you have given them ban warnings.

One excuse you, Sav, and Darrel have given to ban me is that there are some people so intellectually wimpy that they cannot handle some of my contrarian opinions. (So they don't post.) I guess you have to decide whether you want healthy discussion and freethinking or dumbed-down uncontroversial blather. Is the solution more speech or suppression of unpopular opinion?

I suspect that I will eventually get banned, since I am not one to shut up when someone writes something I consider stupid or irrational. That would be a shame, since this is supposedly a freethinker's forum.

Edited by Savonarola 20070419 1811: removed private message contents

[Savonarola]

It is not acceptable in any medium to repost significant portions of private communication or property -- be they private messages on forums, emails, or artwork -- to the public without the permission of the author.

--Savonarola, C&O moderator

[Savonarola]

I will forward my message to all other moderators for their consideration. As per policy, another moderator will address the complaints raised above.

[Dardedar]

As per policy, another moderator will address the complaints raised above.

DAR
I'll be brief. The fact that Barbara gave her "personal experiences on welfare" and further opinions regarding welfare in our society I find to be completely compatible with the topic of the thread. The idea that her comment would be in some way off the topic of the thread, and that it should be suppressed by divertion somewhere else (at hogeye's direction) is difficult for me to grasp.

Hogeye's directing Barbara to:
"Barbara, if you want to discuss voluntary charity vs. government plunder and redistribution, you should..." seemed to me to be precisely pretending to be moderator.

Regarding the claim: "Darrel hijacked the "political quotes of the day" thread with an anti-capitalist rant." Actually, I posted a quote from a well known leader/celebrity and Hogeye hijacked the quote thread with yet another attack and attempt to start an argument and debate about the government.

The complaint "...you simply want to suppress anti-statist opinion on the forum." is hardly plausible. Hogeye has had 14 months and 1,047 posts to attack, debate and share his theories, I know of not one that has been deleted or suppressed. Sav has bent over backwards to accomodate him.

Regarding:
"One excuse you, Sav, and Darrel have given to ban me is that there are some people so intellectually wimpy that they cannot handle some of my contrarian opinions."

I know of no one who would be in such a category and I have never asserted anything remotely resembling the claim that "some people" fall in a category of being "so intellectually wimpy they cannot handle" Hogeye's opinions. The comment is just bizarre, delusional and false.

I concur completely with Sav that posting this private mail is yet just another serious infraction.

Obviously this forum was created for the purpose of having "healthy discussion and freethinking." Having worked hard, and spent money for almost ten years to help make this group a thriving freethought group, I don't think anyone doubts this. I look forward to it continuing to be a place for healthy discussion and freethinking.

Perhaps Hogeye should form a group for the purpose of promoting and teaching about anarcho-capitalism. If he decides to do this I certainly wish him the best. I think he has had hopes that the Fayetteville Freethinkers would take up this promotion and cause. This is not the case. Anyone interested in reading and learning about Hogeye's anarchy theories can visit his website and wiki page.

D.

[Savonarola]

I suspect that I will eventually get banned, since I am not one to shut up when someone writes something I consider stupid or irrational.

Hogeye has been banned because he is not one to follow forum rules, none of which state that he has to shut up when someone writes something he considers stupid or irrational.

--Savonarola, Mod@Large