My closing the thread when I did, as I did, was not to have a final comment at the expense of anyone, and as I pointed out that if anyone felt a further comment was needed that certainly could have been easily arranged. Given the fair amount of heat that this closing generated behind the scenes and that my comments in the second msg above this has also generated some heat, this thread will be opened once more to see where it goes.Tiltbillings takes the final shot and then closes the thread......this is a tool used in making propaganda......this is not the kind of information management used in a free and open exchange of ideas....do you understand this?
One thing that needs to be understood is that the persona non grata status of element came about as a result of a careful due process in response to what the management here saw as violations of the TOS. Retro is strongly insistent that we afford everyone (except commercial spammers) a due process, which starts often with a general warning in the thread, moving to PM warnings to the specific individual. If the individual is persistent in his violations after PM warnings, then a suspension follows, and if there are continued violations, a longer suspension follows, and after that permanent banning.
We make a serious effort not to be arbitrary or vindictive, and we try to be even-handed, even when the person in question is making themselves difficult. Element was banned following this process for hostile public comments, for hostile PM comments and for totally disregarding forums rules in the classical section. Much of the offending material that got element banned has been removed from sight, as would any hostile msg and any msg egregiously in violation of a subforum rules. Quite frankly, this would not be an issue for public discussion, except that element's frequent and florid incursions onto the forum as well as frequent hostile PMs to other members using his latest sign-on name has made it a public issue to a fair degree..
All of this is a time suck for the staff, and getting frequently "punked" threads can make for an untrustworthy atmosphere for the forum members. Early on in this thread I referred to element as a "jerk," and as much I have had a finger shaken at me for being so naughty, I am not going to take it back. It is a legitimate expression of the frustration and annoyance caused by this totally unnecessary repetitive, deceptive, and time wasting behavior.
Because of the frequency of element's incursions and because of the nature of them, we have long ago made it known that we will identify element when he has become known to us. Now, a couple more things, I do not feel that we really need to justify to anyone that we appropriately banned element and that he is persona non grata here as a result of his past and his ongoing behavior here.
My purpose for the above is not to cover my butt (or our collective management butts) with a self-serving justification; rather, it is to give the membership here some idea of how we run this forum in terms of problem members. Retro, in particular, is insistent that we do not make the mistakes that plagued E-Sangha.
tilt, while his butt may not be covered, he will not moon you.