Hello folks,

since i've relaxed the moderation of the forum, it seems things have gotten more and more out of hand.

I've deleted pornography, big text disruptions, and racist flames the past few days and today.

I don't want to get heavy handed again, but I might have to for a while. And I'll not polute the other deleted thread forum with the trash I take out, as I've done in the past.

To clear up the confusion about "Hawk": The troll that has been harrassing Hawk is posting through an anonymizer using the Hawk handle, and the old Hawk has not posted with this handle since his "going undercover" thread. He also does post under his real IP.

And as from the begining of this forum, noone else has the key to the forum but me, there is no other moderators and there never will be until I decide to close this forum.

OTFR

-- Old Time Forum Regular (freespeech@yahoo.com), August 09, 2000

Answers

OTFR-

Good to see you. and thanks for cleaning up the mess. I am sure there will be some who take offense to what you have done, and maybe they will even start another unpopular uncensored spin-off forum.

But I agree with what you have done. Hey, we are not blocking these posts from going up, and we are not banning folks who posted the trash. But I agree that allowing the crap that was posted to stand pushes the limit of decorum, and as others have posted on other threads, we do not want to be inundated with it.

-- FutureShock (gray@matter.think), August 09, 2000.

OFTR, you have a thankless job, but thanks. I don't know how others feel but IMO an "uncensored" forum is a place where rants, opinions of all varieties and adult humor are appropriate, even welcomed. But racism, porn, personal insults, posting under another's addy, disruptive behavior (such as DOS attacks), libel and garbage language (the "C" word, etc) are not.

FWIW, you have my total support in cleaning out this crap. There will be complaints of censureship if you get too heavyhanded but I doubt that you will. There are saboteurs and vandals here who for reasons they probably can't articulate, want to destruct this place. Let's not let them. And let's all of us (yes Lars, that means you too) try to be civil. It's a cliche but true that freedom requires responsibility and self-discipline.

Personally, I can live with the boring, harassing posts of cpr and AR (who seems to be off his crusade since the end of June, thank you AR very much) but some of the recent crudeness is beyond my toleration zone. Apparently it is beyond Cherri's too.

Having said all that, have you heard the one about the rabbi, the minister and the priest?

-- Lars (lars@indy.net), August 09, 2000.

Thank you, OTFR, for your efforts. I support free speech but as usual extremes have created moral and practical dilemmas. I would hate to see this forum depopulated because of a sewage problem.

-- Oxy (Oxsys@aol.com), August 09, 2000.

And when Diane, Old Git, Ed, and Chuck decided to delete offensive material, they were accued of censoring and were called names. People were sending messages of tolerance to them and demanded that LL be allowed to post again. It doesn't matter if this forum stays or shuts down, it has always lacked productive commentary from the day of its birth.

-- Aunt Doodah (Aunt Doodah@doodaydayy.com), August 09, 2000.

Hey OTFR!!!

Glad to see ya round.Hope your having a great sunny summer with many frosty margarita's and cool refresher's flowing your way.CHEERS!!!!!!!

-- capnfun (capnfun1@excite.com), August 09, 2000.

While I'm not quite able to discern any particular purpose for this forum anymore, certainly there are other places, more focused, where one can get one's fill of pornography or racism.

The objections to censorship were essentially objections to any attempt to steer opinion in any "officially approved" direction, or to grant certain people special favors. No reason to do so seems to exist any more, and efforts to preserve readability (of any opinion) are welcome.

-- Flint (flintc@mindspring.com), August 09, 2000.

OTFR, I think you did the right thing. And as you know, I'm the greatest proponent of free speech on this forum. And what I objected too on the old forum was the manipulative stance of the SYSOPS, which only condoned agreeing with doomers, or as Flint said, "steering opinioins in approved directions." You have never done that.

I hate it when people test the limits just to prove there are limits. It's juvenile and space wasting. This is a good forum, and I hope the malcontents and jerks that want to trash this forum are not allowed to do that. And I, like Lars, shall attempt to practice more civility.

-- gilda (jess@listbot.com), August 09, 2000.

You're kewl in MY book, OTFR. I appreciate the clarification on Hawk's predicament as well. [I KNOW it was SUPPOSED to be clear to everyone, but I just kinda shook my head, 'cause it wasn't clear to ME.]

-- Anita (Anita_S3@hotmail.com), August 09, 2000.

Folks:

Took a few moments to look in on EZboard today. It looks as if they have developed a real democratic system.

It appears that software bugs are randomly deleting messages [regardless of content], destroying archives and even banning people. True democracry :^)

True chaos.

Best wishes,,,,

-- Z1X4Y7 (Z1X4Y7@aol.com), August 09, 2000.

One more thing-I think OTFR should excellant restraint in not outing the troll(s). Good job, sysop.

-- FutureShock (gray@matter.think), August 09, 2000.

FS,

What's wrong with outing the trolls? I hate them! Perhaps you just haven't been trolled enough. ;-)

Thanks again OTFR.

-- (raped.of@my.identity), August 09, 2000.

Not that it really matters but I am convinced that the recent outbreak is actually the work of one person known to this forum. Someone who has been a long-time poster with a bruised ego, that suddenly has disappeared from the scene as his normal self. Take a guess.

-- Ra (tion@l.1), August 09, 2000.

Andy!

-- (yes@that.figures), August 09, 2000.

Not even close. You are looking on the wrong side.

-- Ra (tion@l.1), August 09, 2000.

Initials B.M.?

(hint?)

-- (go.ahead@tell.us), August 09, 2000.

Might be. I only know the first real name so you could be half right.

-- Ra (tion@l.1), August 10, 2000.

Brian McLaughlin

Butt Nugget

Booby

Bubba

Bigass

Bruce Beach

Bob (uncle)

Bertha Butt

Bubblehead

Billy Boy

Hell, I don't know!

Any of these?

-- (quit@playing.games), August 10, 2000.

Bruce the Sysman?

-- (wingin'it@the.forum), August 10, 2000.

If I may make an observation, there's more than one bruised ego crawling around here. But I'd say the work is of one or two sour souls from EZB.

-- (pondering@home...), August 10, 2000.

Sysman's ego is not bruised, he's just tired of trying to talk sense into belligerent retards like creeper who will never understand sense.

-- (wasting@his.time), August 10, 2000.

Ladies and Gentlemen, We have a WINNER!

-- Ra (tion@l.1), August 10, 2000.

At the risk of opening a can of worms.....

Ra, I don't think it's Sysman (though I do agree it's probably someone we all "know"; and no, I don't care to hazard a guess). As much as we all don't really "know" each other on this forum, I think most of us realize that Sysman wouldn't stoop to such childish nonsense. It just doesn't seem to be "him".

And I'd just like to add my vote of "thanks" to OTFR; like Anita, I knew we were SUPPOSED to "know" what was going on.....but (as usual [g]) I was completely lost.

-- Patricia (PatriciaS@lasvegas.com), August 10, 2000.

It's the Creep.

He is self-destructive, so he bruises his ego all by himself.

-- (no.doubt@about.it), August 10, 2000.

Hawk-

So you understand, I would be all for OTBF regular letting you know privately who the troll(sL are. Outing them here would seem to me to be a public flogging-I do not go in for that sort of thing.

A public flogging could lead to an escalation of an already annoying situation.

-- FutureShock (gray@matter.think), August 10, 2000.

Sorry Ra, guess again. Whoever it is has also posted as me. That's part of the reason I've gone into lurk mode recently. <:)=

-- Sysman (y2kboard@yahoo.com), August 10, 2000.

Well, this troll is sure having fun! Whoever it is even "trolls" as OTFR, and you guys fall for it! Unbelievable! You didn't notice the troll didn't use Chris' REAL e-mail? freespeech_y2k@yahoo.com?

She only signed with freespeechy2k@yahoo.com (NOT freespeech@yahoo.com, BTW!) when she posted in a thread, to prevent her answers from moving to the top of the thread.

[You have it in reverse. I never use my complete address when posting, I always omit the y2k part]

If this is the REAL OTFR....alter this post. Insert some red or blue text....anything.

[like this?]

I bet money you can't because you are really horseshit hawky, the most annoying troll in lusenet land!!!!

[No, Hawk definitely is not the most annoying.]

BWAHAHAHahahahahahahaha!!!

[OTFR]

-- Not Fooled (not@one.bit), August 10, 2000.

Well, as Sherlock would say, "It's a 3 pipe problem. But I'm not all that concerned with knowing. I kind of agree with Future Shock. OTFR handled it very well--no point in public flogging of the troll, or trolls, that smacks to much of EZ Board.

-- gilda (jess@listbot.com), August 10, 2000.

LOL Gilda! A three pipe problem. The question is what was in the pipe?

Bruce, sorry if I was pointing your way. Of course I may not be the real Ra so take this with a grain of salt:>). Stop by more often , aye.

-- Ra (tion@l.1), August 10, 2000.

No problem Ra.

I can see why you may have thought that way, since I haven't been posting in a while.

But as Patricia said, it's just not my style. You've been around for a while, so you should know that I don't have a problem expressing my opinion, even on this polly forum (grin)...

<:)=

-- Sysman (y2kboard@yahoo.com), August 10, 2000.

Whoever it is would have to be a bit unstable. Sysman....no, wrong about Y2K but not unstable so far as I see. Creeper....well...

Whoever it is would have to be vindictive. Sysman....no, never struck me as vindictive. Creeper, well...

And I think the identity thief would probably also be obsessive. Sysman, nope, Creeper....well...

Regards,

Fots

-- Fotios Astopopoulous (it's@ll.greek.to.me), August 10, 2000.

Fotios, I just cant see C. Reuben doing the foolishness of latenot his style.

-- Ra (tion@l.1), August 10, 2000.

My vote would be for Netghost, and maybe even OldGit helping out.

-- (Lurking@here.and.there), August 10, 2000.

My vote is for Louis.

-- Maxwell (m@m.m), August 10, 2000.

I never said that it was CPR, I only compared the likelihood of it being Sysman vs. CPR. A mental stability comparison as it were.

Regards,

Fots

-- Fotios Astopopoulous (it's@ll.greek.to.me), August 11, 2000.

I'm telling you, it's LL. She's back................

-- Friendly Ghost (heain'tc@sper.com), August 11, 2000.

Chuck 'Da Night Driver?

-- Just wondering (he's@quite.flaky), August 11, 2000.

I vote for FutureShock.

-- (hmm@hmm.hmm), August 11, 2000.

It's a rock.

-- Anita (Anita_S3@hotmail.com), August 11, 2000.

We're all . . .

-- (hmm@hmm.hmm), August 11, 2000.

George Carlin??? ; )

-- capnfun (capnfun1@excite.com), August 11, 2000.

Hey. Hey hey hey hey hey.

I resemble that remark.

And I retired those phrases-cancha read? dontcha have no respect?

I AM lady logic-I did not just come here on 1/3/2000. I have pulled off the greatest ruse of all time....

ah-yeah-and the blackbirds must be piss drunk about now, after spending the wee hours at CapnFun's place.

-- FutureShock (gray@matter.think), August 11, 2000.

I have pulled off the greatest ruse of all time...

Well, put it back on. You look ridiculous.

-- (hmm@hmm.hmm), August 11, 2000.

And comb your hair while your at it, then sit down and behave.

-- Debra (Thisis@it.com), August 11, 2000.

So, Chris really is back.

You're wrong....squawk is so the most annoying troll of all. (and you USED to just omit the "_" from your addy!)

-- Guess I was fooled (oh@well.n), August 11, 2000.

OK, Just who is this Chris person? Its not me !

-- Chris (chris@griffenmill.com), August 11, 2000.

Some people speculate that this is OTFR's name. So far, it seems to be more like a guess, but it apparently makes those who use the name feel more important.

-- (hmm@hmm.hmm), August 11, 2000.

I have a theory. There is only one person posting at this forum. All that you are reading is a product of his/her hyperactive imagination. You might think you are a real person as you post messages here, but in reality you are just part of this person's daydream.

-- Butt Nugget (catsbutt@umailme.com), August 11, 2000.

Dear Butt, what you say may be true, that all my confrontations may have been addressed to only one. I labor my ideas in a box. It matters not to me, though I did wish my ideals to a wider range. If this is my only soap-box, then it is ordained. Oh Lord, won't you buy me, a Mercedes Benz. :)....

-- Appointed Gate Keeper (tired@iwannagohome.com), August 11, 2000.

Ah my dear Gate, may the 'force' or 'forces' be with you's.

Gatekeeper's are good.

But 'we' are many....not just one, as in 'us' the old timers who care enough to respond to you/you's.

eye spy something good.

-- (notever@tell.com), August 11, 2000.