I'm here now. Use this to tell everyone you are here!

[Sibling Chatty]

Al, since you asked...

First, there's a complete disconnect between what The Head Guy said and what he did. He told some obvious lies, not about me, but about his actions, and what information he had.

He ALSO told some lies about me, or else he's so completely paranoid that he was fabricating things based on some bizarre assumptions.

Second, and I cannot stress this enough, there will be NO support for you if you have an issue with the current 'top dogs'. If you'd ever PM'd me that I didn't delete (I deleted most of my PM's once the subject was settled, the need was met, etc. but not all) and there was any issue that might be against the current mindset, there is a good chance someone will have made note of it. If there are any people that are carrying tales back, and it's told that you've asked me this here, it will be 'stored away' for future reference.

Third, The Head Guy there has encouraged some of the very topics he told me he wanted to avoid, and never told me to NOT continue discouraging those topics. There has been comment (and WAY too many screenshots in my e-mail) about one statement from one Admin and another statement, contradictory, from another Admin. This is, in my opinion, a dangerous precedent for having internecine battles.

I HATE internecine battles, loathe them, which is why, for the good of that forum, I resigned when I did, requesting that all the defamitory statements and outright lies be removed. Instead, it was dragged out smeared around, changed and amended, and generally made a small circus. I'm sure it would have been a much bigger circus if I fought back, but how do you fight something that has the end effect of EXACTLY what you've wanted for 7-8 months?

I'm out of that Admin position, and the person that's in is the one that EVERY other Mod/Admin or 'general member' (I privately asked a few people) felt was the least suited to the task.

I consider you a friend, and I don't like to tell friends that something is a good idea if I think it isn't. So, let me put it this way. For the good of that forum, you'd be a great Mod. [We were waiting for you to come back, and you'd have been made a Mod as soon as you accepted. Others can vouch for that, it was a slam-dunk that you were to be asked (OK, begged) to join the Klubhowse and get yer badge and toy guns, and a headbeating space on the Official Brick Wall...] And there are people still there that will recognize the work you do and the fairness of your positions in discussions.

However, one of the loudly stated goals was to put an end to the 'slant' of the forum. (How the forum was to avoid a fairly liberal slant, I cannot fathom.) That certain topics, based in what is currently the LAW of the US, were a problem, and I wasn't prepared for racism to be turned on its head and used as a "whining point" as pointed out is some old Republican Talking Point Memos (I used to have the Daily RTPM's forwarded to me every day by a friend), caused a BIG problem.

Can you be an avowed agent for change and deal with the need to stifle some of your positions?

Can you deal with the inability of some people to divide the personal opinion from an Official Position? (That's what got me. People wouldn't discuss a POINT or a PROBLEM with me as a member, I was The Authority Figure. I suppose that the fact that I only signed Official Authority Figure stuff with my FULL name and position wasn't a big enough clue.)

Consider it all carefully. I don't know how things are running now, because I don't go there. If the avowed wish for the ability to kill certain people because of the race/religion is still OK, it's a good thing I don't, too. (If not 'killing' the spammers and that sort of memberlist cleaning isn't being done, it's a good thing I don't go there, too. If Veronica from Goodshow.ru is still around, tell her I said Go Away . She was one of my twice a week kills for...ever, it seems.) Pretty much, it depends on your ability to disassociate the previous messes from any new messes, and fly below the radar on the 'new influences' that were going to be brought in...maybe.

I had some anonymous questioning on 'would you consider going back to Venganza'. How often do you have to pick up a rattlesnake to realize you're gonna get bit...again. I don't want to hang out in a viper's nest, but i'm not going to tell you not to do so. I will worry about you if you do, but that's the job of the 'Mommy to the world' and that seems to be my job. (I don't remember signing up, but I must have done, because that's where I am now...with a bunch of cyberkids--several my age or older.)

So, welcome home, i'm glad you're here, and I don't want to stop you from what might be at least a good learning AND teaching position. Just please, cover your backside.

It sickened me to have people that had presented themselves as friends acting all so 'in the know' and sucking up...to what end, I do not know...but I learned to consider the source and move on. Typical of someone that is NOT 'in the know' of course, but wanting power? self-aggrandizement?? Who knows.

If you do it, watch your back. What I DON'T want to see is anyone else being publically accused of...WHATEVER the hell I was supposed to have done, besides work myself like a dog and do the media requests that he sent to me. (His "legal problems" trash was removed once it was pointed out that libel charges were possible on that basis, and that he had NOTHING on me to back that crap up except his own hallucinations. Think long and hard about being in any kind of mess that may come up if he decides to change something again.)

DD

(Gack. Acid stomach again...that had stopped the day after I deleted there. It'll go away again. )

[Opsa]

I'll vouch for Sibling Chatty, there.

In the end, you'll do what you'll do and whatever it is, you're welcome here.

We made the Toadfish Monastery as a place to escape all the endless nattering of the self-righteous in The other Place. It was a sanctuary where we could work on communicating humbly with as little conflict as possible, and it worked very, very well. However, when we heard the game plan that Hate Mail there was to be provoked and discussion that did not lead to sales of merchandise was to be discouraged, we felt that out time there was over.

I think we evolved ourselves right out of there.

[Al Dante]

Sibling Chatty, thank you so much for your reply. I didn't mean to stir up bad feelings you're trying to get past. I promise that if I do take this on, I'll take it on myself alone. I won't come asking for further advice and I won't come crying to... I mean, I won't give you the satisfaction of saying I Told You So!

And I so much appreciate everyone's concern for my well-being.

You might be interested to learn that hanging out in vipers' nests has become something of a hobby of mine. I'm becoming the Steve Irwin of message boards. (Hmm, that might not be the best analogy to make right now...). My great experiment during the summer (which started out as a [NAME OF SECRET SOCIETY FORBIDDEN] "espionage" project) was to spend a lot of time at a Creationist bulletin board called (remove the spaces; I don't want searches on names from there turning up my posts here) e v o l u t i o n i s d e a d.com. Arguing the pro-evolution side, of course, but more interestingly, in the process, seeing whether I could subvert the whole tone of the place, promote respect for both sides instead of the customary perpetual shouting match, and get actual civil discourse going. All with no mod authority or support whatsoever. Check out the posts by "M y r i a d" there if you want to see some of the results. (For a while my sign-off, "R e s p e c t f u l l y,  M y r i a d," was occasionally made fun of, but after 50 posts or so everyone realized that I was sincere. But was I really? The better the spy, the harder it is to tell.)

Sibling Bluenose, you're very perceptive. The subtext that you noted in my previous post is real. But it's there for a different reason than you guessed. I wanted to be clear that I was asking for Chatty's permission to mod there, and I wanted Chatty to feel free to deny that permission for any reason, even if just for a speck of petty revenge, without having to wonder if saying "I'd rather you didn't" might be denying me something that I actually really wanted. That speck of petty revenge is the least I owe her. So I slanted it the way that I did. Which is not to say that I actually do have a yen to mod there. It's an unpleasant job I'm willing to do if I think it would serve any useful purpose.

As far as the current state of omnia, traffic has been generally low. MPTrooper and Cap have gotten into a couple of political disagreements in U.S. and World Politics (in which I found myself on Cap's side in one, and MPT's side in the other). No dramatics so far.

However, given the humility of my siblings in atruistically NOT saying "Don't give those rat bastards the time of day!!!" or anything such, what will decide me is the results of discussion about religious tolerance policy that I initiated in the mods forum over there. Which includes my posing challenging but reealistic "what if" scenarios. (And I've just now asked openly, is allowing mockery of Christianity as in the FSM book the reason for the admin policy change?) This has gotten a few people thinking and already uncovered some philosophical differences between the admins. (Of course, my intention is to clarify the policy, not sow discord. Though the better the... never mind.)

I don't care if any or all of these posts of mine get back to omnia. I'm already openly discussing my concerns about the religious tolerance policy there. (One interesting point that came up, that I'll follow up in the appropriate place here: though "practice what you preach" sounds like a good idea and a guard against hypocrisy, it's simply not always possible. For instance, if one's principle is "don't preach" then one can either practice it or preach it but never both.) If they don't like that I respect Dee Dee's work enough, and owe her gratitude and loyalty enough, to ask her permission to mod there, they can dump me. One result of the policy discussion might even be finally giving them a clue about why the Toadfish (individually and as a group) left, which I doubt any of them has had any comprehension of so far.

Again, thanks.
Best regards,

Allenbatrachus

[Sibling Chatty]

Thank you for the honor of asking my advice...and for the ability to actually work it all out in one place.

I have absolute confidence in you when dealing with them, or anyone. And give 'em all the "specious place of eternal torment" you think they need!!

[Teripie]

I have not been visiting the old place very often and when I do go in there it's a brief hit and run visit. I was wondering if anyone, who spends more time in there, has noticed whether or not Foxhole Atheist has returned from his leave? With all the crap going down in Baghdad I've been worried about him.

[Aphos]

I have not been visiting the old place very often and when I do go in there it's a brief hit and run visit. I was wondering if anyone, who spends more time in there, has noticed whether or not Foxhole Atheist has returned from his leave? With all the crap going down in Baghdad I've been worried about him.

I go there about once a day and read a few threads.  I haven't seen him in quite a while.  You might try his profile and check for recent posts.

[anthrobabe]

I do still visit venganza and will remain active- haven't seen foxhole atheist either.

I am glad that I am welcome here- I would have missed something by not finding the monastery!!!!

as for E.
is he here under another user name or has he not made it yet
the last day or two we have been having an very E. conversation about anti-H and it is true and classic E- I only get about half of it with the translation and all but it sure is interesting, we need E. here and there!

[Kiyoodle the Gambrinous]

The last I've heard of Foxhole Atheist was when he went on his holiday to Europe...

He was saying something about spending about a month there...? Not sure though...

[Kiyoodle the Gambrinous]

Sorry for the double post...

Yesterday I went to "the other place we don't talk about" (among others to ask Cap to delete my account there) and noticed that Disco is leaving the place as well. Maybe he could be notified of this place?

[ivor]

Oh!  Is that who the new user here, "DISCO GODZILLAJESUSZ" is?  Do you know him?  I think he didn't get or didn't click on his activation link.

MB

[Sibling Zono (anon1mat0)]

I saw him yesterday in the shoutbox. I told him to register and post in this thread.

[ivor]

Okay,  I will enable his account.  MB.

Does another user named "Aelwyd" ring a bell with anybody?

[Sibling Chatty]

Disco?? YAY!!

[Aggie]

Aye, I had PM'd Disco over at Omnia after seeing his lovely flounce post.  YAY!

Aelwyd - follow the email trail via Google and you'll get more info than you'll ever need.  Not sure if she's an Omnian or not.

[Griffin NoName]

Hooray Disco.  

Pining for some E input. 

EDIT

Re Aelwyd, for one moment I thought Rome? - could this be E despite the unlikely pseudonym.... but the language ability hardly fits