Tars says Farewell

[Tars]

There's a time for all things. The time for me to be a participant of this particular online community has come to an end. Arguably, in this country our most valuable right is that of free speech. I have come to realize that free speech doesn't exist here on Wacco. Speech here is "free" only so long as it doesn't excede the parameters of what the board owner, and board moderators want to be posted here.

I've seen the editing/moving/deleting of my posts increase dramatically over the last few months, to the point where, during the last three days I've had three separate posts edited in layout and content, to having a post deleted with no comment or explanation.

I would hope that most people here realize that I have consistently tried to be a good Wacco citizen, avoiding argumentative or insulting posts. I don't feel there's any reasonable justification for the level of editing that is being exercised here by board management.

To the moderators: Your sensibilities are yours, not ours. Your heavy-handed editing of my posts leads me to believe that you have interpreted the saying, "moderation in all things" to mean "moderate (read edit) everything". For a long time I believed that this place was being presented as a public service. Now I've come to realize that it's main function is not service, but to provide a financial profit for the owner. Any post, at least in my view, that doesn't contribute towards that profitability for the owner, is altered or deleted.

The board owner has the right to do anything they want on this board; it isn't a democracy here. But the resultant level of editing and censorship removes any attraction for me to participate here any longer. I have come to like some of the denizens here, and will miss talking with them. I wish you all the best - Adios amigos y amigas!

Tars

["Mad" Miles]

Tars!

No!!! Say it isn't so! I'll really miss you if you leave.

I completely sympathize with your anger, frustration and disgust. I believe you in what you write here. Can there be some mediation between you and Barry and any other moderator who has unjustly altered your contributions?

I've seen some of the best waccoons fade away, or migrate to facebook (where I've been spending a lot of my online time for the last two and a half months since I joined). I miss them here. Clancy, Dixon, Braggi, Decterlove, even Mykil (though his atrocious syntax drove me "Mad", in recent years/months it had hugely improved and reading him wasn't so painful anymore) now you.

This sucks!!! I'm sure you've had your private communications with Barry. It's obvious you've taken all you will take. But if an accomplished mediator was able to work with you both, who knows? An accommodation might be possible.

If I've ever done anything in moderating your posts, that bothered you, please forgive me. I can't imagine anything. But I do consistently remove or reduce quoted previous posts in replies to them. I can see how someone might think that an imposition. I just do it to pare down the textual clutter, out of my own anal retentive need for order, and as a courtesy to the email digest readers.

Whatever happens, it's been good. The few times we've disagreed, and they have been rare, even then I've always appreciated your humor, whimsy, and commitment to freak reason and tolerance.

Be Cool, Stay Strong!

You do have irritating tastes in avatars! (Sic.)

Perhaps we'll meet again on Facebook?

Sticking to the Waccobb.net union, hoping you will too. If you can get what you need from, "The Management".

[Valley Oak]

Sorry to see you go, Tars.

Facebook is a different forum and you will definitely get a greater audience there if that's where you plan to hang out. There are plenty of right wing trolls there in need of training. I deleted my Facebook account earlier this year because of the hanky panky going on with non-consensual distribution and access to one's personal data, that later has haunted many people in job interviews and job related issues, and also in both public and private surveillance scams, so watch out. I came back to Wacco and appreciate the simple and cozy, small-town, safe feel it has. Despite the censorship, I rarely find it egregious.

Warmest Wishes,

Edward

The time for me to be a participant of this particular online community has come to an end. ...I wish you all the best - Adios amigos y amigas!

Tars

[leela8]

I don't do a lot of reading or posting here, but I will say this:
I will miss your series of most excellent avatars, which always get my attention and give me a chuckle.

[lynn]

Boy, this is news to me...
I don't post here that much...and had no idea people were leaving because of things like this...
Won't go to places like facebook..
I like boards...

This all sounds kinda' depressing...
The 'more the merrier', as the old sayin' goes...

[Tars]

Tars!

No!!! Say it isn't so! I'll really miss you if you leave.

I completely sympathize with your anger, frustration and disgust. I believe you in what you write here. Can there be some mediation between you and Barry and any other moderator who has unjustly altered your contributions?

Tars: "I Just dropped in, to see what condition my condition is in".

Strident back,up singers: "Yeah, yeah, oh-oh yeah, what condition my condition is in".

Thank, you Miles, and others for your kind comments. Thank you also to any who may've tried responding in email. As it happens my email addy here involved a domain which I just allowed to expire, so you may've gotten a bounceback. Sorry 'bout that.

Back, in the BBS days there was the saying, "the sysop is God", because almost all BBS' weren't democracies, but (usually) benevolent dictatorships. I learned that the same thing applies to forum owners now. One can either like their actions or lump it. It's their board, not a democracy, they'll do what they want. Seems there's free speech only so long as they allow you to express it. I didn't like that, so I guess I'll have to lump it.

Don't get me wrong, I appreciate moderation. I'm glad when a moderator takes action to remove an overtly antagonistic or trollish poster. However I don't think I came anywhere close to that kind of behavior, yet I had my posts edited and even deleted, without warning or comment. This, even after I expressly posted that I would gladly work, with moderators, and asked them politely not to edit my posts without comment. I think any member here deserves at least that amount of respect. Yet, when I logged on a few hours after having made that gentle request, I found that my last post in these forums had been deleted without notice, warning, or comment. Unacceptable.

That's the bad news. The good news is that I Googled variations of "free speech" and "forums", and rapidly discovered a couple of places, with similar social leanings, but with somewhat less apparent zealotry in moderation. I'll probably fit into the program better there. No, not Facebook.

I'll probably pop in here on occasion. I've met some kind intelligent entities here. But I have to be able to say what I want to say, not just things that anyone else thinks it's appropriate to say. C-Y'all!

[Valley Oak]

Roses are red
Violets are blue
The dialectic continues
All history through

Nature's laws always dawn
Undeterred by man's will
The wind laughs wildly
As our comedy drags on