I want to say something here. A couple of public posts lately (this being one of them) and some PM's to me personally again have implied that Administration and Moderation are somehow intolerant of opinions that are contrary to those held by certain forum members, and that if you don't agree with Admin, or the mods, you will be punished, exiled, or otherwise called out on the carpet.
As a former Mod on this board, and as a personal friend of the Mods (and Phillip), I can say I know how these things work. Spec does too, since he too was a Mod. Administration here is the most tolerant that I have ever encountered in public forum, and these sort of implications harm and hurt the Forum in their implication that members here are somehow controlled and limited by this sort of nonsense paranoia. I will not keep quiet when these sort of implications arise, because they are untrue and unjust.
I have never known a more tolerant man than Phillip, and the gift of this forum, and the right to post here should never be taken for granted. When you go against the wishes of the owner of this board, and insult him as in this case, you are flat out of line! If you were invited to dinner in someones home, would you try to tell them what to do and how to act in their own home and ask the other guests to back you in that?
You do not have a god given right to be here, and this is not America where you can petition the powers that be. Live with it! It is a private club that charges the members nothing to join. It is *not* a publicly owned and operated service!
I am angry at the comments directed towards Pyro recently as well, which were rude, inflammatory and downright stupid. Were we the sort you imply us to be, your butt would be on a fast track outta here if I had my say about it!
Once again I have to remind members that the work that is done my Mods is not easy, and there is no compensation for them except your thanks. Comments like those recently made just make us want to quit. They are unfair comments to those who have worked hard at allowing everyone to say what they will, within the dictates of politeness and good taste.
To imply that Mods or Admins are somehow lording it over everyone else like some kind of Gestapo is insulting, considering the time and effort that has gone into this great GIFT, at no expense to anyone except Phillip!
So, my opinion as a private member now unassociated with Admin or moderation is simply this. If you don't like it, please take it somewhere else, but don't get in the face of the owner and the workers when they make decisions based on things you are totally unprivy to.
If I ever encounter anyone directly implying that Mods in anyway lean on anyone, you can expect to hear it from me. I was a MOD here for years, and I never ONCE experienced any abuse of the "power" that comes with the MOD title, and I have bever ONCE experienced what I felt was an unwarranted action by Phillip.
The fact that those making such accusations and implications are mostly children is no excuse. These comments are offensive and harmful insults to those who bend over backward to provide you with the pleasue this forum affords. To bite the hands that feed you is a bad life strategy in general.
To those involved in this "petition" campaign and who have insulted Pyro recently, I heartily suggest that you owe them an apology, and suggest you make it via PM at your earliest convenience.
Just my 2 cents worth.