ravenscape

It's going to the DVD drive. Will watch it tomorrow with the kids.

elanor

Hey back, Liz! :wave: Been awhile. I stopped by to see if we've figured out how to get CF to come over to the dark side yet.

Captain Yesterday

It's my 'weekend' right now, and of course I can't seem to get that extra sleep i so desperately need on my nights off lol.

So here i am, trolling the forums

Crazy Liz

Strange. It's labeled "moderated." What does that mean?

Crazy Liz

Colbert is almost over. Then I'll go to bed.

Crazy Liz

G'nite all! :wave:

seebs

It's gone to non-staff.

flesh99

No Tas I went to work. Nothing more. I will not attempt any changes to CF regarding the tattoo issue. I will debate there are you chose the venue. If you are scared of being refuted in a formal manner then by all means keep up with the demands. My offer was to debate the topic and nothing more. It has nothing to do with CF but rather with our conflicting beliefs on the subject. I even suggested we do it here where there would be no bias at all with regards to the subject matter and where you and I are both members. Your caveats are not something I can deliver at all so as long as you include them then it is indeed a no go but you know this. You know that I am not even inner circle but just an SM and have no effect of policy, stickies, and so on. If you are scared to debate me then so be it. You either accept the debate as a debate of decline it. I reject all qualifications, caveats, add ons, et al.

Hydra009

Stephen "it's French bitch!" Colbert (aka Ted Hitler) is my hero. :notworthy:

seebs

In other news: People who seek and have power, offered an opportunity to open chinks in their armor, choose instead to refuse on uncertain and speculative grounds. Film at 11.

Oh, wait. It's 3AM already.

Here's the film:

I do not know the answer to what you asked aside from CaDan. He fully approves of such a forum.

As far as what staff thinks about such a forum I offer this:

My actions in the past. I would have argued against such a forum vehemently. I was one who could, in fact, twist the system in pretty much any way I wanted. I say this not of arrogance but because I was able to do so time and time again. I was a horrible moderator in the past. I did horrible things all in the name of orthodoxy. I assure you the same things are happening now.

Let me elaborate. I know you are busy but this is worth your time. In the past I let my idea of orthodoxy rule my life. I even quit over it and I am sure you remember that. After I quit I had a lot of time to consider everything. I even turned down multiple offers to return to staff after the big shake up. I returned with the caveat that I would not moderate debate forums at all as that leads me into the pedantic cycle I had used to my own advantage in the past. I never did anything like using socks to bait people because I didn't need to. The sytem in place was enough. Almost ever warning I issued stuck like glue because I am good at being pedantic. You have others just like me on staff at this point. The difference between now and then is that I have changed.

I have realized that staff here is a position of servitude. I care nothing about titles, promotions, and so on. I care about the members who I am supposed to be serving. Support has been shown for this idea by myself, Herev, Stray Bullet, and I'ddieforhim. These are four people who have been at each other's throats in the past. I asked a couple of them why we would agree on this and the answer was "I guess we have grown up". That says it all to me. I'ddie and myself have had the chance to be off staff for a long time and consider the system as a whole. I do not now about Stray. Oddly enough we came to the same conclusions. The deck is stacked against the members at this point.

Staff as a whole will probably react badly to this idea and that includes exec. The goal of the status quo is always to preserve the status quo. I was guilty of that in my past on staff and staff as a whole is guilty of it now.

The intersting part is the only people who spoke out against this are, in fact, staff. That says something to me and I think you will get the same message if you think about it. All that is offered here is good for the members. It is more work for staff and it is hard work. We will be forced to be accountable to the membership for every action we take. If we truly serve them, as we state, then we owe them nothing less.

I truly feel this is a necessary step. The reforms were a great move in the right direction but I think it is time to take the next step and furtermore that it is time regardless of the opinions of exec, dave, and so on. I do not know their opinions so this is completely innocent. To me it does not matter what they think. This is what I see as being best for the membership which is the entity I signed on to serve.

To be honest, you know I do not mince words, those opposed to this idea are likely to have something to hide. I welcome member's comments on my actions in hopes that dialog will lead to clarity. Those that do not want to have their actions see the light of day should not be taking actions in my likely-not-humble-enough opinion.

To me this is little less than the next logical step after public appeals. We have enough members scared, confused, or frankly shooting in the dark to show a need for this regardless of the overall opinion of staff, exec, and so on.

My request is simple. Review the thread and decide on the merits of the idea and not the opinions fo staff. We are here for the members and they are not here for us. When you do consider the reasons why staff would not want to answer questions about their actions or why they would. Why staff would want everything to handled by an appeals system slanted towards staff (I can explain this if you like) and ask yourself if these things benefit the members overall or the status quo.

That was then. This is now; now, the execs have spoken. What have they said? They said it in secret; they certainly didn't say it to me. Do you think they will answer us, the malcontents and deviants and also-rans? The people who are so sinful that they are disqualified from moderation? The plotters trying to "overthrow" ChristianForums? The people who associate with Gentiles and worse?

I doubt very much we will ever see any kind of reasoning from them.

We can only look to the situation, and watch as power works its deadly magic once again.

We are made in God's image. This is commonly taken to mean that we should pursue the power to rule and the ability to judge; that we should impute to ourselves infallibility and use our power to banish those who question us. How often have we heard that call? Do this! Take this! With this power, you can be as God! You can judge. You can rule. You can know right from wrong, for yourself, without relying on God.

Sound familiar? It should, by now.