I'll miss you very much laconicsax.

[ZombieHorde]

DU won't be the same without you.

[EvolveOrConvolve]

1. Yes

...

[eqfan592]

2. Agreed.

I salute you, laconicsax.

[tkmorris]

3. Yep

[cynatnite]

4. It sure won't. n/t

[onager]

5. Ditto...

Salute to our cyber-fallen.

And as Chesty Puller was fond of saying...

[Iggo]

6. Take it easy, laconicsax.

With you gone, the fun half has been removed from the argument.

No point even reading those threads now without the counterpoint.

I'll miss you.

[darkstar3]

7. Am I the only one around here who doesn't get it?

Granted, I didn't see whatever image was swapped in and pissed people off, but frankly, I don't see why the swap-and-alert idea was such a big deal. Rug got personal and needed to be taught a lesson. Had I thought of it, I probably would have thought it was a good idea at the time.

I've seen so many people say that what he did was wrong, but the only reason I can think of for such a reaction is the content, not the action. WTF was in that picture?

Laconicsax's exit is a loss to our community. If there's such a thing as Karma, I hope it comes back to bite the gravedancers and the bully responsible.

[mr blur]

8. No, you aren't.

There's been a lot of self-righteous hand-wringing going on, too.

[trotsky]

10. As is usually the case whenever an atheist isn't practically perfect in every way.

Imagine, you keep poking something over and over with a sharp stick and eventually it's going to fight back. When that something is a non-believer though, you blame them.

[JNelson6563]

13. Well said.

This morning, as I wade through the wreckage I can only really take away one lesson from this: Stay out of the RT group.

Yeah, probably an odd "lesson" to take from this but there it is.

I have mistakenly followed latest links into there. Was informed the problem with our government is there isn't enough religious influence. Yes, the poster was serious and was prepared to go into long, drawn-out discussion about it, clearly believing their point. OMG. It was fucking painful to witness, much less be subjected to, teh stoopid.

Anyhow, if I went in there regularly and was witness to the bullshit practioners on a regular basis, well let's just say that such activity might well drive anyone to just about anything.

So...stay the hell out of RT! That's insidious poison with the bullshit and slippery lies, deliberately obtuse and like tactics...

Julie

[trotsky]

15. Thanks. But you do realize you're giving them exactly what they want, right?

I mean - I can't blame you at all. The attacks are relentless. But that's why they do it, they want atheists out. They don't want discussion, they want kumbaya hand-holding about how everyone's faith is just wonderful and perfect and let's ignore the bad things because they are icky.

I can't give up. Seeing this shit from so-called "progressives" and "Democrats" is terrible.

[JNelson6563]

17. Perhaps but I make up for it

in fighting the right in real world politics. I don't have the energy or inclination for both.

Thanks for countering the bullshit Trotsky. You're an old hand at it 'round these parts and many of us are grateful to you for it.



Julie

[trotsky]

19. There ya go.

That's more important. I'm just a keyboard warrior.

[JNelson6563]

21. My dear Trotsky, you aren't "just" anything

You're too awesome for that mediocre nonsense label.

So often I come across bullshit here and start thinking about a response as I wade through it. Then I find some brilliant thing posted by you and can be content there's already a reply that's better than what I could come up with, always glad you save me the trouble.



Julie

[trotsky]

29. You are too kind.

Thanks for the nice words.

[Rob H.]

32. "You're too awesome for that mediocre nonsense label."

Just thought I'd chime in and say I agree with that 100%. trotsky and several others keep their cool and keep holding religionists' feet to the fire in situations where I'd probably get pissed off, throw in the towel and say, "Ah, screw it." I might not post a lot over in Religion but I lurk there pretty often and feel like I learn a lot from my fellow non-believers.

Another to you, trotsky.

Oops, wait. Does this count as a call-out?

[trotsky]

38. LOL

I'll alert and find out!

[onager]

44. You win 1000 internets...

They don't want discussion, they want kumbaya hand-holding about how everyone's faith is just wonderful and perfect and let's ignore the bad things because they are icky.

Yep. Want even more proof? Check out this old Meta thread. The whole thread is interesting reading, but this is the money shot for me:

http://sync.democraticunderground.com/124028417#post44

[trotsky]

46. I remember that one.

Funny how telling the group that no one would want to live in a society without a religious basis for ethics is simply discussing their faith, but pointing out that basing a progressive agenda on religion is no better than when the right wing does it is evidently "stink(ing) up the place."

[muriel_volestrangler]

16. The PPR message does mention the picture content, but also trying to game the DU system

by alerting to attempt to get rug blocked from the thread. Your "needed to be taught a lesson" is just your opinion; and one which, realistically, you could never expect the admins here to share. laconicsax also did it twice - when it was just the Romney image, the jury he got declined to hide it. So he upped the stakes, and re-alerted.

Given the idea of DU3 is 'transparency', it's not surprising the admins take a dim view of manipulation of the system to make someone else look bad and get them chucked out of a thread.

[Warren Stupidity]

20. Wait, you can't re-alert unless it was a different post.

[muriel_volestrangler]

22. Yes, he did it on two posts

The first one he substituted the Romney picture, and then alerted; after that alert failed, and rug replied saying "it used to show this" - and went back to use the link in laconicsax's post in another thread for the 'small people' picture (which laconicsax had already changed once, so that it didn't show the Romney picture), laconicsax then altered what was at the new picture URL, so that it showed a gruesome accident victim (I never saw that picture, but that seems to be the consensus of what it was).

See here for a list of what happened:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1240&pid=116796

[Warren Stupidity]

18. It was deliberately fucking with the system.

Look it was wrong. I think toward the end loconicsax admitted as much. I don't think it deserves a permanent death, but have any of the longtimer ppr'd been let back in?

One other thing, I think the tolerance the hosts were showing toward hostiles in this forum should stop. Somewhat irrelevant to this discussion, but this is a safe haven, and perhaps if she had not had to fight battles here too this event would not have happened.

[muriel_volestrangler]

23. Will Pitt was let back in

after he'd threatened violence. So it wouldn't be unprecedented to let a longterm DUer back in.

[Warren Stupidity]

24. Wasn't that du2?

Plus he is sort of a special case.

It is a bit harsh. One mistake and gone forever? Admittedly it was a rather huge mistake.

[muriel_volestrangler]

26. Yeah, but it's the same admins

Will Pitt may be a 'special case', but laconicsax was here a long time, and I would say his offence wasn't as bad as Will's.

I don't know what the admins might decide; but I'd guess laconicsax would have a chance of reinstatement.

[trotsky]

31. My gut feeling is that yes, he's got a good chance.

They really set an incredible precedent with Pitt - with his outrageous threats.

[awoke_in_2003]

51. "Plus he is sort of a special case."

by "special case" you mean "above the law"?

[awoke_in_2003]

50. "but have any of the longtimer ppr'd been let back in?"

sure- the one who said they would physically attack Bobbolink if he ever met her. Of course, he is a darling of DU.

[Neoma]

28. The PPR was because laconicsax alerted on rug's post after switching pictures more than once...

It went beyond a practical joke. He was trying to get rug PPR'd. Trying to make him out to be a Romney supporter while at it, and that's the screenshot he presented that shows that he was the one that alerted on it. I think that was the killer.

[kdmorris]

30. I don't think he was trying to get him PPR'd

locked out of the thread maybe, but he couldn't be PPR'd unless laconicsax had also checked "TOS Alert". That didn't happen, so it appeared to be an attempt to get rug locked out of the thread, not PPR'd.

[Neoma]

33. I don't think it was determined whether or not he did TOS alert.

He didn't exactly declare that he did or didn't.

[kdmorris]

34. I think the PPR note itself states that it wasn't

"laconicsax deliberately caused a graphic shock-content image to appear on Democratic Underground, which is a clear violation of our Terms of Service. This violation was made even worse by the fact that it was done maliciously -- laconicsax caused the image to appear in another member's post, then alerted on the post himself (even including the words "shock content" in the alert message) in an effort to have that member blocked out of the discussion. "

I'm pretty sure if TOS had been checked, EarlG would have noted that, but the stated issue was trying to get him blocked from the discussion, NOT "trying to PPR him".

[WhollyHeretic]

35. TOS wasn't checked. I'm on MIRT and we did not receive a notification.

[kdmorris]

36. Thank you

I didn't think it was, but it's good to get confirmation of that.

[Goblinmonger]

37. He wasn't trying to get rug PPRd; just locked out of the thread

and to fuck with him. I know this because he told me. And contrary to what some on here say about laconicsax yanking my chain, I believe laconic when he told me that.

[OriginalGeek]

48. It's considered sport on many boards I frequent -

if you hotlink to another person's photobucket they will swap the picture out and it can get a LOT worse than what Laconicsax did.

Naturally I don't expect rug would have known that so I believe he had a legitimate beef as he saw it but i recognized it for what it was and I don't see it nearly as offensive as rug or the admins saw it. (which they have every right to, by the way)

I hope they let Laconicsax come back.

[skepticscott]

39. Well, if it had been just a case of

swapping photos to jerk rug around a little for intruding on his photobucket bandwidth, I would have called that fair enough. But alerting on someone that you framed, twice, knowing that it might get them banned (even if that wasn't the intent) or even knowing that it might cause them to be misperceived unfairly by others, crossed the line, IMO. It's a shame, but you just can't let some people here get under your skin to that extent. Better to walk away and let them do their own job of looking like a fool, because they will typically oblige.

It definitely will not be the same, though. His positive contributions here far outweighed this one negative incident, and he'll be missed.

[kdmorris]

9. I'm still hoping he can petition to come back

It's not like he had a pattern of making DU suck. It was just a one time thing.

But it won't be the same without him.

[trotsky]

12. I hope so too. n/t

[Plantaganet]

11. Hear, hear. n/t

[JNelson6563]

14. +1

[SecularMotion]

25. I agree

We lost a good host and group member.

While I understand the reason for PPR, I don't think it was warranted considering the history of horseplay between rug and laconicsax

[2ndAmForComputers]

27. My take on this is in Meta.

[Iggo]

40. Yep. It was a practical joke gone horribly wrong...

...as practical jokes tend to do.

[PassingFair]

41. I miss Laconicsax too.

2 nice
2 be
4 gotten

[Curmudgeoness]

42. I miss him too.

He was always nice to me.

And I guess I am about the only person (at least after reading the meta posts) who thought it was just a practical joke and it was funny. OK, so I am a sick puppy. Oh well.

[progressoid]

43. Yup.

[charlie]

45. Well, this is some sorry suckage to come back to

I haven't decided if I like this DU3 stuff. I'm liking it less today.

Sorry you're not around Laconicsax, I always liked you.

[BlueJazz]

47. Well..That sucks. I didn't even know about this until right now.

I hope he comes back...always loved his posts. Shit !

[Odin2005]

49. I think Laconicsax's little stunt was horrible, that said...

...it was not worthy of a PPR.