So Long and Thanks for All The Fish

[Scott Stites]

I'm not sure everyone here is aware of it or not, but I've asked Howard to remove me from the list of moderators. At first I thought I'd do that and just never mention a reason for it or anything along those lines, but I figured that would be such a lame drama queen stunt I decided better of it. So, instead I thought I'd put in this one last topic as an explanation.

First of all I'm not angry at anyone save myself, though I do harbor something darker and more malevolent along those lines for Randal (I won't lie). I do not, however blame Randal. The guy that deserves the blame, if blame is really called for, is the guy writing this message. Fellas, I spent an entire afternoon and part of the evening yesterday digging up disgusting quotes from the guy and posting them to this forum. Let me repeat that: there I was - a 45 year old man, sitting at his computer, digging up dirt on some poor mentally ill guy he'd never met in his life for an entire afternoon and part of evening. When Jan mentioned something about beating the guy up, it was an epiphany - he was right. Anybody who would do such a thing, no matter the circumstances, really should not be moderating these forums. He should be considering his own actions.

I could have been using that time for something constructive and worthwhile - I could have been making music, I could have been working on a project, I could have been maintaining the forum and fulfilling the promises I had made. Instead, I dedicated the afternoon to violating the charter and spirit of the forum, albeit not publicly.

The point is, I've blown Randal entirely out of proportion in my own mind. Be that as it may, it was proving to interfere with my "real life". The ideal solution would seem to be "don't read Randal's posts". Granted, Randal's posts are so ubiquitous, they're nearly impossible to avoid, but, more to the point, I could not prevent myself from clicking on Randal's posts. This would indicate a problem with me, and I think the best way to get over is to make it SEP (anybody familiar with Douglas Adams' works will recognize this as "Somebody Else's Problem"). I can't begin to describe the feeling of peace that came over me after PM'ing Howard.

I'll still hang around - I just want to be average Joe again and let those who can do anything about problems such as Randal deal with them in their own way. I'm going to lay low until I cool down. I'd still like to help people get their Klees together, though I pretty much will stay out of any question of a second issue - it's just not something I could undertake financially or otherwise at this point. As for the MPS, I haven't quite figured out what to do along those lines, yet.

I'll be civil to this and the next Randal to come along, but I'll certainly avoid any communication with him as well. I will not point out his fallacies, I think people would still associate that with my former em role.

This is the last thing you will ever see from me on the subject of this and the next Randal. It's something I wrote to Thomas, and I wish I would have stated it here long ago:

[EdisonRex]

Scott,

I can respect your position, although I also don't agree with it. I'd write more, but I've decided to shut down my own thinking on the subject. I'm just sorry that you feel this way about yourself too.

Paul

[elektro80]

Please reconsider.

And keep in mind that your obsession with R has been shared by most us.. and this is partly based on those impressive amounts of irrational mush that R has dragged in here.

[blue hell]

Scott,

please reconsider this, and forgive yourself the state of madness you were in yesterday. The same happened to me, and I too had written a letter of resignation for Howard, except that I did not send it.

It is truly sad things had to get this emotional.

[fonik]

yes, scott, reconsider, please!

self knowledge is a good thing to get back on track, self damnation not. i say that with respect and friendliness. forgive me.

actually it was your attitude, your unselfishness and your contribution to the forum that wanted me to be part of e-m.

[elektro80]

Did I say I want Scott back?

I do!

[elektro80]

Scott Scott Scott

[v-un-v]

I'm sorry I didn't know that there were suggestions of Randal being beaten up. I most certainly wouldn't have wanted that. I must have missed that post.I've always deplored violence.

No to be honest, if anybody should go here, it should be me. I was the first person to spot/ become nervous about Randal, I was the first to PM him and get an earful- which made me suspicious.

I've been thinking about this all day, and Scott would (is) a far finer moderator than I could ever be- for fuck's sake I'm not even very good at electronics. Sure I can solder a board, but I'm no match for Scott.

So I want out. I agree with Scott, I just want to be joe public again.

Tom

[elektro80]

OK.. breathe ! Please!

I have taken some flak myself for taking on Randal adn AFAIK I was the first to start the first real and soon hot discussion of all things Randal. I was also the one to PM him that "stop this now" notice.

I don´t think we should split the team at this stage. I reckon we are all a lot wiser right now and we can at last get back to business. We have been a winning team.. do not split now! Please!

[blue hell]

Tom, that's the crapiest bit of reasoning I've seen in a long time time, you stay damnit !

[elektro80]

[EdisonRex]

Tom, if you want to talk about it, I'll call you.

[v-un-v]

Paul just called. We spoke. It made sense.

I'm back. I'm not going to resign.

that made more sense.

Hi everybody

[v-un-v]

I just want Scott back

[blue hell]

Welcome back Tom

I want Scott back as well.

[v-un-v]

And Bill too. Although I know he's not well.

[blue hell]

And Bill too!

Those american's seem pretty stubborn tho ...

[elektro80]

[EdisonRex]

Losing moderators makes it hard on the rest of us. I will NOT criticize moderators for leaving, as I said, I respect a decision, but as in my real life, when people are missing from the team, what's left has to carry on. As a manager, I have never talked someone out of leaving, if they had kept their reasons from me and negotiated a change. If they are asking for help, on the other hand, I have always been supportive to help make a team work. Maybe that says something about me.

Which I just realized implies this is not my real life. This is as real as my life gets, actually. Maybe that shit I do 12 hours a day downtown isn't as real.

[frijitz]

Scott -- I want you to know that posts you did this weekend were very important to me. You uncovered that R was threatening to modify and market one of my boards, despite my very firm statement to him that I would not allow that. He posted this without using my name and on a thread I wasn't following, so I had not even been aware of it.

Thank you!



Ian

[mosc]

I'm too burned out to react to this one.

I have considered quitting myself today. Several times. I have not acted as I thought best either. I undersand Tom's and Scott's point of view. and Jan too.

To me, this community is sort of a child I had a lot to do with creating. As a "parent" I've don't a lot of great things, but some things I regret. In any case, my quitting won't help things. The best I can do is suck it up, learn from my mistakes, get as much support from the other members of this team, and move forward.

I know that none of you are perfect. Nobody is the ideal moderator. Some are better suited than others.

I think that this reconsideration of being on the leadership team is really healthy. It's good to reconsider what we are trying to do, what the vision is, what the goal is, what our values are.

Scott, thanks for sharing your concerns. I respectfully request that instead of resignation you allow the team to support you through this. Your honesty and integrity in this are inspirational to me. I think the reason you feel better is not that you resigned, but that you accepted responsibility for how you have been.

We all have feet of clay. I think it's best not to give up, but to be honest, learn and move forward.

The role of the moderator is:

[v-un-v]

[Thomas Henry]

Well, this thread certainly has gone silent...

I'm sort of an outsider here in many ways, but have really wanted to say something over the past couple of days. I wrote, rewrote and trashed some three messages in the meanwhile, always thinking I should stay out of it.

However, I just read Scott's resignation notice again, which as always, is so well written; he's probably the best writer among all of us. It convinced me I should say something after all.

I'll only make one comment on it: I don't he blew things out of proportion as he states. The proportion was already there and not acted upon when it mattered.

As for urging him to reconsider his decision, I won't, because I respect him too much and he is one of the finest friends I have ever had.

I haven't spoken to him about any of this, and won't.

Well...I just chopped off another paragraph after five rewrites, so I guess I better stop.

Thomas Henry

[blue hell]

[mosc]

Thanks for you thoughts, Thomas.

In PMing Scott I'm sure he doesn't intend to go away and discontinue being an active member here. It's just that as a moderator one is forced to deal with people issues that can be more easily disengaged from as a non-mod. Some have more energy and facility in this than others, and for everyone the ability to deal with these issues waxes and wanes over time. I respect that and I'm accepting Scott's decision.

I'm not going to ask him to reconsider anymore. We are all free to reconsider everything we do whenever we want. I have been doing a lot of that lately.