Greg

Enough! This thread has disolved into a waste of everyone's time. Cut out the insults and off-topic/personal banter. If you guys have a problem with each other and you want to express yourself, do it via the PM system or emails. Quit wastinge everyone's time and this sites valuable bandwidth with these childish antics.

I'm open to all these ideas, however, they will have to wait till I am finished the redesign and migration of MLW to a new content management system. There have been some setbacks lately, however, I'm still optimistic that we can have a new site up and running by mid to late fall. I am also batting around the idea of migrating this forum to a different forum software, to combat some of the spammers that have been hitting the forums lately.

Sorry everyone, but this thread has become a waste of time and bandwidth. I will remind all members who take pleasure in feeding trolls. If you continue you might find yourself taking a "vacation" from these forums. Feeding trolls is as disruptive as the actual trolls themselves.

Yes and no. Posting Letter to Editor articles is fine, but unless you can prove that you're the original author, it infringes on the "post copyrighted material" rule in the forum rules and guidelines. Feel free to post a few quotes and link to whatever content you want on the internet - as this is part of the fair-dealing provision of the Canadian Copyright Act.

It makes perfect sense. Do not post the SAME/identical postings from another forum in this forum (or vis-versa). You're free to post topics on the same issues, just don't copy and paste your comments.

Yes, cross-posting is against the rules of this forum. According to the rules: We frown on cross-posting because we feel if you're going to participate in these forums, you should invest some time into what you're going to say. Reading from a script in a live debate would be ineffective and distracting, the same goes for online discussions. It also cuts down on the amount of political activists who spam multiple forums with identical messages.

Backup, please explain this further. "This site" or the forum located at Maple Leaf Web? There is abit big BIG difference! We're two totally different websites. MLW is non-partisan political education website, FreeDominion is a conservative news forum. We are located and are only a "partner" with the University of Lethbridge. We have a seperate board of directors and the University has no direct involvement in the day to day operations of MLW or Policy.ca Although we're not quite in the basement, we're on the fifth floor! Yikes, lets all be careful not to attribute things to MLW...

Sorry about the brief disruption - I was upgrading some server software and there were some conflicts. Normally I would warn everyone of a service interruption, but this conflict was unexpected. However, the problem has been fixed, and everything should be back to normal! Thanks!

I agree. Believe me, no one wants this restructure/redesign completed more than I. I spent a great deal of time managing this site, and once the redesign/restructure is completed, a lot of those tasks will be automated and streamlined. That way I'll be able to spend more time on alternative projects that will bring more traffic and publicity to this site. We're close, very close to being finished. The design of the new site is completed, we're just waiting on a few things relating to the content management system. Once that is completed and the content is migrated over to the new system, we'll all basking in the glory of the new site.

While I agree that there are too many (duplicate/related) threads dealing with Native issues, i don't think it warrants a section devoted entirely to Native issues. However, once the redesign of MLW is completed (I've announced this before), which means an overhaul of the forums, I will consider these types of issues. We hope to have the redesign completed in the next few months.

Hello all, It has been reported that spammers are using the PM system to send spam to forum members. If you've receive any spam through the PM system, please report it to me immediately so that I can remove that person from the system. Unfortunately, spammers are beginning to use more sophisticated methods to deliver their spam, and targeting popular forums, like this one, is going to be an ongoing problem. However, if you see anyone spamming the forums or sending spam via the PM system, please contact me immediately, so that I can remove the person ASAP. Thanks!

Saga's IP address has been banned.

sagaagain has been banned again. Please send me a report if he reappears. Thanks

Yup, good catch jdobbin. Granny has been banned from these forums.

You keep repeating yourself, and it's getting abit old. The incessant trolling, accusations and insults have lead to your banning.

JehovasWrath is a cross-posting troll and has been removed from these forums. I'm not going to be patient with newcomings who are only here to post inflammatory threads about the Middle-east conflict. So far everyone (excluding the few I dispatched earlier this week) has handled themselves with some civility, however, lets not let our emotions get the best of us. Please report this type of trolling to me immediately, so I can send them packing... Thanks!

Actually no, this post speaks volumes of your lack of character - or at least your ignorance of the rules of this forum. I warned you not to continue with the insults, perhaps a 30 day suspension will help you mull over your options.

Ummm, no - you didn't make a point at all. I told you, no one has the ability to delete threads, and I certainly did not delete the thread. Your accusations were baseless and you've made not attempt to defend them to Riverwind.

First off, Renegade is right, I am the only person authorized to delete a thread. In fact, I am the only moderater. Second, the recent spat of insults and poor behaviour are related to a small sub-group of individuals, all of which have been dealt with. Third, accusing someone of being a political operative (and claiming they are "shutting down other opinions with insults" and "manipulating peoples emotions" for political gain) is a serious accusation. ONe that needs more evidence that what you provided. If you see abuse, use the Report the Post feature or PM the person directly.

The hole you've dug for yourself just keeps getting deeper and deeper. No you won't - you're banned from this site. There are many members who share different viewpoints that co-exist in these forums. Brilliant! I love it when people complain about insults and then turn around and use insults to prove their point. It just goes to show I'm making the right decision by banning you. I've never removed anyone from these forums due to their beliefs, anyone who has spent some time in these forums can confirm that. When I do remove someone, the reasons are often obvious to anyone that has been involved in the discussions. Argus is respecting my original warning (and request) to report any abuse and to not engage in insults. I'm just interested in civilized discussion, there is no such thing as being "interested in the truth."

Perhaps, but it would be an awfully large coincidence. I am aware that more than one poster can share a IP address on a network, however, in this case I've viewed the IP address and am confident that they are the same person - or atleast they are working together. Either way, unless it can be proved otherwise, they will both remain banned from these forums. If any of you have a problem with the forums, take the matter up with me. Complaining about the moderation or another poster in the support forum isn't the right way to get your point across. If you are feeling abused, ignore the offending poster and report the post to me. If someone is using insults and behaving like a troll and no one tells me, then there is a good chance I'll never find out until it is too late (I can't possibly read every thread). And if you let it get to the point where you blow your top and respond to the troll with insults, there is a good chance you'll both be getting into trouble.

Man, I almost got sucked in there. WillyNilly and Kindred are now permanently banned from these forums - a quick check of their IP addresses shows they are one person.

Kindred wasn't banned, she was suspended for 30 days. She's free to return after her suspension is up. If you are banned, you can not access the PMs. However, when I ban someone, I either publicly state that I am banning that person, or I email them directly. Most offending members who end up being banned, know their fate long before I actually follow through. Bannings are permanent. Suspensions are only for a specified time - in most cases one month. What does that have to do with being suspended or banned? If warned, it is in your best interest to accept the criticism and move on. If you want to respond with an explanation of the incident which lead to the warning, fine - but don't whine about the warnings. Like I said earlier, responding to my warning with insults and threats to me will do nothing but accelerate your departure from these forums. Also note, I take a dim view of newcomers who post a few times and then take liberties with the rules. If there is a mix up between a long-time member of the forum and a newcomer, I'm far more likely to come down harder on the newcomer. The reason for this is simple, there are far more trolls who drop by for a drive-by-smear that I need to dispatch quickly before they drag all the long-time members into the gutter. However, you don't have to look to far back in time to find a few long-time members who went overboard and had to be banned.

Warnings are issued through the internal warning system. These warnings are not made public. If you are warned, it will generally be issued through the internal PM system, however, it can also come as an email.

The decision to ban someone isn't easily made because there are so many different factors to consider. However, I always provide amble warnings to those who are breaking the rules, and it is often the reaction to those warnings that will determine whether the offending member will be banned or will stick around. People make mistakes and emotions run high - I understand that. That is why I don't ban anyone for making a mistake. However, if that member repeatedly ignores my warnings or responds to my warnings with insults directed towards me, then there is a really good chance their tenure in the forums will be short. If someone is using insults and being a pain the neck, the only response by other members should be to report the posts and ignore the poster. If, out of frustration, you respond to insults with insults, it because very difficult for me to remove those members who started the whole mess. Feeding trolls only results in more trolling activity - I am always amazed that people don't realize this.