I have noticed your decrease in posting, and am sorry for it and especially for the reasons you just explained caused it. You are one of the ppl here who always keep a cool head, give great help, and are patient with the most trying users. I have said often that our posters are what make this forum such a valuable resource. I admit it bothered me to read that you feel that i and others seem to have little respect for or communication with the posters. Altho i havent ever recieved a pm from you that i can remember, i do recall trying to send you some but you had pms disabled (which is also why i post this here instead of pm). I realize you have only my word for it, but i assure you that i reply to every pm i get, regardless of what the issue is or the rudeness that may be included and do so with courtesy and answer to the best of my ability. I dont think i have ever seen the need to delete one of your posts for content, but as i said in an earlier post, it isnt out of the realm of possibilty one of yours may have gotten deleted in the midst of mayhem.
While i as well have seen some "hot" threads die a natural death, i have also seen at least as many sink to new depths. When i have locked a thread or deleted posts with no redeeming value (unless you are in search of new and better ways to insult someone), i have done so after giving the matter thought and coming to what i felt was the right decision. Quite often i have received several pms already asking why on earth that thread wasnt closed. Since you and other posters may not see what garbage has been removed that caused the decision, it means asking for some trust based on my past actions. Perhaps too much to ask for.
Considering many of the threads i have read here, its obvious that ppl with differing opinions have been free to post. I have never deleted a post simply because i didnt agree with their view, not even when the poster was attacking me personally. Oops, correction, i did delete multiple posts from one user who seemed to delight in devising new obscene versions of my nick and suggested with appalling regularity that i go forth in solitude and multiply. However, since i wouldnt allow any other user to be treated that way, i didnt see why i should be subjected to it either. I honestly dont think anyone kills a discussion or deletes just for the fun of it or just because they can. I can think of countless threads with outspoken opinions as well as offtopic, essentially useless or generally silly posts. They arent locked or deleted.
I have tried my best to treat everyone fairly and with courtesy and dont remember seeing any moderator being nasty to a user. I respect that everyone has a right to their own opinion even if it differs from mine and try to stay neutral simply because i am a moderator. I cant speak to how anyone else decides on edits/deletes/locks, but i do defend the right of admin/moderator to make the decision they feel is best, just as i respect a posters rights to voice their opinion. I also accept that any post, any decision, be it by moderator, admin, or user wont be universally popular. Will they always be the "right" one, effectively worded? Prolly not, but we are after all only human.
