If Andy takes down the guy (it has to be a guy since the entire Campaign of Terror is attributable to a bad case of Boy Disease) who put up the fake Hocus2007 post, he sends a signal to the rest of the board community there as to what he will tolerate.
 
If Andy fails to take that guy down, he sends a very different signal.
 
Either way, we all learn something about whether Andy Rabinowitz has what it takes to administer a Retire Early board in accord with the desires of the majority of community members, eh?
 
Rob

I just noticed the part where Brewer12345 says that: "Past performance is no guarantee of future results."
 
That doesn't sound so good for Team Intercst, does it?
 
Rob

Has Greaney been banned from the Early Retirement Forum?
 
Curious Rob

This just in from a fellow named CuppaJoe:
 
"Reminds me of someone from personnel who called me into her office one day. While I was waiting, her boss took a call right behind my ear, and said significantly, "we will not blacklist anyone." Fastforward a few months, my new dept. was having lunch, my boss took me aside and said, "see that guy over there, he's retiring and not telling anyone why; do you know who he is?" I said yeah, he's the head of personnel and they probably didn't tell him why. So is this forum open to all, or isn't it?"
 
I'm a little concerned about what might happen next if people get the idea that they can say things like that on a Retire Early board.
 
How about you?
 
Rob

Is there any way that we could ban Andy Rabinowitz from the board that he owns?
 
I'm just trying to think ahead a bit here. I'm afraid that we might be falling behind the curve.
 
Perhaps this would be a good time for some of our researchers to get to work on this Andy Rabinowitz individual.
 
What do you think, John?
 
Prudent Rob

Get this!
 
So then this other individual links back to the play-by-play appearing at this Stinkhole! Holy Baloney!
 
Did I not say that this thing was so crazy that just about anything could happen and probably would?  
 
You remember when I said that, right? I just had one of those funny feelings.
 
I bet there are going to be a lot of people asking to switch their votes tonight, eh?
 
Rob the Seer

Nords says this:
 
"This board is a tremendously valuable resource to me, and it's more valuable to me than our putative right to freedom of expression on it. I support editing or even banning those who appear to be adversely affecting the quality of the board's content.... Don't just sit there in your Monday-morning quarterback's chair and complain about the management."
 
I agree with Nords on the idea that those of us who want to see the board achieve its potential have an obligation to pitch in and help out. I put up a post at the Motley Fool board urging Greaney's removal from the Retire Early community on November 23, 2002. I've paid my dues.
 
I also agree with Nords on the idea of banning those who hurt the board. I do not agree with him that the way to do that is to ban those who post honestly on the SWR topic. Greaney and those who have posted in defense of him and his long-running Campaign of Terror against the Retire Early community should be banned. That's what the site administrators promise us they will do when this sort of individual enters the community and so that's what should be done. We all have an obligation to honor our promises. Yes, even on the internet. Yes, even on matters that will affect whether our Retire Early plans will fail or not.
 
When the published rules are enforced in a reasonable way, there is no need to limit free speech. The published rules are not content-based rules. There is no rule that says we cannot post honestly on the SWR topic. We built the board so that we could share with each other ideas on early retirement. We have every right in the world to insist that we be permitted to use it for that purpose. Banning the Greaney defenders is not banning speech on the topic of early retirement. It is banning a group that has been blocking perfectly appropriate Retire Early discussions for over five years now.
 
Ban the Ban! Free the Early Retirement Forum! Down with the Goons! Up with the Normals!
 
SWRs! SWRs! SWRs! SWRs!
 
Rob