Well, I Tried
My decision to give
Marchimedes a second chance was apparently a bad one, but I prefer to be sure before I permanently ban any member, and
wanted to make that as clear as I can.
I'm sure. He's banned.
Without bothering with a tired litany of
T&C violations and problems, or the
many U2U exchanges we had, the bottom line is that I'm convinced this former member was committed to nothing but disruption and simply wasn't
willing to engage in honest topical discussion.
I don't invoke it often, but this is a definite Section 8:
Originally posted by SimonGray
8) Right of Community Management This is a privately owned discussion board community. The Owners and senior moderator staff
reserve the right to take action against any member who is deemed to be devoted purely to disruption, whose actions represent behavior contrary to
community building, or whose content is contrary to the core ideals of AboveTopSecret.com. This action may include complete banning of your username
and IP address. The owners of AboveTopSecret.com, LLP reserve the right to eliminate or edit any content deemed inappropriate for the discussion
boards, news network or any affiliated sites.
I hope this former member won't take any of this the wrong way. I'm convinced he's smart enough to know what a troll is, and why we ban them.
Just in case...
What A Troll Is
On ATS, a troll is anyone who is unwilling or unable to engage in civil, topical discussion in accordance with the
AboveTopSecret.com Terms And Conditions Of Use.
I want all members to understand that we do
not ban anyone simply for having different or controversial views. These are highly
encouraged on ATS.
I repeatedly encouraged this member to post his views on pyramids, and he assured me via U2U during his temporary post ban that he would honor the
T&C.
He knew exactly what the deal was, and chose his own fate -- as he frequently alluded to throughout this thread.
He was trying to get banned, and he succeeded -- though I suspect he found it a lot harder than he expected.
Marchimedes' views on pyramids are not the problem here. His unwillingness to respect other members, cooperate with the staff and share his
opinions on the topics in accordance with the
AboveTopSecret.com Terms And Conditions
Of Use is the reason I banned him.
For the record, I never ban anyone due to a grudge or out of anger. I wish
Marchimedes well, wherever the Internet may find him.
I'm now going to close this thread out of respect for the fact that
Marchimedes can no longer speak on his behalf, but if anyone has any
questions or concerns about the actions I have taken, please feel free to U2U me.
Also, any member is welcome to submit a Complaint which will be review by several staff members and the ATS Member Council.
Sorry it turned out like this, and sorry for the drama.
Thread closed.