What is going on at Spartacus?

[Jim DiEugenio]

Its starting to trouble me.

Myra went over there knowing people like Colby would want to take her side in the hijacking dispute. And man did he ever.

Now there are two threads on this messy issue. Which has nothing to do with Kennedy's death.

Then, Fetzer has taken up the mantle of Judy Baker. And there are two threads on that over there. Again, even if you take her seriously, which I do not, what does her story have to do with Kennedy's murder?

Personally, I would not spend one sentence on Baker.

Its descending into a morass of trivia and vituperation.

Why doesn't Simkin take control?

[Pamela McElwain-Brown]

Simkin also announced new mods. One was part of the McAdams aaj attack team for years, so it is my thinking they are officially sidelining themselves.

[Magda Hassan]

Our experience is that Simkin is always missing in action. Sometimes it was because of his wife's illness and later death but there are times when there is just no explanation that we can see. And no explanation was ever forth coming emails unanswered etc. It is shame because there are many good members there but it is run very badly. The moderation is often non existent, very bad and/or biased. Threads are disappeared regularly. Because there seemed no will or desire over there to make any positive changes that is why we started the DPF. That and that some of us were banned and weren't able to have a voice there. We want to create a place where serious debate and research can happen and be exchanged. Nor are we distracted by the lone nutters that are given free rein there and other places. We want to break out from the endless circle of known red herrings and move forward on the Kennedy assassination towards real out comes. And we look at the big picture outside of the Kennedy assassination in to other places of activity and events. We're pretty tight on the moderation compared to there too as we think it is important to keep it on the subject and not let it descend to the personalities involved. But it thrives over there. They love their pointless shit fights and I have no idea why Simkin permits it. The only thing I can surmise is the 'ratings' because it is a commercial advertising dependent site they need to get visitors and clicks and this sort of thing bring in visitors like gawkers at a car accident. It is all kind of sad when it could be a much better place and has potential but I think institutionally this is as good as it gets over there.

[Jim DiEugenio]

I didn't know about his wife.

But how long ago was that?

It I was him, i would have closed the whole MB/DPF threads long ago.

I have no idea why he let DVP back on either.

The thing is, there are some good people there. Like Dunne, Unger etc.

But they get drowned out by people like Duncan M. DVP etc.

[Robert Morrow]

Our experience is that Simkin is always missing in action. Sometimes it was because of his wife's illness and later death but there are times when there is just no explanation that we can see. And no explanation was ever forth coming emails unanswered etc. It is shame because there are many good members there but it is run very badly. The moderation is often non existent, very bad and/or biased. Threads are disappeared regularly. Because there seemed no will or desire over there to make any positive changes that is why we started the DPF. That and that some of us were banned and weren't able to have a voice there. We want to create a place where serious debate and research can happen and be exchanged. Nor are we distracted by the lone nutters that are given free rein there and other places. We want to break out from the endless circle of known red herrings and move forward on the Kennedy assassination towards real out comes. And we look at the big picture outside of the Kennedy assassination in to other places of activity and events. We're pretty tight on the moderation compared to there too as we think it is important to keep it on the subject and not let it descend to the personalities involved. But it thrives over there. They love their pointless shit fights and I have no idea why Simkin permits it. The only thing I can surmise is the 'ratings' because it is a commercial advertising dependent site they need to get visitors and clicks and this sort of thing bring in visitors like gawkers at a car accident. It is all kind of sad when it could be a much better place and has potential but I think institutionally this is as good as it gets over there.

Well, over here at Deep Politics Forum, you can call forum members an "idiot son" and a "sap" ... especially if you are a moderator.

[Magda Hassan]

I didn't know about his wife.

But how long ago was that?

It I was him, i would have closed the whole MB/DPF threads long ago.

I have no idea why he let DVP back on either.

The thing is, there are some good people there. Like Dunne, Unger etc.

But they get drowned out by people like Duncan M. DVP etc.

I think it was about a year or so ago, his wife that is. Yeah, it is decision like that that make it what it is. Which is a shame and it needn't be like that with better management.

[Magda Hassan]

Well, over here at Deep Politics Forum, you can call forum members an "idiot son" and a "sap" ... especially if you are a moderator.

Sorry about that Robert. If you would like to take this up with Charles or any of the other moderators please do. You can PM them.

[Peter Presland]

Well, over here at Deep Politics Forum, you can call forum members an "idiot son" and a "sap" ... especially if you are a moderator.

Well FWIW I think Robert has a point.

All that was on a heavyweights thread and there was ad-hominem stuff from both sides - albeit often couched in clever rhetorical devices that provided a fig-leaf of plausible deniability, but ad hominems nonetheless. Dawn stepped in quite late once. I was tempted but have little time available for moderating. I was also anxious that the issues themselves were not cut off without a thorough airing.

I haven't kept a score card but, of all the ad-hominems thrown, Robert Morrow was probably on the receiving end of the most and, a bit like Paul Newman in 'Cool Hand Luke', just kept coming back for more without, for the most part, responding in kind. To a disinterested bystander, and discounting the arguments being pressed, 'Cool-Hand-Luke-like' sympathy was generated. People need to recognise that, in the eyes of the mass audience that needs persuading, such sympathy (empathy) generation probably plays a bigger part in 'winning' an argument than the facts themselves.

I just wish EVERYONE involved in vigorous intellectual dispute over very complex issues would make a conscious effort, however irresistible, to play the ball and not the man.

[Peter Lemkin]

Magda gave the outlines. You could also locate the thread I have on my unexplainable expulsion - not only as a member, but as a moderator there - and without being presented with any evidence of what I'd done wrong; gagged so I couldn't even try to defend myself [my membership cut and IP blocked] - and as if that was not enough all of my 5350 posts erased and an order given by JS that anyone posting for me or in favor of me would be dealt with similarly. Walker was the key operator in the actions, which he took when John was attending his wife's funeral [March]....but when JS returned he seemed to just rubber-stamp all the actions taken; had a 'vote' to put some seal of imprimatur on the event post facto [without presenting evidence or allowing me to refute it] and that was that. My IP is still blocked, as are those of a few others I can name, but they deny blocking anyone's IP. A vote was taken some months back for my re-admission and it was approved, but never happened; methinks because Herr Walker, who 'resigned' upon the uproar and his lies and illegal actions [I think he was likely told to leave...but have no proofs] was back...is back and was one of the key provocateurs against anyone who waxed 'conspiratorial' about anything more controversial than that the D-Day landing was a conspiracy.

Champions of free-speech, free-though, open-debate, fairness and fair-play they are not! Hypocrites and allowing - even encouraging provocateurs, if not pro-Mockingbirds - no problemo there. Sadly, yes, there are a few good people there and much important information in with the pointless battles with trolls; though other important information has been 'redacted'. What saddens me most were all those who publicly and privately said they'd post anything on the EF I gave them, in my defense [as I was gagged, removed and IP blocked] but they all backed-down when JS threatened to remove their memberships for such. Which brings me back to my first point in this paragraph 'Fearless Champions of free-speech'?!

Perhaps it was all allegory. I played the 'role' of LHO, declaring [briefly, before silencing by cyber-death] "I'm just a patsy!"; Walker played the role of Ruby et al., and JS played the combined roles of Johnson, WC, Hoover, CIA, SS, and the rest of the cover-uppers. Even as in Dallas the evidence [my posts and those offending ones of Walker] were all removed by 'TPTB'......:joystick:

[Duncan MacRae]

I didn't know about his wife.
The thing is, there are some good people there. Like Dunne, Unger etc.
But they get drowned out by people like Duncan M. DVP etc.

Jim, what the hell is wrong with you?
For some bizarre reason known only to yourself, you continue to try and smear my name and my Forum, over at the Ed forum, and now here.

This all started when I supported something trivial, a fact, posted by DVP and sourced from the Mcadams website, and which I agreed with. You blew a fuse.

It continued when I disagreed with Robert Harris, that some deranged assassin with scissors, and as the limo turned on to Elm, chopped and mutilated the venetian blinds at 3rd floor window of the Dal-Tex building, then smashed out the window, the glass shrapnel missing everyone standing below, and who then fired a shot which hit the ground causing ashphalt debris to strike Kennedy's head. Your contribution to the thread was zero, other than a comment to Harris, and I paraphrase, " Keep up the good work Robert" I know you didn't really mean the sentiment of the comment, and that you don't believe a single word of his analysis. The comment was obviously designed to irritate.

Then, on another thread, you emphasised that EVERYONE on my forum was a lone nut. I responded by telling you that out of 720 members, 902 now as I type this, that only around 8 members were lone nuts, and that you were insulting the 700 plus CT's at my forum by publicly announcing in a round about way, that they are really lone nuts. You ignored my response.

In you quote above, you accuse me of drowning out guys like Robin Unger, when in fact it is me who funds and hosts the running of his Gallery. Robin has complete control, with no interference from me.

It's time that all of this spreading of disinformation about me and my forum stopped.

Duncan MacRae