It's All Been a Tremendous Lark

[Magda Hassan]

This seems especially evident in that--in what was no doubt a difficult gambit for a man of his stubborness--Mr. Drago admitted his shortcomings and pledged to do better. This seemingky heartfelt admission would have been the perfect time for his fellow moderators to open their arms to him. Instead they seemingly doubled down on their efforts to get him to leave, claiming in effect that he was beyond rehabilitation. I call bs. Not that I see a conspiracy in the pushing out of Mr. Drago, but something much more common, a scholl playground pilie-on.

Let me make it crystal clear. There is no 'conspiracy' to make Charles leave. There is no coup. All that is happening is that Charles is required to lift his game when it comes to his on forum behavior. Nothing more and nothing less. No one wants Charles to leave. On the contrary. If he leaves it is because Charles has chosen to do so. This is what he has told us he intends to do. Several times in fact. Maybe he will maybe he wont. He is an independent grown man with a mind of his own free to stay or leave. He has full posting privileges on the forum if he wishes to use them. What he is not free to do is also what other members are not free to do. It is really quite simple. Charles has had an awfully long time and lots of grace to change his behavior. He still has.

Of course, I am admittedly a newbie, and could be doing the new ruling clique a disservice. (I too have cringed at the treatment Mr. Drago has doled out to posters that he feel do not meet his exacting deep political standards; but it also seems obvious that he has abeen motivated not mainly by hateur but by a desire for DPF not to morph into a version of EF "swamp"--where anything goes including hours devoted to the most baroque, useless theorizing.) Time will tell.

We know that Charles' motivations are not in questions. As I said, the road to hell is paved with good intentions. Unfortunately Charles' behaviour has created here exactly what we did not want. The DPF is not the sort of place where any thing goes and all is tolerated. It isn't.