Partially Banned

[thomastem]

There is one person on this forum whom I can no longer reference. Sort of like Harry Potter's "He who's name can't be spoken."

"He who's name can't be spoken" has worked behind the scenes PMing people and the mod to cause trouble. I have retaliated by posting, not behind the scenes with PMs and complaints. Mentally weak and cowardly imo.

If this person continue their behind the scenes slander it simply isn't in my upbringing to cower in a corner. With the possibility of being reduced to a lurker I'd like to say a couple things to Posters and lurkers alike.

I started playing online poker about 2 years ago. This forum has been a great source, the best source, for improving my game. Faulty posts even teach what not to do or what to look for in fish. I know most of my posts were done with humor but there was a point, even if it was to keep it light and have fun. Too much seriousness can make a game a job or chore.

There are serveral poster which I would love to meet in person. An amazing collection of personalities. I fondly remember Granny PMing me on my search for my chicken when I had just started posting.

Hopefully I don't get banned but if I do things can happen fast. I wanted to thank the friends I've made. I also want to thank those that didn't find my humor funny but either tolerated me or told me straight up what and why they don't appreciate a post(s). Yes Rkiray that includes you. (Give the newbies on ss the same patience please)

I also hope I've given something back to the forun. The importance of humor in poker is sooo underated. A laugh will stop a tilt everytime. Entertaining fish means they stay longer and start searching for you. I also have a couple posts with minor suggestions for variance. /images/graemlins/laugh.gif

Anyway until "he who's name can't be mentioned" gets his way your stuck with the "Critter Dude"

[morgant]

dude, you are not serious are you? there is an underground politico here that can extinguish peoples membership? that is hysterical, this is a frickin internet forum, you are never over the line obnoxious you just like to have fun(thank god). it seems a handful of people here make a living off the game, but i will naively assume the far majority here plays poker for entertainment, so keep the joking coming. these poker nazi's should ignore you if they don't like what you have to say.are you talking about Heads Up Tournament Zoo?

[thomastem]

[ QUOTE ]
dude, you are not serious are you? there is an underground politico here that can extinguish peoples membership? that is hysterical, this is a frickin internet forum, you are never over the line obnoxious you just like to have fun(thank god). it seems a handful of people here make a living off the game, but i will naively assume the far majority here plays poker for entertainment, so keep the joking coming. these poker nazi's should ignore you if they don't like what you have to say.are you talking about Heads Up Tournament Zoo?

[/ QUOTE ]

Thank you Morgant. To my knowledge only 1 person has complainedto the mod. Others in the past have criticized individual posts or in post said I'm being silly (paraphrasing) but all others have done it with honor and said it to me.

Could you imagine being at a poker table and someone doesn't like what you are discussing and the pit boss puts a muzzle on your face?

IMO this has everything to do with Poker.

[thomastem]

I just received a PM from the mod that if more than this 1 person had complained I would have been immidiately barred and that I need to drop the issue.

I will drop the issue and lurk. If my PM privelages get taken I will get my e-mail into all Tournament Directors and hope that I still get invites.

[Duke]

I don't even know what you're talking about.

Bottom line... you joke around and people are complaining about it so they're threatening to ban you from the forums?

And is -THIS- a joke? I think you posted a while back saying that people were complaining about you talking about animals or something. And I figured that had to be a joke.

~D

[hutz]

I have avoided responding to this thread up until now because I did not want to be accused of egging thomastem on. Now that he has outright named me in his cross-posted thread in the Internet forum, I am posting this to set the record straight. Please hear me out.

Yes, I notified the moderator (Mat) of thomastem's offensive posts. That is where the truth in thomastem's post at the top of this thread stops. I will say this for the guy, however - he certainly knows how to put his own unique spin on the "truth" in an attempt to gain sympathy. Here is what I sent to Mat via PM:

Yesterday, thomastem started a nonsensical thread about me. I didn't say anything to him about it and hoped he would just go away if I ignored him. For the second day in a row, he has done the same thing. His harassment is unfounded and no doubt violates this site's terms and conditions. I'm not the only person he has harassed but he seems to have selected me as his temporary target of choice. Will you please delete the offending posts?

As you can see, what prompted me to write to Mat was not thomastem's penchant for spamming, his inane sense of humor, or his unholy fascination with "critters." Rather, thomastem had gone on a crusade of sorts as a result of my having posted a message about the results of the "What's Wrong With the SS Forum?" thread poll. He started two threads on consecutive days that did nothing but make direct attacks against me. He also made no fewer than eight posts in threads started by others in which he made rude and inappropriate references regarding me. In fact, at the time I wrote to Mat, ten out of thomastem's previous twelve posts were personally critical towards me. Nobody should have to put up with that, so I used the "notify moderator" button in each post. My concerns were obviously justified, as evidenced by the immediate removal of those posts.

What thomastem oh-so-conveniently failed to mention in his post(s) is the fact that a few months ago he and I discussed, both on this board and (when that started highjacking certain threads) via private message, an agreement whereby he would not say negative things about me. I thought we had reached such an agreement, but he broke it within a mere forty-eight hours by starting a thread solely dedicated to attacking me. I asked Mat to delete the thread, which he promptly did. I thought the matter was resolved, but apparently it had just lain dormant until thomastem's most recent bout of rudeness as detailed above.

In summary, I have tried to reason with, and then ignore, thomastem regarding his unreasonable actions toward me. When that failed, and as a last resort, I simply asked the moderator to remove the offending posts. I did not request that thomastem be banned or that any sanction be taken against him. His reaction to Mat's warnings shows he is hell-bent to get himself banned entirely on his own. He has nobody to blame for his problems but himself.

This may be "just" an anonymous Internet message board, but it is also a community and a very valuable asset. Within this community are many people whose opinions I value. I have participated in the 2+2 forums for over three years now, was a charter and regular member of the shorthanded game study group, and have been a semi-regular at the 2+2 table on PartyPoker. I believe I have remained on good (and certainly no worse than neutral) terms with all but one of you during that time. I hope this episode has not changed that fact for the worse. Thank you for your time.

[M.B.E.]

I agree with Hutz that it's inappropriate to make repeated posts in various threads personally criticizing another member of the forum. Thomastem, it seems that you received a warning from the moderator and are blowing things out of proportion.