h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

It seems that I am a mindless slave of the evil LeKZ.

"and wall flower girl's main contribution to this site seemed to be to prompt Barton for lengthy explanations of issues that LeKZ thought were relevant."

The implication here, from my point of view, is that I had nothing to say in these discussions that was not orchestrated by LeKZ.

I'm more than a little surprised and somewhat disheartened that, given the editors expressed concern about people posting for LeKZ, that they have not seen fit to ban me as well.

I am saving them effort since, barring some emergency which I cannot foresee, I have no intention of every posting to h2g2 again.

I will say that there have been people here who chose to speak up in defense of Quincy and Satyagraha out of a sense of justice and an honest inability to see any connection between them and LeKZ.

I salute you for having the courage to speak up in the face of the community's rage against a person who has done much good here but who also made the mistake of speaking out.

I invite you to continue to be willing to make yourself heard, it is a good way to live.

The editors here are largely fair. They will listen to what you have to say and will generally respond appropriately.

They do, however, seem to enforce their own rulings in an inconsistent way. Sometimes this is commendable, when they wish to give someone another chance to fit in with the community and their standards, but other times, there seems to be no clear reason why. Suggestions of partiality and favoritism have been made. There would seem to be no way to prove or disprove these suggestions.

In this case, I believe -- and I can do no more than say, 'I believe' -- the editors have made a mistake in banning Quincy and Satyagraha, who seem to me to be two fine men of my age and superior experience and intelligence and who might have added much to this community.

They have banned them for having been accused of being either the person or pawns of the person whom they had banned. The key to me is that they were accused as any person could be accused and found to be, not guilty but rather, *possibly* guilty and *certainly* a disturbance in the rippled but largely peaceful pool of h2g2.

The editors reaffirm that to be banned is to be forever banned and to be eternally unwelcome on h2g2. They have further stated that if banned researchers do return and do not make themselves known as such and do not cause problems then they may be tolerated.

One might easily abstract from these two sentiments and the events of this last week the prime tenet of life on h2g2: Don't make waves.

This is not something earth shaking in import or unexpected from an organization which is simply concerned with providing a playground for articulate people to have fun.

Those of you who are happy in such a place are welcome to your pleasure. I am not comfortable here and it is clear that many are not comfortable having me here.

I grow tired of watching the ripples on the pond and yearn for some larger waves. Those are what I am going away to seek.

I am sorry that you have lost five voices that might have added depth to this community. I have given up hope that the editors will ever find reason to open the deep end of the swimming pool. I grow tired of splashing here in the shallow end. I particularly grow upset at being told that someone else is making me do what I have chosen to do and think is best.

Good bye to you all. I wish you well

Barton

This post has been removed.

Baron - Good bye and good luck. Be happy where ever you may go from here.

sorry - Barton, got your name wrong there!