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

Hi Azara

I heard about the post that got yikesed. I had no idea that there was *that* much info around on the site about LeKZ. Even so, we live in such volatile times that some associations - whether correct or incorrect - are too dangerous to make publicly for two reasons.

One is the perceived danger, and the other is the very real fear.

Wherever one stands regarding LeKZ - and I have been both friend and foe - it is worth doing what is necessary to lessen that fear.

She has sent me such abusive emails in her time that I blocked her email addresses from my account, and as you know, I have also undertaken to stop discussing her. *sigh*

My purpose in contacting you here is to say that I feel for you - it is frustrating to be gagged. But I hope that the post remains yikesed because it is so bad to live in fear.

These are volatile times. Individuals take it upon themselves to attack other individuals because of perceived religious or political affiliations. Mis-information is as dangerous as information.

Hell, I am making an apologia now. (Not an apology - I don't know who yikesed the post,and it wasn't me).

So, sympathy that you have been silenced on the subject. One of my posts about 9/11 was yikesed because it was perceived as abusive to the researcher concerned. I apologised to him, and he said he had not been offended. But it remains hidden.

And congratulations on being an un-official scout... what an allocade!

Kindest regards

Ben

Hi, Ben!

What I find frustrating about this is how little appreciation there seems to be in certain quarters of exactly *how much* people here have kindly refrained from saying. Over the couple of years before I found h2g2, I spent most of my online time on Usenet, and I don't believe LeKZ's claims would have survived more than a couple of days on certain newsgroups without someone making those obvious connections. What I posted is only a fraction of the conclusions I came to eight months ago, and have carefully *not* mentioned in all that time.

One of my problems here is that I have met people (from parts of South Armagh and Belfast) who know that a careless word really *could* put them in danger (of kneecapping and worse) from faceless members of a sinister organisation. Even if the possibility is only very slight, what is very striking is that they don't indulge in careless talk and they never drop hints about how much they could tell you. I find it quite incredible that anyone who was under any real threat would post so much contentious information in a permanently and easily accessible form. The way to keep a secret is not to tell anyone, right?

Different people will have different views as to how far they should humour what appear to be delusions. As it happens, I have not been in contact with the editors over any of these latest controversies. I find it really annoying that when various posters are complaining about nasty sneaky people not making their complaints in public, that when I do bring up one of the more contentious matters in public it gets yikesed in 15 minutes.

Anyway, I'm happy to leave it up to the editors to decide what to do abou the yikesed post. And even under the severest provocation, I won't post my alternative mental list to the "I'm Not LeKZ" thread!

I'm sorry that we're not talking in more pleasant circumstances - the whole mess is beginning to look like tragedy replaying as farce.

You're going to the London Meet, aren't you? I hope you enjoy it. I think I might investigate atttending the next one. At this rate, meeting in person will be the only way to be sure who's who!


Azara

Your points are well taken. And like you, my tongue is bruised from biting it. I knew that the SL a/c was operated by LeKZ because I was in the middle of an MSN conversation when she opened it. One of the reasons I chose not to take it public, or to the Eds, was because I thought it would play out in time. And it did. But I took myself offsite with no explanation because I was not prepared to converse with SL and because I was not prepared to join in the brahouha aferwards.

And yes. The way to keep a secret is not to tell anyone...

This whole situation saddens and bewilders me more than I can say. I am comfortable with ambiguities, but this is too ambiguous (multibiguous? - no pun) for me. I cannot trust my instincts, so I have withdrawn from the situation.

It has taken the fun out of h2 for me. I have found some very good friends here. But.

But...

Yes - I am going to the London meet. Dunno why I want to say *sigh*. The only reason I am going is because Tube will be there.

On an unrelated subject, do you know if the Romans used punctuation in normal text? My understanding is that they did not, and the punctuation was inserted for our convenience, either when the texts were published in the renaissance, or when they were copied in medieval and pre-medieval times.

Do you know the rights and wrongs of this one?

Take care, my dear. And keep biting that tongue.

And a for you.

Ben