You’re way out of line, Sean. I’ll pause a moment for the standard dramatic outburst that we writers are prone to. Now, then, back to business. Some of your comments in your recent article (available at http://www.starcityccg.com/news/Magic/Ponce/000726ponce.html for those of you that haven’t seen it) are reaching at the very least, and some are just outright lies or illusions you’ve created to strengthen your position. That’s not an accusation, but you know that it’s true. Is that what you consider to be “professional” journalism? It’s taught in the most basic of journalism courses that the facts are what add credibility to your words, and that if you’re not straight on your facts, you shouldn’t use them at all. That’s almost word-for-word out of my Journalism 101 manual from the college class I took a while back.

My first point to make is actually at the top of my list because I’m linked with the Bad Trader forum. You make a rather large ruckus about someone wanting your address before making a trade deal with you. Guess what? I ask for an address ahead of time on occasion myself. Why, you ask? It’s because of the Confirmed Bad Trader list. You see, a lot of time is put in by a lot of traders to make damn sure that they don’t get ripped off. Cross-referencing a person’s address with the ones on the CBT list is just another step in that direction. I can understand your reluctance to provide your address, as I’m sure that you value your privacy, but you really overreacted when you spoke of this.

Throughout your column, you spoke of the Moderators almost like we’re the KGB. I know that I’m not an agent for the Kremlin, so let me explain some things about being a Moderator. We’ve emailed each other, had meetings, spoken with Leshrac multiple times, discussed things on the Staff forum…all to establish a set of guidelines to follow when it comes to using our authority. If at times we seem restricting, it’s because we’ve laid things out over a long period of time, and we don’t deviate from the plan. To do so for one person would make us hypocrites when we didn’t for someone else. I know that it sounds harsh, but you were just one member of a site that houses almost ten thousand members; we’re not going to bend the rules that we’ve established for just one person.

Looking back at your column, you compared the Moderators to the Nazis, not the KGB. Maybe YOU think that comparison is okay to make, but I don’t. I’m not amused by it whatsoever. Perhaps your tone would be tempered a bit if sat back and actually thought out why that comparison should never be made about anyone. You seem to be so wrapped up in your analogies that you never once stopped to think about the truly reprehensible nature of that particular comment. There are certain lines that shouldn’t be crossed, and that’s one of them.

You basically used your column to attempt to justify your own actions. You twisted events and statements around in a vain attempt to make you the victim. In reality, though, you were an instigator that brought this down on himself. We’ve got documented proof of this (past posts, email records, etc.), and the members that you’ve insulted certainly would (and do) agree with your being banned from MOTL. Leshrac was considering making your banning only temporary, because contrary to your evaluation of him he’s a fair and forgiving man, but once again you hurt your own cause and have probably made that banning permanent.

MOTL is not only the best place on the ‘net to trade, but it’s also an open forum for everyone. That does not mean that you can violate the rules (or the interpretation of the rules that the Moderators have been instructed to enforce) and expect to not face punishment. I realize that you’re a very opinionated person, and I am myself. However, even us overzealous writers have to know when not to make our opinions known. If you really had a problem with some of the things going on in the MOTL forums (including auctions and such), you should have emailed the Moderator of the particular forum rather than taking matters into your own hands. What it all boils down to is this: MOTL is a private site, no matter how large it gets. If you don’t like the way things are done, then you know where the door is. Unfortunately, you made it so that we were forced to show you the door, and even more unfortunate, you made it a point to let the door hit you on the way out.

Your article (and Leshrac posts) also note that you were considering not perma banning him but now he probably is because of the Star City article. That is pretty unsettling too. The guy had the temerity to post his opinion elsewhere so now you're going to perma ban him? I'm not saying I agree with everything Sean said, reading the thread on MOTL I can see some of what he said was exaggerated and important things were left out (i.e. that he upped more than once) but any ban he has on MOTL shouldn't be influenced by publishing material in other places as long is it isn't libelous (which the StarCityArticle certainly isn't, IMHO).

I have seen so much incoherent drivel on MOTL in posts ("yo be-atches i hav what u need" type stuff) that harsh words seem justified sometimes, so I can understand where Sean is coming from. There are TONS of people out there trying to rip people off and I would sure be upset if I (or anyone else) got bad karma for questioning suspicious posts. BTW, want an example of this fishy type stuff? I made a deal with MOTL username "blase", email getsem01@hotmail.com for some ports. He kept saying we had a deal and then ignoring me for long periods. He also insisted on me sending first despite his 0 (at the time) refs (to my 17). He eventually just stopped emailing altogether. This bail out stuff happens all the time and is annoying enough but then today I see a post from someone called dan960 on MOTL. His have/want list is almost identical to blase and both live in Mission Hills, CA. Compare them, it is obviously the same guy. Also, dan960 is OBVIOUSLY faking some of his refs (his username is dan960, email is dan006007@yahoo.com, and one of his refs is wrestlingdan006@aol.com. I posted about how fishy that looks to me, am I going to get warned for that?

BTW this response came from Sean to me this morning in response to him asking me politely to edit a post where I made a mistake reading his article.

Subj: Re: banning
Date: 7/28/00 9:19:49 AM Eastern Daylight Time
From: seanerik@pacbell.net (seanerik)
To: Shadow8043@aol.com

Yes, being courteous DOES make a difference. If it matters to you, I would
behave totally differently had I known how it turned out in the end.
I do admit I'm at fault. The only problem I have is the 5th warning I
received was for something I'd done before and when I'd done that I was thanked
for my efforts! Also, that 5th warning wasn't accurate as I did not call anyone
a cheater nor use bad words, but just said something was fishy, which was true
to me at the time. I think by that time people were after me and overreacted.

Anyway, it's too late for me now. Contrary to what the majority of people
believe, I didn't write the article because I was a baby or wanted to strike
back, but I really tried to present the truth as I saw it. My main problem was I
didn't come out and say that I was at fault for the majority of my warnings,
and I sounded like I accepted no blame when that wasn't true.

Thanks for writing,

Sean

Shadow8043@aol.com wrote:

> My mistake there, it will be edited to show that. hell of a lot easier
> getting your way by just being courteous ain't it?

Sean I must applaud you for that well written and mature response. I think it is a shame to lose someone who has such a good trading reputation. I may not agree with the
people were after you thing. I was checking Michaels post when I saw your response and since I knew you were warned about your response to other members in the past I ICQ'ed Serra to issue a karma deduction. That would have not been done say if you had emailed the guy with your concerns, but when the only evidence I have to warn you is based on previous similiar replies which started a fight on the board (posts to coolio, control deck maker, and I forgot the other 2 trade auction membernames.) then we have little choice but to come down on you. I don't know where the rumor got started that you were banned for upping but I was the catalyst of the final -1 karma that got you banned, and while it may have been extreme to others there are many people happy to not have to go to their trade auctions and see you picking fights because you don't agree with them.

As far as not letting an article affect our thinking in his appeal, if he was so anxious to come back then why bash the site? If he doesn't like the rules then why appeal his banning? It is a privilege he lost. If he wanted to earn it back there were better ways to go about it.

I agree with the other mods when I saw Deranged Dad's other posts. He constantly mocked their point values and said that they overvalued or undervalued their cards. I saw this happen EVEN when the auctioneers listed that the point values were based on how much they needed the cards and that the people didn't have to bid if it wasn't deemed fair for them. And it's the way that he denounces them that really ticks me off. Usually the have/want lists were ok, but when DDad posted on the trade auctions forum, he was very rude and nasty with his writings. Did he even care to think that other people may not agree with his "godly" set of point values?

However, after reading the article and then sean's response to Shadowizar's e-mail, I must alleviate some of my tensions. However, I do feel that Sean completely blew the situation out of proportion on his article. If he had been a little more polite like his e-mail was, then this entire thing may not have happened.

All in all, DDad knew that he was doing it, but didnt quit, continued to do what he felt was right. Which it broke the rulz, and he payed for it.

__________________
"Sticks and stones may break my bones, but whips and chains excite me."

Subj: Response
Date: 7/30/00 11:34:33 PM Eastern Daylight Time
From: seanerik@pacbell.net (seanerik)
To: shadowizar@magictraders.com

Dad sure as hell should have taken heed when
Leshrac himself warned him to calm down with his replies to
other posts.

I actually did obey him. After he warned me in the auction board, I did not
post once complaining about low values. So in your instance above, I did comply.

As far as not letting an article affect our thinking in his appeal, if he
was so
anxious to come back then why bash the site? If he doesn't like
the rules then
why appeal his banning? It is a privilege he lost. If he wanted
to earn it back
there were better ways to go about it.

Actually one thing should have nothing to do with another. My appeal would I
assume be decided on my 5th bad karma point, and should have nothing to do with
my complaints. I knew Leshrac was considering letting me back, but I felt
telling the truth as far as I've seen it was more important, and I believed,
wrongly as it turned out, that a column of mine should have nothing to do with
the merits of my case for being reinstated.

As far as libelous goes, go ask someone in Israel if being
called a SS man is a
bad thing or not.

I will be issuing an apology to that comparison in my next column if my
editor can add it, but apology notwithstanding, what I said is not slander and
is not libelous. It offended, but it definitely is not a suing matter.

Thanks for posting my response, and I'm sorry it turned out like it did.
Sorry to have argued with you, but remember after I stupidly insulted with you I
did apologize, and that was before I was banned so it was sincere.

Sean

Subj: Re: Response
Date: 7/31/00 1:25:19 PM Eastern Daylight Time
From: Shadow8043
To: seanerik@pacbell.net

Sean,

Not once did the fact our trade never got completed did I consider that in the karma deduction. To be honest I had to check my mail to see what the heck you were talking about when I got your letter about a grudge banning. With a ref list like ours we pore through countless offers a day, and I assure you that with 15-20 offers a day a few of the people offering to make trades are rude in some way or another and are either blown off, told off, forgotten or all of the above. Trying to watch my children, deal with all these trades, moderating my forums, working on getting MOTL"s magazine started and preparing for my return to the bad traders forum makes it so I tend to forget stupid things like arguments with MOTL members. To be honest with you I regret the banning of someone with a great trading reputation but with the amount of emails passed between us about your behavior and the list of complaints recieved about you posted in the staff forum for us to review, I felt your response to be in the same rude category that led to the complaints we already had about you. We don't keep track of anyone but we do post complaints on the staff forum for us to review and offer advice to each other on how to handle it. Sometimes the vague guidelines in the posting rules lead to warnings that can be handled best by just emailing the member and warning them, since the H/W is not something I moderate I had to email a mod there who made the final decision and karma reduction resulting in your banning. I know you value your privacy as I do and the only reason I posted the email was so the rest of MOTL can hear your side of the story as well as ours.
The fact that you are a writer and your article being not well thought out and written made it look to me at least more a grudge article then a real one. Nowhere in your article was there anything about prior behavior from you, the way the article was written could lead people to believe that we didn't care enough to return your emails when in fact every email I get is answered ASAP, including yours. I do not care that you were banned and are no longer a member, you emailed me and I emailed you back out of common courtesy and respect for a fellow trader. We all have faults but if anyone has a question I answer it to the best of my knowledge with no bias whatsoever. I am the guy responsible for the bad trader forum guidelines which require evidence before posting and states all sides of the story will be heard. I believe myself to be fair to all regardless of anything. The last point I want to touch with you is the SS men crap wrote in your article. We have almost 10000 members and the only people who would ever agree are people already banned from the site for something stupid. The posting rules while vague in some places clearly state attempting to start a fight with another member on the board is subject to a warning and possible banning from the site. the best thing you could have done is emailed the guy or posted on the bad trader forum for us to investigate. even emailing a mod to check into it is a standard thing for us to deal with, instead you posted knowing you had been warned previously, also knowing that someone with the amount of refs you had would be taken seriously in that situation by the newer members, thereby marring his reputation and likely causing an argument with another member violating the posting rules. We would have been happy to verify he was not using 2 users names and got back to you on it.
Your behavior to the moderators was inappropriate as well. This is a private bulletin board owned by Leshrac. If you did not like the posting rules you didn't have to sign up. We don't get any special rights being moderators, we work for free, have to agree to spend a lot of time on the board searching for violations of the rules usually greatly cutting time down on our trading and such, we have to deal with members who refuse to listen to the rules or ignore them, and we do it for almost nothing. The only satisfaction we see is the improvement of a safer better MOTL to trade on. That is the only privilege we enjoy as moderators and I can speak for everyone when I say that is all we need. I watched this site grow hugely in the last year and there are a lot of better options for members but with growth also comes the need to curb immature attitudes and people who refuse to understand they don't have to be here if they don't want to. If you seriously wanted to be back here your artticle would have been objective not the one sided rambling of someone who appeared to have a grudge against the operators of a private bulletin board.

Shadowizar

Also if you like I can post emails from you so others can hear your side of the story. If you like let me know. I'll be more then happy to post up for you. Luck tradin'.