Green Eggs And Ban
I do not like them in a thread.
I do not like them painted red.
I do not like them served with toast.
I do not like them in a post.
I do not like them served with jam.
I do not like them served as spam.
I do not like green eggs and ban.
I do not like them, I am Sam.
Well, it's been interesting, but alas, breakfast is served.
As many members have already astutely deduced,
I am Sam and various related incarnations are the work of a returning, formerly banned member. I
don't think anyone expected this thread to go on so long or become so popular, but well, sometimes they do.
For anyone who might be wondering why we didn't shut this down sooner, I think various reasons sort of came together at once.
In all cases where we suspect a returning banned member, we want to be absolutely sure before swinging the ban hammer, lest some innocent new member
be caught in the crossfire of old drama. Usually it's quite easy to tell, but nonetheless we tend to be cautious.
Sometimes we simply want to see what the "new member" intends to do.
Getting The Banned Back Together
As
SkepticOverlord has mentioned many times, it's not unheard of for a previously banned member to quietly register a new account and
participate in the forums without stirring up drama, being rude to other members or otherwise violating the
[
AboveTopSecret.com Terms And Conditions Of Use.
While we do not encourage that, as it amounts to circumventing staff action, we're really not ones to hold a grudge either, and the goal of all
moderator action is simply to enforce the
T&C.
Any member who honors the rules is a member in good standing.
Unfortunately, there are some folks for whom that's apparently asking too much. It really doesn't matter what we do, they're only interested in
stirring up trouble and causing grief. They get banned and keep coming back to get banned again.
Usually they don't get as far as
I am Sam has, and their new accounts are quickly banned/global ignored/posts deleted upon discovery -- often
leading other members to suspect us of evil motives when they see us doing this, ironically enough.
That's the way we normally handle cases like these, and hopefully everyone who has been following the case of
I am Sam can, with the benefit
of this example, understand why.
