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The Black Band Has Returned

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posted on Aug, 19 2005 @ 06:34 AM
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It's not reserved to WoT threads. It's spread to all of what can be considered "current issues" forums. Right now we've got two discussion threads going, one in Other Current Events and one in Political Conspiracies. The first has nothing to do with politics proper and one of the one-eyed Neo-con trolls just couldn't stay on track without blaming the whole thing on the liberals. The second has nothing to do with federal politics and one of the one-eyed liberal trolls just couldn't stay on track without bringing the Bush administration into it.

And this happens over and over and over. And it's always the same players from both sides of the fence. It's getting to where any current event cannot be discussed without at least one politically extreme tunnel-visioned member at least ATTEMPTING to redirect the thread to their personal issue of obsession. Word to you that can't think of but one hateful thought - WE HEARD YOU LOUD AND CLEAR THE FIRST, THIRD AND 40TH TIME...we really don't need daily reminders.

[edit on 8-19-2005 by Valhall]



posted on Aug, 19 2005 @ 08:39 AM
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How about the mods just ban, no warning, no U2U, no black band, not even an appropriate reason....


Once again, I apologize if I'm not using proper protocol, but I can't U2U because I have a credibility issue with you (as a staff member)TC and I don't think the issue would be resolved. TC, this is what you posted on My message to an unbelieving world a thread started by my husband. I responded by stating his case so to speak, that in real life, he is far from attention grabbing.

I had to state his case because you banned him, no warning, no U2u, no black band.



You have posted knowingly false information on the board. You are found guilty!


He posted a theory. (How can a theory be a falsehood?) A theory he is very serious about, I have known him for 8 years and he has been into this theory at least that long. He did gain from one member a site that will further his research. Some members did understand the idea behind the theory. What was it Simon Gray said about a hoax or theory and flaming it out of existance?

Now ATS has a black band???? I'm not sure exactly what it is, but what would be the point if a moderator can ban someone for no reason?

Keybored gave this board more credibility than other message boards on the net. Why not? With a slogan like"deny ignorance" you would expect a higher caliber of intelligence demonstrated by the staff and contributors to the board than that of other message boards.

My point being, I can hear the sighs of relief
, I want to know TC, did you wrongfully ban him or is this standard procedure on ATS? Acting upon the heat of the moment, is ignorant. So....deny the ignorance. Is he banned forever on your ruling? (We both are interested in NWO, UFO's and the opinions of others on the politics of this country and a few members here have some intelligent views and information on these topics).

I would like to gain the knowledge (and I believe keybored would too) that ATS has the potential to provide. Can you help me out here?


edit: Deletions necessary because posted in the heat of the moment




[edit on 19-8-2005 by gypsyskyes]



posted on Aug, 19 2005 @ 08:57 AM
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Originally posted by QuietSoul
Push the War on Terrorism forum and Political Conspiracies forum to PTS .. that would solve a ton right there. And I'm pretty sure ECK is/was working on making this happen.. it should be done faster imo.


But, moving them to PTS doesn't get to the problem. It's not that politics is being discussed on ATS in those fora, it's the disrespect that is being shown to members and the whole of ATS. The petiiness, the bickering, the name calling.

We are an online community...not a mob!
We have a responsibilty to behave honorably toward our fellow member.



posted on Aug, 19 2005 @ 09:09 AM
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We are an online community...not a mob!

You're right, of course, we are a community. People in a community are courteous to one another because they need each other and because they associate with each other every day. The problem for us lies in the fact that we are an internet community and people don't have to talk to each other all the time and don't have to associate with each other if they don't want to and don't rely on each other (except, of course, for the Mods, Council and Admin) for anything other than conversation. With the anonimity provided by the internet, people feel more comfortable behaving less civily towards each other because, other than some childish back-and-forth, there are no consequences.

In such a community, a few bad apples can go a long way towards dragging down the rest of the bunch to their level, because they know they will not be excluded from the community.

Which brings me back to my point of some form of discipline or police system for individuals who persistently and overtly make posts that are knowingly false or designed to inflame a situation or provoke deliberate anger, rather than healthy debate and discussion. As I said earlier, the Mods give applause for constructive posts. Perhaps it is time to do the reverse and remove points for destructive posts.

[edit on 19/8/05 by Jeremiah25]



posted on Aug, 19 2005 @ 07:46 PM
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It Was The Heeeeat Of The Moment...


Originally posted by gypsyskyes
edit: Deletions necessary because posted in the heat of the moment

Not to single you out unfairly, but I see further irony in this.

If there is anyone here who can claim to have never made a post in the “heat of the moment”, I can claim them to be a liar and almost certainly be right (apologies to all you Zen masters out there).

I know I've posted a lot of things on ATS in the heat of the moment, and without a single exception, I have later regretted doing so every damn time.

Go back to some of my earliest posts here and you can find some real embarrassing displays. Then there's the “election madness” period, and while I would love to sweep all of my past stupidity under the rug while casually looking elsewhere and whistling a lighthearted tune, my own ignorance is enshrined in these forums for all posterity to study and laugh at.



Fig. 1: “Can you hear them? The voices
of the ages say 'Majic's an idiot!'


While the problem of the black band is not an easy one to solve en masse, it is actually pretty easy to at least confront on an individual basis, once you decide it's worth doing.

We all slip now and then, sometimes a lot, but if we remember why we're here, we can, with practice, elevate ourselves above the muck of the endless cycle of finger-pointing and name-calling and maybe, if we're both patient and lucky, learn something here that we might never learn anywhere else.

The Nature Of The Beast

ATS is the kind of place where people routinely bring seemingly wild claims to the discussion which can rarely be substantiated. Most of it is pretty outrageous stuff, and a lot of it is offensive to someone, even if it may not be presented in an offensive manner.

It comes with the territory. ATS cannot be a place where people feel free to suggest the improbable without also being a place where people are going to disagree.

Even on “non-conspiracy” boards, passion and stridency -- and flame wars -- are hardly uncommon. A lot of that derives from the nature of the medium. People who would never insult someone to their face in person go nuts when given the opportunity to insult people pseudonymously.

It's a way to blow off steam, and bless our hearts, we all need that now and then. And some of us need it all the time, it seems.

Furthermore, people are often driven to come to places like ATS by a sense of dissatisfaction, a feeling that something just ain't quite right with the world. Sort of like Neo in The Matrix: we are haunted by a nagging impression that things are not as they seem, and we ache to discover why.



Fig. 2: “It is the world that has been pulled over your eyes.”

Another major influence on the mix comes from the fact that ATS is a very international board, with healthy representation from nations all over the world, and more coming every day.

The value of this wide range of perspectives to a community like ours is immeasurable, and is a major strength of ATS. However, it also guarantees that national interests and conflicts will drive arguments here, and indeed they do, every single day.

Add these and a few other things together and it is no surprise whatsoever that ATS will be prone to flame wars, rudeness and general trollery.

Frankly, all things considered, I'm surprised there isn't more of it, but there are good reasons why ATS hasn't already sunk irretrievably into the lake of fire.

Those Who Watch The Watchers

Of course, the most obvious reason is that ATS has a dedicated staff which diligently polices the forums, enforcing the Terms And Conditions all members agree to respect by posting here.



Fig. 3: The Thin Blue Line

While they are not perfect, they are very good. Consider how much practice they get. Most mods are here on a daily basis and are voracious readers who stay up-to-date on what's going on in their forums. Very little escapes their attention.

The ATS staff is the most attentive of any forum I visit, and I get around. However, though their work is indispensable to ATS's continued operation (the place would literally fall apart without them and cease to function), they aren't the only reason ATS isn't all leetspeak, profanity and spam.

The bedrock of ATS, the foundation upon which it is built and the touchstone which guides the staff in their many decisions, is the ATS culture.

The ATS Culture

The ATS culture is the environment we as members create for ourselves.

It is the expression of our shared values, our communal sense of what ATS should be. It is the “vibe” you get when you read posts here, the context for all discussion, the look, feel and smell of our shared online hallucination.



Fig. 4: Typical AboveTopSecret.com Members

While the staff seek to promote the best aspects of ATS culture, they are not the source of it. Like ourselves, they are contributors, but no individual here, not even our beloved SkepticOverlord, truly controls ATS culture.

That's something all of us do.

The Black Band Of Warning

The staff of AboveTopSecret.com have placed a black band of mourning over this website's logo. They have done so partly because they see the culture of ATS threatened by a relentless torrent of social negativity and partisan political rancor.

But more importantly, they have done so because they see this torrent threatening far more. It threatens the viability of our entire community, its very existence.

Angry bickering and personal vendettas solve nothing. When was the last time you got someone to agree with you by insulting them? A rather uncommon event, isn't it?

All this mutual abuse isn't just a distraction, it's worse than that. It obscures the truth.

And without that, my friends, all of this is utterly pointless.

There are no saints here, only sinners. I say these things not from a position of moral superiority. I'm one of the worst trolls on ATS, though I am trying to get better.

I say these things as someone who also needs to hear them.

We will not remove the black band by complaining about it. Rather, when enough of us decide to Deny Ignorance and place the truth above our petty differences, the band will come off as a matter of course.

Ask yourself: “Is what I'm about to post going to make ATS a better place or a worse one?”

Post accordingly.



Fig. 5: It's up to us what happens here.



posted on Aug, 19 2005 @ 07:54 PM
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posted on Aug, 19 2005 @ 08:02 PM
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How many conspiracies discussed here are not government conspiracies? How can you discuss a government conspiracy without discussing politics?



posted on Aug, 19 2005 @ 08:04 PM
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Originally posted by GradyPhilpott
How many conspiracies discussed here are not government conspiracies? How can you discuss a government conspiracy without discussing politics?


Who said anything about not being able to discuss political conspiracies? Are you trying to twist this to something it is not in order to gripe?



posted on Aug, 19 2005 @ 08:11 PM
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Originally posted by Valhall


Who said anything about not being able to discuss political conspiracies? Are you trying to twist this to something it is not in order to gripe?


I asked two questions based upon my observation. Does that constitute a gripe? What did I twist?



posted on Aug, 19 2005 @ 08:15 PM
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It was very clearly stated that certain political topics, including political conspiracies, inherently will have issues of politics. It was also clearly stated that this is about bringing political partisan issues into threads they don't apply to.

Since it was clear on all points, I don't understand why you're acting like you're confused...unless you want to gripe. Hence my question.



posted on Aug, 19 2005 @ 08:19 PM
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Originally posted by GradyPhilpott
How many conspiracies discussed here are not government conspiracies? How can you discuss a government conspiracy without discussing politics?


And how can we discuss politics without pointing out the fact that everyone that disagrees with us is traitorous baby killing scumbag Neo-Nazi Commie Liberal/Neocon?

I think the point is to try to see the issues through someone other than Bill Orielly or Michal Moore's eyes.



posted on Aug, 19 2005 @ 11:47 PM
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Grady, order an Antony Sutton book. Pick any of them. You will see how to discuss political conspiracies without resorting to left v right, Dem v Rep bantering.
Politics and political conspiracies are not the same thing at all. Getting caught up in politics, on the other hand, will prevent you from realizing the full and total world of crap in which we find ourselves. Politics is used to divide us and keep us arguing for "our side", pointing at the opposing team's problems and then defending our own team's "alleged" evil-doing.

We as a conspiracy theory community have been caught up in that trap for WAY too long. "They" are laughing at us.



posted on Aug, 20 2005 @ 01:00 AM
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Well I will step up and admit it. I do get into these quite a bit and I have had my share of flags (most deserved).

I would try to be more civil, but when comparisons between my Commander in Chief and Hitler are made, I have to say something. There are many in here that have got me thinking about things such as a 911 conspiracy for example but those that basically call me an idiot because I do not buy into it don't help matters any.

Sure I think I am right most of the time, even though I might not be, but I like defending the underdog as such on this particular site. It all started in the 2004 election and I got sick to my stomach with the Bush hate (although he wasn't my first choice among the republicans Bauer was). Someone had to present the other side.

As a side note , I came here originally to get some military info and I took a look around for over a year, then I joined.



posted on Aug, 20 2005 @ 01:19 AM
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Comparing Bush to Hitler. Hmmm, how can they do that? Out of political slobering in a rabid manner. Obviously, that will not be tolerated.

Interesting, though, the mentioning of the Bush name with Hitler, as Prescott Bush, along with his father-in-law, George Hubert Walker and a German industrialist by the name of Fritz Thyssen, financed Hitler before and during WWII! A bit ironic, huh?

Did you know that there are questions about whether GHW Bush had a hand in the JFK assassination? What we do know, is he was all into the drug trade while a CIA agent, right? Kind of puts him in less of a grand-fatherly light that they try to shine on him, doesn't it?

Everyone, both sides, need to get their heads out of politics and start poking around why things seem to happen. Why worry about the horse you voted for? Your vote didn't mean a thing. If none of us cast a ballot in 2008, the next day it'll be reported that after a 58% turnout, candidate X won by the slim margin of 51% of the votes.



posted on Aug, 20 2005 @ 01:30 AM
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Maybe we should start now







SkepticOverlord for President in 2008 (We need a in-house banner)

Can we all agree to put him on the ballot?

Forget about Bush


[edit on 20-8-2005 by Ycon]



posted on Aug, 20 2005 @ 01:40 AM
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Only if he'll appointment me Secratary of Defense!
There are a lot of fenses that need mending, and I'm the man for the job!



posted on Aug, 20 2005 @ 02:08 AM
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Chairman of the Federal Reserve Bank... The president's office is a joke compared to this one.
REALLY!

mark...



posted on Aug, 20 2005 @ 02:10 AM
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Originally posted by Springer
Chairman of the Federal Reserve Bank... The president's office is a joke compared to this one.
REALLY!

mark...


I thought the FEMA Secretary has all the real power...


[edit on 8/20/2005 by djohnsto77]



posted on Aug, 20 2005 @ 03:13 AM
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I have recently noticed a lot of 'left .vs. right' bickering. Hopefully people will realise how ugly the dam black band is and stop fighting so it can be removed!



posted on Aug, 20 2005 @ 07:56 AM
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Originally posted by eaglewingz

See, it's posts like this that caused the black band in the first place. Only pointing out the bad posts of the side you don't like.

Forgetting non-Republicans like Slank, who called for "another dead president"


Um, are you not doing the samething?




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