Banned but not forgotten

[Kareltje]

In the 50's. 60's and 70's this was called brain drain and in Europe it was feared that all the good brains would go to th USoA and leave us with the lesser talents.
Luckily HD has a lot of experienced and kind members left, but I think it is a pity that experienced, intelligent and nice people flee because of reasons that have nothing to do with the core business. As if someone leaves the university because the toilets are not cleaned.
Of course the owner of the house sets the rules. And than he gets the guests that go with these rules.

I am happy I can read German!

[BoomTown]

I'm not sure what it was about this thread that made me read the Whole Thing, guess it might have been out of respect for Rad's past postings. But long and short of it is, this was a terrible waste of time. Aside from belaboring the obvious, the thread trivialized itself with that tangent about cats. As one whose brother will tell a lie when the truth will do better, after a lifetime of sorting through the pain this causes, I've very little patience with people who defend the right to suck others into none reality.

Guess I'll have to be more selective about who's postings i read.

[Uncle Jesse]

I read and heard you, Der Wo, and I take your comments to heart. I'm considering what to do about them.

The last thing I want is for this site to be perceived as some sort of hostile right-wing political environment, and I certainly see your points as valid.

I haven't seen the specific things you refer to, but I admit I spend far more time working on the site than I do reading and patrolling the content.

I'm locking this thread and I want our users to think these things over. I don't know how many times I have to say it - this site is for all of us who love the art of distillation. I don't give a rat's ass what your opinion is about any political topic, and I don't care how correct you think you are. This isn't the place.

Anyone can - and should - help by keeping this site friendly and welcoming. The last thing I want is for people to think "Oh, those folks at HD, I wouldn't go there if you aren't from the U.S."

Everyone take a good look in the mirror and ask yourself what small steps you can take to solve this problem.

[Uncle Jesse]

Folks,

I'm here to clarify a couple of things and to say, don't post before coffee.

OK, obviously this topic gets under my skin. I've been on the internet for decades and seen political arguments destroy sites. Further than that, I was raised in a really fundamentalist church and saw churches split apart over the most minute and petty arguments, splitting apart friends and communities, so for my entire life I've been wary of these types of things.

I can see how my previous post could be interpreted as being a criticism of our mods in general, and Tater in particular.

This is not the case!

Our mods are hand picked and do a great job. We also try to pick folks from around the globe so that we have moderation when folks in the U.S. are asleep. The mods have my support 100% and I think we all know they are pretty quick to lock topics which get out of hand.

As for Tater, he is a personal friend, not just a senior admin here at HD. We talk on the phone here and there and it's rarely for less than an hour. I've known him through this site for close to 20 years and I know he has the best interests of this site in mind and takes them to heart.

What I want to make clear is that I want HD to be a friendly and welcoming place for everyone. I don't care if you are a conservative, liberal, ivy leaguer, redneck, hipster, whatever. I welcome everyone and ask that we not let these differences divide us. Perhaps I need to take my own advice at times!

I also ask again, take a look in the mirror. Help me keep this place friendly and stick to the rules. They are there for me as much as anyone!

I believe that the vast majority of our users have this spirit in mind and help make this a good community for distillers and you have my heartfelt thanks.

If you see a post, signature, link etc. which you feel violates the rules, pm me or a mod. Email me through the site. I'll look it over and lock it if it's an obvious violation and if it's not so obvious we will discuss it among the moderators.

tl:dr Tater is a personal friend of mine and has my full support. I don't know the mods by and large, but they also have my full support. I appreciate all our users who help make this site what it is. We aren't perfect but we do our best to keep this place friendly and welcoming.

Thanks for taking the time to read.