Right and Wrong!

[Almanac]

I recently had occasion to report posts about me and PMs sent to me by Easydrinker, aka Robert, to the Site Admin and Mods for what was, to me, unwanted attention and insulting remarks, both by PM and on the public forum. These constituted what I consider generally unacceptable behaviour towards me. The Reporting was done in the background on the Mod circuit and I have personally refrained from commenting on the matter until the Site Admin dealt with the issue.

Site Admin has now apparently decided not to take any action on the matters reported even though Jimmy has not responded directly to my report.

If all the offending traffic/posts/PMs/comments on this were on the closed PM circuit I'd drop the matter there. However, all of the roaring and shouting, all by Easydrinker, aka Robert, has been done on the open public forum where the insults and remarks still reside and have been there for some time. For that reason I claim a Right to Reply on all related matters.

I've also received PMs from other members on the issue so I'm posting the following as my right to reply in order that all members and visitors know the actual facts and 'my side' of what has happened.

For complete clarity, I have never contacted, responded to, interacted with, spoken to, texted, PM'd or emailed Easydrinker, aka Robert, because I find him to be rather loud, obnoxious, antagonistic and generally not my type of person, which is his right, so it has been my practice to leave him to whatever makes him happy. However, it is also my right not to interact with such a person if I so choose and that is exactly what I choose to do since he joined the forum!

After numerous comments, which I had ignored, Easydrinker, aka Robert, PM'd me on 12 August last and for the above reasons I again simply ignored his PM as I have no interest in dialogue with him.

To illustrate the situation I am quoting some extracts from an unwanted and unsolicited PM he sent me. When I didn't respond to him he took the unbelievable step of posting a Private Message on the open forum (this should only ever be done with the agreement of both the sender and receiver of a PM). You'll find the original PM, posted in public by Easydrinker, aka Robert, here; viewtopic.php?f=1&t=3102

Easydrinker, aka Robert, PM'd then publicly posted:
1. “Thanks for not responding to me directly,via PM,as I had the courtesy to do you.”
He has never 'responded' to me as I've never contacted him in the first place!

Easydrinker, aka Robert, PM'd then publicly posted:
2. “….sometimes you just seem to blow air out of the wrong orrifice.”
This appears to suggest that when I express an opinion on this forum I am talking through my arse! Very friendly and appropriate behaviour for a Mod, Yes?

Easydrinker, aka Robert, PM'd then publicly posted:
3. “I don't know it all,and neither do you.”
Members that know me here will know that over several years I have posted opinion and advice based on years of experience here and I've never claimed or even suggested that I know it all or even close!

Easydrinker, aka Robert, PM'd then publicly posted:
4. “The reason I told Jimmy I was happy to become a mod was because of your strange story of "retiring". I have my own version of that.”
This I found particularly insulting because it suggests something untoward about me personally or something I've done in the past. Because he doesn't know the background he's decided to post in public that there is something dodgy about me.

Easydrinker, aka Robert, PM'd then publicly posted:
5. “….I will jump on anyone that claims that their way is the only way. ….... aidans way the only way.”
I have never once said, suggested or even intimated that my way is the only way to do anything. I've offered opinion and advice from my experience and long residence on this forum and for this I am to be pilloried....according to Easydrinker, aka Robert

Easydrinker, aka Robert, PM'd then publicly posted:
6. “aidanmac and myself,both moderators on this forum,seem to have had a bit of a dispute.”
A 'dispute' requires at least two parties. There has never been any dispute between me and Easydrinker, aka Robert, because I've never contacted, interacted with, responded to, spoken to, texted, PM'd or emailed that person. What he refers to as a dispute is simply his anger that I have never responded to or risen to his provocation and/or insults in any way.

Easydrinker, aka Robert, sent another unsolicited and unwanted PM on 30 August in which he says,
7. “...the next time I read of his way being the only way, I will be on his back like a Tazmanian devil.”

As far as I'm concerned all the above quotes clearly demonstrate that the member who made them intended them to be insulting and abusive and refuses to simply accept that other members here can simply ignore him if they wish and there's nothing he can do about it except get over it!

We don't have a set of written rules here but some things are self evident and common sense. Without seeking to overstep my bounds I believe the following have constituted something like natural guidelines in decent behaviour that have been second nature to all members of this forum until recently and the open envy of many other forums in our particular field;

All members of this forum are equal, regardless of whether you've made a financial donation to the site or not.

This means all members are equally entitled to the quiet enjoyment of the forum and do not have to suffer fools, clowns, bullies, abuse or anything else of that nature.

Members are entitled to disagree with material posted by another member(s).

Members are entitled to post what they like, providing it's relevant and not insulting or offensive to others, and all members are entitled to read what's posted by others and to completely ignore it if they wish.

Members are not entitled to demand that another member(s) answer or respond to them if they don't want to. See Item #1 above

Members are not entitled to suggest that another member(s) talks through their arse. See Item #2 above.

Members are not entitled to make untoward remarks or suggestions about another members life or life decisions. See Item #4 above

Members are not entitled to make wide sprawling threats to another member(s) in relation to what they might or might not post in the future. See Item #5 & 7 above.

Members are not entitled to post lies about their relationship/interactions with other members to try to justify their actions or untrue postings on this forum. See Item #6 above.

This is my last word on this whole affair provided I don't receive any further PMs , Emails or other comments from the offending member.

My Right to Reply is now satisfied and now we can get back to our hobby.

AM