Sorry guys...

[Cowlesy]

RPForums members,

I just want to apologize for lately being much more heavy-handed than I have been in the past. As a quintessential former neo-con and skeptic of 99% of edgy posts on here, I have to admit that in recent days, I have realized that there truly are a great deal of people on this board who mean whether for their own personal enjoyment because they suck at whatever they do for a living or for a truly nefarious reason attempt to cause disruption on this board, are here to to sidetrack our core causes....AUTHENTIC FREEDOM, PEACE and PROSPERITY.

Because of my new skepticism, I have cracked down pretty hard personally on forum members who are consistently flagged by other members, which causes me to spend a lot more time investigating posting patterns. What I've learned is that there are many clever trolls out there who know how to balance between "supporting" our causes, and poo-poo'ing ventures that could do us tangible good.

Please know this. The forum owners (Josh/Bryan) work their very hardest to keep this a free-flowing movement of ideas...and I follow this and let a lot of negative views flow through. This philosophy is at the bedrock core of this forum and what makes it great. Frankly, when we read what naysayers think, it helps us hone our tactics to circumvent their BS.

Please PM me when you think I go too far, as it is you, the members, who read the various threads and know when Mods are being too Draconian. Please flag items so all us Mods can evaluate---know that sometimes we don't think action needs to be taken. I am one of you as are the other Mods -- canvassing, donating, spreading the message. Be honest when we I am too tough----But Know This--- there are truly, I hate the term, Agent Provocateurs...clever ones, on this board causing havoc.

Please be vigilant. Don't jump the gun, but keep an eye on those who appear to try and draw out our more hot-headed members, or try to fan-flames---they're the ones we are consistently discovering are the trolls.

Sorry about the long post guys,
Cowlesy

[allyinoh]

I understand where you are coming from. Normally when I see someone who I think is not legit, I don't even respond to their threads or posts.

You shouldn't have to apologize for being skeptical. You should, in my opinion, approach things with caution and then make your decision from there.

[gracebkr]

Yeah, I definitely won't engage in an argument, I have once before here and I stopped and thankfully the person followed me around only a little longer. It's a good idea to ignore, because if they are, they stop taking.

[nate895]

If it took you that long to ban Ron Paul Fan, I'm sure whoever you are banning deserves it.

[JWZguy]

No need to apologize. Thank you for your efforts.

[kaleidoscope eyes]

You're doing a good job, it's a fine line we know, especially when you try to be hands-off as possible around here. Keep on keepin' on.

[VRP08]

Thanks for the reminder!

[Roxi]

everyone in the RP movement is family, we fight sometimes, we make up, we bash each other, and all sorts of crazy things, but in the end, we get each other.. u know... there are a few of my family members who are completely insane and i want to stay away from them, same goes with my ron paul family... but when the day is over i still love all you guys :D

[pcosmar]

They are here, we know it.
Forewarned is forearmed.

I have never put anyone on "ignore" I watch, listen and search post history.
Sometimes it's just a mood, sometimes it's a pattern.

I believe in Freedom, even for Trolls.
But I reserve the right to poke them with sharp objects.

[pacelli]

Keep up the good fight. We will help you rout them out and send them back to the cesspool from whence they came. That's why the report button is so important.

[Thunderbolt]

It is difficult to know who to PM when we don't know which Moderator did what when. I appreciate your post and I agree, there are a lot of trolls around here, but there are also a lot of good people who are attacked over and over by those very trolls and so it appears that the attackees are the trolls, when really it is it the attackers that are the trolls.

For example, when the blimp idea came around a lot of people thought it was a huge waste of money. However, the forum was quickly filled with new folks that would attack anyone who dared say a word against the blimp when all those people were trying to do is to save the campaign and the grassroots from needless expenditures. Meanwhile, the pro-blimp people ganged up on the anti-blimp people and a lot of excellent posters were kicked off because they were trying to help.

From what I have seen, it is usually the person crying foul that is the agent provocateur. The nice folks who are working very hard usually don't attack others. They are not trolls, and it never really enters their minds that trolls are all over the place. Meanwhile, the trolls are the ones with an agenda - trying to destroy the efforts with lies, twisted truths, and attempts to get people to act inappropriately.

Additionally, the sub dividing of this board really has brought down the level of discussion. For example, anyone new coming here would think that no one really cares about the upcoming march on Washington because as soon as it became a big topic, it got its own subforum and all discussions basically stopped. I want to know more about the march, but I don't want to be stuck in a forum where that is all that is discussed, so I stay in the main room and miss a lot of what is going on. So do many others.

Finally, it seems that any time someone wants to discuss libertarianism, the underpinnings of most of Ron Paul's ideas, the topic is taken out of a room that has over 300 in it and stuck in a room with 30. As a result, a lot of libertarians are leaving this forum because they no longer feel welcome here. I too have felt that way.

Thank you for opening a dialog. It is greatly appreciated.

[LEK]

There's an old Christian song that says, "Something good is bound to happen or the devil would not be working overtime."

So, if this movement weren't a threat they wouldn't bother, eh?
If this movement did not have the potential to cause change or make a difference, they wouldn't hang around.

Either that or they're really bored and have some social problems.

:)

[Bruno]

Thanks! I am new here but already see a number of posts that appear suspiciously motivated.

[mstrmac1]

i am not a troll but have been called one, it does not bother me

Proud 2300 dollar member

[PauliticsPolitics]

cowsley!
you are not being too harsh by moving and deleting threads from the grassroots forum that are completely off topic.
it's called good organization!
kudos.

[Russellk30]

cowsley!
you are not being too harsh by moving and deleting threads from the grassroots forum that are completely off topic.
it's called good organization!
kudos.

I heard the Nazis had good organi “s” ational skills.

[amy31416]

Thanks, Cowsley, for all you are doing and for being aware.

[pinkmandy]

I think you guys have a lot on your plates because we seriously do have some troll issues. Overt, covert...it's crazy. thanks for filling us in. I don't envy trying to figure that stuff out! I try not to be overzealous w/the report button.

[PauliticsPolitics]

I heard the Nazis had good organi “s” ational skills.

yes, moving threads around is like cataloging people in concentration camps.

EXACTLY!

I want my books to be in random order at the library too.

[Revolution9]

RPForums members,

I just want to apologize for lately being much more heavy-handed than I have been in the past. As a quintessential former neo-con and skeptic of 99% of edgy posts on here, I have to admit that in recent days, I have realized that there truly are a great deal of people on this board who mean whether for their own personal enjoyment because they suck at whatever they do for a living or for a truly nefarious reason attempt to cause disruption on this board, are here to to sidetrack our core causes....AUTHENTIC FREEDOM, PEACE and PROSPERITY.

Because of my new skepticism, I have cracked down pretty hard personally on forum members who are consistently flagged by other members, which causes me to spend a lot more time investigating posting patterns. What I've learned is that there are many clever trolls out there who know how to balance between "supporting" our causes, and poo-poo'ing ventures that could do us tangible good.

Please know this. The forum owners (Josh/Bryan) work their very hardest to keep this a free-flowing movement of ideas...and I follow this and let a lot of negative views flow through. This philosophy is at the bedrock core of this forum and what makes it great. Frankly, when we read what naysayers think, it helps us hone our tactics to circumvent their BS.

Please PM me when you think I go too far, as it is you, the members, who read the various threads and know when Mods are being too Draconian. Please flag items so all us Mods can evaluate---know that sometimes we don't think action needs to be taken. I am one of you as are the other Mods -- canvassing, donating, spreading the message. Be honest when we I am too tough----But Know This--- there are truly, I hate the term, Agent Provocateurs...clever ones, on this board causing havoc.

Please be vigilant. Don't jump the gun, but keep an eye on those who appear to try and draw out our more hot-headed members, or try to fan-flames---they're the ones we are consistently discovering are the trolls.

Sorry about the long post guys,
Cowlesy

You folks came through in the nick of time on the weekend crisis and the with the ghemminger psychotic episode the other night. Timely and well timed. Be nice to see some march stuff on the main forum here, but there was an enormous amount of bickering over dates and who should control. Dr Paul is seeking a spot to do this and he expects alot of people or he would not take the risk. He will set a date based on the availability of that ground in DC to be open for the day or days he chooses. then perhaps with that establlshed we can get some more news of the march on the front page and hard core planning like rideshares etc in the subforum. Everybody needs to rewatch the video. Ron does not waste a single word in telegraphing to us what we need to do in this. I am going to watch it again because he said so much n the form of steganography that it bears alot of contemplation. There is much hope that of a behind the scenes skirmish with help of American loyalist and patriots assisting.

After all..if you knocked down all the dishonest men, who would remain standing that did not commit crimes, financial or war or other..

Think about this. If they will stage a car accidents at every major beltway exit to tie up DC traffic on voting day and a Maryland judge has to order the polls open two hours longer to foil them then what lengths of subterfuge will they not go through.

Best Regards
Randy

[rezster]

Your sorry about being "heavy handed" with trolls? You must be kidding!

This site has allowed expletives to be used on a ROUTINE basis that has really damaged this site and Ron Paul's campaign.

My mother, a 65 year old who votes in every primary, was keeping an "open mind" about the RP campaign but the mods saw fit to let the potty mouths to run free on this site. I could never recommend this site to her or her friends.

Worried about "Agent Provocateurs"? Look in the mirror, those who have done real damage are closer than you think.

[me3]

Cowsley, you need those wrist band weights.

The hand could get a lot heavier. A lot of BS gets more than ample time between flushes. I usually go through reporting sprees, some days too demoralized to report, and other days, doing it with reckless abandon.

I remember when I first joined, I would bump 40 times a day to push up ChipIns. Now I have to be careful not to get pissed off at the amount of offtopic and negative stuff that has to be waded through to get to information of value and importance.

Never apologize for being proactive.

[Revolution9]

Cowsley, you need those wrist band weights.

The hand could get a lot heavier. A lot of BS gets more than ample time between flushes. I usually go through reporting sprees, some days too demoralized to report, and other days, doing it with reckless abandon.

I remember when I first joined, I would bump 40 times a day to push up ChipIns. Now I have to be careful not to get pissed off at the amount of offtopic and negative stuff that has to be waded through to get to information of value and importance.

Never apologize for being proactive.

We need ya now kiddies..just bumping this up to bump asshat down.. major psychotic episode..

Randy

[pacelli]

just bumping this up to bump asshat down.. major psychotic episode..

Randy

I concur.

[nodope0695]

Normally I try to ignore the ones I find questionable, however there are times when I must call a spade a spade, which is what I did tonight with my poll to ban Liberty_TN. He went too far.

[rezster]

Your sorry about being "heavy handed" with trolls? You must be kidding!

This site has allowed expletives to be used on a ROUTINE basis that has really damaged this site and Ron Paul's campaign.

My mother, a 65 year old who votes in every primary, was keeping an "open mind" about the RP campaign but the mods saw fit to let the potty mouths to run free on this site. I could never recommend this site to her or her friends.

Worried about "Agent Provocateurs"? Look in the mirror, those who have done real damage are closer than you think.

Here is a prime example of the foolishness that goes on EVERYDAY:

"Go to first new post MODS!!! BAN Liberty_TN RIGHT NOW! I'm fu@king sick of seeing his bullshit threads!"

That is the title of this thread:

http://www.ronpaulforums.com/showthread.php?t=120743

The TS should be given a warning and a one week ban. Let's clean up this forum NOW!

[nayjevin]

the mods here have balanced well, from what I can see.

you simply must ban people who thrive on chaos, because one ounce of chaotic energy takes several ounces of balancing energy to neutralize.

glad you all are vigilant, and we will be too.

[constituent]

RPForums members,

I just want to apologize for lately being much more heavy-handed than I have been in the past. As a quintessential former neo-con and skeptic of 99% of edgy posts on here, I have to admit that in recent days, I have realized that there truly are a great deal of people on this board who mean whether for their own personal enjoyment because they suck at whatever they do for a living or for a truly nefarious reason attempt to cause disruption on this board, are here to to sidetrack our core causes....AUTHENTIC FREEDOM, PEACE and PROSPERITY.

Because of my new skepticism, I have cracked down pretty hard personally on forum members who are consistently flagged by other members, which causes me to spend a lot more time investigating posting patterns. What I've learned is that there are many clever trolls out there who know how to balance between "supporting" our causes, and poo-poo'ing ventures that could do us tangible good.

Please know this. The forum owners (Josh/Bryan) work their very hardest to keep this a free-flowing movement of ideas...and I follow this and let a lot of negative views flow through. This philosophy is at the bedrock core of this forum and what makes it great. Frankly, when we read what naysayers think, it helps us hone our tactics to circumvent their BS.

Please PM me when you think I go too far, as it is you, the members, who read the various threads and know when Mods are being too Draconian. Please flag items so all us Mods can evaluate---know that sometimes we don't think action needs to be taken. I am one of you as are the other Mods -- canvassing, donating, spreading the message. Be honest when we I am too tough----But Know This--- there are truly, I hate the term, Agent Provocateurs...clever ones, on this board causing havoc.

Please be vigilant. Don't jump the gun, but keep an eye on those who appear to try and draw out our more hot-headed members, or try to fan-flames---they're the ones we are consistently discovering are the trolls.

Sorry about the long post guys,
Cowlesy


i think you're doing a great job, much needed in fact!

keep up the good work!


p.s.

proudly introducing, my new sig.

[LibertyEagle]

bump

[MsDoodahs]

bump

[JoshLowry]

Bump! It's not easy finding that happy medium.

Thanks for your help Cowlesy.

[emilysdad]

I have been managing my own money for 9 years and at times will frequent financial message board, forums, to gain insight into companies I may purchase. What is called trolls here is known as bashers and pumpers in the stock market world. The main objective of these "paid" persons is to create doubt and steal peoples money through outright lies and deceptive practices.

I don't know if this has ever been posted here, but here is what is known as the bashers handbook. It might help you identify what you are looking for.

http://www.stockhouse.ca/bullboards/viewmessage.asp?no=8011262&tableid=2

[affa]

Think about this. If they will stage a car accidents at every major beltway exit to tie up DC traffic on voting day and a Maryland judge has to order the polls open two hours longer to foil them then what lengths of subterfuge will they not go through.

Best Regards
Randy

Link please? I missed this?

[freelance]

The mod/admin job is thankless. Here's a thank you to all the mods/admin.

[yongrel]

Thanks, you do a great job.

[ronpaulhawaii]

The following does not apply to garden variety trolls and, specifically, is talking about the type who is only here to derail us.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

one way to deal with these poor creatures, that anyone can do, is to adopt one the moment your concern is aroused. It takes a little work, but the rewards of ownership can be priceless... :)

For certain, the skills one aquires, for the proper handling of the beasts, will help you in most every other facet of your lives where you interact with others.

Secondly, the virtual pen you build to contain your little critter can be a real benefit to this community. And there is satisfaction in knowing you are doing something productive, (to help the free exachange of ideas), towards the cause of liberty. This is truly a noble pursuit;)

Thirdly, who knows, maybe your kind attention will be like the kiss of a princess and the piddlers may just metamorphasize back into the humans they were born as. The poor saps have been fed a lifetime of lies and they deserve our pity.

Now like I said, this'll take a little work. I'd recommend a Hawaiian technique known as "Killing em wit Kindness".

First and foremost, this involves being polite, respectful, and maintaining a good natured attitude. It is imperative that you refrain from "calling TROLL" or announcing your intentions to adopt. You want your pet to feel the lov3 you have to offer, not get all defensive and skittish. They are impossible to catch when they are spastically running all around the forum, (and they usually end up pi$$ing and $hitting all over the place in their excitment. It can be quite messy, :eek:, please don't go there.)

Instead, just quietly click on the targets name and search the posting history. Perhaps the poster is just having a bad day/week outside of this forum; Or is losing heart and needs some encouragment. Maybe they are just trying to think outside of the box, or simply asking a dumb question ( who hasn't done that a time or two in their lives?) Keep a close eye and don't rush to judgement; maybe it is just an overly enthused newbie, or a crotchety old fart:o.

The point is to be very careful about driving anyone away and spreading negativity. We need this community to grow for our cause to prosper...

The next step, (should you still want to adopt), is to begin engaging the target with intelligent discourse. Yes, I know this flies in the face of traditional wisdom, but in order to pen up your troll you must feed it. Just don't gang up on them. The multitude of posts and style makes it harder for the casual reader to see what is going on and tends to evoke the pity factor of the more compassionate among us. Once we notice one or two members engaging a troll, back off and enjoy the show. If you feel the potential adopter is losing and you have some advice, PM. I see nothing wrong with trading and sharing your trolls, just do not gang up on them. It is counter-productive.

Here, it will help to understand the traditional concepts of rhetoric (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhetoric) and debate (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Debate). Also, you may want to keep these guides around:

Rhetorical Devices (http://www.uky.edu/AS/Classics/rhetoric.html)
Debate Tactics (http://www.johntreed.com/debate.html)
The World of Bashers (thanks emilysdad)

With proper knowledge and research we will find it easier to contain these beasts. Gently hold them accountable to every word; softly point out every dis-honest tactic. Good natured ribbing is fine, outright insulting is not. Work them until every word they write just makes them look sillier and sillier. This is when they truly become pets and people will enjoy watching you play with them. The end result is that any casual reader will clearly see the cute little buggers for what they are...

In the spirit of RP, have some fun :D

jus musing

m

[Anti Federalist]

You folks came through in the nick of time on the weekend crisis and the with the ghemminger psychotic episode the other night. Timely and well timed. Be nice to see some march stuff on the main forum here, but there was an enormous amount of bickering over dates and who should control. Dr Paul is seeking a spot to do this and he expects alot of people or he would not take the risk. He will set a date based on the availability of that ground in DC to be open for the day or days he chooses. then perhaps with that establlshed we can get some more news of the march on the front page and hard core planning like rideshares etc in the subforum. Everybody needs to rewatch the video. Ron does not waste a single word in telegraphing to us what we need to do in this. I am going to watch it again because he said so much n the form of steganography that it bears alot of contemplation. There is much hope that of a behind the scenes skirmish with help of American loyalist and patriots assisting.

After all..if you knocked down all the dishonest men, who would remain standing that did not commit crimes, financial or war or other..

Think about this. If they will stage a car accidents at every major beltway exit to tie up DC traffic on voting day and a Maryland judge has to order the polls open two hours longer to foil them then what lengths of subterfuge will they not go through.

Best Regards
Randy

Bump for Randy!

[AFPVet]

Good job keeping the boards clean!

[Yieu]

Sure, we believe in freedom... but we also believe in Private Property, which is what this board is.

Please keep up the good work with the routing out of and banning of trolls. Please do not let up or slow down. We need it.

They really do drag the entire forum down and could throw a big wrench into our plans for Ron in 2012. Not joking, it is serious.

Edit: doh, foiled by an old thread! Oh well, the mods might still be doing it.

[acptulsa]

Edit: doh, foiled by an old thread! Oh well, the mods might still be doing it.

What is Old is New Again, provided you bump it.