rbrnmw was asked to remove this image from their sig line.

[Ford_Prefect]

28. The truth disturbed someone. Someone with an agenda used the alerts to punish.

I regret to say that I am not surprised.

Given the number of jury duties I have seen recently that were clearly a mis-interpretation of either the rules, or else the meaning and context of the alerted subject or post, I can only say that there are some very frightened people inhabiting DU. I regret that their fears allow them to see images (as above) and ideas as so very threatening that they MUST provoke authority in response to them.

I do not believe that is the purpose of the alert and jury system, though some will understandably argue that is what it is being used for.

There are also Trolls among us whose intent is clear and whose issues stand out loudly when you can see them at it. I regret I have no power to do more than complain of their apparent actions, such as I suspect was this one.

As we know there are those who typically reside on RW sites whose chief entertainment seems to be attacking DU members and then counting glory points for it on their resident forums...And then there are those who are paid to do it, quite a few of late I would think.

While we have quite a range of views and people here, NO ONE should feel their freely and appropriately expressed ideas will be silenced by those with an agenda, all recent evidence to the contrary notwithstanding.

I will continue to stand up when I may for the ideas and beliefs I and others hold dear. I am not so afraid of those ideas and beliefs which others also hold dear that I can not stand to see or hear them or discuss them fairly and openly. I also feel that those I may dispute with from time to time have a right to their ideas and a place here to appropriately express them. I expect to defend those rights as well though it may be at times difficult.

I do see the system abused and I do see that there is a bent within DU to obscure or deny certain points of view. That is the nature of such a forum as we have here. Other forums I have seen and been party to are much worse and none are perfect, nor are we.

Black Lives Matter. So too do other lives. We should not be so ready to dispense with the rights of anyone as easily as this alert must have done.