Oversea Visitor was tombstoned here, today.

[Ghost Dog]

Presumably (I don't know, I wasn't there at the time this happened), for attempting to explain (often, very poetically) contemporary events the way he saw them, and while undoubtedly trying to help liberal people of the US and of the world to see what he sees, from his POV, from the other side of the world (Malaysia).

I am also an 'international'. A Brit, more than twenty years living in Spain. I also try to help, in my sometimes clumsy way, perhaps more circumspectly if I can, by speaking the truth as I see it.

Just a couple of days ago Oversea Visitor posted this thread:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=364x1859957

which reached the very top of the Greatest page with, the last I saw, over 50 recommendations. It, as was often the case, provided much food for thought.

Now, his voice has been suppressed. Perhaps my own voice will also be suppressed for even asking the question: May we know why? Is there any recourse, any way to appeal?

It couldn't, by any chance, be anything to do with the slightest possibility of a perhaps recent presence around here in DU and beyond of a putative 'anti-muslim' lobby, cough, cough, willing to defend human-rights violations, escalations of aggression and continued armed and booted dominion over the disenfranchised and forcibly homeless weak, unwilling to listen to warnings of the possible dire consequences of our actions we are, I think most of us, all aware of from the tops of our minds to our innermost souls, here in liberal-democrat DU (or, in general, in the otherwise liberal, open-hearted, open-minded and willing to be well-informed, non-isolationist left(ish)-wing USA (not to mention UK), one-time lighthouse of the World), now, could it?

[Redstone]

1. You could ask the admins.

And if there are so many things wrong with DU in your opinion, you could find somewhere else to go post.

It's a big Internet out there. I'm sure you'll find the right place.

PS: Don't be shy. Just come out and SAY "It's the Jews."

Redstone

[Ghost Dog]

3. I'm only raising questions, Redstone.

And, according to my political philosophy, I pefer to do it in public. Not in some back room.

[Redstone]

13. The Admins are the ones who issue the Granite Chicklets, so they're

the ones who can answer such questions.

The rest of us can't.

Redstone

[tbyg52]

55. I'm pretty new, and this may get me tombstoned...

...(and on the first day I ever heard the term, too), but each of us having to ask the moderators individually if we want to know (and maybe they answer, maybe they don't), kinda gives me the creeps, as does the fact that threads even speculating apparently get dissapeared. I appreciate any insight from people who have been here longer. Why don't I email the moderators? I doubt they really want to be bothered with everybody and his brother's questions on such as this--that would probably be an awful lot of messages, and I'm sure they have other things to do. But this secrecy really does give me the creeps.

[Redstone]

66. OK, I'll tell you. There's no secrecy. Every single time I've e-mailed

the admins, I've gotten a reply.

They're real people, not some cabal.

Though I can understand why you formed that opinion, it's not really like that.

Redstone

[Annces]

21. wow - nice sympathy there

[Redstone]

28. No sympathy deserved. You don't like the rules, join another club.

It's that simple.

Redstone

[Violet_Crumble]

39. I had zero sympathy for you when you were banned from another board...

It's that simple :)

[Redstone]

51. So don't have sympathy for me. I'll live.

Redstone

[Name removed]

54. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Annces]

40. I guess none of the topics your feel passionate about are banned

[Redstone]

60. I've had plenty of posts deleted. Some of them I didn't think should

have been deleted. Sometimes I argued abut the deletions.

But you know what? I don't own DU. I don't run DU. Therefore, the people who DO own and run DU get to make the decisions, not me.

Redstone

[Name removed]

2. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Name removed]

15. Deleted sub-thread

Sub-thread removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[GirlinContempt]

16. Sort of like

bb posts on other sites about disrupting DU?

[Crunchy Frog]

22. Where does he do that?

I'm genuinely curious. You can PM me if you like.

[Redstone]

35. Aha. Thanks for the explanation.

Redstone

[LincolnMcGrath]

53. ben did that?

:shrug:

[originalpckelly]

56. That seems like a weird thing to do for someone who archives...

progressive radio shows, doesn't it?

[Wonk]

62. Yeah, no shit.

[LincolnMcGrath]

65. At first glance I would agree with you.

The pack mentality of the lounge can be brutal at times, and I was troubled by the response to probably one of the last threads posted by bb in the lounge.

[rzemanfl]

4. Before this thread is locked, I want to say I think it is terrible that

Oversea Visitor got tombstoned. Same with OldLeftieLawyer.

[Ghost Dog]

8. Why should this thread be locked?

[tyedyeto]

11. Because no one can dare to ask publically why a poster has been banned

[Crunchy Frog]

12. They normally lock threads that discuss tombstonings. n/t

[rzemanfl]

23. Whenever tombstoning is discussed, it's been my experience

that the thread disappears.

[Nimrod2005]

9. OMG, Oldlefty is not with us anymore? Why?

[rzemanfl]

30. Got in an argument with a mod she tells me. But in less uncertain

terms.

[Ian David]

19. OldLeftieLawyer, too? Wow... my ignore list is shrinking! n/t

[Name removed]

26. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Midlodemocrat]

32. That's not very kind. She was very, very ugly to a great many

people here.

I'm not sorry she's gone in the least. Her behavior towards some was abhorrent and not in the least civil.

[rzemanfl]

37. Oh, I am so sorry, please forgive me, I didn't know she was so

awful, my, my.

[Midlodemocrat]

41. Well, obviously she wasn't to you.

But one of the first rules here is to be civil and she was far from it to some.

[Ian David]

50. Too late. I already Cheney'ed myself with your image.

I think with physical therapy, you'll be able to walk again.

[Ian David]

47. And when I do, I shall think of you, with enthusiasm & morbid imagination

[OPERATIONMINDCRIME]

43. For The Record, I'm Not Sure Anyone Ever Asked For It More Than OLL

[saltpoint]

5. I try to read DU posts without regard for what country the poster is

from.

I was aware of Oversea Visitor's posts but didn't know his/her country.

Quite early this morning he/she responded to one of my posts, and was courteous and clarifying as usual.

I am just now learning about the tombstoning.

[Ian David]

29. Whatever it was, OV never pissed me off enough to get on my ignore list.nt

[saltpoint]

42. Hi, Ian. My awareness of OV's posts was mostly as a reader, although

once in a while I would respond or OV would respond to mine.

I'm surprised that it happened, whatever it was.

_____

On another subject, may I please ask you if you write poetry?

It's something I hold very high and your writing on DU suggests someone who knows the language's nooks and crannies.

[Ian David]

58. I used to write very bad poetry that everyone politely encouraged...

until I got to college where it was peer reviewed.

That's when I decided to abandon poetry.

Although I had an inkling, in High School, that my poetry sucked but nobody was really willing to tell me. That's why I decided to "test the system" by publishing deliberately awful poetry under a pseudonym in the school literary magazine.

But thanks for the compliment!

[Ghost Dog]

44. Yeah, OV was never ugly

And sometimes put together some quite inspiringly, thought-provokingly beautiful words.

[Nimrod2005]

6. That's too bad really --- Does he know why he was terminated?

[cali]

7. I'm sorry that

OV was tombstoned, but it's just childish of you to have a public snit fit. Contact the admin and ask about it, instead of trying to cast public aspersions.

[Mojorabbit]

14. What's wrong with discussing it? eom

[Redstone]

18. Yup. You don't like the rules, join another club.

Redstone

[Nimrod2005]

20. Cali, it is ok to discuss this, I would think...There are rules for DU

and it should be easy for admin. to say which rules were broken...etc. I would like to know what happened.

Yesterday one my threads locked immediately after I posted it, I was saying that Olmert just decided to shed more blood, commit more terrorism on Lebannese civilians...Skinner killed and posted something like:

Com'on folks, you should know by now that posting highly emotional or confrontational threads like this does not lead to productive discussions...etc????

Suprised the hell out of me...

[Ghost Dog]

27. I am sorry too. May I refer you to #3 as regards my PoV?

Aspersions? I beg to disagree. Provocative questions, on the basis of observations, perhaps.

But with constructive intentions. Surely DU can do better than this!

[Mojorabbit]

10. Some of my favorite posters gone

A Shame.

[Name removed]

17. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Redstone]

25. Funny how that site throws Sharon in with bush and Blair.

Tells you what THEY think about people of a particular religious persuasion.

Redstone

[Violet_Crumble]

36. What's religion got to do with it??

Not that I expect any sort of intelligent answer...

[Redstone]

48. 1) We hate bush. 2) We hate Blair. 3) We hate Israel.

Is that an intelligent answer? It's that website's written credo.

What religion are most of the people in Israel?

Redstone

[Nimrod2005]

57. Are you saying people who hate Israel should not be able to post here?

I am sorry I am not following your posts...

[Violet_Crumble]

63. Reading skills wouldn't go astray, y'know...

It'd be 1) We hate Bush 2) We hate Blair 3) We hate Sharon

Unlike you, most other folk do believe that criticism of Israel isn't antisemitism...

Yr 'religion' nonsense is just that - complete nonsense...

[Ghost Dog]

31. Ah, Great, Thanks! n/t

[Crunchy Frog]

33. I would not be welcome at that site.

I miss OV, but won't go to a site that hates "my kind" as much as that one does.

[Violet_Crumble]

24. And in the meantime...

A small handful of DUers who have made repeated bigoted comments about Arabs and Muslims, as well as spewing their hatred of DU on other forums are still here. Where's the fairness in that?

fwiw, I liked Overseas Visitor and their sense of humour....

[Name removed]

34. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Cleita]

45. I believe so too because it seems a certain crowd are also

putting up some hateful posts and they still are here.

[Ghost Dog]

64. There are a lot of new people here recently

(Nearly a thousand this last week, for example). Have you noticed?

[earth mom]

38. He didn't think much of us as I recall...

mocked the tea bag idea as well as the flowers for Helen...not so nice.

Just sayin'.

[LWolf]

46. I can't argue with you.

I doubt this thread will be around long enough to debate; maybe not even long enough for me to hit "post."

I'll just say this: pass on my condolences, and check your pm.

[Name removed]

49. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[originalpckelly]

52. All these bans, it is so weird to come to DU and hear that someone...

new was tombstoned. That is kind frightening to me, I love DU. :loveya:

I don't if I should say this, but isn't it kind of like being an unperson? It is kind of like that when I log on and see someone new is gone.

[OPERATIONMINDCRIME]

59. I Don't Know Enough To Have An Opinion On OV. However They Must've

repeatedly broken the rules or done something quite disruptive in order for the admins to take such action.

But also please know that grievances such as this should not really be done publicly. If you have questions over admin actions you should generally PM the admins with your questions or concerns. Threads calling them out or questioning a tombstoning generally will be locked.

On edit: I found your last paragraph to be disgraceful. You may want to brush up on the rules yourself lest you follow the same fate.

[Avalux]

61. Making assumptions about mod/admin actions?

Oversea Visitor was banned for not following the rules of this message board. It might be wise if you review them by going here:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/forums/rules_detailed.html

[The Magistrate]

67. Locking

Flame-Bait,a nd aclling out fo other forum members.

If you have questions or complaints about policies or enforcements, address them privately to the Administrators.