And in the similar category, I put our good friend Eric, who is only slightly less delusional and/or full of shit. (Actually, the only objection I have to Eric is not his content, but his delivery). In my personal opinion, Eric is less objectionable than abused mom, though both are very objectionable.
So how did it come to pass that Eric is banned, while abused mom is allowed to spew her inane vitriol (which is putting it mildly)?
Well, because my policy as regards running this board is, inane vitriol by itself, won't get you banned. It's a 1st Amendment freedom of speech issue (and I digress, but, I still honor that "dead letter" Bill of Rights, even though our current presidential administration doesn't give two shits about it - that's another issue for another day).
Notwithstanding all the digressions, abused mom has a right (insofar as I personally guarantee her that right on my property - aka this discussion board) to speak her mind, to the extent she actually has one, regardless of how stooooooooppppiiiiiiidddddd her opinion is. And I don't mind stating for the record that I find her opinion so far below the most minimal hurdle of intelligence that it shocks me almost (except I'm used to it - this country produces copious amounts of inane stupidity, just look at the current presidential administration), really.
Now back to Eric. Abused mom is an idiot, we all agree. However, abused mom has not breached a certain boundary that just happens to be one of my bright red lines in administering this board. And that bright red line is, abused mom has never really (to my knowledge) made a personal attack on other board regulars. In other words, she spouts her filth, and she spouts her lunacy, without ever really attacking other people. So, I give her that much credit, and I allow her to post her stupidity (and I presume that the stupidity is blatantly apparent to all, I don't have to explain it further). If some people wish to engage her in further discussion, i presume it's for entertainment purpose only, as she has proven beyond any doubt she is incapable of coherent, rational thought. Additionally, there are other people on this board, including myself, and Gecko, and some others, who have shown less restraint in the name calling department than abused mom has. I haven't banned Gecko, notwithstanding her occasional namecalling, and it would be kind of senseless to ban myself, I guess.
But I promised we were getting back to Eric, and we are. Unfortunately, I consider Eric to be somewhat rational (at least, he started out that way), but somewhere he started trailing off the deep end. None of that matters to me, but he jumps quickly into the name calling and other personal attacks, on the slightest provocation. Furthermore, he is completely unrepentant in that regard, as witness our most recent discussion thread wherein I offered to reinstate him if he merely contained himself a bit. His response? He launched into a self-serving tirade about yada, yada, some of which rings true, I concede. Nonetheless, it's not the message we are discussing here, it's the messenger. And Eric just can't control himself, and so he has been banned.
Again, it's not about the content. If it were, abused mom would be long gone, and Eric would still be around (presuming they care enough to post on this board, that is).
Frankly, I agree with Eric to some degree, as to his comments about this site. Yes, when I started, I had more idealistic notions about how this Custody Reform business might play out. And to the degree this site has not fulfilled its original goals or intentions, well, I'm more sorry than anyone else. Nonetheless, I still feel this site has usefulness, and so that's why I pay hard earned money out of my pocket every month to keep this site going.
I wish I were Superman, and could change the world in an instant. It hasn't happened. However, if we think in geological terms, where a century equates to the blink of an eye, then maybe we will be able to achieve true Custody Reform not in our lifetimes, but hopefully, in time for our children to avoid this terrible fate. And if not our kids, then their kids. Isn't that what parents do? Make life better for their offspring?
The only remaining question is, how did our parents screw it up so badly? But that's why we are here, and we are now full circle.
Sorry about the long, rambling post. I didn't have time to make it shorter (in the famous words of Mark Twain).
Good Lukc.