So Long, Thanks for All the Fish

[Tezcatlipoca]

Ok, so I'll keep this simple.

 

Uncle Tez joined CAG in desperation way back in 2006 as DCAs were hammering at my door. CAG responded incredibly, helping me to properly communicate with the DCA weasels and get my affairs sorted.

Much more importantly, I found a friendly, helpful community of people who hugely bolstered my then much needed confidence by showing me that help was available and that I wasn't alone.

 

After a quiet period I managed to finally resolve all my debt issues and came back to CAG to try to help where I was able, firstly in the debt forums, then naturally gravitating towards the IT forum since this is related to my professional capacity. Since which time I'd like to think I've been of some use to some people.

 

I've also been a regular frequenter of the Bear Garden, often starting and/or engaging in emotive topics. I've not always agreed with other CAGers, but I absolutely and fundamentally believe in everyone's right to have free and open speech.

 

However, after another long period away, I've come back to find a very changed CAG. My first greeting on coming back was to learn about wholesale thread deletions. Not a good thing in any forum.

I then started a thread regarding Mr Fry's comments on Catholocism which generated a lively debate. That thread was then wholesale removed.

 

I PM'd the site team, asking why whilst another poster began a thread asking the same question; both entirely reasonable requests. I received a PM back which I quoted in the 'Why?' thread, which clearly showed that a decision - whether group or individual - had been taken to wipe a whole thread without any real justification. The PM cited "xenophobia" and "offensive to Catholics" as the reasons, which was inaccurate in the former and patently idiotic in the latter.

 

The 'Why?' thread asked for the site team to come forward into the public, open forum to kindly provide us all with clarification on their decision; they responded by simply wiping the whole thread without warning or explaination.

 

A second thread was then started politely asking for more clarification. This thread was summarily locked off by the site team to prevent further posts within minutes of it being started.

 

So basically, I'm off. It's been fun here with you all at CAG over the last few years, but it's not so fun anymore. I come into the Bear Garden to discuss and debate and question. My opinion might disagree with yours, or we may loathe each otehr's standpoints, but the point is that we should all feel we can post into threads without fear of whimsical, confused or blinkered modification or removal.

It's both fun and fulfilling to engage in a debate on an emotive issue; it's neither if we cannot be sure that the site team aren't going to suddenly wipe the whole thread on a personal whim or misunderstanding of what does or does not constitute the rules, or are simply going to kowtow to a few complaints and remove it.

 

Others may have more patience with this increasing trend; I have better things to do. If I may conclude by tweaking the infamous quote by Heinrich Heine, 'Where they remove posts they will also, in the end, remove posters'.

 

So long CAG, and thanks for all the fish.

[sillygirl1]

I'm very sorry to see you go,

 

particularly as I need some help with my laptop - it needs its startup/shutdown routine sorting out as I've been deleting stuff and it hasn't deleted properly from the system registry....

 

Please PM me and I can give you the details later this evening....

[Bookworm]

Balls. I didn't see the title of your thread and replied with "so long Tez and thanks for all the fish"... before realising that that was what you had said first.

 

So to keep it short:

 

 

 

 

See you in Brighton, the veggieburgers are on me.

[MONX]

Really sorry to see you go Tez, really enjoyed our debates and will miss your intelligent and inciteful contributions to the Bear garden.

 

All the best Tez

 

Monx x

[Michael Browne]

Yet another one of the good guys calls it a day. Slowly, but surely they're being whittled down and sadly, by the time anybody realises, it'll be too late.

[**Tilly**]

So where does it stop..do we now have to ask permision on what we can and can't post or who we talk too, and your right Tez cag isn't what it used to be...not so people friendly anymore it's not the community it was with

everybody supporting each other yes i know nobody is perfect we are all entitled to our thoughts and opinions

sorry but if you don't like it don't read.

 

Will be sorry to see you go Tez

[Thailand]

See you later Tez, a shame your realistic approach for a fair solution (I'm not saying it would be easy) went with another deletion of yet another thread, and a weak act of justification and imposed muting on the last one.

 

New CAG, unbelievable. For what may be the actions of one, the rest have to support I guess. A leader isn't coming forward to stop this. More and more muting is the dish of the week, that'll work.

 

Bookie, if you're going to Brighton, pick me up something young and hot.

 

Can I say that?

[locutus]

A message to any readers of this thread :-

Uncle Tez will be missed around these parts.

 

What this meens in my eyes, Uncle Tez IMHO represents common sense. I challenge anyone to find a post by Uncle Tez that doesn't represent common sense.

 

If Uncle Tez leaves this site, it is a serious reperesentation of common sense doing the exact same thing. CAG will be poorer for his absence!

 

To Uncle Tez

You'll be missed around here, the void in the Tech Forum will be hard to fill, and your sense of humour is always a great find in the Bear Garden.

[Fred Bassett]

Cheerio.

[Dodgy Geezer]

Good luck Uncle Tez.

 

Another one bites the dust.

[dragonkeeper]

 

I am fairly new to this forum and I do not know everybody especialy Cagger's from close to the start of Cag and other long time Cagger's.

 

My question is if it was banks, dca's,dwp,government etc would you still throw in the towel?.

After all what is a couple of deleted threads?.

 

Oracle's of Cag such as yourself are still needed to get Cag back on track and keep it on top.

 

There again this is purely my own opinion, you have your opinion and every Cagger has theirs.

 

 

or or

 

 

 

dk

[Thailand]

Hi dk,

 

In reference to the (3) deleted threads, it is true that if it were banks etc it would be fine, but as it is facts about religion, they are not allowed by someone or some people on here. They are highly emotive, so understandable to a point, but facts nevertheless. I think it was Mighty Mouse who pointed out the effort that went into them, and they were certainly important and interesting to me. To have them deleted is an abuse of power to me, and of all the fantastic questioning put forward, no response has come forward. Just a couple of bits of limp justification.

 

As Bookie said, what would happen if a rape victim came here for support and stated the same facts. Well CAG would bin it if they thought it might offend someone of religious persuasion, and that is the problem right there. No, it's a disgrace.

 

As Tez said 'wholesale' deletion of facts in the public domain. They can get heated, but no attempt to clarify anything - just silence and deletion. I know of three people who are witholding funding due to it - not for effect, just simply won't tolerate this madness any more.

[babybear39]

Yet another valued member lost because of a few TRUE comments. Where will it end? The demise of CAG if we're not careful

 

And not a post from any of the 'cry babies'!

[Guest wino]

I did not get chance to read the thread on Stephen Frys comments and the following posts. So i cannot comment on its content and reasons for deletion. From what I can see is that the thread and some associated ones where deleted without proper explanation whether the decision was an individual one or a group one. This has obviously upset a lot of people who believe that the bear garden was a place to go to in order to express opinions on different subjects and take in other peoples views as well. I feel the site team should read through the thread again and see if it was right to delete it or is it a good mix of different views. We are all entitled to our views.

 

I for one will carry on doing my bit to try and help the caggers who come on here for help and advice like I did a couple of years back. Cag has helped me a lot and the support has helped me through difficult times, especially in the bear garden.

It is a crying shame that good caggers feel the need to leave when times are so bad for many. We need caggers wisdom and advice to keep this forum running.

 

Please think again Tez about leaving. Cag needs you

[hilaryfrances]

Bookie, if you're going to Brighton, pick me up something young and hot.

 

 

What like a freshly made curry? Will that do?

Can I say that?

[texanbar]

Been away for a while... and everything is changing...

 

x

[SOD'EM]

....

[dragonkeeper]

 

 

Hi dk,

 

In reference to the (3) deleted threads, it is true that if it were banks etc it would be fine, but as it is facts about religion, they are not allowed by someone or some people on here. They are highly emotive, so understandable to a point, but facts nevertheless. I think it was Mighty Mouse who pointed out the effort that went into them, and they were certainly important and interesting to me. To have them deleted is an abuse of power to me, and of all the fantastic questioning put forward, no response has come forward. Just a couple of bits of limp justification.

 

As Bookie said, what would happen if a rape victim came here for support and stated the same facts. Well CAG would bin it if they thought it might offend someone of religious persuasion, and that is the problem right there. No, it's a disgrace.

 

As Tez said 'wholesale' deletion of facts in the public domain. They can get heated, but no attempt to clarify anything - just silence and deletion. I know of three people who are witholding funding due to it - not for effect, just simply won't tolerate this madness any more.

 

 

 

 

 

The reference to banks etc was intended to ask Flight or Fight no matter what was censored.

 

I do understand the points that have been made, I did manage to read most of the postings in the now deleted threads.

 

Thailand I agree whole heartedly with your above post, Tez and Bookie are 2 of many who disaree with censorship of this magnatude.

 

My little point was mainly about losing ORACLE's of Cag, hence leaving the newer members without there knowledge and in the hands of whom ever is permiting the deletion of entire threads without any explanation.

 

 

Tez your knowledge will be missed.

 

 

 

 

 

 

bill

dk