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Post by Alan on Mar 20, 2007 20:26:19 GMT -5
Hey everybody, I just wanted to take a moment to say hello to those of you who have jumped over here from idigmygarden.com and those exploring from Idigmygarden.com in the past few days because of a certain thread. It is sad that I had to make such a scene but I feel after a while of reading some pretty darn ignorant rhetoric degrading people for not backing up our president or being christian that I had to say something.
Anyhow, I just wanted to take a moment to explain myself, and to thank those of you who stood up for a view different from the conservative "bash" faction that runs rampant on that particular forum. -Alan
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Post by lavandulagirl on Mar 20, 2007 20:37:32 GMT -5
We all have our days to have to be the butt of it, don't we? There are some really good people at idig, though, so I hope you don't write them off too quickly. I've been participating over there pretty regularly for about 10 months, and we've seen some great people drop out, not all because of the people you were having disagreements with today - lots of those are actually really new folks. Hope the week gets better for you.
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Post by Alan on Mar 20, 2007 21:50:00 GMT -5
Nahh, i'm gonna stick around there, I really love the good gardening coversations that happen. There are some great people and for the most part great conversations. If I can just stay away from the politics forum. I will also still promote Idigmygarden.com as a great source of info and I am glad that Jere has let it be as open as it is. I just have to wonder from time to time about people. What motivates them. What makes them what they are. Sometimes it really does make me sick to my stomache to think that these very people are at times considered representative of our culture and to tell you the truth I think a good deal of them on Idig don't even garden at all. They just like to cause trouble.
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Post by kimikat on Mar 21, 2007 6:43:41 GMT -5
Wow...I didn't realize the little sh** was takin' swings at me now. Ah-well, plus side of him being so ignorant that he can't tell which one of us is male, and which one of us is female, he'll never know which one of us will beat his a** first.
Don't let it get to you Baby (even though I know it does, cause it does me to), and for goodness sakes don't let them use me to get to you either. One of these days he'll say sh** like that to the wrong person, and that'll be all she wrote, but then Zebraman probably doesn't have the balls to say stuff like that to some one's face.
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Post by tomc on Mar 21, 2007 9:52:52 GMT -5
Our republic of varied tribes cultures and religions is imperilled IMO most from our own fundamentalists.
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Post by bunkie on Mar 21, 2007 13:14:34 GMT -5
this is my first post here. looks like i picked the right thread!!! ) good to see some friends from Idig! hiya LG! ) got to get perusing the threads now...peace, bunkie.
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Post by kimikat on Mar 21, 2007 19:21:23 GMT -5
I completely agree with you Tom.
***
People have completely forgot how to question everything. Furthermore, they confuse being moderate, and open minded with liberalism. Apparently because Alan and I are Gnostic, it immediately makes us tree hugging, granola/tofu eating, save all the cute little animals Hippies...Which is entirely not the case...I mean, yeah we like granola, and tree's are great things to have around, but lets be a little realistic.
The thing about it is...Alan has studied every major, and most every minor belief structure. He's a minister, he's backed Jahovah Witness', fundamentalist christians, cranky old men (and women) etc, into theological corners. He's done this because he has the knowledge and facts to back up his theories. How do lesser educated people handle this...By running around in circles, spouting the same old babble (that we've all heard about a thousand times), and attempting to stir trouble by insulting others.
I was Gnostic long before Alan and I started dating, he just gave me a name for the ideas that I've had for years. Thats why I never felt the need to investigate Orthodox Christianity. My ideas are exactly that...Ideas, and they feel right to me...I choose not to worship a God that rules by fear and intimidation. Yahweh may have made us, but we could not exist with out The Light. And when Alan and I are married we will have a Gnostic wedding, that we will write ourselves.
Don't misconstrue me as being anti-any religion, because I'm not...Some of my most favorite people in the world are fundamentalists or follow a mainstream belief system. My point is there are many paths to The Light or "God" (I'm using the term broadly), no one person has the right to say that another's path is wrong.
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Post by redbrick on Mar 22, 2007 18:21:24 GMT -5
Alan, don't let it get you down. I know the reception you got wasn't right, and I don't mean (or plan) to make excuses for other people. That being said, I think you'll find (and probably already have) that the extreme lion's share of dissention occurs on the Politics of Food category. Let's be honest, the old saying is true, "One should never discuss religion, politics or sex in mixed company." Personally, I stay out of those threads for the most part. As a matter of fact, I try not to say anything that I'm not totally certain of, because someone is sure to hand me my hat, probably with my head still in it! Ask me how I know.
Having said all that, keep one thing in mind: Zebraman lives on discord. He should have picked the username "Maytag" because he's always agitating! It does no good to engage in an argument with him, as he just continues to throw out increasingly outrageous statements to fire his opponent up. Don't ever expect an apology from him, either. If he ever drops an argument, that's the closest he'll ever come to an apology. I've come to simply ignore him.
As a whole, idig is an excellent forum in my opinion, whatever that's worth. If I can say this without offering offense to your fine forum (none is intended), idig is my favorite cyber-hangout, mainly because all of my friends are there. This too, may change with time, who knows?
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Post by Alan on Mar 22, 2007 20:03:20 GMT -5
It's ok, you don't have to make excuses for them. I understand and I should have just let it go. The real problem I have was in the editing of the posts that Jere did, that's what really made me mad. He completly deleted statements that I and Kim and even Lavandula girl made while only editing one or two words of Zebraman. I e-mailed him to ask him his rationale and still have gotten no response, which is funny because back when I e-mailed him about seed germination problems I never gt a response either. That being said, I will still frequent the Idig forums as long as Jere doesn't ban me, at least for a while. However, blanket statements about religion and politics and creative editing really anger me and I really cant deal with Z-man saying things about Kim. I would like to tell everybody that came over here from Idigmygarden.com thank you for your support and adding to the community here. I want this forum to be as open as possible and I will go easy on the moderation but people like Z-man will never be allowed to run rampant here like they do there. By the way, I can't say I didn't do something to get Z-Man back. I have contacted the USDA about Z-mans rampant abuse of the ARS GRIN system (which is kind enough to have given some seed to us, however we went through the local extension agency and got the proper authority to do growouts). Needless to say Z-man won't be recieving anymore samples from the GRIN program. I can't help it, i'm just mean that way. Anyhow, as a thanks to everybody who has joined here, I encourage you to take advantage of my SASE offer I have posted here -Alan
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Post by shadowwalker on Mar 23, 2007 7:32:45 GMT -5
I guess I didn't even realize this was going on. I will check it out. I haven't been on the boards anywhere much. With my getting ready for planting and such here. I hope you gave better than you got!!!!! I forgot I even posted on that forum. It did get out of hand. I have found on another site I visit. There is also people there. That live for the chance to jump on someone for their views. Especially if they don't conform to theirs. There are mental giants,with fragile egos, that hide behind the anonymity of a keyboard in cyberspace. And sometimes they prey in packs!
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Post by lavandulagirl on Mar 23, 2007 15:04:08 GMT -5
Heh heh heh, I'm afraid a few of us also found out some of them pray in packs!! Seriously, though, the idig forums are not all bad. It just happens that they aren't willing to quell those people who are haters. Yes, everyone should have a say.... but there are some people who should have to tear through duct tape and leather before they get to speak. If they're willing to make that effort, then they may have something real to contribute.....
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Post by kimikat on Mar 23, 2007 19:53:49 GMT -5
Pray in packs...LOL That is some good stuff right there.
Some people just get their jollies picking fights on the internet, and as much as we TRY to ignore them...There idiocy and complete lack of knowledge makes it nearly impossible, and all the more infuriating.lol!
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Post by houseodessey on Mar 23, 2007 20:20:34 GMT -5
OK, I'm going to vent now. Yes, Zman is a complete and utter jackass but I actually feel a bit sorry for him, as he's a total social retard and probably will be culled from society eventually at the hands of an otherwise normal, non homicidal human being. He has nothing better to do than be a jerk on the internet and he closely resembles his possum, Cliff.
It is the sanctimonious and never wrong LaRae that really sets a boil on my butt. IMO, she is one of the biggest problems with the group. Does this woman even have a garden? If so, she never posts about it until the poo hits the fan and she chimes in with something like "companion planting, let me find my book on that", just to legitimize her presence in what is primarily A GARDENING GROUP. She's a troll with a capital T and if I ever meet her, I fear that I might have to open up a can of whoopass on her if she opens her trap and spews her swill at me. I didn't know that fundamentalist Catholics even existed. I seriously had her pegged for a snakehandler or something.
I really try to avoid conflict on the internet but it's hard in that group. Moderation is necessary and Idig doesn't have it, unless of course you aren't a Christian, then there's plenty of that and censorship as well.
Overall, I love the group and like many of the folks there. It only takes a few bad apples to ruin it all, though. I am going to start exercising the ignore button, I think.
::End rant::
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Post by Alan on Mar 23, 2007 20:32:52 GMT -5
Right on, I would have to agree on all those points. I will say this, Jere has not and will not respond to my questions about why it is ok to edit my and kim's post even when called on the phone about it, so at this point, I am done with baker creek heirloom seed (not to mention the germination problem that I had with 3 varieties this year). I will however keep posting at Idig if for no other reason then there are some really good posts and people there and I will use it to promote this site.
-Alan
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Post by johno on Mar 25, 2007 18:16:20 GMT -5
Man, I really want to keep my mouth shut on this one, but...
I was new to Internet forums of any kind when I joined idig last June or July. I went from technophobe to computer addict in no time. I read EVERY post, and replied to as many as I had anything to say about. The hassle with possum boy started soon thereafter. Now, I gloss through the new posts and check out anything that interests me, which has been less and less lately. They have been flooded with conservative crapheads posting about everything BUT gardening, and it's really turning me off.
Zebraman's modus operandi is to skirt the rules and bait people into breaking them, then disappear for awhile. You heard me right; he's a master baiter. I learned the hard way, if you just ignore him, you take away his power - and who wouldn't like for him to be impotent?
There, I'm feeling a bit lighter now. Thanks.
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