Indifference/ The Most Effective Response to Irrationality

LOL!!!!

Maybe everyone will catch up, and I can stop cycling through indignation.

If she'll leave, I'll skip 8 and 9.

Otherwise, it looks like 7 clear through to April.

LOL Sozobe and Timber. Good call. I hope you're right Sozobe... Two more steps to go doesn't seem so bad....

THAT's true.

<phew!>

I have just read most of this thread, with a sort of appalled fascination. I've been busy this week (return to work) & am catching up, fast. I just want to say a few of things:

* Hats off to nimh for clarifying what seemed to many of us a bewildering situation with MA & her newly arrived supporters here. Yes, I knew that there was something contrived happening, as did others, but nimh has supplied the concrete evidence of what many of us knew was actually happening & has argued his case very well, indeed. I'm grateful to you, nimh. Things are very clear to me now.

* As for MA, I doubt that she will have any credibility with me again. I have made excuses (to myself) for the the reasons & thinking behind what she has said, though disagreeing in a number of threads with her actual comments. I guess I thought she was sincere, though very misguided. I tend to make concessions like that. Now I see her quite differently.

* The thing that MA didn't realise (being new & with a particular, passionate "agenda" to push) is how very important the integrity of Able2Know is, both to long-standing members & also to new members who value this about the site. It is very special on the internet & we who value this are not about to let this go without a fight.

Guess you guys are not hearing me here! I AM NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY CHRISTIAN SIGNING UP ON A2K! Not one!

I have no agenda. Fine, if you all want to think I have an agenda, think it. Doesn't make it so.

But, I am not responsible for a single Christian signing up on A2K!

I don't have a problem at all taking credit/responsibility for what I have done but I won't accept it for something I have not done. If you are all so sure that I am responsible for the influx of Christians on A2K then kindly provide your evidence.

I think it's time to no longer respond to your denials, MA. I've seen what nimh has presented here ... your actual words from the other site. Really, I'm not interested in discussing this particular topic any further with you. I know what happened. I won't be responding again to further justifications from you.

I am sorry you feel that way, msolga. But, if you actually knew what had happened instead of what you feel has happened, you would see it a bit differently. But, I will accept your decision.

Okay, I guess I'll go play somewhere else

Ciao, people

It's not what I feel, it's what I know.

You can go play anywhere you choose. Enjoy!

I'm quite sorry that I miss all the fun which happens during the European night.

But on the other site, I feel quite relieved that's over now.

I don't know whether to be disgusted at the self-righteousness or laugh at the sentimentality for a friggin website!!!

You have been around for only a short time. Many of us have been on A2K since its beginnings in 2002, and before that, for a few years on Abuzz. We have developed a very close knit community, made up of of people with very diverse backgrounds, nationalities, and religious and cultural heritages. For the most part, we have lived with our differences in peace and harmony, and have enjoyed exploring our differences with one another.

Many of us have met other members in person from time to time, and we have made many long standing friendships. Maybe you don't have an understanding of relationships like ours, but unless you have experienced it yourself, IMO, it is the height of foolishness and insensitivity to knock it.
We always welcome new members, and are happy to incorporate them into our group, when they come to A2K with an attitude of honesty and collegiality.

Not quite over.

So many good things have been said here.

NIMH - you are now officially my personal hero.

You have so exactly stated so many things I've been thinking for a long time. And yes, I am proud to admit I am the person who found that warrior spirt site. the one that caused MA to beam over and start with her usual line of tripe.

MA - from the day you arrived at A2K, I've had my doubts about you....and expressed them clearly. It's not the religion per se, I think no matter what cause you had you would still be obtuse, hypocritical, and in my mind, sneaky as a snake.

For a while I butted my head against the wall with you trying to get her to stop speaking in twisting pretzels. It no good pointing inconsistancies out to her, since she's a very good dancer.

MA's denial of lying reminds me very much of the problem of pedophile priests.....If someone out in the parish moslested a child, it's a sin. If a priest does it, the church talks all around it, trying to get one of their own out of a scrape.

And MA, I don't want to hear from you how my analogy is so off. it's not the events, it's the feeling it produces in my gut.

lil'k said something about learning all this made her want to puke. me too.

There's a big divide on whether "fragile" people should be confronted or comforted and understood....

My position is that in life if you meet someone who appears mentally fragile, treat them with kindness and care.....UNTIL you realize they are simply using this "weakness" for lack of a better word, to get away with figurative murder.

I've been informed many times that I am blunt.
Yes, I am.

MA - you asked me recently on another thread why I had to be the one to point out someones ignorance. Well, why shouldn't it be me? Someone's got to acknowledge the elephant in the room

Little things, like saying you're not coming back (both here, and on another site) and then claiming you're not lying, you're "changing your mind"......How convenient.

After months of listening to your platitudes on this site, I had such a viseral reaction to your now famous "call to arms" post on the other site.

No longer where you the Jesus loving, mild MA.....I literally was imagining the last section of the movie Fantasia, where this dark entity was rising up out of the top of a mountain, spreading it's powerful wings and calling his minions around.

It frightened me, and not in the way that I would be scared of God.

Hey, I gotta go...

Happy Thursday everyone.

Oh and MA, please, I beg you, don't respond to me with your tripe of "if that the way you feel"

I got so sick of that, so long ago.

Again, thanks nimh, you made my day.

I'd like to say that everyone here has reacted to this from the gut and from the heart, including myself. But in the interest of fairness, I want to make a comment about the leaving and coming back in this latest instance. Yes, MA overplayed her public 'whoa is me' leaving in a thread she started, and yes she said she was leaving and is still here, but I want to clarify this latest instance.

On Sunday night, MA posted a response to Phoenix at 8:35 pm here. A few hours later (1:19AM, Monday) she posted on the spiritwarrior site that she was no longer posting at A2K with this message,


I see this post as an attempt at a new beginning. She had decided to spend her energies at a site where there were like-minded people who would accept her and welcome her. Kudos to her for that. There was no call to arms, there was no join me in my quest, it was simply a new start.

Momma A's next post on A2K was in response to Chai's "Busted" post here on Tuesday around noon. She didn't come back, she was brought back. In the time MA has been at A2K, how many times did she go two days between posts? I'm guessing never. Was she really gone for good before being brought back, who knows? Possibly not, probably not, but it doesn't matter. She's been here since Tuesday trying to respond to "charges" brought against her. Many of the charges are accurate, but the charge of lying on the other site about leaving here is false. She left, she was brought back.

Just imagine, without the infamous busted thread, Momma might still be gone.

If you say so. If that's how you feel I can respect that, I just can't relate to getting all sentimental about a web forum or the people on it.

You say "we" welcome new members. You can speak for yourself, but it is apparent that this does not hold true to all of the old-timers here. Several of these (rather bitter) posters seem to feel that it is their duty to police these forums. I say poo poo to that. These same posters certainly do not "live in harmony" with others as you say. This is pure bs.

I agree JC. Sometimes it seems that the "old-timers" want an exclusive club and us "new guys" have come in and tried to share their turf.

I keep hearing about abuzz... this is not abuzz, it is A2K. I would say that the vast majority of the members have never heard of abuzz and some, like me, don't care about something that is gone. Live in today people.

well John I admit that Phoenix can get a mite testy with some folks now and then but, all in all, she's been pretty consistent with her welcome attitude. But heck John, she can't live up to me for socibility, noone should be expected to.

Appreciate your take on that, but there are other things I didn't mention that were thrown into the mix.

First, I don't know how many times MA would declare to Setanta for instance, "I'm not going to address you anymore" Just guessing, it's less than a million, but much more than one.

No one is "brought back" you have to make a conscious effort to read, write a reponse and click send. One can stop themselves at any point in the process.

Like I'm sure almost everyone, I have read a post after deciding I was going to disengage, and would have to set my jaw and renew my determination not to respond. When you quit smoking, it's hard not to grab a quick one, but one one is twisting your arm.

My "busted" post? It was is no way directed at her. I listed several of the name I found listed as members, and not one of them found it necessary to parade over and make a show of themselves.
You will also notice, that after consideration, I reminded MA and another poster, who were both running to some kid's aide, that I hadn't addressed them, that I was addressing and requesting a response from the kid, and I think suggested that they let him stand on his own two feet and talk for himself.
MA immediately took the point. IMO, she rushed in to cover her ass. Self preservation.

Personally I struggle from time to time with how to phrase something so it doesn't sound like I'm trying to crush someone's spirit.

But lately, I'm seeing that many of the people who are so quick to tell me I'm to the point, and call 'em as I see 'em, are the very ones who prance around making ignorant statements. Then their little feelings are hurt because I don't think coddling someone delusions is the answer. I highly doubt something I have ever said to anyone, anywhere, as contributed to a mental breakdown.

MA didn't come back for the busted thread, I think I saw her earlier that day, if not the day before. Don't hold me to that.

What I find REALLY funny, is the complete lack of posts over at spirit warrior since all this has hit the fan.

I'll bet the PM's are flying like snow flurries though.

On other thing. MA claim over on the SW site about how it was God's work that the negativity was abating here because she has requested everyone to avoid the "atheist" threads. What a laugh.

Quite a while ago, I made a comment that is those like minded with MA (not necessarily christian) had their own site, the level of social intercourse would soon drop to the level of "I love God"...."Me too"...."Jesus is pretty cool too".......Yes, I agree"
For those who have not visited the site, and don't want to waste your time....This is what at least 90% (guessing) of the posts consist of over there.

"God is Awesome" <insert about 14 smilies>

"Yes, Praise God" <insert about 8 more smilies>

"Gee, I really like your smilies!" <insert 3 or 4 more smiliies"

"Yes, praise God, here some more" <insert 10 more smilies"

The only main difference is that there is no capitalization, and about 10 of the words have been misspelled.

Someone mentioned that sending people from that site over there is like throwing sheep to the wolves.

yea verily.....it was frightening to think of any of these people getting into it with any one of several people here.

One of the positives of being blunt is knowing when to cut your loses.

MA has shot herself in the foot more than once as far as I go....it over. I can't imagine having anything else to say to her, and anything she said would just be more of here repetition.

Contrary to what some people think, she's not fragile at all.....her self preservation receptors are in high gear, and she's backpedaling for all she's worth.

MA, do everyone a favor.....next time you say you're not coming back.....live up to your word.