On Oct 14, 11:29 am, "Rhonda Lea Kirk" <rhonda...@gmail.com> wrote:
> >>>> You can't find it becausePcbutts1is not my real name. I use my
> >>>> real name in the MS groups complete with my MVP sig.
>
> >>> And yet all of your posts asPCBUTTS1were banned because of your
> >>> unethical actions.
>
> >> IIRC, he was banned because he refused to comply with the Microsoft
> >> TOS, not because of "unethical actions." The only server from which
> >> his posts are filtered are the Microsoft server. If he posts using a
> >> different NNTP provider (as I do), those posts will be available on
> >> all usenet servers but the Microsoft server.
>
> > You are correct. I never cared about his ethics. I had complaints
> > about the content of his posts, I investigated the situation, I
> > explained them to him, he refused to follow the rules, and I blocked
> > him *solely* from Microsoft's servers. I wanted to make sure that
> > when we canceled a message, we did not ship that cancel message off to
> > USENET as a whole. We (well, Microsoft.. I'm putting my MS hat back
> > on) don't own USENET. We own our servers, and we had full right to
> > remove what we wanted from our own servers. I'm not doing it anymore,
> > my Newsgroup Admin role ended back in 2005 and I am not currently
> > employed by Microsoft.
>
> >> Microsoft has a dubious history when it comes to banning and
> >> censorship, so if I were you, I would not use butts' banning from
> >> its server as a data point in support of the case against him.
>
> > You are more than welcome to question me with regards to anything
> > regarding the newsgroup servers between, roughly, 2003 and 2005. That
> > was my job and I took pride in ensuring that *only* ToS violators and
> > true USENET spammers were banned.
>
> To the best of my knowledge, there is no evidence to the contrary.
> Moreover, it was not my intention to take a swipe at you. In addition to
> the memory detailed above, I have another recollection that you were a
> hands-on and responsive administrator in maintaining the Microsoft
> groups.

I tried to be. And I didn't feel swiped at personally. It's a
generic swipe at a company without a face, something I have no
problems with people doing. I figured if I could field any questions
now that I'm no longer working there, I'd do it. =)

> I do, however, stand by the assertion that being banned by a newsgroup
> administrator is not sufficient evidence to establish the state of one's
> ethical compass. (Not that I think Butts' has an ethical compass--given
> some of his antics, it's a pretty obvious he does not.)

Hmmmm. To establish? No. To provide a bit of evidence, yes.

It's like picking an MVP. A large number of posts is not sufficient
evidence to establish that someone should be an MVP. But it's a
clue. It should be enough to make someone think 'Why is this? Why
should that have happened? Perhaps I should investigate this more...'

> >> I reported the Sharon Franks ID the first time I saw it (June 2006,
> >> when he posted one of his infamous links), but nothing was done then
> >> and nothing has been done since.
>
> > That was after my time, so I can't speak about that.
>
> "After your time" was the "dubious history" to which I was specifically
> referring above. If it will make you more comfortable, I'll say "dubious
> recent history."

I've been sad about what's become of the server. Some of the
newsgroups that have been rubber stamped for creation have left me
ill.

> > You can feel free to believe I'm not really the John Eddy who was in
> > charge of the servers.
>
> I well know how irritating it can be to be told one is not who or what
> one is, so I'll take your word that you are who you say you are.

I could be a dog =)

I hear collies have exceptional typing skills.

> > You can feel free to believe whatPCButts1has said about his
> > interactions with me, none of which have been true.
>
> You can rest assured that if Butts says it, I will assume it's untrue
> until I'm provided with incontrovertible evidence to the contrary.

Unfortunately, he's managed to besmirch my name by implying that he
got me fired. And since I don't avoid having my name out there (if I
could remember how to get Google Groups to put my name on the From
line, I'd go fix it), but he does, it's sort of a one way street.
C'est la vie. I stand by everything I've ever done.

> > ....
> > And, since it is now stuck in my head, let me get it stuck in yours
> > too....
> > You can dance if you want to.
> > You can leave your friends behind....
>
> Foolproof get rich quick scheme: Invent a firewall to block the dreaded
> earworm trojan.

Frontal Lobotomy. =)