I've been Dumped, (but politely)
Freedom of expression is a valuable right and worth protecting. The right to say what you believe (within the limits imposed by avoiding incitement to commit crime, obscenity and spam) should be sacrosanct, and the right for others to disagree and get that message to you is important for your sanity.
That ID websites, particularly Uncommon Descent, feel they need to protect themselves from reasoned criticism by arbitrary moderation is greatly to their own detriment. So I was pleasantly surprised, after making a comment at Overwhelming Evidence , to receive a PM from Patrick, a poster at Uncommon Descent, asking me to not post again unless I am a student and not a Darwinist. So much nicer than a DaveScot brush-off, Patrick. There is hope for you yet.
21 comments:
Patrick's email
From: Patrick
To: Alan Fox
Subject: Sorry
Date: Mon, 2006-12-18 05:02
I personally don't have a problem with you commenting "in general" since you're behaving appropriately BUT at the same time I maintain a zero tolerance policy for OE. OE is primarily intended for students interested in ID. Quite frankly, most Darwinists are not welcome here. I do make some exceptions:
1. If a non-student is an ID proponent contributing a significant amount of useful information.
2. A Darwinist is a student.
3. A student is uncertain.
So unless you happen to be a student I'll have to ask you to refrain from being active on here. I won't block you but please respect our wishes for OE.
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I wonder if I would qualify as someone who is "interested in ID" since I was publishing hard evidence for it over 20 years ago, long before Wembski and company decided they were the self annointed champions of Intelligent Design. Perhaps Patrick would invite me to contribute at Overwhelming Evidence. I only respond to invitations these days. He sure as hell won't ask me back to Uncommon Descent. He hasn't the guts. Spravid Dinger, bullying blogczar extraordinaire, would never permit it and neither would Dilliam Wembski, boy mathematical theologian.. Congenital intellectual cowards are like that. It is their way or the highway.
"You're outta here."
"Professor Davison is no longer with us."
You know, the usual.
It is hard to believe isn't it"
I love it so!
A past evolution is undeniable, a present evolution undemonstrable."
John A. Davison
It seems I am not welcome at Overwhelming Evidence in any event as I am unable to register there. Perhaps Patrick would explain why. Does the Wembski/Dinger dynamic duo dominate that forum as well? What even have such a blog?
"A past evolution is undeniable, a present evolution undemonstrable."
John A. Davison
Alan, you should read this. An account by an innocent reporter, who "caught Dembski in a compromising position, in flagrante" (you'll have to read the rest for yourself) and got ditched--literally at the side of the road--by Dembski himself.
The van drove off, and I found myself alone in the lot with nothing to do for two hours. I had — by careful design — been dumped.
I can only hope that someday, Dembski will have a flat tire in a driving rainstorm near my house and need to use my phone. Heh, heh.
At least he would get a good dinner.
Maybe I'm not as nice as you are (actually, most definitely not), but I don't hold out much hope for Patrick or any of the ID crowd.
As you said to begin this post, they feel a need to censor. I like the way you put that. It is a compulsion, a defense mechanism that is required of them, not just by their ring leaders but by reality. They cannot survive in an uncensored world.
An easy way to extricate themselves would be to stop censoring and do some research. This is demonstrably not the way they have chosen. I do not see them getting a map and finding their way.
blipey said...
Maybe I'm not as nice as you are (actually, most definitely not), but I don't hold out much hope for Patrick or any of the ID crowd.
Doesn't stop you banging your head against a brick wall at Joe Gallien's blog. :) I suspect that may be a waste of time, as I can't imagine anyone being persuaded by his displays of ignorance, if the blog actually gets any lurkers, which I doubt. Honestly, blipey, I don't think he is worth the effort. If you and Zachriel were to stop posting there, that would be a more effective response. But what do I know, with my own obsessions?
Thanks for the link, Kristine. I have never had cause to modify my opinion of Bill Dembski since his response to my first innocent post at Uncommon Descent nearly two years ago.
Now you've whetted my appetite. I'll have to go see.
Ah, there's the rub. I posted (probably one of my first posts on ID ever after just being introduced to the "concept*") a question asking Dembski if he would mind giving a definition of Intelligent Design. He promptly deleted the post and cancelled my registration at UD. No evidence remains as I never suspected I would need to take a screenshot of such an innocuous post. How things have moved on since then.
*Hard to find a word to carry the right meaning here. Idea, theory, concept all imply content.
He promptly deleted the post and cancelled my registration at UD.
What!
I did see his statement to you (that was you, right?) about PT's accusation of censorship and that he only deleted "insipid" comments.
From what I see at UD, he's let that rule slide totally.
I have changed my view over time about attempting to comment at pseudo-science blogs, especially Uncommon Descent. I reckon it would be best if it were boycotted by science supporters unless their draconian moderation policy is abandoned. I like reading Jack Krebs',Chris Hyland's, Bob O'Hara's (and your) comments but, on balance, they lend some undeserved respectability. I did suggest it at AtBC a couple of times but nobody picked up on it.
alan says:
Doesn't stop you banging your head against a brick wall at Joe Gallien's blog. :) I suspect that may be a waste of time, as I can't imagine anyone being persuaded by his displays of ignorance, if the blog actually gets any lurkers, which I doubt.
I think you are right in every respect. While I can't speak for Zachriel, I occasionally spend time with IDiots because of my own absurd compulsions. I don't think he has many lurkers, or any that aren't as nutty as he.
However, in my line of work (live performance), you must enjoy engaging people. Every once in a while I find it entertaining to see if I can follow and engage (even if only joining in stupiddity) in discussion. It keeps the brain working in ways that aren't readily available other places.
A work-related activity (at least in my mind). Now if only I can find a way to write it off. :)
A work-related activity (at least in my mind). Now if only I can find a way to write it off.
"Consultant"?
"Counseling"? (Or art therapy?) Gotta be a way. You can be sure the UD blog mods are writing off their time!
You can be sure the UD blog mods are writing off their time!
Yes, but that's more of a wasting away rather than a writing off sort of thing.
I like the suggestion of Conssultant; I've always wanted to be a consultant, allowing me to waste away with the best of them. :)
Kristine said:
"At least he would get a good dinner."
Who are you kidding, Darling?
He would be dinner!
;)
Kisses to you all on this New Year's Eve
Even the old crazy guy!
He would be dessert, if John doesn't grab him and make him watch Buster Keaton movies.
But the way WAD's been acting these days (esp toward Barb Forrest), he's gonna get a super-shimmy that he doesn't want, and not from me, Dembski, my little cream puff.
I ain't the only bearer of bad shimmy karma out there.
Hi Alan,
It seems that over at telicthoughts there is a poster (telic-friendly poster) named Doug who's kind of defending you against John Davison.
http://telicthoughts.com/?p=1159#comment-57826
At least some can be reasonable.
He was also defending Nick Matzke on one of their threads against personal insults.
It's not a guy posing to be a telic-supporter but actually not, he's posted there for awhile.
Posted at Telic Thoughts:
Please visit Alan Fox's blog
Thanks for the plug, John
to witness Darwimpian masochism raised to an art form.
I am disappointed by the lack of ID proponents, but I welcome anyone who wishes to make a civil comment, and many of yours there are less than civil yet remain.
Thanks for your support, doug, and thanks for the headsup, anonymous. Oh and Hi Keiths.
(Reverting to occasional lurker)
by Alain Fox
Logged in as Alain Fox. Logout »
I see post moderation is in force. I wonder whether my comment will appear.
Alan, don't they let you post at telicthoughts?
I registered there to make the above comment. So far it hasn't appeared. I assume initial comments by new users are held in moderation. (Is this you, Keiths?)
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