I just got this in my inbox.

[Cleita]

I had an aim conversation with FreedomAngel82 tonight. Here's what she told me.

well earlier this week on du there was a big fight about the oscars and all that stuff and i got into it with two different members. earlier today they were harassing me around on du and i alerted them everytime they bothered me and tonight i went to login to check messages and all that and found out that my name was revoked. i hadnt done anything at all except report when they were giving me trouble

She wants to be able to talk to you and others she has gotten close to, but she can't get back on DU. She asked me to give you her email address in case you want to stay in touch: (I removed the email. If you want to get in touch with her, PM me, Cleita)

Poor thing. She is so upset. This is such a big part of her life.
I know she'd would love to hear from you. She just can't believe it.

Take care, XXXX

Then I went to FreedomAngel82's profile and I got




I never found her to be disruptive. Does anyone know more about this? It seems to be connected to this thread.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=245x17790

[Proud_Lefty]

1. Thanks Cleita

DU is such a huge part of FreedomAngel82's life. She still hasn't heard back from any of the moderators. I hope they will revisit this decision. I agree, I've never seen her to be a disruptor at all.

[LaurenG]

2. Me too

I was getting ready to start a thread about it myself. :shrug: It makes me very sad. I will be sending much love her way.

[I Have A Dream]

3. She said that she thinks that this is the thread that was the problem.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=364&topic_id=626541&mesg_id=626541

[lady lib]

6. Oops. I hadn't seen her posts in that thread before I made my

post (below). She does get a little wound up, but some would call that passion?

[ebayfool]

7. ? Passion doesn't require FUs & childish behavior, though.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=132&topic_id=2495855


http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=132&topic_id=2495282


http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=132&topic_id=2497945

And there were lots more - this is just a few samples. It's not just the oscar threads, the pattern is there in others.

[lady lib]

4. It's unfair that a long-term and frequent poster

who hasn't had previous problems can get TS'd over an unfortunate incident. There should be some distinction between one time incident and a pattern of repeated disruption.

[ebayfool]

5. She was fine in this forum, it's when she ventured out to the others that

she got wound up & belligerent w/other posters. When she went after our own Bliss_Eternal is when I started wondering she was getting away w/it for so long.

I think she mistook cursing, attacking, aggressive posturing as a way to show others that she was - I don't know - grownup? informed? intelligent?

Whatever the reasons, she did manage to pop up & go at the people that she initially got into it with in the original oscar threads - more than 2 people, btw. Most of the worst posts were deleted, so you can't really see what was going on in them if you do a search. But I saw them when it was going on ... it was pretty bad. And very unnecessary.

She mentioned that she had been contacted by a mod, so there were opportunities given - apparently they weren't taken?

I wish her the best, & hope she regains her keel in the future. But, from what I saw, DU & the mods gave her alot of slack.

[LaurenG]

8. I wish her love,

I know that things work the way they are supposed to, I hope that she can be granted some grace and allowed to come back.

[I Have A Dream]

9. Me too. I really love her. She's given to so many people in this forum.

I also hope that she is reinstated because she is a really gifted person, and the energy will be totally different in this forum without her. (We each add to the energy that makes this forum the wonderful place that it is.)

:hug: to FreedomAngel82. :cry:

[Cleita]

10. I read all her posts on the threads posted here and

quite honestly, I didn't consider them that bad. She is very young and maybe needs to learn to restrain her language a bit so she doesn't get offensive. I hope the administrators reconsider and give her a second chance.

[ebayfool]

27. Like I said, there were others(& worse). You're right @ the young part -

it showed. Some posters on those threads noted that & tried to cut slack. I'm just not sure why she was so sweet & kind here, but so disruptive elsewhere. There were more hurt feelings in the wake of that flame war than just hers, so I'm hoping for some healing for ALL the casualties.

If Skinner readmits her, I'm hoping she learns from the whole experience rather than digging in & refusing to look over the lessons that could be gleaned from it. I know I've learned the most about myself (& the ways I've contributed to my own discomfort) after getting burned.

Just my view from a distance - I only posted once in the half-dozen or so threads ... asking another DUer to not leave the board as a result of his pain (which was very personal & keen to him).

(It was like watching little kids playing w/matches ... frustrating 'cause you just know the burn that is coming!)

[NMDemDist2]

16. ahhhhh

well then she will have to go thru skinner and give a pretty compelling argument why they should take her back.

if a Mod warned her and she just went full tilt forward, it won't go easy on her

[BlueIris]

20. Yeah, I was just gonna post that...you don't "just" get banned.

They do warn you and you are told in no uncertain terms that if it's gotten to that stage, you need to check yourself and start obeying posting guidelines again or you'll have your posting priviledges revoked.

[I Have A Dream]

21. My husband was banned without a warning. However, he *did* only...

have about 100 posts at the time, so they probably thought that he was a troll. It took about 6 weeks to get him reinstated. (Someone misunderstood what he said in one post.) Skinner was really gracious though. It took so long because Skinner was so busy that he kept forgetting to reinstate him, and he apologized to me each time he forgot.

[BlueIris]

22. Really? Humph. Must have been one heck of a post. But if Skinner

reinstated him, then clearly, Admin understood that he hadn't actually violated any rules and wasn't a troll, another person just assumed he was, and a mod felt a need to take the appropriate action, considering the low post count. And he did get to come back, and I assume he still posts happily here, so obviously, they were right to let him back on the boards.

Egh. Nothing against your husband, I Have A Dream. It might have been more accurate for me to post that a person doesn't--from what I've seen--"just" get axed around here for no reason and from what I've observed, (and experienced) even rule breakers are given a chance to reform before being booted. Especially if they are established posters. Assuming mods see evidence that a person even can reform. I just...I liked FA82 as well, but I'm inclined to support the mods for banning her because in my opinion, she was way outside the parameters of the rules we all agree to respect and--it was spilling over into all the forums she posted in (which was why I personally saw her as a disruptor). I can believe that she could choose to start obeying the rules again if she were to want to, perhaps after she's had time to cool off and process an understanding of what those rules are. At the very, very, very, very least, she was a little out of control.

[I Have A Dream]

23. Interestingly, the post that got him banned was interpreted entirely...

differently than the way my husband meant it. Afterwards, I could see how the person who objected to it saw it as they did, but it was absolutely not the way he intended it. Afterwards, it's sort of funny, but we were both extremely upset because DU was a very important part of my life, and I was going to no longer come to DU if he wasn't reinstated. (If he had actually said something bad, then that would have been a different story.) Luckily, Skinner is a reasonably person, and after I explained everything to him, he totally understood. My husband is still a DUer in good standing, and can no longer be confused with being a troll given that many people know him now. He'd probably get a warning now, but I hope that this never happens again to him.

[NMDemDist2]

11. has she emailed elad? it might be the glicth they talked about

[e-mail]

[I Have A Dream]

12. I did, but I just got back from him how to tell if it was the case.

However, given the case that she has a tombstone showing, I sort of ruled it out.

He didn't give me any information about FA82 when he responded to me.


This is what I sent:

>Hi, Elad-
>
>DU member FreedomAngel82 is not able to log in. I am hoping that it is because
of this issue:
>
>To prepare for the roll-out of the DU Journals feature we've been working on
for awhile now, we're going to be making changes to the way our software sets
cookies on your computer. These cookies control your login status on DU, so if
you experience a loss of functionality, the inability to login to DU, suddenly
finding yourself logged out of DU, or other strange behavior, please contact
[e-mail] .
>
>Would you please check to see if this is what the problem is.
>
>Thanks in advance for your assistance.
>
>Kind regards,

>I Have A Dream


His response was:

To get your cookies working again:

1) If you are blocking some cookies, verify that BOTH domains
(www.democraticunderground.com AND .democraticunderground.com) are
allowed to set cookies in both your browser preferences and your
firewall preferences.

2) Click this link:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=logout

3) Delete all your cookies from DU, this includes cookies under the
domain name www.democraticunderground.com AND ALSO
.democraticunderground.com (or democraticunderground.com). Since most
cookie lists are sorted alphabetically, be sure to check in both places.

4) Go to the link below, and attempt to login:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=login

5) Let me know if you're successful.

Thanks
Elad
DU Admin

[NMDemDist2]

13. if this was the problem and she tried repeatedly to log in with the

issue, the spam filter may have caught her up. the mods will have to re-set her account.

if they come and lock this thread we'll know that she needs to wait for skinner to read her email and that may take several days to go through the process

[Quakerfriend]

14. I had hoped that this might be the case too. But, I realize

it's not. I miss her already!

Do the mods ever give some who has been tombstoned a 2nd chance??

[NMDemDist2]

15. yes but she needs to email skinner and make her case for

re-instatement

[e-mail]

he'll be in the office monday and it may take a couple days after that :shrug:

[liberalnurse]

17. Yes, this issue can be processed

with Skinner. Mod's are just volunteers.....Keeping DU an active, productive, donating business always rules. We ca also share our concerns and render advocacy.

[I Have A Dream]

18. The Help says...

Can I come back after I have been banned?

Once you have been banned, it is pretty difficult (but not impossible) to come back to DU. If you value your membership in our community, you would be wise to not get banned in the first place.

We do occasionally reinstate people who have been banned, after a cooling-off period, provided that they seem genuinely interested in improving their behavior and want to be a positive contributor to our community. Send an email to the admins to make your case.



I've been banned. Why don't your respond to me?

If we don't respond to you, it means your appeal for reinstatement has been denied.

[oxbow]

19. Much love to you Angel!

You're young, girl, and you've been a big part of DU. I saw you all over the place from the first day I came here! I'm sure the admins will give you another chance, so don't despair! :hug: :pals:

[Punkingal]

24. I saw many of the posts,

And I was very surprised she wasn't banned sooner. I like her, too, and we are both from Tennessee, but I have to say, she was attacking people viciously, sometimes before they attacked her. It is true people did attack her, but she was not an innocent victim. Her opinion was that Crash deserved the oscar, even though she hadn't seen Brokeback Mountain. (I read all the Oscar threads because I loved all the movies that were nominated, except for Munich, which I didn't see, and I thought they were all deserving.) A lot of people were offended because she hadn't seen Brokeback, but she thought Crash should have won. She said she didn't want to see a movie with the storyline of Brokeback Mountain, and that offended a lot of people also. The thing that was the real problem, in my opinion, is she started multiple threads about the subject, sometimes just carrying on the flamewar, which is a big no-no.

I used to be a moderator, and from my experience, I am not at all surprised at the ban. She very well could be reinstated, Skinner often does reinstate people. It all depends on her history, if she has been warned before, etc. Skinner is a sweetie, infinitely fair, and he will do the right thing for DU, which he always does. DU is his gift to us all, and it is his call.

[Cleita]

25. I emailed her back with the link to this thread so that she

can see what the opinions of others are about her posts. I guess she can still lurk, can't she? I told her to petition Skinner and to promise him that she will change how she posts in the future. I haven't heard back from her yet.

[Punkingal]

26. Yes,

Banned posters can lurk. Many people re-register using a different name, but they always get caught, so that is not a good thing to do. It is best to petition Skinner. He is, as I said, very fair. The thing that one has to do here is not let you personal hot-button issues lead you into name-calling. It can be a hard thing to do sometimes, but reasoned argument is always better than insults in the long run. As a moderator, I saw many people grow into that realization here when they were under threat of being banned, and it was a nice thing to see. There is no reason why FreedomAngel82 can't experience the same kind of growth if Skinner chooses to reinstate her.

[Name removed]

28. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Moderator]

29. Locking

If you have any questions, please contact DU Administration directly.