OK, I have had a few hours to read and consider. Now consider this.
Suppose any of you start something, a business, a website, a charity. And suppose in the time that you administer whatever this is, someone comes into your establishment. During their time in YOUR establishment there is turmoil and they do things (along with others) that harm your business/charity venture. You lose two VALUABLE employees. You hate going to work each day, even though it is your money, blood, sweat and tears involved.
Now you decide that you've had enough, and you ban people from your establishment, whatever that is. Now their buddies and significant others barge in DEMANDING a "fair hearing" and "justice" and LOUDLY suggest to your other customers/friends/ people involved in your labor of love that their person of interest deserves a hearing and the right to know their supposed accusers, and that they KNOW that this person of interest did no wrong.
What do you do?
I tell you what ANYONE would do, call the cops. No one gets to tell you how to run your website, business or venture as long as you stay within the law itself. It is yours, and even the suggestion that you owe anyone explanations after the scenario I just put forth is ridiculousness. Due process is neitehr implied or guaranteed in this case, and the demand is silly on its face. That the decision is final and not subject to appeal is standard procedure for websites the world over.
I have been attacked for my tone since I arrived here last night, and perhaps with reason. If I cared about that, I would consider offering an apology. I do not. Because in the scenario above, I am the buddy that helps out every now and again in the establishment. I tell the unruly crowd to quiet down and remind them that they have no right to demand what they have barged in to demand. I remind the person involved that they not only have no leg to stand on, but they have a REAL conflict-of-interest. Trust me, as a married man with married friends I KNOW that if you love your spouse, you stand by her. You might also tell her something that isn't true or lie to others to protect her. It is for this reason that Seraphim's judgement cannot be completely trusted.
Especially when factored against the admin of this site, the person who has placed money and sweat for YEARS into this site, who has built a solid reputation (as evidenced by the fact that it still stands) and who has no interest in losing anyone, be it MODs or members. In fact, her desire to make this a place for everyone and her leniency has cost her dearly, and it was me witnessing that loss, that pain that inspired me to act by posting here in her defense. Because Buffy's reputation is solid, consists of the judgement of literally thousands of web users over YEARS of work, and is evidenced by the fruit of her own hard work.
Contrast that to Seraphim's wife. I do not know her. There are a few here who have professed devotion to her, that she was a friend, and sweet to you. Fair enough. But even her apologists acknowledge that she has made mistakes here. So which is more likely, that she has made more mistakes or that Buffy has done what she OBVIOUSLY hasn't done in years of Admin work? If you REALLY think Buffy capable of what Seraphim implies, then you shouldn't be here. PERIOD. Not for her sake, but for yours.
But for the vast majority of you who are saddened by the losses but love the boards, this needed to be done. There will be no great public airing of this because it is not warranted, is unfair to the victims, is not a right of ANYONE here, and because it is an affront to the judgement and character of Buffy herself as Admin that anyone would suggest that they need to look over her shoulder and double-check her decision for fairness.
And as for Athena I can tell you: mess with her friends and you get put on blast. You may hate it and wish for something else, but your chance passed when this thread got hijacked and the members here did not rise up to stand by Buffy with sufficient speed. You could have avoided reading her posts if you had only been better to Buffy. Some of you weren't, and now you get what I could have warned you was going to happen last night. Enjoy.
