Profile for Custer
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Displayed name | Custer |
| Member number | 3151 |
| Title | Bob's Big Date |
| Postcount | 2367 |
| Homepage | http://desperance.net |
| Registered | Friday, June 27 2003 07:00 |
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| Favorite Planets Movement in General | |
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Bob's Big Date
Member # 3151
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written Wednesday, July 6 2005 09:37
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Yes, yes. This is one of those music topics. This one, however, is going to be a little more specific. The focus here: the Planets suite, Gustav Holst's most famous symphony and possibly the most prominent single modernist composition. If you don't know the Planets, you're likely to be at sea here. Which is your favorite movement, and why? Personally, I enjoy the Uranus movement; the general structure of the piece lends an undeniable mechanical charm and energy, and it's the only piece I'd say doesn't have much in the way of compositional dead air. Neptune is a close second for being the only one (IMO) to actually evoke an astral sound, and for having a sort of haunting beauty to it. -------------------- The biggest, the baddest, and the fattest. Posts: 2367 | Registered: Friday, June 27 2003 07:00 |
| Pick a mood, any mood... in General | |
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Bob's Big Date
Member # 3151
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written Thursday, June 30 2005 23:46
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Liquid helium flows uphill. Of course, you'd need a suit for that, but - there you go! -------------------- The biggest, the baddest, and the fattest. Posts: 2367 | Registered: Friday, June 27 2003 07:00 |
| Pick a mood, any mood... in General | |
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Bob's Big Date
Member # 3151
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written Thursday, June 30 2005 20:55
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My perennial setting is bad-ass. It's the only one I get set to for more than a few minutes at a shot. If my life were a movie George Thorogood would be doing the soundtrack; as it stands, I abide by having his music on hand whenever I need reminding of my purpose on earth. -------------------- The biggest, the baddest, and the fattest. Posts: 2367 | Registered: Friday, June 27 2003 07:00 |
| Preprimary Poll in General | |
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Bob's Big Date
Member # 3151
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written Tuesday, June 28 2005 20:46
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Alec - 15. (Obvious.) Stughalf - 7. (Track record & policy suggest him to be the best of the serious candidates besides myself.) Thuryl - 3. (Good, stable candidate - but disagree with him on crucial policy matters.) Thumbs-up to Sarachim and TM, but no votes. (more or less joke candidates) -------------------- The biggest, the baddest, and the fattest. Posts: 2367 | Registered: Friday, June 27 2003 07:00 |
| Preprimary Poll in General | |
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Bob's Big Date
Member # 3151
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written Tuesday, June 28 2005 20:37
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If you are a valid elector in the Moderator Election, post your primary vote split here. You have 25 votes to split in any way you choose which gives each candidate a whole-number vote; for the purposes of the poll, assume TM may still stand as a candidate. Alec Thuryl Dolphin MM Imban 4444 Wise Man Cairo Jim Sarachim Stug FBM Kel TM JadeWolf Sushi Aran Micael stranger Riibu Spring AM Nicothodes Zeviz Sir David Archmage Alex fatman === NOTE: THIS POLL IS NOT BINDING NOR DOES IT COUNT AS A VOTE IN THE ELECTION. Casting a vote here does not obligate you to vote that way in the primary election, nor does it count as a vote in the absence of one submitted via email. Vote Count - By Votes / Primary Registration Updated 00:31 Wednesday Reporting - 200; Reporting % = 13% Thuryl - 41 (% total) (7!) Zeviz - 25 (1.7% total) (*) Aran - 23 (1.5% total) Dolphin - 21 (1.4% total) Sarachim - 20 (1.3% total) (*) Stug - 20 (1.3% total) TM - 19 (1.3% total) (*) Alec - 15 (1% total) (*) Kelandon - 11 ( .7% total) Wise Man - 8 (.5% total) (*) Sir David - 8 (.5% total) (*) =0= MM Imban 4444 Cairo Jim FBM Kel JadeWolf Sushi Micael stranger Riibu Spring AM Nicothodes Archmage Alex fatman NOTE: Only vote% out of current will be reported for candidates whose vote% out of total is negligible, i.e. below .1%. If vote% out of both is negligible, only the vote will be reported. NOTE 2: Candidates followed by a (*) indicate that the candidate has, so far, received votes only from one source. Candidates with (X!) indicate that this candidate has received votes from either more than half of reporting voters or the closest number of reporting voters to a unanimity, whichever is less. NOTE 3: For convenience's sake, % of reporting has been dropped and replaced with a universal factor. == Electors(Votes) Reporting: 8(200) out of 60(1500) [ Tuesday, June 28, 2005 22:35: Message edited by: George A. Custer & The SE Party ] -------------------- The biggest, the baddest, and the fattest. Posts: 2367 | Registered: Friday, June 27 2003 07:00 |
| THE GREAT DEBATE, PART III in General | |
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Bob's Big Date
Member # 3151
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written Tuesday, June 28 2005 20:28
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This debate has been the victim of unfortunate timing. I pledge that it will continue once I have the temporal ability to fully devote myself to it. Thank you for your patience, and please accept my apologies for my demanding it. -------------------- The biggest, the baddest, and the fattest. Posts: 2367 | Registered: Friday, June 27 2003 07:00 |
| Supreme Court Ruling on Restraining Order & Ten Commandments in General | |
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Bob's Big Date
Member # 3151
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written Tuesday, June 28 2005 10:43
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I believe in the Ten Commandments, but I don't believe in forcing anyone else to. Court decisions based on the Ten Commandments, or the Five Pillars, or the Eightfold Path, or whatever, are illegitimate in a body of law which is constitutionally bound to be secular. The authority of the state is not drawn from God, and it's the province of God to enforce the Ten Commandments. Posting them on a public courthouse and acting as if it's the province of the state to police and enforce them is as absurd as expecting God to try a murder case, or releasing dangerous serial killers into society under the understanding that God will deal with them. The more thought you give to the idea of posting the Ten Commandments on a courthouse, or using them as a principle of civil government, the more blasphemous the notion sounds. As a religious man, I mean. And as a secular man - yes, I happen to be both - I find the idea of ruling by the Ten Commandments or any Biblical mentality as offensive and foreign as I would find the idea of Shari'a. Just because any number of the Founding Fathers were 'Christian' means nothing (by the way, they were almost exclusively Deist, a school of thought that would today be considered 'soft agnosticism' and in any event rebuked the divine authority of the Bible or its teachings), no more than that they were slave-holders or that they were male-chauvinists meant anything. They've been dead for centuries and all of their beliefs that matter to us is that part of their legal code we still use; and that part of their legal code we still use proscribes state religion. America must retain its secular roots and must move into the twenty-first century with freedom of conscience securely preserved. That's not only my opinion, but that's the opinion of our civil law and government. You want to change it? Propose an Amendment and see how far it goes. -------------------- The biggest, the baddest, and the fattest. Posts: 2367 | Registered: Friday, June 27 2003 07:00 |
| What do you believe.... in General | |
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Bob's Big Date
Member # 3151
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written Tuesday, June 28 2005 09:37
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I'd counter that the Cherokee might perhaps disagree with you, and that Jefferson's assault on the Bank, in fact his most memorable act of public policy, was driven by a personal conflict and lead to wide-scale land speculation, financial instability, and, by and by, an economic collapse. His rise to power was notable, but I don't feel his Presidency was all that great, and as a person Jackson was contemptible at best. I'd give FDR the title of 'best Presdient', with Lincoln, the other Roosevelt, and perhaps Jefferson trailing behind. -------------------- The biggest, the baddest, and the fattest. Posts: 2367 | Registered: Friday, June 27 2003 07:00 |
| Really constitutional U.S. government rights? in General | |
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Bob's Big Date
Member # 3151
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written Sunday, June 26 2005 13:29
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I find nothing wrong with attacking the legal concept of eminent domain. I mean, I'm a white male, so a government whose hands are legally tied in the private sector does not hurt me at all. Oh, wait. We're pidgeon-holing this discussion to 'property rights', aren't we? And not the wider implications of assaulting eminent domain as a legal concept? In that case, I invite anyone who is losing sleep to this decision to have a nice, long chat with whoever legally owns the property on which the insomniac lives on the fine points of property rights. Chances are, you can find him or her in Oklahoma. [ Sunday, June 26, 2005 13:30: Message edited by: George A. Custer & The SE Party ] -------------------- The biggest, the baddest, and the fattest. Posts: 2367 | Registered: Friday, June 27 2003 07:00 |
| Just In Time For the Elections: Political Compass! in General | |
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Bob's Big Date
Member # 3151
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written Friday, June 24 2005 11:11
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Economic Left/Right: -8.63 Social Libertarian/Authoritarian: -8.46 -------------------- The biggest, the baddest, and the fattest. Posts: 2367 | Registered: Friday, June 27 2003 07:00 |
| Great Debate Live? in General | |
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Bob's Big Date
Member # 3151
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written Friday, June 24 2005 11:04
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I apologize; I tried to make it but couldn't. I proposed the time thinking it'd work. What happened? -------------------- The biggest, the baddest, and the fattest. Posts: 2367 | Registered: Friday, June 27 2003 07:00 |
| Great Debate Live? in General | |
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Bob's Big Date
Member # 3151
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written Thursday, June 23 2005 13:02
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Friday afternoon is fine. How does 11:00 Pacific sound? (That's about the earliest I'm feasibly going to be able to wake up; it's 1 PM TM-time, 2 PM (or early afternoon) for Drakey, and a little weird for Thuryl, but he's on break anyway). -------------------- The biggest, the baddest, and the fattest. Posts: 2367 | Registered: Friday, June 27 2003 07:00 |
| Elections: The Registration Thread in General | |
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Bob's Big Date
Member # 3151
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written Thursday, June 23 2005 01:33
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What I'm saying is that there's no reason for them to be and plenty reason for them not to be; the primaries are more of a time for tinkering with the machinery and building coalitions than the runoffs, at which stage the lines have been clearly drawn and which side of the line any given voter stands on shouldn't be the public's business. This is especially applicable considering that all candidates standing in the election seem also to be voting, and who they vote for besides themselves will be as much a political statement as any they make in pre-primary sloganry. -------------------- The biggest, the baddest, and the fattest. Posts: 2367 | Registered: Friday, June 27 2003 07:00 |
| Elections? in General | |
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Bob's Big Date
Member # 3151
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written Wednesday, June 22 2005 17:50
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Well, that sort of thing is the administrator's purview anyway. Moderators can't do stuff like changing titles or bannings; they can only warn off offenses and help direct the community. -------------------- The biggest, the baddest, and the fattest. Posts: 2367 | Registered: Friday, June 27 2003 07:00 |
| Elections? in General | |
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Bob's Big Date
Member # 3151
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written Wednesday, June 22 2005 17:35
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I'm going to be honest: I'm not going to give you strict enforcement, because unlike you and all of the others calling for it, I was active in a day and age when strict enforcement was the order of the day, and I was at the business end of it. And let me tell you: it's not so fun when people are throwing around banning you for something that sounds like a swear. I've made my promises, and I maintain that I've been the most consistently community- and responsibility-oriented candidate in the election, but that's irrelevant. All this post is here to say is that I'm against strict enforcement, and I'm neither going to endorse it nor endorse any candidate who does. -------------------- The biggest, the baddest, and the fattest. Posts: 2367 | Registered: Friday, June 27 2003 07:00 |
| Great Debate Live? in General | |
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Bob's Big Date
Member # 3151
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written Wednesday, June 22 2005 16:51
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The Lyceum has a live chat function; AIM has the same. I think it would be neat and productive to work out a venue and a time for a congregation of candidates, to be turned into an organized debate/discussion and posted for the gawking of the public. Preferably, we get as many candidates as we can involved. (I'm good for any day or time in the immediate future.) -------------------- The biggest, the baddest, and the fattest. Posts: 2367 | Registered: Friday, June 27 2003 07:00 |
| Elections: The Registration Thread in General | |
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Bob's Big Date
Member # 3151
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written Wednesday, June 22 2005 15:53
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The primaries are by post-to-vote. The runoffs are by secret ballot. (In the primaries, only the final votes count; it is possible to change your primary vote before the voting ends. This is vitally important for candidates who might want to throw their support to one another, based on which way the winds are blowing. With 25 candidates running, the ability to form coalitions will be vital. Oppose the runoff election, where you get 1 vote and it is final, and coalitionizing can't really happen because there's only 3 candidates. I'm all for allowing candidates to vote for themselves in the primaries. And that's all my suggestion. The election *is* in Drakey's hands from here on out, but that's what I had planned. (If, for instance, I end up with too few votes to plausibly take 3rd in the primaries, I'd offer my primary votes to a friendly candidate closer to that spot than I. (Likely Stug, because I doubt Thuryl will need the help.)) [ Wednesday, June 22, 2005 15:54: Message edited by: George A. Custer & The SE Party ] -------------------- The biggest, the baddest, and the fattest. Posts: 2367 | Registered: Friday, June 27 2003 07:00 |
| My girlfriend is dead... in General | |
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Bob's Big Date
Member # 3151
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written Wednesday, June 22 2005 15:43
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Have fun. Be happy. Go out and get on with your life. If she loved you, that's what she would have wanted. It's hard, but you've got to move on. My deepest condolences, but never allow yourself to sink into a pit of despair. It's the worst thing you can do. -------------------- The biggest, the baddest, and the fattest. Posts: 2367 | Registered: Friday, June 27 2003 07:00 |
| Debate #1 for Moderator Election in General | |
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Bob's Big Date
Member # 3151
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written Wednesday, June 22 2005 15:31
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quote:Direct the member to the registration page, and assert that SW has not released any of their games as freeware. Also, strongly discourage random bashing of the member as would currently be commonplace. If they continue asking for freeware, I softly tell them that life is hard that way and lock the topic (provided it hasn't turned into a debate on, say, whether SW ought to be charging for Exile 1 - in which case, a lock would just stifle discourse). (Note this is different from my prerogative as a member without any kind of power mandate, and my reaction is completely different.) quote:I'd lean on the offending party to cut out the insults. If it weren't for the parenthetical remark, I would not have anything in particular to say; neither the words 'dong', 'wet dream', nor 'meritocracy' are forbidden by the CoC. Keep a close eye on the topic any which way in case it turns into a flame-war. quote:State clearly that this is a posting game, and protocol bans them. Give it a day. If it gets spammy, lock it. If it develops a coherent discussion, leave it. [ Wednesday, June 22, 2005 15:34: Message edited by: George A. Custer & The SE Party ] -------------------- The biggest, the baddest, and the fattest. Posts: 2367 | Registered: Friday, June 27 2003 07:00 |
| The Official Electioneering Topic in General | |
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Bob's Big Date
Member # 3151
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written Wednesday, June 22 2005 02:34
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I believe it reflects an abuse on the part of the moderator to justify a failure to consult with the community before attacking - in particular, but this is just one example - topics which seem to have outlived their usefulness - with the statement, 'Well, the final say rests with me'. The executive ability rests in the hands of the moderator, but that doesn't mean the power dynamic can't still be from the bottom up. This is another example of where transparency is beneficial. As moderator I will provide more access than any of my fellow candidates. While my esteemed Victorian comrade can talk all he likes about my being a confidence artist for trying to establish myself as a man of the people, I do not hesitate to point out I promise venues of oversight and removal, and he does no such thing. I have hard promises to back up my rhetoric on transparency. On trustworthiness, Thuryl has a record and I have a record. I respect his and I take it he respects mine. We both swear not to misuse the office, but only I promise you any way to enforce that oath. The better choice, so far as trustworthiness is concerned, is self-evident. (Bear in mind that I would gladly see Thuryl a moderator - I believe he could handle the position fine, and would make a good addition to the moderation staff - but I do not think he'd be a better one than me, or I would have no business running against him.) -------------------- The biggest, the baddest, and the fattest. Posts: 2367 | Registered: Friday, June 27 2003 07:00 |
| The Official Electioneering Topic in General | |
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Bob's Big Date
Member # 3151
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written Wednesday, June 22 2005 01:10
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If I must err, I would prefer to err on the side of lassitude than the side of tyranny. I am willing to aggressively address violations of the CoC, but I am not going to unnecessarily antagonize anyone, and again - I have made it my solemn promise that I will relinquish power if the community feels my job in using it has been unacceptable. As a moderator, I understand that part of my role is that of the policeman. But that is only a single part. I am alarmed by several of the major candidates' single-minded focus on the role of policeman. There are variations on the role: Thuryl promises to be a fair and balanced policeman; Kelandon promises to be a stern and discerning policeman; etc. But my commitment to the position of moderator extends beyond that of the baton-and-handcuffs mentality of the 'if there are CoC violations, that's when I break out my handgun' set. The position of moderator requires a more careful, less draconian approach than any of my opponents can offer. Just because the role of moderator is more fixer than builder doesn't mean that the job is that of an obsessive-compulsive repairman. My platform offers transparency, tolerance, and experience. I'm not asking for you to vote me into power so I may police you; I'm asking for you to vote for me so that we may share that power and use it to improve our community. -------------------- The biggest, the baddest, and the fattest. Posts: 2367 | Registered: Friday, June 27 2003 07:00 |
| The Official Electioneering Topic in General | |
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Bob's Big Date
Member # 3151
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written Wednesday, June 22 2005 00:06
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Zeviz, I no longer expect, solicit, nor welcome from you any vote for me in this or any future election, nor do I choose to dignify your ungentlemanly remarks with any further response. [ Wednesday, June 22, 2005 00:08: Message edited by: George A. Custer & The SE Party ] -------------------- The biggest, the baddest, and the fattest. Posts: 2367 | Registered: Friday, June 27 2003 07:00 |
| The Official Electioneering Topic in General | |
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Bob's Big Date
Member # 3151
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written Tuesday, June 21 2005 23:25
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Zeviz, you had a grudge against me three and a half years ago and you have a grudge against me now. I'm frankly astounded; I've never been able to hate someone for that long and I'm curious as to how you do it. I'm going to break your allegations down by post, because you've given a lot of information few people have any context on: quote:The following reply was recieved from Jeff on 01/24/2002: quote:[/b] The majority of your accusations are based on our failure to act in a completely bland, neutral fashion. The few which are valid concern specific acts of possible misconduct based almost exclusively on an insensitivity issue. Now, none of this is relevant to my point: I VOLUNTARILY STEPPED DOWN, AND I DID SO QUITE SOME TIME AFTER THESE ALLEGATIONS WERE RAISED. I may have had black marks on my record (you have a relatively strong grudge against me, so you do your even best to make me look like Gilles de Rais; I admit I was no saint, but honestly - some of those accusations were pretty damn asinine...), but I wasn't coerced or forced to surrender my powers as a moderator. I did so of my own free will. Further, on the balance I had a good record as a moderator. I helped run the boards during a turbulent period, and I was in a position of authority in the most hectic board climate in SW history. Yes, my record was not the best, but it was good by way of comparison, good when you look at more than just the goddamn flaws, and good when you don't inflate me making a flippant crack on a vanity topic into an Inquisition. I understand you have a grudge against me, and frankly it's been so long I have no damn idea why you would, but don't let it distort the facts here. I have a spotty record, but I have made real promises which you can hold me to. Which is more than I can say for any of my competitors. Now please, for the love of God, stop picking on me. [/quote] [ Tuesday, June 21, 2005 23:27: Message edited by: George A. Custer & The SE Party ] -------------------- The biggest, the baddest, and the fattest. Posts: 2367 | Registered: Friday, June 27 2003 07:00 |
| The Official Electioneering Topic in General | |
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Bob's Big Date
Member # 3151
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written Tuesday, June 21 2005 22:52
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I'd like to make something abundantly clear. As an experienced former moderator, as well as a significant figure in the writing of the Code of Conduct, I understand it is not the moderator's job to enforce the CoC. It is the province of the administrators; only egregious violations merit egregious action. I'm not going to be pecking through a rulebook, because I know the community standards of decency. I know there are behaviors which the Code of Conduct frown upon which are often harmless; I know there are behaviors it says nothing about which can damage harmony on the boards. It will be my pleasure to preserve goodwill and community spirit on the Spiderweb boards. Support & Enrich, as the name suggests, stands for lifting the community as a whole up rather than beating its offenders down. Even if not elected, I would prefer that moderators realize the difference between themselves and administrators: they serve as eyes and ears and, in emergencies, quick response forces. My promise is to communicate with authorities and violators and ensure the best environment for all concerned. Just because someone has broken the CoC does not mean their well-being is also meaningless; at some point, almost all of us have in some way or another. Further, it is completely subjective. Other candidates try and hide an iron fist with the velvet glove of a strict adherence to 'the rules', in the character of 'I didn't make the rules, I'm only enforcing them'. The CoC is a loose document and it is necessary for a moderator to have a firm grasp on its spirit in addition to its letter. I have that grasp, but I'm not going to presume my take is always correct. I will consult with administrators and the community, because I understand that the role of the moderator is an outstretched hand, not a clenched fist. In all cases but the clearly offensive (cf Shotts, recently Eraserhead), 'decisive action' is a code word for autocracy. Even if you choose not to vote for me, please recognize it as such and choose a wise candidate who will defer from it whenever possible. [ Tuesday, June 21, 2005 23:05: Message edited by: George A. Custer & The SE Party ] -------------------- The biggest, the baddest, and the fattest. Posts: 2367 | Registered: Friday, June 27 2003 07:00 |
| The Official Electioneering Topic in General | |
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Bob's Big Date
Member # 3151
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written Tuesday, June 21 2005 22:40
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Mr. Watts's allegations are baseless. I was never removed as a moderator for misconduct, nor was there any reason to construe my stepping down as forced, mandated, or even prodded. But then, I would not expect someone who entered this community almost half a year after Miscellaneous was shut down to know the details of my resignation, to say nothing of the moderating record he also feels fit to libel. I am also intrigued by the fact that our beloved Kelandon seems to believe that his stated refusal to read General topics unless he is specifically mentioned, and his complete lack of involvement on this board, would be a positive in running it. I am running this campaign on my own merits; I do not want to be made to sling mud. Let's keep it positive, yes? I'd rather not spend every post of this topic rebutting lies. It gets tiring. -------------------- The biggest, the baddest, and the fattest. Posts: 2367 | Registered: Friday, June 27 2003 07:00 |