[WikiEN-l] Requesting assistance re user:Bastique

[Sharon, Lois Bram]

Mr. Holton,

when I started out, I thought that I had to get a confirmation email for my
account, because so many places do that. When I figured out how to get in, I
didn't need the second one, so I let it sit. Feel free to delete the second
account, I was just confused about the signup process because I had never
used it.

As far as the policies, I took the time to read them once I finally got in.
I may have missed the WP:OFFICE policy, but it does not say which accounts
are listed. The mere name of "Danny" did not mean anything to me. Nor did it
get listed with anything pointing to the WP:OFFICE policy to show me if that
was the case. I still really think it isn't the case.

Nor did I revert Danny at all. Nor does any policy specifically give a list
of editors that it is a "bad idea" to revert. I did revert user:Evrik, but
that was because he was edit warring, and I made a note on the talk page
that edit warring was bad and things should have been discussed first.

The organization that the page covers is controversial, but that wasn't why
I did what I did. I didn't even know about the page when Danny made his
revert, nor when Mindspillage protected it. Apparently the protection
expired, because someone named DumbBOT removed the tag later, and someone
else reverted it yet again. I did what I did because policy says edit
warring is bad and using admin powers to win a dispute is worse.

I still don't have a preferred version, I think the truth is somewhere
between the two versions, but it's obvious that there's not going to be
movement when Bastique is using his powers to control the page like that.

But what happened to me was ridiculous. I complained to the WP:ANI because
Bastique was going nuts attacking and threatening me. Instead of help, what
I got was more attacks, and Bastique apparently started going around back
channels trying to "prove" I'm someone I'm not, and what am I supposed to do
about that? The behavior of Bastique has shown me that there really is some
group on here that if you cross them, no matter how well intentioned you
are, they will destroy you just out of spite.

Merzbow has asked me to return. "MiddleEastern", a user with a big problem
axe to grind who's been leaving rants about "Zionists", says I should stay
gone for "censoring."

And what do I get from you people? I get threats from Bastique and Jersey
Devil. I get attacked out of nowhere by someone called slimvirgin, and I
have no idea what his/her major malfunction is, he/she seems obsessed with
finding whoever it is he/she's accusing me of being everywhere from looking
back on his/her conversations and all the stuff he/she provides.

I've been accused of being someone I'm not for "turning up" on [[Allegations
of Israeli Apartheid<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allegations_of_Israeli_Apartheid>]],
the same article that is listed two spots down from my original complaint on
WP:ANI, and I only commented on that because I saw the report and
MiddleEastern was just being a jerk.

If there isn't a cabal, if there isn't some group someone "should not cross
lest one suffer the penalty", then there sure as heck is SOMETHING like that
going on, because there's no way in anything resembling a fair system that
someone brings a minor concern and it turns into something like this where
bringing an honest complaint gets you attacked over and over again.

[[user:One Elephant went out to play...]]


On 3/14/07, Rich Holton <richholton at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> David Gerard wrote:
> > On 13/03/07, Sharon, Lois Bram <oneelephant at gmail.com> wrote:
> >
> >> Please, if anyone can help, it would be greatly appreciated.
> >> User: One Elephant Went Out to Play...
> >
> >
> > Hint: having also created User:Two Elephants Went Out to Play... two
> > minutes later gives a strong impression of bad faith on your part. Not
> > to mention the edits themselves.
> >
> >
> > - d.
> >
>
> I'm troubled by the course of the conversation that took place about
> this on WP:ANI. At least two people were asserting that one should not
> revert Danny because he's a foundation employee, or Kat Walsh, because
> of board membership.
>
> There have been many, many assertions of late that we on Wikipedia do
> not (should not) give credit to credentials, but to the content of
> contributions. So it's disturbing to see these arguments used. Using
> these sorts of arguments does Wikipedia no favors, and contributes to
> the notion that there is a cabal that one should not cross lest one
> suffer the penalty.
>
> Note that I have no comment (and have developed no opinion) on the
> content of the contributions of any of the parties involved in the
> original dispute.
>
> -Rich Holton
>
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