Please sign here/Open Letter - RE: Richard Dawkins Forum

[Flora]

This is an excellent idea as it would encapsulate everybody's responses and could also then be linked from blogs and facebook etc.

We have a staff letter to Richard (copied to the Foundation trustees) in production too. If Ratz staff will permit us to post it here, the link to it could also go on the above site and into people's blogs etc.

[campermon]

... added my tuppence worth..

[life]

I've updated the page.

[j.mills]

And very pretty it is too. I'm in.

[TBickle]

signed.

[Shaker]

And very pretty it is too. I'm in.

Yay! j! The very man!

[j.mills]

Howdy, Shaker! I tried to PM you from rd.net, but I doubt I got through. Still, yours reached me, thanks! So here we all are.

[eversbane]

My comment to the open letter:

My post count is 6889, nearly all within the E&NS forum - the only other significant forum participation being divided between the World Trade Center conspiracy threads in P&CA, and a bit of creationist debunking in the DC forum.

If my account in the new format quotes that post count of 6889, rest assured, Professor Dawkins, that it will never change. If my account in the new format is reset to zero, rest assured that it will never become positive.

I will not grovel to ask permission of Josh or yourself whether my thread topic is appropriate. I freely acknowledged the authority of the moderation staff to exercise that authority, but your total and shameful betrayal of their trust has reduced your authority, and that of your lackey, to zero. I will not give you or Josh the pleasure of passing judgment on the relevance of my speech because Josh's actions have completely eviscerated your authority to exercise that right.

Rather than your lofty achievements, all of my respect goes to those who worked so hard to maintain the integrity of the forum site, and that does not include Josh, and it does not include you.

I am now very appreciative of the fact that I have never read any of your books. I could not now in any case. The bitter taste of the memory of this experience would be too great.

[Viraldi]

Submitted.

[Mazille]

For what it's worth, here's my submission:

Richard,

I was one of the (ex-)moderators on your forum. I only had the chance to work with the best moderating team I have ever seen - composed of loving, intelligent, caring, humorous and honest people - for three short months, but it has been an honour and a pleasure to be part of this great undertaking of lighting a beacon of reason in this sometimes so utterly dark world. I started a science writing competition not least out of admiration for your work.

Before I became a moderator I was a regular member for about one and a half years and I have learned more on this forum - personally and intellectually - than I have in all my time at university and school. I started studying Biology at the University of Vienna because of you and because of the great minds of this forum, such as Cali and Peter Harrison and many, many more. I aspired to once follow your footsteps and help to educate the world, or at least my tiny corner of it.
I connected with many great people, some of whom I now call friends.

Now I stand before the ashes of a place I once called my second home. My entire account - all of my posts and actions - was deleted, in a pique of rage and and anger about reasonable criticism from my side. It is as if I never was a part of this best of communities.
This was done by either Josh or Andrew I don't know and I don't care who of the two actually did this to me. It does not matter.

Since then I hoped that you would see what went wrong. That you would come in and set things right, because I thought that the one man who got me to be an outspoken atheist and a future biologist could not possibly stand for such intellectual vandalism as perpetrated by Josh and Andrew. Man, was I in for a surprise.

Your official announcement shattered my hopes. Not only that, it portrayed not only me, but all the other mods and members as spiteful, conservative children, who merely cry and whinge because someone took away their playground. People who have devoted uncountable hours of their life to further their - and your - cause.

You and your two minions have spat on reason, free speech and clear thinking, the very things you swore to defend against deluded fundamentalists.

I sincerely hope that you see the error of your ways, or that you were fed lies and didn't know what actually happened, Richard. Not because of my hurt ego and feelings, but because the world needs people like the ones you and your two hamfisted techheads have alienated in a matter of days under one banner.

I said I hope so, but I don't see a realistic chance for that. I know, it might not interest you, but you will never again see a word of support or one single cent from me. Your work in the field of Biology stands for itself, but I have lost every respect I ever had for you as a person.

This have been sad days for me and many thousands of other people and I hope that you will realise that. I thank you for what you have done for me and atheists around the globe, but from now on we will go separate ways.

[Pombolo]

Forgot to mention that I've also contributed.

[Fact-Man]

Yes, perfect now

36 messages isn't a bad count so far.

Indeed not. I tink it's well above 40 now.

I just read through them all and I must say they're heartfelt and nicely written, and say the things that need to be said at this time.

This must get to Dawkins!

[life]

72 so far...

My personal favourite as of now:

Confucius say "don't shit on your own door step"

[Lucy Wiggin]

Because that's what really important in life.

ETA: Can one leave a support message for Dawkins?

[Fallible]

Oh, you're here.