CrankyBoomer wrote: ↑Mon Nov 25, 2019 10:17 am
MF, I'm Catholic and I was surprised to find so many loony things on the internet to the effect that Catholics worship the evil one and have baby blood mixed up in the host for Communion. I wonder where those ideas come from. I heard something once (on a not-nutty video) that in the early days of the Church non-Christians may have taken the idea of transubstantiation as an indication that Christians literally ate human flesh so I don't know if the idea comes from then.
So far I've concentrated on the United Kingdom part of this site and subject matter. I see Burnaby and Gregg at least are from t'other side of the Atlantic Ocean (to me). I have sometimes watched Virgo Triad's videos and listened to the podcast theparanoidstrain.com (more about debunking conspiracy theories than debunking scams but there does seem to be a cross-over).
What strange notions some people have.
Cut and pasted from a few other posts, a Quatloos Welcome and Guidelines post, from me, and more or less recognized as not at all official but still helpful.
As is my custom, I am posting what I think, as a long, long time contributor/moderator of this site. That doesn't mean its the official Quatloos policy, I'm not one of the people who can go off all by myself and make policy. That said, I've been saying what I'm gonna say here again, and in 10 years + no one of any importance has had any serious disagreement with it. Your results may vary, offer not open to employees, associates, interns, Virgin Island Gunsmiths or residents of Iowa, Somalia, North Korea or American Samoa.
Someone, I am told, has been complaining about what they are allowed to post, how some moderators have responded to their PMs and have demanded to see a copy of "The Rules".
We don't have rules. There is no parliamentary procedure for what is allowed and not allowed, and what one person may post and it be allowed, honestly, could be not allowed from another poster. There is no set policy for how many warnings you get, how long you might be on moderated status, or anything, really. If you don't like it, tough, I feel your pain. (no, I don't actually)
The purpose of this site is to serve as a resource on scams, a reference on people who runs scams, and a central information source to people, in and out of official positions in government, on scams. We have, as regulars, some of the most knowledgeable people in the subject that I have seen anywhere and also, you might notice, we have quite a few people who have been contributing to the site for a long time.
We make fun of people, some of the people we cover practically beg us to. We are, considering our stated purpose and subject, a pretty light hearted forum. But what we ain't, and ain't ever gonna let anyone make us, is a place where "internet fights" break out, with back and forth bickering and ego swinging...so if you can't get along with someone, I cordially invite you to get lost. If what you're posting is to "win the argument" please don't. If you can't keep it civil, then this isn't the place for you. That's a good start to our "standards", which is how I prefer to look at what some call rules.
Standards, as opposed to rules, are not codified, they are what we, or any individual mod may think they are at any given time. A US Supreme Court Justice, Potter Stewart, was once asked to define what pornography was. His reply, "I can't say, but I know it when I see it" one of my favorite quotes.
Another fave, BTW, when told he was being blackmailed, and the toll could eventually climb to $1 million, when a million was a lot of money...
"We could get that, I know where a million could be got,,, in cash,,,, but it would be wrong" Richard M Nixon
So, just know this as regards rules. I can't say. But I know it when I see it. Also, if another mod makes a decision, don't go looking for another to reverse it, this isn't the NFL, there is no replay rule. Even if a wrong decision is made, unless its especially egregious, I'm not going to second guess it, and doubt anyone else would.
And if you don't like it, well, the complaint department is open from midnight to 12:08 AM EDT, in Manchester New Hampshire, you must apply in person and have an appointment, which can only be scheduled after an in person interview, for which an appointment is needed. This is not a democracy. We are, as most should know, run by a benevolent dictatorship established under the aegis of the International Royal Illuminati Cabal, and your continued presence here is at the pleasure of our staff.
Now, we return you to our regular programming schedule...
GBE
It is a cliche, although mostly true, that the surest way to start an argument is to start talking about religion or politics. As the site is not set up for either topic and as the site is also actively trying to maintain certain standards of civility, we don't allow it. It does, I admit, come close to a rule, but not quite.
Yep, no rules, just standards. I know it when I see it. I will freely admit that a lot of posters go occasionally off topic and we tolerate it, especially if the poster is being civil, points given for clever wit, Douglas Adams references, and much more strictly enforced on people with a habit of making an ass of themselves. I am qualified to classify remarks as to whether they constitute a flame war, you can tell by the green (or red) typeface, maybe someday you too will be able to make the grown up decisions.
No rules, just standards. Part of the reason I like that better is if we had real rules, there are some asshats who would make a career of posting things that met the letter of a rule while at the same time making a mockery of the spirit of the rule, much like accountants and lawyers do for a living (isn't it ironic that a site that is primarily for accountants and lawyers is so governed?) and, well, we just won't have that. Like I have said, ad infinitum, I know it when I see it.
As I have also said, or maybe I didn't and if I haven't I will now, you are more than welcome to disagree, and take your contributions elsewhere. Now, don't make me call Webhick and unleash her, you have to trust me when I say, you probably wouldn't like that. I'm a kitten compared to her.
Okay?
This bit is a reply to someone who tried to debate how many rules there are in a place I said didn't have rules, he was violating one my more adamant guidelines "Don't be a dick"
My finger wagging, as it were, was an attempt to find a nicer way to say "don't be a wanker", and as I thought I made clear, my statements about no rules were my own and NOT any official policy of the board, and were an explanation of how I, not anyone else, just me, makes decisions with regard to moderating the forum. Apparently, you're too thick to understand what I'm about. Sometimes it is painfully obvious to me that some people either don't get it, which I think you do truth be known, and those who do get it, but just have to pick and bitch about something.
I make arbitrary decisions, and in this very tiny little corner of existence, my arbitrary decisions are pretty much the final decisions. Get used to it or get going, I've been here 10 years and you're just barely annoying enough to notice in the grand scheme of things.
Now, can we please get back to what we were discussing?
And finally, the most up to date clarification of the explanation of the interpretation of the situation....
Welcome to Quatloos!
We're getting so many new posters I may have to make a standard Welcome message with Orientation Instructions and all that piddling paperwork.
But I haven't yet, so Ill just copy paste the stuff I wrote earlier for someone else. We don't have rules, per se*, but Guidelines. Such as they are, this kind of sums them up....even if I did write it for someone else. Quit whining, you're lucky to get any Guidelines at all...
Come for the FMOTL, stay for the PLD and Lawful Rebellion! And if you're into this madness, don't overlook the UK and Canadian sections even if you're not English and don't know squat about Hockey or Molson's Beer.
(that's your first of hopefully many inside jokes you'll find here) I find it one of the most entertaining sections of the Forum, England has so many wonderfully mad people these days.
Guidelines for new people:
Douglas Adams puns and clues get extra credit, don't be a dick, back up fantastic claims with credible evidence and have fun! Also, no Doxxing.
* Okay, some people a few years ago screwed up so bad that we did have to get 2 real for honest rules, No Politics, No Religion. No Quarter given on those two. Also, especially relevant for our UK readers, we don't break that funny law you have over there about information in an ongoing criminal case. Being in America we don't think we HAVE to follow this rule, but we do because we follow our own guideline about not being dicks.
Thus endeth the lesson.
