Giving a hug to the members of this group

[Heddi]

15. I would also like to give a big shout to the Forum Hosts.

A really great group of guys and gals. Truly.

I find that they are even-keeled (heh), fair, and allow for and openly solicit ideas from the participants of this group, and take all opinions with equal weight, regardless of whether you post daily, or have only been to the room once.

Unlike other so-called "Safe Haven" groups, I have found the hosts here to be MORE than patient with the litany of internet trolls, master baiters, and trouble-makers from other DU groups that come here to cause trouble. Rather than banning someone based on a single post and then claiming that person's MERE PRESENCE is a troubling disturbance to members, our hosts are quite patient, send PM's to posters who seem to be stepping over the line, and have discussion prior to anyone being banned.

I would also like to remind anyone who may have read slanderous slurs by those who have been banned from this group: NO ONE WAS BANNED HERE FOR NOT BEING THE "right" KIND OF ATHEIST. That is, to be utterly kind, revisionist history. To be honest, it's unmitigated bullshit formed of the most intentional of fabrications.

Those that have been banned from this group were banned because they were disruptive, and did not adhere to the safe-haven mindset of this group and openly mocked Atheists and/or Agnostics, "quote mined" the group, or were otherwise unwilling to have civil conversation. One, who seems quite burned by his banning, was not just banned for being insulting, and disruptive, and offensive to the posters of this group, but for failing to address a former host by their gender-preferred pronoun (she), instead INSISTING, publicly, in referring to that poster as "Him" or "he," despite being repeatedly educated regarding that member's preferred gender pronoun. He even used a word akin to "confused" to describe our friend and host. Several of those banned have since been banned from DU for being homophobic bigots---I guess bigotry generally doesn't limit itself to one "hate".

THAT is the kind of thing that gets you banned from this group. THAT is what this group protects us from.

I just think the record needs to be set straight, because there is quite a bit of revisionist history and purposeful misinformation being spread about this group by other people.

So, let's give some cheers to our hosts, who are unflappable and keep their cool under extreme pressure, and who do a superb, stand-up job at keeping this a great safe-haven (as much as they can).