OK, Bob, I dare you tell us the reasons why you think you were banned.
Dear David, et al...
You know a dare is my only weekness! So, I'll save you the time of composing a double-dog-dare...
I was actually banned from MPT for posting the exact same post I sent to MOPO yesterday morning (I guess I can post it again below - you might also want to check out Randy's recent MOPO posts for some background on the recent upheaval at MPT). As far as I can tell, my post didn't break (or even come close to breaking) any of the rules of the forum - except for the unwritten "thou shalt not disagree with Jon or Bruce" rule - and shouldn't have been censored in the first place... ;o)
You are right Koose, I also posted the following there this afternoon only to have it deleted 6 hours later (before people were allowed to see it):
--------------------------- Dear Friends,
I have been asked not to post to the forum in the future.
Thank you for putting up with me for so long.
Cheers, ---------------------------
I'm fairly opinionated and outspoken, but WOW...
Good night all,
Bob
--------------------------- An open letter to the MPT Forum:
Congratulations on destroying the best forum in the movie poster world!
Strong words, but true nonetheless.
You all know my feelings on censorship. And, if all my posts have to be 'approved' - then, I'm not going to be posting very much any more (I censor myself enough already). And, I know a lot of you feel the same (you'll notice that a lot of the more senior/knowledgable members haven't posted in the last couple days or have left the forum for good). In fact, the reason I never joined Style B was that I didn't like the idea that all members had to be 'approved' to join.
And, the implication that this all comes about from libelous posts is pure fabrication! We were free to mention innumerable bad apples in the past. It wasn't until recent events implicated the 'biggest apple' did all this start.
If fear of litigation was really behind the recent censorship (and I know of several posts that appear to have been censored - more than the single one they officially concede) then the ABSOLUTE LAST thing Jon would have done would have been to change to a completely moderated forum. A forum owner has virtually NO liability for what a member posts UNLESS it's a completely moderated forum (the owner then becomes the publisher). In fact, he did the very worst thing he could have done from a liability standpoint!!! THE VERY WORST! Think about it. If you were afraid of being sued, would you do the one thing that would open you up to MORE liability? Of course not. He would have incorporated, so that there was no personal liability (and that only costs a few hundred dollars to insulate yourself completely).
So, we can safely assume that the recent fiasco is a direct result of a very small handful of dealers complaining to Jon, not from any threat of litigation (that would certainly fail). Or, more specifically, it probably came from BH (judging by the timing and content of the recent posts and the personalities involved)...
As we've said before, if you are a public figure, you open yourself up to comment/criticism (go ahead, say whatever you want about me). But, BH obviously doesn't like that (remember his innumerable exits from MPT and Mopo). That's too bad! Deal with it! Jon needs to tell him (or whoever else is complaining) to take a pill and leave him alone. If you can't stand the heat - get out of the kitchen. You can be a big dealer OR you can be anonymous, NOT BOTH. Pick one.
No offence, but people who are trying to restrict a free and open discourse on this site (there has not been even a single truly libelous post on this site that I can remember) are no better than Fascists. You are not in favor of free speech, if you are only in favor of free speech for people who agree with (or say only nice things about) you. And, despite what you say, a completely moderated forum IS NOT the same thing as what we had before - it's a farce. It's one of Bush's 'town hall' meetings - untrustworthy by definition...
If we aren't free to comment on the bad dealers (as well as the good), then we run the risk of becoming the internet version of one of Bruce's email club messages (only without the giveaways) - nothing but bland praise and useless discourse... And, in this industry, being able to call out the bad dealers is of utmost importance, as most of the wholesalers can't be trusted to deliver 'original' posters when that is what is ordered...
Now, don't get me wrong. I have absolutely nothing against Bruce or Jon. In fact, I like both of them and would have absolutely no qualms about dealing with either of them. But, I tell my friends when they are wrong - and in this case BOTH of them are wrong! Dead wrong! At times like these, it is often easiest to curtail people's human rights (remember the Patriot Act) than to do what's right.
You are putting your own needs and desires in front of several thousand others, and that isn't right. And, you are doubly wrong if the offending posts happen to have a basis in truth...
Pease, please, please return MPT to what it once was - the best place on the net to talk about what we all love.
Otherwise, prepare to become irrelevant...
Sincerely,
Bob Brooks
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