*"After All We Aren't Savages Really..."

“Everyone loves a witch hunt as long as it's someone else's witch being hunted"
(Walter Kirn )

Something very worrying is happening within the Susan Boyle community....

One of the younger members of the fandom is a prolific contributor in terms of posters and tribute videos.

Some months ago our fan (whose first language is not English) decided to add simple prose to some of his posters. He used sentiments to express his admiration for Susan and, at times, her faith. Simply written, they have a charm and simplicity that is harmless, if sometimes idealistic.

Many members of the community appreciate this young man's efforts; others loathe them.  That is, of course their prerogative.  The problem is that some members of the latter group have taken it upon themselves to try to force this young man to desist.  He was recently personally attacked twice on Facebook, thus:

I know I'm going to ruffle a lot of feathers but I have to say what is necessary.I apologize to you in advance R***.
Where does M**** get off making posters and videos of Susan Boyle when he doesn't have permission to use them. They are not his work! There are copyright laws and they apply to him as well. He puts HIS words on these posters, and they don't make sense. Get a grip of the English language M*****! You absolutely butchered Susan receiving her doctorate! I will keep hammering you until you give up your fantasy about Susan Boyle.

The bolding above is mine.  This attack took place on July 7th.
 
On  August 10th the following was posted on his Facebook wall, by the same person as before:

What accusations now? Me and millions of other people adore Susan Boyle only we don't spend endless hours on posters with silly words on them. News flash M****.... YOU ARE NOT THE MAN IN SUSAN BOYLE"S LIFE !! There are also a great many of us that are sick of you. You're 35 years old and still living in LA LA Land. Geesh!

 Again, the bolding above is mine.

Can anyone honestly agree that this sort of attack is morally justifiable?  Can 'hammering' at someone to try to force them to change ever be acceptable?  These are prime examples of cyber-bullying.

How would anyone of us feel if we were told that 'a great many' were sick of us?  I would feel wounded.  I should imagine most of us would....

Now add to this the fact that the young man's skills in English are very limited.  He cannot adequately defend himself.  In fact, the only way in which he can adequately express his emotions and admiration for Susan Boyle is in his videos and posters, which he posts every day ....

Remind you of anyone?  Susan Boyle herself has stated that the only way in which she can express herself adequately is through singing.

He does not always use photographs of Susan Boyle that have been airbrushed or show her at what most of us consider to be her most attractive. But to our young, male fan, all photographs of Susan are beautiful, and in that sense he is entirely without prejudice. 

It is not only on Facebook that the young man has been attacked.  It has happened privately as well.  It has also happened on the largest fan forum within the community.  It has become so bad that on several occasions he has tried to resign from the forum on which some of his antagonists are members; only to return out of his loyalty to Susan.  But that is seen as 'manipulation' of fellow fans.  The young man is discouraged and frustrated, and tries to make that known, but that in turn is seen as further manipulation....and cries for attention!

At The Susan Boyle Fans Forum recently a group of members took it upon themselves to take this young man to task over his tributes to Susan Boyle. His attackers seem to be of the opinion that he is 'holding the forums to ransom' by continuing to post.   They complain that he 'monopolizes the forum' by posting consistently.  They, on the other hand, whilst complaining amongst themselves do little to add to the content themselves.  They insist that they cannot bear to look at his contributions (yes, this member does have his own threads in which he posts his tributes) yet when they log in to the forum they sit and watch his threads, waiting...waiting...!  It would be so easy just to ignore them....

Recently, like any good member should, our young man purportedly committed what seemed to be a mortal sin; he posted a couple of tweets on the twitter thread!  

"He's taking over the twitter thread too now!" the cry went up.  It would be amusing if it were not so indicative of what is happening within the Susan Boyle community as a whole.  It seems to me that the natural balance of members has been lost on many forums, due to previous 'partings of the ways' of Susan Boyle fans. 

At The Susan Boyle Fan Forum  we believe that one person's freedom to post should not be up for a vote by other members, particularly when a member is posting positively and respectfully and supporting Susan Boyle.  

We will not be held to ransom in that way by small packs baying for blood.

*"'after all we aren't savages really...'"
- William Golding, Lord of the Flies, Ch. 11

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest...

 "we see what the mebers ahev to say - if theya r4e sifficuently behind us we may ride this out"   - Hils (aka Pickled Tink) 7/18/2010

If it were not for the number of people whose reputations were so badly damaged in the appalling deception carried out by Judy Okla and Danileo in July 2010, the recent appointment of Judy as Administrator of SBFII would be laughable.  Quite honestly, you couldn't make this stuff up!

I thought I might provide the most basic of Cliff Notes for those readers whose memories need refreshing in the 18 months that have passed since those shameful events.  All of the information I am listing CAN be proved, incontrovertibly.

On July 17th/18th 2010 word spread amongst the staff at SBFII that an attempt was to be made to 'take over the forum' by 'DJGers', i.e. members of Susahumor.  This false rumour was instigated by a cyber troll who had somehow won the trust of the staff at SBFII (even though he had been banned under many different aliases.)  The staff encouraged the falsehoods and helped spread them.

Staff started resigning, including Kalua (admin) and this continued throughout the day.  It was obviously pre-planned, probably on the assumption that there would be a clamour for their return, but that didn't happen. 

New admin accounts appeared 'out of the blue' and all sorts of mischief, mayhem and confusion ensued.  There was manufactured hysteria about banned members returning to the forum, even though the staff knew that new accounts had to be approved by a moderator before becoming full members.

Some members panicked, there was a hue and cry, and the remaining staff resigned leaving lChris to try and cope with what looked like, to all intents and purposes, an attack on the forum.  If the staff had seriously believed the forum was under attack, would they really have resigned and abandoned the members to their fate?

lChris was eventually unable to cope single-handed and asked for volunteers with some admin experience to assist, so another member and I eventually stepped forward and did what we could to help.  We had no idea at that time what was happening. lChris had expected Tink and the staff to return on July 19th.  They did not.  Tink claimed that lChris was preventing her from doing so, but that was a lie.

Afterwards, when the staff DID agree to return, I was accused of letting banned members in.  The fact is, NO banned members were readmitted to the forum, but members were encouraged to think they were, in the chaos. Even so, Pickled Tink later made a deliberate attempt to incriminate me in an official statement  of the Board of Directors.

Kalua was re-admitted as a staff member.  He could not become a member of the Board as he refused to give his personal information to dyebat who needed it to register officers of the intended non-profit organization that would become SBFII.

Pressure was put on the Board to carry out an investigation, in an effort to determine the perpetrators and to exonerate innocent parties.  In the end Tink arranged for an 'independent' examination of the database by one of her son's mates..... 
He answered the questions she put to him, but they were not designed to reveal any information that Tink and the Board did not want disclosed.

The Board made a ridiculous statement full of inaccuracies which played fast and loose with the truth.  Facts were manipulated by Tink to cover the antics of JudyOkla and Danileo and it contained a generalized 'apology' to the perpetrators as well as the victims of the farce.

Eventually dyebat became so exasperated with the lack of progress of the SBFII Board investigation that she requested additional help to examine the database. 

Knudt's systematic examination of the database revealed very clearly that JudyOkla and Danileo were behind the forum fiasco.  She laid out the evidence painstakingly so that everyone had the chance to see the truth.  Here is a link: Setting the Record Straight For Susan Boyle Fans

Many of the staff at SBFII denied ever reading knudt's blog which just adds to the mountain of lies already told.  We KNOW that staff members and Board members read them.  And that some of them KNOW that they contain an accurate, truthful record of events.

So, JudyOkla is now admin of SBFII.  No members of DJG's forum, or any other forum, ever had designs on SBFII, but it begs the question in my mind that perhaps someone else did....

Many of us are familiar with the concept of psychological 'projection';  ascribing one's own thoughts, feelings and motivation to others.

We had thought that the accusations that someone wanted to take over the forum were completely false, but did they perhaps have some basis in fact, but not from 'outsiders'?  Did JudyOkla and Danileo plan this way back in July 2010?

I am reminded of some very wise words,

To do evil a human being must first of all believe that what he's doing is good... Ideology - that is what gives devildoing its long-sought justification and gives the evildoer the necessary steadfastness and determination. That is the social theory which helps to make his acts seem good instead of bad in his own and others' eyes, so that he won't hear reproaches and curses but will receive praise and honors. - Alexandr Solzhenitsyn

Unmuddying the Waters.

SBFII recently released a statement regarding former members of that forum which would appear to have been designed to confuse and misinform.  I wish to clarify a couple of points.

1.  My blogs have been based on hard evidence that can be backed up.

2.  Whilst it might be useful for SBFII to 'cloister together' former members of that forum, the fact is that we are neither unified, nor working in concert.

Knudt and I extend the hand of friendship, and amnesty, to any Susan Boyle fan at our new forum The Susan Boyle Fans Forum  as we have done since we opened back in December.  

Contrary to the claims made in the recent SBFII statement, The Susan Boyle Fans Forum does not permit discussion of 'legacy' issues concerning SBFII. It is a sanctuary free from that. We enjoy an atmosphere of mutual respect and friendship there, and so do our members.  We intend to keep it that way and take this opportunity to thank our members for their support in this regard.

Just Following Orders? Nae Excuse!

I have recently received a copy of an email sent by Stevieboy last July.  The member who passed it along assumed that we had already seen it.  Not so.  If others have relevant information that we have not mentioned, please let us know.

When converted to the database time, the email was received at 07:47 am Monday July 19, 2010.

Dear friends, 

I have been asked by Tink to inform you of the situation as it stands right now on the Forum. 
As you might be aware by now, Carlos (Kalua) has resigned as Admin of the site, effective immediately and I and Ross Manarchy (waldog) have also resigned. This is in response to the behaviour by dyebat and Lchris and what is perceived to be an attempt to undermine the Staff. We are also under sustained attack by those member of DJFG's site, who are conspiring to destroy the forum, something they have been trying to do now for many months, even before the recent auction. 

If you wish the bulk of the remaining Staff to remain, then you are requested to say this in the strongest possible terms, for as it stands at the moment, the entire Staff is about to resign en masse.

Thank you,
Graeme

PS Please pass this message on to your friends on the forum, the ones that you can trust!

Tink asked Stevieboy to send the email, so it can be reasonably assumed that she knew what he would say.  I believe that this email further implicates Pickled Tink as one of those coordinating the events of July 2010.

Stevieboy claimed that Dyebat and lchris were trying to undermine staff, but as we have shown, they did no such thing.  They had always expected staff to be in charge, and asked them to return. 

So why had the rumour that Dyebat and lchris wanted to undermine staff been passed around?  Most likely it was the result of their questioning of Kalua’s excessive need for secrecy.  He had refused to provide any identification at all, even though he was to be Director of the Board.  If Dyebat and lchris insisted on it, they had to be discredited.

Stevieboy claimed that the site was “under sustained attack” from DJG members.  We now know that the “sustained attack” had nothing to do with DJG and was done by JudyOkla and Danileo.  But who told Stevieboy that it was the DJGers?

Stevieboy also said that the ”entire Staff is about to resign en masse”.  He asked for members to say if they wanted the staff to remain “in the strongest possible terms”.  This is further confirmation of the ploy by staff to walk out and orchestrate the membership to demand their return.

It is clear that the events of July 18th were coordinated by the several staff members.

It is possible that some of the staff members were unaware that it was a sham and were used by others.  Stevieboy had been trusted by the membership of the forum.  If he knew that that the whole thing was a set-up, it was a betrayal of the forum members.  If he did not know about the activities of JudyOkla and Danileo, it is especially unfortunate that he would be used in this way to spread disinformation.

Actions Speak Louder Than Words.

A brief synopsis of knudt's most recent blogs.....

JudyOkla and Danileo created six new accounts at forum.susan-boyle.com.  They were EvaMarie, kaydaniels (8101), roseym, kaydaniels (8106), Looie and jayme.  They proceeded to give them admin permissions.  Four of the six accounts performed actions as admins on July 18th-20th, including using “access masks” to override forum permissions.

Kaydaniels (8101) was used by JudyOkla on the evening of July 18th.  She moderated posts and modified announcements.

JudyOkla returned to her own account and modified the account of larryF, LonniR’s alter ego. She then edited her own admin permissions as well as those of DocRobbie and lChris.

Danileo logged in as EvaMarie.  The Kaydaniels account was apparently unsatisfactory so EvaMarie 'killed' the account of the first Kaydaniels, removing most (but not all) evidence.

Twelve mins later, JudyOkla switched from her own account to that of roseym.  She performed a variety of actions in the Admin Control Panel before returning to her own account again.

JudyOkla edited the account of 'Nugget' which was another account used by Hulapig.  Then she edited her own admin permissions again.

By 9.12pm, a new (second) account under the name of kaydaniels had been created.  This account was modified and edited by Danileo using the account of EvaMarie. 

JudyOkla edited forum permissions for a variety of threads, using access masks which override other permissions.  This included both Staff room and member threads.  Shortly after 11.00pm, JudyOkla resigned, followed soon after by Danileo.

A mere 10 mins after Danileo resigned, EvaMarie was back on the forum using an IP address of a proxy in Illinois.  EvaMarie edited the account of Looie, another of the newly-created admin accounts.  

EvaMarie returned after midnight on July 19th using yet another proxy, this one in the UK.  EvaMarie altered the record of the original account of Clix Pix.  Then she continued to edit Looie's account.  EvaMarie also edited access masks (permissions) for forum threads.

Then JudyOkla logged in as kaydaniels from her own IP.  She also edited Looie, edited permissions for the Red Room and altered the history for the account of Luz. She also modified/edited the account of jayme.

In the afternoon of July 19th, Danileo logged in as EvaMarie, this time from her own IP, to view the account of a member. 

On July 20th, kaydaniels used the same UK IP that EvaMarie had used, strongly indicating that this IP was a proxy. 

In mid August, JudyOkla and Danileo both admitted to creating new admin accounts but denied using them to change anything.  The evidence suggests otherwise.

One indication that the new admin accounts were not legitimate is the clean up used to hide the evidence.  The first kaydaniels account had been killed.  JudyOkla and Danileo both altered the records of the new admins.  

Pickled Tink viewed the IPs of EvaMarie and Looie, so she was aware of who had used them.  Then she “killed” the accounts.

On July 23rd Pickled Tink checked the IPs used by EvaMarie.  Then she killed that account.  On July 25th, Pickled Tink checked the IP for Looie and then killed that account as well.

A couple of weeks after killing EvaMarie and Looie, Pickled Tink posted the following in the 'Debunking Some Rumours' thread on the forum at SBFII:

"The Investigation in the issues around hacking will be followed through proper channels. We would be  grateful if folk could avoid speculating about “Who done it” as that is counterproductive and actually hinders rather than helps. The fact is that we do NOT know who did what, if anything, at this stage and so speculating and suggesting it might be A, B or C is unhelpful – everyone is innocent until there is evidence and incontrovertible  proof that they are guilty of something."

It appears from the record that Pickled Tink knew far more than she ever admitted.

Facts Are Stubborn Things.

I have prepared a synopsis/summary of relevant points as some readers told us that it would be helpful.  This is the story so far:

No former members were unbanned on July 18th.

No banned members were approved, contrary to the comments made by Pickled Tink in the Board report.

False rumours of forum takeover were spread by staff including LonniR, Waldog and Truus. The cybertroll known as Orgonon/Mark Conner/Walkerd/willson/MaryAnn (et al) was in direct contact with most staff members and told them lies which they believed and acted upon.

LonniR rallied support by perpetuating the lies among certain members.

JudyOkla and Danileo created at least six false identities and attempted to give them Admin powers. They were partially successful. They altered records to hide when the false member accounts were created and when they were given Admin powers.

A new member account was created which Lonnirose used in the name of larryF. This account information was also altered to make it appear that 'he' had joined the forum in 2009. LonniR used this account solely to spread misinformation.

EvaMarie/Danileo logged on to the forum as an Admin. After JudyOkla and Danileo announced their resignations and had apparently left, they continued to work in the Admin Control Panel under false names. EvaMarie/Danileo returned with the same user account, but using two different proxies. A proxy is a way of disguising identity and location when online.  One of these proxies gave a UK location as described in my previous blog.

 

Stay tuned!  Watch this space.....

*Title credited to John Adams.

"Draw the curtain, the fraud is over."

At 8:29 pm, EvaMarie had used the IP address of Danileo. At 11:33 pm, EvaMarie began using the IP address of a known proxy in Woodstock, IL. At 12:18 am on July 19, just 43 minutes later, EvaMarie began using an IP address located in the UK.  There are three possible explanations for that.  She had given the account information to someone in the UK, who had then logged on to the account.  Or she had invented teleportation and could move around the globe with ease.  Or, most likely, that was also a proxy.  (Knudt's blog April 7th)

I want to discuss the fact that EvaMarie (aka Danileo) went to the trouble of using a UK IP at 12.18am on July 19th.  

I feel this is extremely relevant for the following reasons.

We have already established false rumours were circulated, by staff and certain members who had been encouraged by staff, that DJG and his forum members were attempting to take over the forum at susan-boyle.com.

There were also false rumours that a forum I help administrate was involved. On July 18th (the day before) Hulapig had posted in the Transparency thread and hinted that I 'would have a clue' when a member asked who was letting 'banned members' back on to the forum. Knudt has clarified, from the records, that no-one, in fact, was guilty of that.

Danileo/EvaMarie was already using an Illinois proxy. Why change?  What did the second  proxy have that the first didn't?  The answer is a UK IP address.

DJG and I both have UK IP addresses.

Why on earth would Danileo/EvaMarie go to the trouble of using a UK proxy if it were not an attempt to cast suspicion on one of us?

*Title is a quote by Francois Rabelais

The Smear Machine

Character assassination is at once easier and surer than physical assault; and it involves far less risk for the assassin. It leaves him free to commit the same deed over and over again, and may, indeed, win him the honors of a hero in the country of his victims. (Alan Barth)

On 5th August last year, just three weeks after the events of July 18th - 21st, there was a contrived effort on the part of staff and certain 'key players' of SBFII to 'move on' despite the fact that nothing had been resolved as far as determining who had created so much confusion on the forum.  The voices of those who had posted most accusingly in July were heard loudest in August, whilst those members whose names had been smeared were equally as determined that they would not allow the matter to be merely swept under the carpet.  Despite the fact that the party line was to move on, with the general understanding that mistakes had been made on all sides, posts continued to be made by staff members that were inflammatory and that belied acceptance of that premise.  Here is one such example.

LonniR posted the following in a thread started by Pickled Tink entitled, 'Debunking Rumours':

"...Neither Tink nor I resigned until after the hacking and 3 of the new mods never did. That night all the mods were suddently and without warning stripped of our accesses. For a while there we did not know why or what had happened, and then realized we were being inundated with banned members on the forum and were powerless to stop them. I later understood we were locked out for security reasons, but at the time it was as though we had all been fired without notice. It was a very trying situation for everyone involved, but it's all been resolved now and we can move on.

At the time of the July incident, members could join the forum provisionally, subject to moderator approval. No banned members were approved during that period, yet LonniR still perpetuated the rumour and exaggerated the run of events.  Inundated? As a moderator she would have been aware that only three former members had joined, and that none had been approved. 

LonniR claimed that it had 'all been resolved' last August, but had anything been resolved?  Had members discovered the truth about what happened?  Was any retraction made by the Staff or Board of Directors of SBFII regarding the ludicrous claim that 'the DJGers' had planned to take over the forum?  No. The facts had not been uncovered.

Is the truth of what happened then worth any less today than it was then? 

Despite the apparent effort on the part of Staff to persuade members to 'move on', beyond the July events, permission was granted by management to CanadianBill to attack members of another Susan Boyle Fan Site, in the form of his thread entitled "Some Urgent Questions For All".  This information was given to him by Mark Conner/Orgonon (aka the cyber stalker bully.) 

Was the sanctioning of this thread conducive to 'moving on''? 

Now Paulie's forum members and I had become victims of the SBFII smear machine.  The attack against me, personally, was scathing.

The smear machine is the opus operandi by which several members and former members of SBFII (formerly susan-boyle.com) had their characters assassinated either actively or by passive resistance of the administrators.  

The cyber-troll promoted the notion that several forum members, who had had the good fortune to attend Susan's performances several times were stalkers. No firm statement was made to deny or counteract those  allegations by the administrators at SBFII.  Not only were those allegations not denied; they were in at least in one case passed along by Pickled Tink! There is not a shadow of doubt in my mind that the rebuttals should have been immediate and unambiguous.  No such  support was forthcoming from the administration and so these good peoples' names were smeared.  Why?

At the time of the trouble last summer, Danileo inappropriately used her professional nursing experience to lend credibility to her false claim that Dyebat was suffering from dementia.  This unsubstantiated, incorrect and damning diagnosis was perpetuated by Mirrim, and others.  

It was, obviously, a total fabrication that was both erroneous and malicious.

JudyOkla also started making none too subtle references to lchris's state of mind, feigning concern for her well-being within the community.  Every effort was made to suggest that lchris's judgement was impaired through lack of sleep and overwork.  Nothing could have been further from the truth.

Whilst outwardly the impression of 'moving forward together' was promoted by the staff, a very different story was being played out behind the scenes.  The cyber-stalker was still in communication with staff and certain members. He was still believed, despite the fact that the staff themselves recognised him as the pest they had banned on many previous occasions.  Why?

In matters of truth and justice, there is no difference between large and small problems, for issues concerning the treatment of people are all the same. (Albert Einstein)

The Beginning of the End

Now this is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning. (Winston Churchill)

It has been eight months since the events of last July set us on our present path.  Establishing the truth has involved a long period of examination and analysis.  We might have been able to publish our findings a little earlier but we have experienced illness, surgery and other real life situations which took priority.

lChris, dyebat and I have been lied about publicly in particularly vicious ways.  I have been a victim of malicious communication by CB, approved by SBFII staff, and so it is of particular importance to me to make it a matter of public record that this was done without foundation.

For four months we put our faith in the Board of Directors of (the now) SBFII and took them at their word when they promised a full investigation as to what had taken place.

When, after months the promised report failed to appear, Knudt, lChris & Dyebat and I started to blog, in order to bring the truth to light by putting pressure on the Board to have a full examination of the forum record and the results made public. Our actions did appear to have some effect.

A report from the Board of Directors was finally posted in mid November but it became apparent that no thorough investigation had been taken, and that no honest disclosure would be forthcoming.

So we continued with our own investigation.  We examined relevant threads from the July period, establishing a time-line and converting times for data into EST, which is 'forum time'. We continued to blog and to continue to try to clear our names.

By December, it became quite obvious that the administrators at SBFII were not prepared to bring the truth to light and so I made the decision to resign.  So did lChris and dyebat. Knudt did not resign, but was (soon) banned.

It was at this point that dyebat decided that knudt and I could be handed some of the Hostgator records (for the period during which she had been the owner) to carry out a thorough investigation.

In January we received the first part of the database. We then had to learn how to read, search, analyse and interpret it.  We sometimes had to search in several places to find the truth, when attempts had been made to cover it up.  

We received more of the database in March. The pieces of the puzzle began to come together at last.  Despite the delay and the length of the journey to truth, I am able to confirm that we did get definitive answers. We are now posting our findings.

It is regrettable that those responsible for the events of July 18th - 21st did not step forward in an honourable way to admit their parts in what happened.  That would have saved a lot of time and further angst from within the community.  

They Had Come to a Time When No-one Dared Speak His Mind......

 “Great is truth, but still greater, from a practical point of view, is silence about truth. By simply not mentioning certain subjects... totalitarian propagandists have influenced opinion much more effectively than they could have by the most eloquent denunciations.” (Aldous Huxley)

Banning knudt was just one part of the new draconian atmosphere at susan-boyle.com.  Now they are treating members cavalierly and breaking their own rules.  They are rewriting history as well as policy.  They have deleted many threads, denying members access to part of the forum record.  

There has recently been another example of the administration not treating  a member at the forum in accordance with their own rules. 

Last week a dedicated fan of Susan Boyle, active on several forums, felt she had no option but to write to the administrators of susan-boyle.com.

These words touched me, because they summarise very eloquently what many of us feel, and so I asked her permission to share them here.

"Pickled Tink and Kalua:

In spite of the fact that I've broken no rules of this forum, not one, not once, and in spite of the fact that I've never been given a warning of any kind, last night I was designated "pre-moderation." I don't even know what that means, but I'm guessing it amounts to a seat in the back row of the Naughty Corner.

In every single post I've made here since this forum was a blog, I've been civil and respectful when speaking my mind. My posts have never been capricious or frivolous. Last night I asked a question because I really wanted to know. My question went unanswered, and my post was deleted, and my name was removed from your list of members. You have violated your own procedures and treated me rudely, without so much as a PM to tell me why.

The legion of your former members, the banned, the damned, and the disgusted are beginning to outnumber you. Your ever-expanding rules and definitions are a lexicon of restrictions, warnings, and punishments. It's way too tedious and banana republic for me. I've been a grownup for quite a while now, and I have no desire to be "pre-moderated" and sent to the Naughty Corner by a couple of paranoid control freaks, who are bent upon squeezing the life out of what once was a very nice place.

Please delete my account.

Sincerely,
Skywriter

Has the forum, as George Orwell wrote, come to a time when no one dared speak his mind?  What are members to think when someone can be punished for simply asking a question?

Speak the Truth and Shame the Devil.

The truth is "hate speech" only to those who have something to hide.

(Michael Rivero)

January 11th 2011 will go down as another dark day in the history of susan-boyle.com.

This afternoon knudt was banned from that forum by kalua for "disruptive beahviour (stet) on the forum."

What had she posted today to deserve such a fate?  What was so disruptive?

Not a thing!

This afternoon Knudt was saving print versions of threads for her own reference.  It is important to her to be accurate in her blogs.

She received an email notification of a PM from kalua.  She had to read the message in her Hotmail account as she was unable to read the message on the forum; she had already been banned.

This is the message she received,

Knudt 

For the last several days you have been copying and printing entire threads.If I see you doing it once more you or one of your croonies I will ban you and the lot. 

I'm absolutely sure that the international court in The Hague will accept your complaint. 

Your behaviour in this forum has become intolerable, you are warned! and if this pm lands in your blog, the same applies a complete ban.

Kalua
Administrator

It is a good thing that someone is preserving threads from susan-boyle.com because today quite a few 'disappeared'.  

Why?  Unless there is something to hide of course.....

Truth and Reconciliation

Reconciliation  should be accompanied by justice, otherwise it will not last. While we all hope for peace it shouldn't be peace at any cost but peace based on principle, on justice.  Corazon Aquino

The wounds of the past 18 months are too deep for many of us to ignore, but I wonder just how many members tried to deny the problems at susan-boyle.com and turned a blind eye because it was easier 'not to become involved'?  

Why are the administrators at the other site still manipulating facts?  Is there no-one on the Board capable of asking the questions that so obviously need truthful answers? 

A process must emerge to uncover the truth, if we are to build our future on a solid foundation.  This is not a witch hunt.  We already know that they did things.  The problem is, the cover-up is worse than the original actions.

For the good of the community as a whole, people should not be left in charge who do things like that.  Lessons have been learned and mistakes must never be repeated as we move forward.

The last Board report of November 14th, damning as it was to many of us, acted as a catalyst to reflect upon what we have done as a community, as we try to leave our painful past behind us and celebrate Susan Boyle at  Susan Boyle Fans Forum. 

The new site provides a historic bridge between the past of a deeply divided fandom characterized by conflict and injustice, and a future founded on a peaceful co-existence for all Susan Boyle fans. 

Unity and the well-being of all fans requires reconciliation between all factions of the community, but it can only be realised when it goes hand in hand with truth.

To further the cause of peace and reconciliation will require all of our collective effort.  If it is based on anything less than the truth, it will be a house built on sand, and I wonder how many of us can bear to see it fail yet again because of a few individuals?

Renaissance

For the first time since mid July I can write with a feeling of optimism. That feeling has been hard-won.

 

I put everything I had into trying to bring about reintegration of members at susan-boyle.com. After the Board report I did everything I could to illustrate the parody of democracy that I saw enacted there.  I could not 'go gently into that dark night' as Board members seemed able to do.

'Divide and Conquer' is a very effective tactic to maintain control of people.  It is one I have found is not only employed by cyber stalker trolls.  Truth is usually the first casualty, and secrecy and paranoia can make fools of us all.

This year has been gruelling; my personal annus horribilis. It  demanded so much energy, that once I could no longer see any resolution there, I took the decision to resign.  I can honestly say, I have not looked back since.

Not everything has been negative of course.  One wonderful thing that has happened since July is that people have shown their true colours and many have had the courage to nail those colours to the mast. Several members I had found myself head to head with in the past I am now honoured to call friend.  It became obvious as time passed, that the empathy we felt against injustice far outweighed other matters.  We got to know each other better...

If fans could not be reunited from across the Susan Boyle community via the forum at susan-boyle.com, could it happen somewhere else?  Could there be a Renaissance of our community as a whole? Some lateral thinking was called for.....

Lchris offered to help knudt and I set up a new forum where everyone was welcome. Somewhere where everyone is treated with the same courtesy and is subject to the same (few) rules, applied transparently.

It is with great pleasure (and a little trepidation) that I can tell you that a new forum has been put in place where each and every one of you is welcome.  All we ask is that you do not come 'in disguise' and treat each other and the forum kindly.

We extend a warm welcome to you all at Susan Boyle Fans and we look forward to seeing you there.

Long Walk to Freedom

We should put the spin-doctors in spin clinics, where they can meet other spin patients and be treated by spin consultants. The rest of us can get on with the proper democratic process.

Benn,Tony (Anthony Neil Wedgwood)
In The Independent,'Quote Unquote', 25 Oct.

It is said that a year is a long time in politics.

That being accepted, eighteen months in the Susan Boyle community can seem like a lifetime.

Since April 11th 2009, I think I can truly say I have experienced the full range of emotions several times over; from exhilaration, to the depths of despair.

When I first heard Susan sing, I experienced what everyone else on the forums describe.  Her audition tape still has the same effect.  Nothing has diminished.  I don't think it ever will.

I had never joined a forum before, let alone a fan forum, and in the beginning I felt awkward and quite shy.  I lurked for a number of weeks before summoning up the courage to join susan-boyle.com.  It took me almost as long to make my first post, and when I did I felt like a school kid sitting an examination.  I still remember the wave of relief when someone did actually reply to my post.

I soon made friendships, several of which I'm sure will endure. 'Virtual' friends became flesh and blood as we discovered the joy of Skype and could hear each other's voices.  We laughed, cried and celebrated Susan Boyle together and it was wonderful!

At times it seemed too good to last, and of course, it was.  

The community became splintered quite early in the history of the forum and it appears to me that some opportunists used that to forward their own agendas.

On numerous occasions I have had my words twisted around to mean something entirely different to what I intended.  Two individuals were particularly good at this.  One was the cyber bully; the other was Pickled Tink.  

A brazen example of this was illustrated in the Board report.  Not only did PT knowingly lie about my actions, but she manipulated my own words to make her lie seem more plausible.

When words are spun repeatedly, changing the characterisation and context of what was said, it may be clever, but it is not commendable.  It creates a pattern of deception.

I could have expected no better from the cyber troll, but I certainly expected better from Pickled Tink. I have only one message for her.  Nietzsche said it well,

“I'm not upset that you lied to me, I'm upset that from now on I can't believe you”

And that is why I can never go back to susan-boyle.com.  It truly has been a very long walk to freedom....

Lies, Damned Lies.....

"People do not believe lies because they have to, but because they want to."
Malcom Muggeridge

First of all I want to thank all those members of susan-boyle.com who posted supportively for me on the forum recently.  I appreciate it very much.

For the record, I feel I should make clear that I fought hard to find a way for all fans to move forward in peace and harmony on that forum. 

On July 11th I received a PM from the two administrators of the forum in which they made me an offer of the position of Appeals Committee Chairperson.  I accepted the offer the same day.  My intention was to make myself available when the necessity arose, or when a problem presented itself.

Up until I received the email from the Vice Chairman, it was still my intention to carry out those duties to the best of my ability. 

I knew from the outset that it would not be an easy role to fulfil, but the 'right' paths to take in this life rarely are. I would have put all my effort into it, but I am unable to do any of that, because I was fired.

This evening I heard that a moderator was assuring members that I had 'told the forum administrators recently and often in no uncertain terms' that I 'did not want the board position'.

This came as a complete and utter surprise to me!  Nothing could be further from the truth. I told the forum administrators no such thing.  I never once stated that I did not want the post. 

Quite simply, I was fired.  I hope that is clear.

Smoke and Mirrors

Smoke and mirrors is a metaphor for a deceptive, fraudulent or insubstantial explanation or description. The source of the name is based on magicians' illusions, where magicians make objects appear or disappear by extending or retracting mirrors amid a confusing burst of smoke. The expression may have a connotation of virtuosity or cleverness in carrying out such a deception. (Wikipedia)

Tonight the Board of SBFII meets again.  I see that a 'correction' has been made to the report of November 14th. It was done quietly yesterday afternoon.  In fact, had I not looked myself I would have had no idea this had happened. Nevertheless, I am grateful for the amendment.   My time travel days are over. I hope we get no more 'smoke and mirrors' from tonight's meeting.

To get the right answers, one has first to ask the right questions...

The Board's 'independent' investigation into the events of July 18th failed to ask the right questions of the expert.  

The 'Independent' investigation promised to members was to be conducted by someone not involved directly with current Staff or Board Members. It was moved (unknown to members and lchris/dyebat) to be conducted at the home of the Director of the Board by a friend/neighbour of her son.

All seven members of the Board approved this. All seven members of the Board presented this report to members as their 'Independent' investigation. What is untenable is the fact that two (staff) Board members signed the original report dated November 14th even though they knew it contained statements that were at best misleading.  How on earth could this have happened?  Are they not aware of the weight such a statement carries?

From the official report of that investigation the investigator was asked to "examine the data base to see if there was any evidence of hacking, or interference and to comment upon the database errors which we were and are continuing to experience."

Had this been a genuinely neutral investigation all involved should have been asked a few questions in order to piece together the chronology. Neither Xeno, lchris, dyebat or I were ever asked any questions by the investigator. lchris collected data throughout, yet no one asked for it.  The findings would have been very different had this happened.

But sometimes it pays to ask people the wrong questions so you can make the outcome appear to be suitable for your purposes.

I want to give credit to two technical analysts on the forum who, after the events of July 18th, came to lchris and apologised unreservedly for their part in the confusion that night. They told Chris they had created two admin accounts because they genuinely believed that the forum was under attack (by the faction named by the cyber stalker bully.)  They had been unable to grant super-admin powers to those accounts, but their logic at that time had been perfectly rational.  Was it any wonder they were led to believe that the attack was genuine, when another staff member had issued a call to arms earlier that day?

It was by working with certain staff members, and others, that the cyber stalker was so successful.  He did not have to repeat his deceptions; the 'team' did it for him.  That gave his lies far more credence.

What I find extremely difficult to come to terms with is the assertion that those two new admin accounts were created as 'redundancy' (safeguards).  It makes no sense that two experienced technical officers should practise a fire drill if they thought the building was genuinely on fire!  The truth, on the other hand, makes perfect sense.  If those two accounts were authorised, they were authorised retrospectively; not on July 18th/19th.

But I still find it incredulous that the report also laid the effect of the troll's influence firmly at our door.  By 'our' I mean lchris, dyebat and me.

I really think it is time for people to stand up and 'fess up.

Some of the staff, some Board members, and some of the general members know more of this story and are keeping quiet, allowing innocent people to take the blame. To them I would say, you owe all of us in the Susan Boyle community the truth. We want to move on and forward in unity. You are preventing that. There is no shame in telling the truth.

Food for Thought.

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving Day in The U.S.A.  Americans are enjoying a holiday that is centred around food.  My family and I all have plenty and for that I am thankful.

Although we don't celebrate Thanksgiving here, the thought was enough to make me reflect about what I have to be thankful for this year, and it is a lot.

First of all, I still have my husband.  He was very seriously ill earlier in the year and spent most of the summer in hospital, prior to heart surgery.  Yesterday he had his 62nd birthday; the birthday that he most likely would not have lived to celebrate.  For that I am thankful.

In times such as these, you begin to realise who your real friends are.  I have been blessed this year with the support of friends of long standing and that of friends whom I have never actually met, but who could not have done more had they been family.  For all of them, I am thankful.

During the last year, in times of great trouble, I have laughed with people and cried with them.  I have found myself totally supportive of forum members with whom I have been at odds in the past, and at odds with those I had thought friends.  It has been a year of enlightenment; for that I am thankful.

I was blessed (or cursed) with an enquiring mind.  I have always questioned things that made no sense to me and that has not always made life easier.  Nevertheless, in 57 years it has taught me one thing, and that is, it is better to understand a little than to misunderstand a lot.  For that life lesson I am thankful.

I have been accused of many things during the past year, from being a time traveller to a dangerous international cyber-hacker.  Unfortunately time is linear and my level of computer skills would make the average 14-year old laugh.   Although a few people have dropped me from their friends lists, blocked me from following them on twitter and even attacked me personally and publicly, I have to remember that there are also those who have gone out of their way to send me a kind word or message of support.  For those individuals I am thankful.

This last year has been stressful and difficult for a number of reasons. I am grateful that I have come through it intact.  I could not have done so without conviction.  When I look at myself in the mirror, my conscience is clear.  For that I am thankful.

Thank you to my American friends, for reminding me that I have so very much to be thankful for.

Back to the Future?

For tonight's blog I have to refer you to a previous post, because something rather strange has happened in the thread that has caused so much contention on the forum.  It seems some posts have 'disappeared'

Take a look!

Peace in Our Time - Updated November 22nd 2010

Whatever could have happened?!

Oh, What a Tangled Web We Weave....

Oh what a tangled web we weave,
When first we practise to deceive!
(Sir Walter Scott)

I thought tonight I would give you a little more insight into our common enemy; the cyber stalker.

As I have posted before, he is many different things to different people.  He has woven webs upon webs of different identities, often posting to support himself in another guise.

Here are some of his posts.  Pay particular attention to his syntax; those of you who have had direct contact with him will doubtless recognise his 'style'.

I came across the cyber stalker today at Peace FM Online

You will find him posting there as Jessy, Jessie, Drake, Hola, Nebs and Marion.  At least six IDs on one site in one day....

Thankfully 'Adam' recognises him as well.

Apart from the many forum names we are familiar with on our forum, he is a regular poster at Irish Central, under several different names.  Belfastjames is just one of them.

I am providing links so that you can check him out for yourself.  The posts do not make pleasant reading, but everyone should be aware.  Those who were in touch with him  (and those who still are) will be able to see for themselves what he really thinks of Susan.

Susan Boyle More Popular Than Michael Jackson for Sony

Susan Boyle's One Year Anniversary is a Record Breaking Party

Dame Kiri Slams Susan Boyle's Overnight Success

Susan Boyle Throws Some Shapes for the Cameras
(in this article you can see what he really thinks of Susan's fans as well).

Is Susan Boyle Being Poorly Managed?

Will Susan Boyle be Lucky or Unlucky in Love?

Many of you will see your names and comments alongside that of belfastjames.  

Some of you even thought him a valuable informant and true supporter of Miss Boyle - as I once did.  But he is something else entirely.  I now recognize that he was capable of saying anything.  He is the source of many rumours and outright lies about Susan Boyle and about her fans.

I regret very much that I was taken in by this cyber stalker bully, but I will stand up to be counted.

Anyone else care to join me?

Every time you come into contact with this cyber stalker bully, he damages the entire Susan Boyle community.  Every time you stay silent about it, he is empowered, and he has won again.

A Lingering Sense of Injustice

To know what is right and not do it is the worst cowardice.  ~Confucius

Why did I start a blog?

Imagine that one day you find yourself accused of something of which you are entirely innocent.  It is not just repeated in private.  It is posted in a thread on the forum.  The claims are outrageous and very damaging. Many people around you believe the lies  because they 'originated' from someone well respected.

You can tell from the attitude of others that the lies are believed, but no-one actually asks you if the allegations are true!  You go immediately to the person who posted those lies and you have lengthy correspondence in which you do your best to explain the truth, all to no avail.  Your accuser concedes one or two points but claims that, should he apologise, he would feel it necessary to resign from the forum, even though you insist that you would never consider that necessary.  You even go so far as to say that you would publicly ask him to rescind his resignation if he felt obliged to offer it, but even that fails to move him.

You go to administrators next, who by this time acknowledge that the information was given to the OP by someone they have banned many times before.  But when you try to insist upon a retraction, you are told that they have no authority to issue one.  They know the truth, but act to remove the offending thread only after the threat of litigation.

Imagine then that you receive a screen capture of a PM from someone who has also been concerned about the thread and who has contacted the OP directly to ask if he had been given authority to post it.  The contents of the thread do directly contradict the rules of the forum after all!  That screen capture shows quite clearly the OP admitting that he had received permission from 'administration' to go ahead and post it.  It tells me that he had a mandate to do it!

In the meantime, your friends, who know the truth as well as you do yourself, witness your distress.  They learn of your endeavours to clear your name and, as months pass, your frustration becomes theirs as well....

They try to help in the only way they know how, because they are the only people who know the truth. They try to raise the matter on the forum, when the moment seems appropriate, but of course they are dismissed as 'the same few people' each time.

You decide to write to the Board.  In order that the matter is not overlooked you write to each member of the Board, including the Chairperson and Vice Chairman.  You request read-receipts for the PMs and one by one they come back to you.  You allow yourself to feel a little more optimistic.  Surely now, someone will act.  Some three weeks later you get an acknowledgement from the Chairperson of the Board telling you that the matter will be discussed at the next Board meeting, and so you wait...and wait....and wait.....

Eventually a short message from the Board is posted. Within it is incorporated something that resembles a blanket apology because it refers to 'perceived slights'.  Your heart sinks.

Your friends, of course, also see what is happening. They see your distress but feel impotent to help; they cannot ease your pain, because they are not responsible for it. Their sense of injustice is now so intense that they begin to raise the matter again, in the threads on the forum.  After all, their names were blackened along with yours, in the morass of lies that have been told about you.

Moderators and administrators get further enraged because they cannot keep the lid on 'these same people' who keep coming back and causing ‘trouble’.  Of course we follow the wonderful news about Susan and participate on the forum.  But our enjoyment of these things is tainted by the lingering residue of injustice.  Surely there must be someone who will listen to the truth we think, so we keep trying…

Then, in an act worthy of Stalin or Pinochet, a list of edicts is put into force from the Board; no. 6 is is custom-made, or so it seems:

6. The board has taken the view that there are a small number of members who post only on contentious matters, and who rarely if ever post about Susan . They come to the forum only to resurrect past issues. The board will direct the staff to delete any posts which continue to disrupt the forum in this manner, and if necessary to terminate the membership of habitual offenders.

You have borne this all for four months now.  During that time certain 'facts' have become established in many peoples' minds, and you have tried your best to ignore the many snarky comments aimed in your direction along the way.  But deep in your heart you know you have to clear your name.

So, after every door is shut in your face and every other avenue blocked, you do what I am doing now; you put the facts - the truth - in a blog and then you tweet it a couple of times to do your best to ensure that the people who read the lies, also have the chance to read the truth.

So that is why I have started this blog.  Even though my nature is to negotiate and reason, I felt I had exhausted every channel by conventional means to overcome the problem with diplomacy.  After other doors were closed to me, it became my best option for getting my story out.