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.  

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.

The Time Has Come...

"The time has come" the walrus said,
"To speak of many things"
Of trolls and goals and mod controls
Of banishments and things...
And why this blog is boiling hot
and whether pigs have wings!

"Just go away," the shippers said,
“Go find another thread”
And when they called her toxic waste
The laughter was widespread....
If only she would leave with haste,
They’d get back to their thread!

"Go over to the prayer thread"
Was the shipper’s advice.
But that was not to be because
They chased her away twice!
Did those who said mean things
to her, ever pay any price?



I do not intend the bring further embarrassment by naming members who said some appallingly cruel things to a member who received a week's ban many months ago.  They will recognise themselves I am sure.  

The sad and troubling thing about this particular (former) member is that she went on to receive another formal warning (from a former administrator) for something that someone else was guilty of.  The real guilty party was our cyber-stalker bully.  He reported other YouTube videos for copyright infringement as well as the one that caused our friend's banishment. None of us knew that at the time, but we know better now.

So friends, the next time you see 'the same people' harping back to the past 'unable to move on', please remember that some of us are aware of injustices that had, and still have, a lasting effect on those we care about.  This is the sort of thing that happens when we have no recourse to right wrongs.

Perhaps we should stop and remember, "There but for the grace of God go you or I".

Susan Boyle's Second Interview With Oprah Winfrey, October 2010.

I was so relieved to see how much more comfortable Susan and Oprah were with each other, in this second interview, but I do wish someone somewhere would find Susan a suitable chair to sit on!

This was an interview with a purpose.

In her recent autobiography, Susan Boyle revealed that she had been bullied mercilessly as a child, and it was around this topic that the interview was based.  Oprah asked Susan to describe what had happened to her.

No-one could fail to be moved by Susan's recollections of bring bullied as a child.  

Despite having her clothes burnt by cigarettes, Susan revealed that it was the persistent name-calling that caused her permanent scars.  She felt as if she was a target; that she didn't matter.  That is a soul destroying experience for anyone, much less a child.

Her experiences made Susan feel as if nobody loved her, and that gave the bullies power.

Susan told Oprah,  "In my case it was a small group of teenage girls that put me to that place. They're the worst kind. It can really hold you back and damage you. Mental bullying is the worst kind of bullying."

It would have been difficult for an outsider to detect what kind of childhood Susan had experienced.  She looked every part the princess she claimed to feel now.

Bullying comes in many different forms.  No-one should hesitate to seek help, especially from those best-placed to do something about it. But if they refuse, what then?

What can we do if we are being bullied and those in a position to help, refuse?

Keep seeking help in whatever way you can, wherever you can and do not become intimidated.

Each time you fail to demand help, another bully wins. 

Susan Boyle's Interview With Piers Morgan - Taking the Path of Truth

I sat and watched the Piers Morgan's interview with Susan Boyle this evening and was impressed by Susan's refreshing honesty above all else.  Susan confided openly, for the first time, an introspective view of her enforced stay at The Priory.  She felt she had lost everyone.  She felt 'dumped'.  It took her a year to get over that experience.  How easy it was to imagine that she quickly put it behind her in the light of the phenomenal success of her career.

Susan spoke about the childhood experiences that shaped her life.  The psychological damage Susan suffered at the hands of the bullies who haunted her childhood has left scars.  It seems in many ways her childhood was an uphill battle.  She resented bitterly that she had been labelled as 'less than whole'; that she would 'never amount to anything' and made it quite clear that she has spent her life proving doctors and other people wrong.

That is a very natural response when one has been labeled as something one is not.  I applaud her for her courage and for her tenacity.  Through sheer determination she persisted because she knew they were wrong. 

I can relate to that.....

Susan Boyle has struggled all her life for the truth she knew existed to be recognised.  Her path was hard and it took courage for her to remain fixed on her goal whilst all around her used their best powers of persuasion to stifle her.

The recognition that she is 'a worthwhile person' is a truth that she fought hard for, and ultimately won.  It was confidence in her God-given talent that ensured she never fell from her chosen path.  That reminds me of a quotation I read somewhere,

"Hiding in the shadows of falsehood, makes it impossible to move forward."  How true that is and well it can be applied to life generally.