Well DAMN, shoot the messenger!

An excerpt from an email I received the day after ae7op Art Bell's Antenna web site was removed by ProBoards.

"Do you not feel you have over re-acted to John's little prank? I do, and why against Art's site?Owell."

This email seemed to echo the sentiments of many on-air folks, as I've not only heard comments: "someone whose name begins with an 'e' reported him!"  (Give me a freaken break!)  I've also heard of phone calls going back and forth, MSN Messenger messages, and ditto emails.

Well, no, I do not feel I over reacted. 

What ae7op did by 'slamming' the www.3840HamFans.com site was completely unethical.  It is an action condemned by ANY internet TOS agreement.

A prank?  Perhaps. 
Little, definitely not, as it caused hours of additional work.
And it wasn't 'Art's Site'; it was ae7op's site that was removed.

I acted ethically in that:

• I gave ae7op 48 hrs to come forth; apologize, explain, make amends, whatever.  (He did not.)
• I cc'd a copy of the email containing the 'complaint' TO ae7op.
• By reporting this type of behavior, perhaps OTHER web sites will be spared.

 
I had NO CONTROL of any actions that Verizon, Proboards, or Hotmail, may have taken against ae7op.  I reported the incident; they each reviewed, investigated, and decided on an action (or not).

The email went on: "as I am sure I have not aligned myself with many of your values."
 
Well, ya know what, email writer (and you know who you are!), perhaps you should!!!  As I do not believe in lying (banning folks from my list and claiming I had nothing to do with it and couldn't do anything about it!), cheating, or stealing.

I believe in integrity, ethics, manners, responsibility (personal & social), telling it like it is, freedom of speech, America, AND thinking for myself.  These are not such BAD values...

In fact, ae70p is STILL a subscriber to 3840HamFans@yahoogroups.com !!! 
I did not and will not 'ban' him!