User blog:Eagleeyedan/"Hate me if you want to, Love me if you can"

 Let me start this blog off with some quotes that seem rather relevant.



"In my experience there are no heroes, no villains, just people with different agendas. I'm just trying to make this city a better place however hopeless that may be." - Matt Murdock,  from Daredevil, the Marvel Comics vigilante of Hell's Kitchen.

''“I’m a man of my convictions, call me wrong call me right. I’ll bring my better angels into every fight. You might not like where I’m going but you’ll sure know where I stand. Hate me if you want to, love me if you can.” ''- Toby Keith ~ Love Me if You Can

Also, another one from the 1938 Robin Hood movie. "So, you blame Prince John for all this?"

''"Nay, I blame the King. His duty was here in England with his people not off on the crusades. If he had stayed with his people, perhaps this could have been prevented." ''- Robin of Locksley speaking to the disguised King Richard the Lionhearted.

In my own words, I do not blame the people pushing for change, I only blame myself for not speaking up all along.

I will be forthright, this blog will be long, involved, and at times perhaps painfully brash. It is also not entirely my own work, but was written with the support and assistance of several other users who wish to express their dissent with current trends in policy adjustments. You may be surprised who some of them are, but for now, I will leave them unnamed unless they tell me otherwise. I am merely acting as the poster-boy representative for our vision of this wiki. This blog is <span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:underline;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">not <span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;"> intended to point fingers, or to blow up in anyone's face, it is intended to serve the purpose of laying on the table the thoughts and beliefs of a group of well-respected and seasoned users of this wiki and the message boards. Three of us, nearly including myself, have spent a decade of our lives on the message boards, longer than a significant portion of the LMB users have even been alive, and have watched several generations of users arise and retire. I believe we are now on our third generation here on the wiki, but there is something a little off track with this one, hence I have returned to activity to try and explain why I, and the others supporting this, believe we are straying off the right path.

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">Since many of you may not even know who I am, let me provide a short history of my involvement on the LMBs and this wiki. I first joined LEGO.com in October of 2005 after I recieved the H.O.T. Flame RC car, which had an ad for Drome Racers Online Challenge and I wanted to play the game. Through that, which was an early Multiplayer game for LEGO, I joined the message boards in June of the following year when I realized I could talk to my other R.E.D. teammates. Thus began my time on the MB's.

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">They were a very different place back then, Club Pages had just been released replacing the Castle system, the MBs had just been updated from an ugly orange and black theme, and Jammyjam10 was taking over the lead moderator position from Admin, who was retiring. I posted little then outside of the R.E.D. HQ and other topics in the games forum and news forum and eventually the MLN beta forum.

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">Then, in 2008, the Security Switchover rolled around and, due to miscommunication with my parents, I lost that account. I was very annoyed obviously and did not make my second account for nearly a year later in 2009, my current account Eagleeyedan2. That was right when Roleplay was coming around and that generation had begun. The Age of Rock-o-Ages's rise to fame. That is when the MB's really became popular and users like Wertys, Rocko, LBB, LBK, 1999bug, Drew, Myself, Riolu, BCG, AgentMLN, Girlybea, Alemas, MichealYoda, Campie1212, Dwarfy, Danielboone6702, Gho8233 and countless others of us grew together as a tight-knit group of friends through roleplay and sometime later, LEGO Universe.

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">In 2011, as we had grown up a little more, we began joining outside communities. MLNteam was one of the first, and then Briki, and then we started this wiki. I was not on this wiki when it started as I was concentrated on Briki at the time, but Drew asked me to come over because Legoguy1866 was retiring and had dropped responsibility for the wiki on him and Legobatmankid10 and they wanted my help to build it up. There were only a few users at that time, legocat4611, ManCity.1, Bug1955, fanboy1890, and a few other dedicated users but that was about it. Since Drew knew me well from the message boards, and knew I was a long-standing, honorable, and respected member there, I was a good fit for adminship here. Our philosophy at the time and I hold still is that we admins are not just users, not the rulers, not the dictators, not the hosts, not the upkeep crew of the wiki, we are the shepherds and moderators of the site.

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">I am told now that the community has changed and the rules must change as a result. To this I would suggest that the community has not changed, but a second community has grown up inside. While indeed, most users I've mentioned so far have retired, those who truly are dedicated to this place are still here. The new community that has grown up inside seems to be, at least to me as one on the outside, a community with a social, chat-centric focus versus a focus on what a wiki truly is designed to be, an educational resource. Don’t get me wrong, I have absolutely nothing against a chat-based community as such, however I don’t believe a wiki is the right place for it. There are plenty of other communities with a similar focus which I am also a part of. Rock Raiders United, BZpower, MLNteam(now all but abandoned), though admittedly they are for a more mature/seasoned audience.

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">This brings me to the next point: the purpose of a wiki. As mentioned, this wiki is meant to be an educational resource with the content being created by the public community of users. The content of this specific wiki is focused around the LEGO Message Boards. It is to be a resource for users of the LEGO Message Boards to use to learn about the users, history, events, topics, and trends of the LMBs and is intended for the audience and demographic of the LMBs.

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">Because of the intended audience for this site, for the most part children, the founding admin team set it up as such with a focus on safety, based on the real MB's principles. This was much easier back then as chat was not yet a feature of wikia, and chat legally is only for users over the age of 13, which is around the age when most LMBers retire. Some of the things we did were to disallow swearing, using originally the same word list as the Moderators use on the LMBs though we've gotten laxer now, which I so far have not been against. We also originally had a system where only the admin team could decide who would be on the admin team and we would add admins as needed. This was done to make sure that only qualified users would be in the position. Soon, however, the community wished to be allowed to vote on the admins which we allowed, though not unanimously.

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">With the new elected admins came a new generation of policies. Not that that in itself is necessarily bad, for most of the older admins such as myself had all but retired and most are now gone meaning there was a need for a new team, however, the same level of homage to the qualities and safety measures of the LMB’s has not been upheld. In consequence, the quality of editing has decreased, the amount of article-based editing has drastically declined, and the respectability of the wiki's image has dwindled down. I do not know why this has happened, but I can only speculate that this is due to an increasing disrespect for the LMBs.

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">Several times I have seen comments like, and I quote from one I saw last week, "As if I give a crap about the message boards." If you don't care about the message boards, then <span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-style:italic;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">why are you participating in a wiki <span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-style:italic;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:underline;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">focused on the message boards <span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-style:italic;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">? <span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;"> This disrespect really reared its ugly head with the Nashtron incident, which was a direct attack on the moderators who work hard to ensure the LMBs stay <span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-style:italic;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">safe <span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">. Since I have always stood on the grounds that the admin team are the moderators of the wiki, this also felt like a blow to us.

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">Indeed, the disrespect for the moderators of the LMBs has translated into a disrespect for the moderators of this wiki. Chat mods are promoted to keep the chat clean, but there have been many incidents where if they kick someone who, after due warning, still persisted in trolling, are barraged with anger from others on chat and told to stand down as if they are abusing their rights rather than protecting the image of the wiki. In general, the chatmods that I speak with feel afraid to do what they are elected to do for fear of an outcry from the community. To those who have felt as such, know that there are still those who appreciate what you do.

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">Now, on to another subject: that of the change in the tide of the wiki. Several times I have heard that the wiki needs to change because the community has changed. To this, I will use an analogy. Let's say you are going through your Grandparent's attic and come across an antique rug swatter. You see it and think, hey, that would make a great grilling surface for a campfire and take it with you that day. Next year, during spring cleaning, your Grandma needs that rug swatter to clean the living room rug, but after having been used for so long as a campfire grill, it is useless and she is forced to either spend a lot of time cleaning the tool or buy an expensive vacuum, though the vacuum would wear out the carpet since it is also antique and not designed for being cleaned with the destructive electric time saving vacuum cleaner. I use this analogy to say this: <span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:underline;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">Just because something is misused over a long period of time does not mean it should be repurposed for that new use. <span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;"> It might as well if it's too far gone and broken, but if at all possible, it should be cleaned up and fixed up. That's basically how I feel about this place right now. Not that I am the right person to do the cleaning, or that anyone could do it alone, but obviously there is significant dissent in many areas of the wiki.

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">Now, there is an argument to be made, based on that same analogy, that there is a reason vacuum cleaners were invented in the first place to replace the swatters. However, as I mentioned, the rug in question was antique and could not handle the vacuum. In order to replace the tool of cleaning, your theoretical grandparents would have to also replace the rug. In the same way, if the community here would like to turn it into a social site, unprotected by the administration team, then sobeit, but there will be a lot more involved in this. No longer would we be able to consider ourselves a safe website. Admittedly it hardly is anyway, but at least there is a group of people trying to keep it safe. In the past, there was little need for such a focus on safety as the generation past knew this, and cared about the safety of the users on this wiki and upheld the values set forth by the LMBs on their own. Now, chat moderators are tested constantly, there is a constant push for more lax rules, and the general tone of the wiki has moved toward an edgy value system. Again, I say all this not with the intent to point fingers at the users of the wiki or with the intent to offend, but rather to point fingers at myself, point at the older generation, and point out why I and the others supporting me are trying to uphold that system.

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">Next topic, the job of an administrator. The comment has been made now that administrators do not run this place, that we are not in charge, and that we have no more rights than any other user. To this I say poppycock. What does the word "administrator" mean? According to my New Webster dictionary,

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">"1:     Someone who manages and has talent to manage

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">2:     A person appointed by the court to take charge of an estate

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">3:  I) A person who manages and supports a computer system or network

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">    II) A person who manages an Internet Discussion Board or website"

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">Tell me, what part of that says "is not in charge"? Every single definition means an administrator manages. Synonyms for manage? To be in charge of, to run, to support, to command, to call the shots, to direct,... etc. You see my point. While a wiki is intended to be run by the users, there are user rights for a purpose. Not anyone is respectable enough to be a chatmod, not everyone can be a patroller, not everyone is qualified to be an administrator, few are ever ready to be a bureaucrat (let alone be able to spell it ). Case in point, I have never been nor probably will ever be a bureaucrat. My brother is, but I am not even though I have been here much longer than he. Someday when you get a job, try and tell your computer system admin that he doesn't have control of your account and see how far that gets you. Companies have system admins for their own safety; to prevent their employees from doing certain things on company time and to make sure they aren't performing corporate fraud. While obviously none of those reasons apply here, we admins are here still for a reason.

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">That reason? Once again, safety. The world is an evil place, the internet all the more concentrated and since we are a site aimed at youth, we must be kept safe for youth. That doesn't mean we are here to bar out all mention of anything on the outside, but we are here to keep this place as close to PG as possible. It is undeniable that the message boards attract a large number of users from Christian Homeschooling backgrounds. Why is this? Because, for the most part, the parents in those families are very concerned with the safety of their children's minds and innocence, and the LEGO Message Boards have an outstanding reputation of safety. Seeing as this site is a wiki, there is no way we could ever hope to come even close to meeting that same standard, the admins here are not full-time paid experts, we are just seasoned users from the Message Boards. That being said, there is no reason to ignore the fact that we must try our best to stay at least within a zone of the values set forth by the LMBs. I will reiterate again and again, this is the primary task of the admins.

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">With the new policies being suggested and I fear passed, the ability of the admins to protect the safety of this wiki is being drastically compromised. There is absolutely 100% a need to allow the admin <span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-style:italic;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">team <span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">, I emphasize team here since it is only by a decision of the <span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-style:italic;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">entire <span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;"> admin team that we can veto anything, to be allowed to veto community votes. One admin, no, but if the entire admin team says no, then that should be the end of it. The admin team is made up of seasoned users who should know right from wrong and sometimes, what's wrong can seem right. I am a bit of (okay more than a bit of) a history nut. I've almost inputted several examples from history, but the one I will now talk about is especially poignant to make my point.

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.56;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:6pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">Back in 1780’s a man named Maximillian Robespierre was fed up with the French aristocracy. Not only him, but almost the entire population of his country. What did he do? United the bourgeoisie (the French middle-class) against the monarchs, and instituted a new government of total democracy. This system seemed like a good idea. The community voted to set up their own god, the god of Reason. The community voted to change the work week to 10 days instead of 7. The community voted to behead anyone who did not conform. What followed was known as the Reign of Terror. With no direction for the country and no basis on anything but their own reason and intuition, nothing was right and wrong. Not even their animals could handle the 10 day work week, and the country fell into virtual suicide. A little over a decade later, the aristocracy was restored, stability was restored, but not without significant loss to their country's image and economy. The revolution had alienated great leaders of history such as Marquis de Lafayette  (a hero of the American Revolution), Louis Pasteur (famous doctor/bacteriologist/scientist), and Marie Curie (world-renowned chemist) who fled the country and did not return for some time.

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">Now while French Revolution failed due to their lack of appreciation for leadership, truly the aristocracy needed to go. As with the American Revolutionary War, the leaders of the country were very oppressive. Why did the American Revolution end well whereas the French Revolution failed even though they were based on the same basic foundation of overthrowing an oppressive government? Because the American Founding Fathers set up a new system of government not <span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-style:italic;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">entirely <span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;"> based on the popular trends. It is a system of checks and balances to, if nothing else, drastically impede progress in the wrong direction. While yes, this does also impede progress in the right direction, at least there is a chance to protect the population from going the wrong way.

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">When the original admins set up the policies of this site, we made sure to do the same, and instituted checks and balances and along the way, we've added many more. At first, it was a bit of a dictatorship, the admins chose who would be admins as needed and there was little community involvement. In the same way, the US constitution was written by a relatively small number of our "Founding Fathers" at first and was instituted without much input from the people, and has been continually amended and updated through the years. Some of the amendments were bad decisions and have repealed and modified. Many more have been vetoed by whoever currently stands in the position of the Executive branch in the Oval Office, AKA the President. In the same way, the admins (until this past policy change) have always held the ability to veto the decisions of the community, and only in the case of a unanimous vote whereas the President is but one person.

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">Why am I, and the others supporting this blog who are not all admins, insist that we should be allowed to retain this ability? By now, you can probably guess the answer, safety. We are seasoned, we've been around for awhile, and we usually know what is right and what is wrong for the wiki. If all of us, all of those in management think that something proposed by the community is wrong, all of us agree that something is so wrong that it should not be imposed, do you not think more weight should be given to our opinion? If in one voice the admins, a group of seasoned users, speak against something, obviously with the due and proper explanation as to why, then there must be either something fundamentally wrong with the proposed policy change or it would be a dent in the security of the site and the community, because let me tell you we do not agree as an entire team on hardly anything.

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">Now, I realize that no system will ever be perfect. This is plainly a fallen world and utopia simply does not exist on this Earth neither in the physical realm nor the internet domain. Everyone has a slightly shifted idea of what utopia should be and therefore, there is no such thing as a perfect world that suits everyone. For this reason, one particular word is used: compromise. The one thing we cannot compromise on is safety, however the means of maintaining that safe environment can be attained in different ways. I do not see any reason for the current system to have been changed, but it has, and now the safety of this wiki has been harmed. Therefore, a compromise must be reached, and one was proposed in the Veto thread that I am willing, resistively but still willing to concede is a viable option, though considerably less secure than pure admin veto abilities.

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">What is that idea? A revote. I won't delve into details here as it wasn't proposed by me in the first place and I'm sure it will come up for a community vote soon enough, but basically how I see it as working, now that the admin veto has been canceled, would be like this. If the community votes on something, and the admin team is wary of it and thinks the community might not be informed as to why it could be a harmful policy, a formal write up of the admin's concerns and reasons behind the revote would be posted along with a revote thread. Not sure how it should all work out beyond that right now, as I said it wasn't my idea in the first place and has not been written up as a true proposal yet therefore the details still need to be worked out.

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">As a clincher and to alleviate the stark presentation of the content, here is a poem I wrote about a year ago. (in case you didn’t know it, I am quite a poet. I rhyme all the time and I’m not afraid to show it.) We all must do what do what we believe to be right. You may disagree with what I have layed out in the blog. In fact, I suspect many of you will. I am just one who has a lot of experience in the world of the LEGO Message Boards and feel very strongly about how things have been turning. This is pretty much my last-ditch effort to lay my thoughts on the table. What happens now, is no longer in my hands. I’ve served many years here, even more on the LMBs. I’ve stayed strong through many generations of users who’ve grown up and left as I’ve grown up and stayed. I don’t think many of you realize the impact the LMBs and this wiki have had on me, and how that would never have happened had my parents not trusted the safety of them. This same rigid, unfaltering level of protection is what I am trying to retain here with the realization that is entirely impossible. Nowhere is perfect. If there was such a place, I’d pack up and move there in an instant but the best I and anyone can do is do what I can to work toward such a community. I would like to avoid conflict and the purpose of this blog is merely to lay my thoughts and those standing with me and therefore will be disabling comments here. However, my talk page is open if you want to discuss the content in either the positive or negative.

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-align:center;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Ubuntu;color:#000000;font-weight:bold;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:underline;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">The Straight and Narrow

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-align:center;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Ubuntu;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-style:italic;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">Trying to do everything right

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-align:center;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Ubuntu;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-style:italic;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">In a world where right is wrong,

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-align:center;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Ubuntu;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-style:italic;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">Is such a struggle and fight.

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-align:center;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Ubuntu;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-style:italic;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">It is difficult to stay strong.

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-align:center;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Ubuntu;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">It's so easy to become weak

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-align:center;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Ubuntu;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">And drop your defenses.

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-align:center;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Ubuntu;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">You lose sight of what you seek

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-align:center;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Ubuntu;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">Through all of your fences.

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-align:center;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Ubuntu;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-style:italic;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">They were built to keep out the dark

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-align:center;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Ubuntu;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-style:italic;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">But instead you soon find

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-align:center;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Ubuntu;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-style:italic;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">They merely darken your spark

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-align:center;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Ubuntu;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-style:italic;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">And muddle up your mind.

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-align:center;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Ubuntu;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">You tear a few down,

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-align:center;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Ubuntu;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">Trying to compensate.

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-align:center;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Ubuntu;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">But soon you begin to drown

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-align:center;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Ubuntu;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">As the dark intoxicates.

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-align:center;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Ubuntu;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-style:italic;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">What seemed so enticing,

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-align:center;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Ubuntu;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-style:italic;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">At least at the start,

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-align:center;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Ubuntu;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-style:italic;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">Was really just slicing

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-align:center;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Ubuntu;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-style:italic;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">Away at your heart.

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-align:center;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Ubuntu;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">Quickly you turn,

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-align:center;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Ubuntu;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">As soon as you realize

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-align:center;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Ubuntu;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">You were starting to burn.

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-align:center;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Ubuntu;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">You're glad you opened your eyes.

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-align:center;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Ubuntu;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-style:italic;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">You wish you could go back

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-align:center;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Ubuntu;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-style:italic;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">And your old self warn

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-align:center;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Ubuntu;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-style:italic;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">That though it may attract,

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-align:center;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Ubuntu;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-style:italic;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">You will one day mourn.

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-align:center;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Ubuntu;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-style:italic;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">That is a fact.

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-align:center;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Ubuntu;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-style:italic;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">Inside you're so torn.

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-align:center;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Ubuntu;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-style:italic;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">But you jump back on the track

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-align:center;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Ubuntu;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-style:italic;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">And just weather the storms.

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-align:center;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Ubuntu;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">Sometimes you must bend

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-align:center;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Ubuntu;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">And not be uptight.

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-align:center;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Ubuntu;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">Someday you will mend

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-align:center;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Ubuntu;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">And all will be right.

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">(TL;DR) Usually here is where the summary would go. However, many hours were spent writing this, the least you could do is spend a few minutes reading and mulling it over. Any summary would miss important wording. Every word was picked with care and I assure you there is little to no unnecessary fluff. Also, don’t try to twist what has been said but rather take it for what is really being said. If requested, I am even willing to read it like an audio book and link that so you hear the tones with which the words were intended. Thank you in advance!

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Comment from one of the other supporters:
I haven't always had an account on Wikia, but I've been a serial lurker since 2008, starting with an edit on the Bionicle Wiki. Back in February 2012, shortly before Obi the LEGO Fan joined, I made an edit to my page, and Drew told me I was welcome here. It took years of lurking, but I joined when I created an account on the LMO Wiki. As part of my unwritten LEGO Wiki contract, I consider this Wiki a place that I am supposed to help serve in, with any role I am given. This includes editing, talking in chat to some users who feel unwelcome or alienated by the rest of the community, and a few other things.With the LEGO Message Boards, my story actually extends farther than Drew. I joined sometime between late 2004 and early 2005, when I wanted to join the Kanoka Club. Somehow, I kept incorrectly typing the simple password "Kanoka"(Don't even try to use it, I haven't used that password in 7 years) when I tried to use my accounts again, so I gave up and just played the games on the LEGO website. I eventually created my current account because I was eager to complete Backlot, a popular game at the time. I am in agreement with Drew on many things. I admit to not always being as fond of his bluntness, but his honesty is genuine. I promise you he cares about this Wiki, even if his ideas sound radical and extreme to you. It's important to remember that the users who argue for various changes to this Wiki, on both sides of the argument, are passionate about this Wiki-otherwise, why bother arguing about anything? In regards to the "Christian Homeschoolers", I know how that is. I remember the many times my parents held me back from virtually anything besides the LEGO Message Boards. But I appreciate that, because I now have maturity and restraint, which has helped me to succeed in areas where many of my friends have failed. I don't fall into the clichés of never watching a movie with the F-word in it (The record I have heard in a movie was 75), or that I only listen to music with the words "God" and "Jesus" 100 times in the bridge. (A lot of the "Christian" music I listen to would be controversial in mainstream American churches, such as one song which says, "So if you're beating death, then raise your hand, but shut up if you're not!" But I'm always sensitive to those who have stricter parents, because I know how difficult it can be, and how constant pressure from peers and even adults to just relax and do whatever feels. I have a lot more thoughts, but I don't have time to type them all. What I want to say is that I think Drew has done a wonderful job on this blog. A couple blogs have been posted by the "Rebellion" (I never agreed with the name since we're not doing anything but posting opinion blogs, but I'm not the leader, only the gatekeeper…) already, and you'll probably see a few more in the coming weeks.