FT2 accuses Arbcom Options

[Peter Damian]

A long question to Coren from FT2 here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Arb...Coren/Questions , accusing Arbcom of 'gaming' the elections this time last year.

Actually he is right, as I have pointed out elsewhere http://wikipediareview.com/index.php?showtopic=34246 .

An arbitrator has just emailed me to say that he found the whole thing problematic all along (yes but why didn't you say so at the time).

This post has been edited by Peter Damian:

[Peter Damian]

This is extraordinary. FT2 is ranting http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Contributions/FT2 on at 5 different arbcom candidates at once. Invectives flying, all sorts of accusations, including one candidate recommending FT2 to look at Wikipedia Review, as the information is easier to find there.

For what it's worth, I am with FT2 here. FT2 did something a while back that some people (including me) thought was very very bad. Possibly so bad that it deserved a site ban. Others (such as Coren) weren't so sure. But FT2 doesn't think that. He doesn't think he did anything wrong, and he claims that he had widespread support from Arbitrators, WMF, possibly Jimmy. And he is disgusted by his treatment by Arbcom, who decided the case in secret, slandered him, refused to reply to emails, went into 'radio silence' etc etc. We've seen all this before. The true culprits are Arbcom.

This should have all been decided in public ages ago. The claims of privacy concerns are a red herring. The evidence could easily be anonymised by name changing or summarisation.

So, go for it FT2. The rants are here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Arb...kshin/Questions
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Arb...isker/Questions
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Arb...emens/Questions
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Arb...Coren/Questions
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Arb...avies/Questions

This post has been edited by Peter Damian:

[that one guy]

All those people are current arbs. Wouldn't be surprised that he's going after them specifically.

[Peter Damian]

We know that Arbcom successfully forced FT2 to stand down exactly this time last year at the last elections. Risker was behind that.

However, I don't know much about what happened in January, March and May of this year, months which FT2 specifically refers to in his diatribe.

An arb wrote to me on 4th February this year "the bullets are loaded for the symbolic wiki-execution of FT2 and all that he stood for in the next few weeks, for one thing ... he needs to be publicly booted out by Arbcom, and publicly refused appeal by Jimbo and co, to show that Wikipedia is serious about setting its house in order."

Why the 'execution' never happened I didn't find out. I suspect FT2 convinced them that he really did have senior support in WMF for his earlier actions, and they backed off. What a mess.

[gomi]

Why the 'execution' never happened I didn't find out. I suspect FT2 convinced them that he really did have senior support in WMF for his earlier actions, and they backed off. What a mess.

Isn't it possible that FT2 threatened to release (even more) detrimental information about Arbcom if they did ban him? Honestly, I can't keep this while FT2 thing straight without a scorecard. I'll have to go back and review the threads.

[that one guy]

Why the 'execution' never happened I didn't find out. I suspect FT2 convinced them that he really did have senior support in WMF for his earlier actions, and they backed off. What a mess.

Isn't it possible that FT2 threatened to release (even more) detrimental information about Arbcom if they did ban him? Honestly, I can't keep this while FT2 thing straight without a scorecard. I'll have to go back and review the threads.

I'm confused myself as to why he got booted off ArbCom to begin with.

[Peter Damian]

Why the 'execution' never happened I didn't find out. I suspect FT2 convinced them that he really did have senior support in WMF for his earlier actions, and they backed off. What a mess.

Isn't it possible that FT2 threatened to release (even more) detrimental information about Arbcom if they did ban him? Honestly, I can't keep this while FT2 thing straight without a scorecard. I'll have to go back and review the threads.

I'm confused myself as to why he got booted off ArbCom to begin with.

He resigned on 15 January 2009 after an RfC http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Req...for_comment/FT2 in which he was implicated of lying.

But that is a separate issue. Here is the story surrounding his current complaints. On 13 September 2008, FT2 sent an 'Anvil' email to a prolific sockpuppeteer. It contained some bloodcurdling threats, including contacting his wife's employers, his parents, other people, with some really embarrassing information. He copies Cary, Vandenberg, Aphaia, Jpgordon, Rlevse, David Gerard, and Thatcher. He references this in the diatribes linked to above.

The sockpuppeteer lost his job. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

A year passes.

In August 2009, the sockpuppeteer sent the 'Anvil' email to Thatcher, who copied it Cool Hand Luke.

CHL sat on it for a bit (don't know why), but finally published on the Arbs mailing list in Feb 2010. CHL says : “Reading his explanation, it sounds like *Heart of Darkness*. FT2 is Agent Kurtz way up the river, operating beyond any civilized control or oversight. We executives in Amsterdam just have no idea what it's really like out there, and we cannot judge him for his acts.” Coren disagrees, but the other Arbs are horrified.

Hersfold says “Even if he was acting on behalf of the Foundation, does that excuse what reads as threats and blackmail? With all the crap we keep having to deal with from Usher and Amorrow - some of which has directly impacted two members of our Committee already - I'm certainly not willing to condone such behavior, no matter who rubber-stamps it.

Coren “Not unlike Jimmy, I think this was a reasonable attempt at giving him an "out". (Jimmy defended FT2's actions, although at the same time denied ever being consulted about them. Wise man).

CHL to Coren: “If you are telling me that you *supported *the use of blackmail (in the casual sense, although I'm not certain than it was not blackmail in the legal sense as well), then I severely question your judgment.” “Even if FT2 had to prove that he had [the sockpuppet's] number, the overt threats were entirely surplus, and his demands were far beyond what was necessary to protect our project. "

The committee does nothing.

Nov 24 2010: FT2 emails Arbcom about his election statement. “I would appreciate if any arb could double check I haven't included any factually incorrrect or misleading statements or significant factual omissions.” This is one of the mails that FT2 is referring to in the diatribes linked above.

The arbitrators wonder why they didn't do anything 10 months before and cast around for reasons to stop FT2 getting a seat in the election. Risker drafts a notice that summarises the issue.

I'm not sure what happened then, but I think Risker then emailed a bureaucrat (WJBScribe) to use another nasty piece of information about FT2, forcing him to resign. I emailed Risker a couple of times but she replied, saying "If I say anything, you will publish it on Wikipedia Review". Well, of course I will, that's all part of public disclosure and transparency. That's what Wikipedia Review is for. Are you suggesting I keep your dirty little secrets?Why would I?

In January 2011 I got a series of emails from different arbcom members saying that FT2 was about to be publicly executed and stripped of all honours, site-banned etc. It was strongly suggested that I would be unbanned after this.

However, as usual, nothing happened.

This post has been edited by Peter Damian:

[that one guy]

Ah... transparency... or lack there of. Did Mallice post the discussion of the FT2 email on the forums and if so what thread?

[Peter Damian]

Ah... transparency... or lack there of. Did Mallice post the discussion of the FT2 email on the forums and if so what thread?

He did, and I have a full set of links here:

http://wikipediareview.com/index.php?showtopic=34246

The Anvil itself is inside the thread here http://wikipediareview.com/index.php?showt...22&#entry278722 . Search for "please read what follows and believe it".

All names and addresses have been redacted.

This post has been edited by Peter Damian:

[mbz1]

Ah... transparency... or lack there of. Did Mallice post the discussion of the FT2 email on the forums and if so what thread?

Here is one and here is another

This post has been edited by mbz1:

[Peter Damian]

any failure of complete compliance will result in pain and quite likely more real and difficult
unavoidable results than anything you ever wrote when you pretended to be
<redacted>, because I plan to clean up thoroughly, and to do that I'll
probably end up ripping your ego apart

Your wife is a lawyer and by the time this is done, don't
think about legal action, because the only legal action will be if she wants
rid of you ... there are some who understand no language other than force

There are many web pages that Tarantino and Proabivouac have not found, yet,
that confirmed identity, deception, guilt. They also haven't found many
other things. They made errors like confusing your wife and sister. They
don't know about your children, whose names you put in the public domain and
used as covers (which would disgust most people including your family). They
don't recognize that the <redacted>' IP means <redacted>'s employer is legitimately
fair to be brought into the frame to ascertain just what it extended to.
Your word or purported explanations mean nothing, by the way.

That one gives the lie to Coren's defence of FT2. Coren claimed that FT2 was concerned about what Wikipedia Review might do. What he means by the IP remark is that his wife's employer can be contacted because checkuser traced the IP to her workplace.

You have a deadline below, and I'll repeat everything as often as you need to hear it, and consider concerns all the way till then. One minute after that, gloves come off all the way,
without any further warning, starting with <redacted>'s workplace for evidence,
and the Department of Health, and probably unavoidably, ending with family
or someone will inform the police. Do you actually love your family, or need
them? Or are they toys too? Sacrifice your fictions, games and abuses for
yourself and them. Put right the abuses you have done over the last 3 years
and you may survive, or take complete responsibility for any unfortunate
results of forcible removal. I don't know <redacted>, but she seems tough, and
people don't like being deceived. I don't know what settlement you'd get,
but I bet it won't include the things in real life you care most about. Risk
it if you like. Your call. And watch me not minding if it hurts you to put
this all right.

Yes doing this is going to hurt and humiliate you. I couldn't care less. No,
avoiding hurt is not an option in life.

Then when that's done you can fuck off to number <redacted house number> to reminiscence with
<redacted list of family names> and the
family. Or did you think I might be guessing at knowing far more than you
thought?

Email done. Now get busy. When the deadline is over, if all terms are not
fully complied with then the gloves come off without warning, and your
family etc, get to know what's up. You dragged your wife <redacted>, her
employer <redacted>, and your son <redacted> into this. Same with your co-worker
<redacted>, the beautician <redacted>, your boss <redacted>, the boudoir's owner <redacted> whose business you placed at risk, and the rest.

This post has been edited by Somey:

[mbz1]

An arb wrote to me on 4th February this year "the bullets are loaded for the symbolic wiki-execution of FT2 and all that he stood for in the next few weeks, for one thing ... he needs to be publicly booted out by Arbcom, and publicly refused appeal by Jimbo and co, to show that Wikipedia is serious about setting its house in order."

"the bullets are loaded for the symbolic wiki-execution ". It is amazing to see the language arbitrators use.

[EricBarbour]

Your wife is a lawyer and by the time this is done, don't
think about legal action, because the only legal action will be if she wants
rid of you ... there are some who understand no language other than force

What, no one finds it comical that

a) here's FT2, making a legal threat....while at the same time, his fellow admins are aggressively blocking people for doing the same on WP?

b) he adds the threat of physical violence to it? What's he going to do, attack MB with doggie treats?

c) even after that, Arbcom continued to smugly sit on its collective ass and pretend everything is okay?

You could write yet another textbook, just about FT2.

Wikipedia is the corrupt, degenerate world, writ small.
Very small. Very petty.

(I've got a few other links that apply, but there is no need for them. That Arbcom leak says it all.)

[Peter Damian]

Your wife is a lawyer and by the time this is done, don't
think about legal action, because the only legal action will be if she wants
rid of you ... there are some who understand no language other than force

What, no one finds it comical that

a) here's FT2, making a legal threat....while at the same time, his fellow admins are aggressively blocking people for doing the same on WP?

b) he adds the threat of physical violence to it?

c) even after that, Arbcom continued to smugly sit on its collective ass and pretend everything is okay?

You could write yet another textbook, just about FT2.

Wikipedia is the corrupt, degenerate world, writ small.
Very small. Very petty.

(I've got a few other links that apply, but there is no need for them. That Arbcom leak says it all.)

I've just had another email from an Arb complaining that I used their real name in the thread above. Also comical.

[mbz1]

This is extraordinary. FT2 is ranting

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Arb...kshin/Questions
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Arb...isker/Questions
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Arb...emens/Questions
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Arb...Coren/Questions
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Arb...avies/Questions

What did he he mean, when he said:

This matter had massive imminent likelihood of enduring real-world harm to non users -- and enduring harm to one or more children under 13

[Ottava]

It was strongly suggested that I would be unbanned after this.

However, as usual, nothing happened.

I think this is a common tactic. I don't really know why a few Arbs do it - perhaps they are getting our hopes up, or are merely doing it to manipulate us and have us do their dirty work.



By the way, entrenched admins on Wikipedia use the threat to harass co-workers, family, etc. all the time. A Horse got banned for contacting a school, yet FT2 clearly does far worse. SB Johnny also did quite a lot and no one cared. It is all about who is part of what group. Wonderful stuff. WR should be proud of giving such a Wiki insider and abuser moderator status. They should top it off by giving FT2 that status also.

This post has been edited by Ottava:

[the fieryangel]

I always forget what a chore it is to read FT2's prose. It's kind of like the mental equivalent of a machine gun. I suppose that I should be happy not to be on the receiving end of all of this.

[Somey]

...SB Johnny also did quite a lot and no one cared. It is all about who is part of what group. Wonderful stuff. WR should be proud of giving such a Wiki insider and abuser moderator status.

We are proud, actually, since apparently the only person he did that to was you! (IMG:smilys0b23ax56/default/smile.gif)

Anyway... in retrospect, the language FT2 used to try and intimidate you-know-who into giving up his Wikipedia-related activity once and for all certainly does seem over the top. But I personally recall that it didn't seem quite so over-the-top at the time, and even I thought that it had to be tried, in the same way that you have to try telling your neighbor you're going to call the cops on his teenage son who's been trying to kill your dog before you actually call them.

It pains me to say this, but if I really fault FT2 for anything here (other than being a Wikipedia mucky-muck in the first place), it's not that he got nasty with Poetguy - it's actually that he explicitly stated at the time, including in the e-mail itself, about his willingness to accept the consequences on Wikipedia (and elsewhere) of his having sent such a strongly-worded e-mail to Poetguy. And now he's quite clearly reneging on that statement and that willingness. It doesn't really surprise me, but I suppose it's a bit disappointing, even coming from him.

[Cla68]

The effectiveness of FT2's tactics with Poet____ aside, ArbCom's reaction to it shows a certain lack of knowledge, consistency, and skill at dealing with personnel issues. I think the WMF needs to spend some of its greatly expanded budget and hire some professional adult supervision for Wikipedia's administration. I mean professional and competent, not Jimbo.

[gomi]

[Off-topic post moved.]