Some thoughts from a long time observer of this forum. The posts in question have been few in number and mostly just an annoyance. One was objectionable, but one post is hardly the reason to go into the wild panic seen here the last few days. The juvenile types who make the shock posts will go away when they don't get the attention they seek. No doubt they are in heaven with the response they have seen here the last few days!
Perhaps it might be better to consider what was said, not how it was said. I have read the posts here for months and one theme has been constant. You either agree with the person called LAMS or you are not welcome on this board. LAMS has been chastized by the moderator and others for her often caustic posts against those whom disagree with her. Those who disagree with her inevitably fade away, obviously unwilling to challenge her authority on this board. I am a lifelong Lightfoot enthusiast, but I have not posted because I don't want to deal with her self righteousness.
LAMS posts are usually voluminous and off the topic at hand. She seems possessed to dominate this forum and to run off anyone not towing her line. Look at her reply to the obscene post. Very little of it addresses the garbage. Most of it is a long litany outlining how she sees the world. She makes her controlling nature perfectly clear when she describes how she manages her own discussion area. Every post is checked first so nothing is posted that is not in agreement with her.
Celebrities, including Mr Lightfoot, learn quickly how to deal with adoration that turns into "close friends." LAMS acts as the protector of Mr Lightfoot on this board in a way that is both bizarre and silly. Like any successful entertainer Mr Lightfoot's career has been controversial. Some of his best music comes from the tribulations of his life. The last thing he needs is a person who protects him like a mother protects a child. Mr Lightfoot is quite capable of protecting himself. The kind of veneration of Mr Lightfoot that we see in LAMS is the same I see in my teenage daughter for her favorite group. The difference is that I expect my daughter will outgrow it.
Freedom of speech takes great courage. If the board has been willing to tolerate LAMS preaching, insults and attacks it must also be willing to tolerate those who may disagree with her. It is no longer a community when one dominating person is allowed to crush the forum into a party line that no one dares question. That is exactly what has happened here, as any objective review of the posts over the last year will show.
The moderator can easily delete any obscene posts. If you think a registration process will stop the occassional vandal you know nothing about the Internet. In any event, what are you all afraid of? Are you afraid of honest discussion and controversy? Or are you afraid to deal with the controversy caused by one over zealous fan who tolerates no views but her own?
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