The Magnificent Tigerman has had enough, and is retiring to the sunny climes of the legal forums - the “Arizona” of Forumosa, where we let old hands like Hartzell, and now Magnificent, putter to their hearts content…
Magnificent, many thanks for your contributions here. 
:bravo: This is without a doubt, the most taxing forum to moderate, and everyone knows it. Talk about an (almost) thankless job… 
I’ll be filling in for a while until we get a new moderator, so go easy on me guys, ok?
Oh, and just in case you forgot, here’s a copy of [url=Da Rules - http://forumosa.com/taiwan/rules.php - #12 by maoman Rules[/url]. I will be enforcing them at my discretion. 
[quote]
Guidelines
Forumosa.com has become well known in Taiwan
One thing, Maoman. Can’t you link the rules at the top of the page, along with the private mailbox links, etc. It would be a lot more visible up there.
You’re right - it’s a long overdue idea…
I hope it wasn’t anything I said…
Just last night I wrote in another thread that [TMT] is among the more reasonable posters on here…
I forgot Intl. Politics forum etiquette, and was far too polite! 
I was really quite put off by posters who kept questioning Tigerman’s impartiality. The folks who pulled that shit are the ones who couldn’t match him intellectually. The IP forum is going to be less of a place because Tigerman isn’t going to be there to moderate. Agree with his views or not, you have all lost. :snooty:
Tigerman…
“And there will always be a place in my parking lot
When you need a little coke and sympathy.” :uhhuh: :thanks:
[quote=“Durins Bane”]Tigerman…
“And there will always be a place in my parking lot
When you need a little coke and sympathy.” :uhhuh: :thanks:[/quote]
Much obliged. We all need… someone… we can leeeeaaan on…
Good luck with this crowd. 
Thanks for your weighty contribution Tigerman. Most posters are highly disposable; they could leave Forumosa and noboby would really miss them, but this can not be said of you.
Many of your battles in the IP Forum are painful to follow: it’s like seeing a heavyweight deal to featherlights. Your style is too aggressive for my taste but you have been fair and intelligent. I think people’s criticism of your moderating is mostly their frustration of being whooped and ground into the dirt by you.
Cheers El Tigre.
I agree with all the kudos given to Tigerman. You did a great job as a mod and even though I don’t agree with 99.9% of your political views, it was good to have someone to spar with on a regular basis, and you did a terrific job of holding your own against all those who opposed your opinion.
I am also glad that your job is being filled by another intelligent forumosan, Mother Theresa.
Best of luck to both of you in your new positions. :bravo:
Thanks for the compliment cableguy. Actually, I was just trying to get a rise out of the neocons. There’s no way in hell I’d take that position. Don’t have the time or inclination.
I wonder if all political discussion forums are so acrimonious. In theory there could be stimulating exchanges of valid opposing views (and maybe there are sometimes) but here the discussions all tend to degrade to swapping of personal insults. I wonder if that is really the way it has to be.
I had intended not to post in this thread as it was a thank you to Tigerman for his role of moderator of the IP forum, but after comments from Durins Bane and Almas John then i feel it is necessary.
Unless people are aware as to the exact reasons for Tigerman relinquishing the role then it is not appropriate to lay the blame undeservedly, i would be surprised if my comments alone - but except they might be - were the reason for Tigerman stepping down.
Tigerman actively participated in breaches of the flaming rule, hardly the act of a responsible moderator, and yes so did i before anyone tries to get a swipe in. Just because one person does not see a post a racist based on his relatively extreme views does not mean that the majority of posters agree with him, but he seemed unable to see this.
Fred Smith has already indicated he will be rethinking the amount of time he spends here, and even suggested he was out of here, purely because Tigerman is no longer the mod, this in itself gives rise to the belief that he felt he got a lot of leniency.
I am all for free and open debate, if that means getting my arse kicked as others have suggested then so be it, but a moderator has to be able to moderate and keep a sensible balance for all participants in the relative forum, there i believe Tigerman did not fulfil that responsibility.
Tigerman, i for one, hope that you will not leave the IP forum completely.
A number of people have commented that they did not feel welcome in the IP forum, why is that ? Fluffy has already stated that is one element he wants to change, good, the forums are for the benefit of all forumosans, not just a priviledged few.
Just because a majority see a post as racist based on their own relatively extreme or narrow views does not mean that the minority of posters are incorrect in their view. Traveller seems unable to see this.
Again you display your inability to read. FS did not say he was “out of here” simply because I am no longer the mod. Moreover, if FS got a lot of leniency, did not BroonAle as well? As usual, you are talking out of your anus. Did not you too get a lot of leniency?
Who are you trying to kid? If you were for free and open debate you would respond to questions directed at you instead of crying all the time that others, including myself, are attempting to obfuscate the issues. You couldn’t identify an issue if it socked you between the eyes. Free and open debate cannot exist when one side of the debate refuses to respond to inquiries raised by the other side.
In what way did I fail?
I’m outta here. Except for responding to your inane accusations regarding my integrity as a moderator, and commenting on the role of a moderator, I expect I will have nothing to do with this forum. Big Fluffy Mall Guard has already indicated that its his way or the highway, and that he will not argue free speech issues. Sounds like a great way to run a political discussion forum. I doubt I could last long here without being banned. Big Fluffy Mall Guard has already displayed his bias with respect to moderating. My bias was openly political, but I challenge anyone (that means you, Traveller) to demonstrate how my political bias influenced my moderating.
The forum is yours, Traveller. Have fun, and as I’m certain you will, remain ignorant.
Thank you for your kind words.
I have only ever been as aggressive as my opponent.
Thank you. I enjoyed debating issues with you.
I only read this forum and I found it to be interesting and spirited to say the least. It often provided moments of light relief and the exchanges were frequently highly amusing, the mud-slinging only adding to the character of the forum. IMHO, Tigerman did a good job as a moderator and while he held firmly entrenched views of his own which he always defended vigorously, he still maintained from a moderating standpoint a great deal of impartiality. It is ironic that Tigerman whose views are known was perhaps the greatest defender of free speech and open debate that this forum could have had. hats off to him; I only wish that I had joined in earlier. This forum and Forumosa has lost a great mind and a fair moderator. It will never be the same again. Well done Tigerman; the quiet in the IP forum over the last two days seems to indicate that many are in mourning at your departure.
I strongly object to BFM being a moderator for the IP forum. He has already shown his bias with his statements about free speech. He has also used his moderator status to threaten posters with whom he disagreed in the past. Although some of us may have disagreed with Tigerman’s political views, I don’t recall him ever using his position as a moderator to shut a poster up. That is an achievement considering how heated it can be in the IP forum.
In my opinion, an IP forum moderator must himself be a seasoned and articulate debater and someone who, save threats of physical harm, respects freedom of speech above all else. Yes, there has been a bit of name calling in this forum from all sides of the issues, but except for a bit of recent spamming, I don’t think this has detracted in any significant way from the substance of the discussions. The bigger threat to the vitality of this forum is the threat to freedom of speech.
BFM is not a seasoned debater. He draws a few laughs with his posts in other forums and some of his posts have passed on valuable information and experiences to other posters. I don’t recall him ever making a substantive argument about much of anything, though. No offense, but he is a lightweight. He does not understand open debate; how could he possibly moderate one? I’d actually be more comfortable with someone like Mother Theresa being the moderator than BFM. Though many of MT’s views make me want to vomit on my keyboard, at least he attempts to string a few sentences together in a fashion that (loosely) resembles an actual argument.
I don’t have a problem with Maoman or DB moderating the IP forum. I haven’t seen anything from either of them that would lead me to think they don’t have the stomach for open debate.
Talking about politics and religion will always divide people, but Tigerman’s “laissez-faire” moderating style made this IP forum what it is. I am afraid with the new moderators, free speech will not be valued as much and that the moderating style will be more heavy-handed, dull, and politically correct. Children learn at a young age that if you put your hand on a hot stove, you burn your hand. Many people were burned while engaging in healthy political discourse with Tigerman, but this forum is rewarding the children by making BFM a moderator. I don’t think he has the background, knowledge, or “chutzpah” to be the moderator. Maoman and Durins Bane seem like good people, but again, I don’t think this is their area. IMO, you need moderators in this forum who can hold their own in political debate. While many people may have disagreed with Tigerman’s politics, he was a fair and just moderator. It may get messy, but the debates, arguments, and even some of the insults made this site a more dynamic and interesting place. Don’t reward mediocrity. Bring Tigerman back!!! Also, don’t ban BroonAle. Seems like the “powers that be” are pissing on both sides of the fence here. The interational politics forum isn’t a “love-in.” If people can’t stand the heat, they should get out of the kitchen.
Chewy 
Ai-yo. Guys, stop being so dramatic.
There will be no supression of free speech on any part of Forumosa.
That being said, free speech isn’t an absolute in any society. Even in America there are some things you cannot say - terrorist or bomb jokes in an airport, public remarks about killing the president, potty jokes at the dinner table. We will follow the same guidelines here. Nobody has a personal agenda here, certainly not me. If I did, I never would have asked tigerman to come on the moderator team to begin with. (He’s a Republican, dontcha know…) We will be following the guidelines. If someone posts a troll, it’ll get floundered. If a thread degenerates into excesive name-calling, it’ll get floundered. If a person wilfully spams the forums, some moderator will probably propose a ban, and if enough people agree with him/her, the ban will be made permanent. These rules apply to all the forums. The IP forum does not have special status. It is neither above the rules, nor will it be held to a stricter standard than the rest of the forums. I know that some people think that will dampen debate. I disagree. Gentlemen (and ladies) debate passionately all the time without needing to go down into the gutter. Sometimes it takes more work to tell someone off in an articulate, non-vulgar manner, but I think that the end result is worth it. When I read The Economist, I always go to the letters-to-the-editor section first, and I’m always struck how the salutation, “Sir,” at the beginning of each letter sets the tone for the letter and the whole letters section. I think civility is something that we should try to aspire to.
Regarding the permanent moderatorship of this forum, that’s still up in the air. DB, BFM and myself are taking over for at least a little bit, to clean up things that need cleaning up, and to take the flak when people complain about changes being made. I think it would be unfair to throw a new moderator into the mix at this point. I’m hoping that in the days and weeks to come, we’ll find a couple of good, permanent moderators.
In the meantime, I’m hoping that you’ll give the new mods, the IP forum and myself a fair shake. I remember there were reservations about Tigerman’s ability to impartially moderate a forum he was active in, and I believe that those reservations have proved to be unfounded.
This is the hardest forum on Forumosa to moderate, and I’m sure it comes with its own amount of stress. With this in mind, I just want to say for the record that I am very appreciative of Tigerman’s efforts here. He has my respect and admiration for putting up with it for as long as he did. I’m glad he’s still staying on in the legal forums - his contributions to the forum in any form are welcomed and valued.
I am disappointed to see the developments in the IP forum. It had been an extremely interesting place to browse and learn. I may not agree with FS or MTigerman completely, or even partially on some issues, but I enjoyed the intelligent back-and-forth open debate. Good job, Tigerman!
Broonale deserved a temporary suspension for becoming more of an ass. Big Fluffy may now be fit to moderate-however, I remember with annoyance the way he threatened Mr. He with banning over a disagreements on some facts. BFM is quite the lightweight-but sometimes interesting. Maybe Chewycorns should be IP moderator?
Why don’t Tigerman and Fred take a week off to relax, then come back. They could choose to lighten their posts to avoid making personal slurs/insults, and to avoid backing themselves into black and white corners. As Maoman says, civility is a quality we should both aspire to and be careful to hold. This possibly applies more to those on the left of the political spectrum who, justifiably or not, get exasperated. Don’t seem to be many rednecks around here.
Have fun.
Thank you. Open debate is good for everyone. Most of us learn from open debate, even if we are reluctant to admit the same.
My personal slurs were always a response to the same.