Thanks for making me laugh out loud.

The problem here Mick is that so many of do care so much for this place and also know from history that getting 100% compliance to shunning is about impossible here.

The only things that we know for sure are impossible - are the things we make no attempt at.

If we are talking about not responding in kind or at all to obvious provocation - whatever percentage level that could be achieved (by posters always setting this example) would always be better that doing nothing and stating that making any attempt is futile.

It would also help and pay a big compliment to the many posters who do manage to easily do what you appear to find impossible. Unless of course for some reason you do not really wish to even make the attempt - but wish to continue to indulge in mounting personal attacks and respond in kind to them and to set this example?

So we long for the "benevolent dictator" to right the problem.

If we do - we will be waiting a long time. But of course - stating this cop-out always saves the resonsibility of actually doing anything positive yourself.

What is important to understand, at least to me, is that on the net fairness is not a requirememnt.

is this not a double-standard - as you would appear to think that being fair to our volunteers - is a requirement? This of course works both ways. As in any form of respectable policing anywhere - being open, fair and having a clear objective is always a requirment - except perhaps in police state......