Jeri,

I suggest you read the First Amendment to the US Constitution before posting in public discussion forums about what *you* believe it says, and inform yourself a little better about the several hundred years worth of legal briefs written at every level of the US judiciary, up to and including the Supreme Court.

The current Supreme Court, known for it's judicial conservatism and narrow interpretations of the Constitution, might be in disagreement with your interpretation of anonymity and the First Amendment.

Now, as I said, there are people here who express strong dislikes for people who post anonymously, period. They don't have to change their minds about that, and are entitled to their opinions and beliefs.

But are they entitled to abuse those who do things they have the right to do, that said posters don't like them doing?

That is the question at the heart of the matter here.

It is clear there are some members here with a deep hatred, if not just an exteme dislike of anonymous posters coming into this forum, even when those anonymous posters are behaving perfectly well, and merely availing themselves of the opportunity the site owner provides for anonynmous posting.

For some wholly irrational reason, those same people seem to think they also have the right to intimidate and harrass those people who choose to use the anonymous guest log-in feature at this website.

And you could possibly be right in this regard: by the site owner allowing anonymous posters to be so harrassed, abused, and intimidated, this small group of members engaging in this behavior have effectively seized control by investing themselves with defacto powers to set an "unwritten and unofficial" rule on anonymous posting, which is being practiced regularly by certain long-term and well-respected members of this forum.

But that doesn't make it right or reasonable. I've seen over and over in other threads, members and guests expressing discomfort and outright disagreement with this behavior being well tolerated in this forum. I've seen members and guests make statements about the abuses they've seen being heaped regularly upon members and guests by certain powerful members of the forum, who appear to be operating so negatively here with impunity. And I've seen a whole lot of members flaming me, who then turn around and deny their dark side in this regard, by suddenly waxing poetic about how lovely a group this is.

I first stumbled across this forum a couple of years ago, and lurked here for a bit. Found it to be pretty friendly, so long as you were a member of the group. I didn't find it to be particularly welcoming though, and wandered away. This time, I came back and saw the same thing. Only decided to say so before I left, knowing full well I was making myself vulnerable to the abuse which would undoubtedly be heaped on me by those members who clearly are using this forum like petty tyrants, and the forum their fiefdom.

When newcomers/visitors see that, a certain number will always join in, as they too are looking for getting those kinds of fixes through Internet posting. Many will also recognize it just for what it is, and leave without ever saying a word.

Many here have proven that there is a core group who will kill every messenger who dares pull back the curtain, revealing this dark side of Mudcat. It apparently, according to some regulars, happens with regularity here.

I would suggest the problem isn't with the occassional visitors, but with the abuses of power being exercised by this core group of members, who keep perpetuating this status quo to protect their own position in the group hierarchy.

All