My Two Knuts (long) (In Which Eileen Steps In)

[lucky_kari]

First of all, Mr. McSnurd, could you do us a favour and shut up? 

You know absolutely *nothing* about any of us involved in this and
calling people names (even with the caveat that nothing you're saying
might apply - the admittance of which makes your behaviour worse if
you think about it) is ghastly behaviour on your part. So ghastly that
for the first time in HPFGU history, I'm breaking all rules of
civility and telling someone to shut up. But honestly, you should. You
have every right to say what you think about list policy, but your
personal attacks on Cindy are *way* out of line, given your complete
non-connection to everyone involved. 

Now, on to the real issues here. First, I'll make clear where I'm
coming from. 

As some of you will know, I'm a long-time HPFGU poster here. I've
never been a member of MEG: The Administration list. I have since
about last September been a member of FAQ, the HPFGU list which takes
care of writing the Fantastic Posts. I've also been very good friends
with quite a number of the people in the middle of this dispute.
Yesterday, I resigned from FAQ because it was no longer possible to
work there, given the current situation. As of the moment, I'm not
officially connected with HPFGU in any way shape or form.

Joywitch:
> I finally came to the conclusion that what Cindy seemed to want 
>was to run HPfGU herself, her way.
(and)
>This was rather a startling conclusion, to me. I mean, I *liked*
>Cindy. She is smart, funny and interesting. She was my friend.
>And why the hell would anyone go to so much trouble to try and take
>over a discussion group about a children's book? In fact, I still
>don't get it. Nevertheless, I'm afraid it's true. Cindy has
>consistently, first 
>from her position as Moderator, then from her position as a member 
>of the admin team, and more recently in her position on the FAQ 
>team, tried to unduly influence and manipulate both people and
>circumstances in an attempt to gain leadership of the HPfGU 
>community.

I have to disagree with the general feeling of this statement. Yes,
Cindy does have a history of wanting things her way. I have occasion
to know this myself. Cindy got rather ticked at me last
October/November over FAQ issues. I can be pretty darn stubborn over
details, I didn't like Cindy's keyword plans, and well, it wasn't
pretty. In that, I'm rather surprised that the rest of you seem to
think it some amazing new discovery that Cindy is a person who wants
her way and will fight to the end to get it.  

Regardless, a desire to get one's way, to prove that one is right, is
not the same as some secret plan to take power. 

It's been left out in these accounts of Modgate the fact that not all
the mods supported Cindy's ouster. Elkins, who had worked with Cindy
as a mod, and seen Cindy's 'behaviour', and is well-known is these
parts for being thoroughly impartial, did not. While, unfortunately,
Elkins is unavailable at the moment, I think I can speak for her that
Cindy does not have a Secret Plan (TM). 

That does not mean, of course, that Cindy's strategies and actions
have been correct. In the end, this whole thing goes way, way back.
War on HPFGU has been going on for at least a year and a half now.
What about the good old TBAY debacle? Everything today is rooted in a
deal of history. 

Joywitch: 
>And Cindy is right that some rotten things have happened. The
>creation of "the Old Crowd" list which she refers to was pretty
>nasty, (although I have to point out that it was NOT created by the
>admin team) and was what ultimately led me to decide to leave the
>admin team, although I don't think that the existence of that list
>had much of an impact on HPfGU. 

*agrees*

Those elves who joined TOC should be ashamed of themselves. I know
some of you and I can only hope that you weren't thinking properly. 

Eileen