As for ubuntu switching to uutils? Meh, I'm ambivalent, but
that's largely because I think that Canonical is run by a loon.

why is he a loon? not defending, just don't know much about him and intrigued now

... Oxymoron: Race walking

--- Mystic BBS v1.12 A48 (Windows/64)
* Origin: Retro32 BBS (21:1/215)

On 24 Nov 2025 at 09:52p, rootroot pondered and said...

As for ubuntu switching to uutils? Meh, I'm ambivalent, but
that's largely because I think that Canonical is run by a loon.

why is he a loon? not defending, just don't know much about him and intrigued now

He wants to see things like high school transcripts if you
go to work for Canonical, regardless of what you've done in
industry or how long you've been out of, you know, high
school.

Their hiring process is infamous.

--- Mystic BBS v1.12 A48 (Linux/64)
* Origin: Agency BBS | Dunedin, New Zealand | agency.bbs.nz (21:1/101)

tenser wrote to rootroot <=-

He wants to see things like high school transcripts if you
go to work for Canonical, regardless of what you've done in
industry or how long you've been out of, you know, high
school.

I had a government job ask for a copy of my college diploma. From 1985.
31 years later, with a full resume and references. I thought that was
kooky, then realized it was government.

The fact that I had to sign 40 documents, provide fingerprints and have
a background check should have been my first clue I was going down a
process hellhole.

Two weeks after I left, they realized that they underpaid me by a day
or so of wages. Instead of just cutting a check for the difference,
they clawed back the paycheck out of my account and issued a new check.
In a week.



--- MultiMail/Win v0.52
* Origin: realitycheckBBS.org -- information is power. (21:4/122)

Re: Re: macOS 26
By: poindexter FORTRAN to tenser on Fri Dec 19 2025 07:38 am

I had a government job ask for a copy of my college diploma. From 1985. 31 years later, with a full resume and references. I thought that was kooky, then realized it was government.

I always thought organizations hiring for a job could contact the college or university you attended and asked for verification of your degree. I've never been asked to provide a copy of my college diploma. And for a while, I had even forgotten where I had stored mine because I'd never really needed it for anything.

Nightfox
--- SBBSecho 3.33-Linux
* Origin: Digital Distortion: digdist.synchro.net (21:1/137)

I had a government job ask for a copy of my college diploma. From 1985

years later, with a full resume and references. I thought that was koo

then realized it was government.

I always thought organizations hiring for a job could contact the
college or university you attended and asked for verification of your degree. I've never been asked to provide a copy of my college diploma. And for a while, I had even forgotten where I had stored mine because
I'd never really needed it for anything.

Back when ISO9000 certification was in it's infancy, I was on our company's implementation committee. As part of the "is this employee qualified for this position" we had to ask for copies of certifications for everyone. That included proof(diploma) that I was a graduate engineer and any course work certifications I took for the job. I don't know if that's still a
requirement.

|11ogg
|11SysOp, Altair IV BBS
|11altairiv.ddns.net:2323

--- Mystic BBS v1.12 A49 2024/05/29 (Linux/64)
* Origin: Altair IV BBS (altairiv.ddns.net:2323) (21:2/147)

BY: Nightfox (21:1/137)

|11N|09> |10I always thought organizations hiring for a job could contact the|07
|11N|09> |10college or university you attended and asked for verification of your|07
|11N|09> |10degree. I've never been asked to provide a copy of my college diploma. |07
|11N|09> |10And for a while, I had even forgotten where I had stored mine because|07
|11N|09> |10I'd never really needed it for anything.|07
for my government job I think I did upload my transcript to my application.


--- WWIV 5.9.03748[Windows]
* Origin: inland utopia * california * iutopia.duckdns.org:2023 (21:4/108)

Re: Re: macOS 26
By: Utopian Galt to Nightfox on Fri Dec 19 2025 09:03 pm

ought organizations hiring for a job could contact

the

university you attended and asked for verification of

your degree

for my government job I think I did upload my transcript to my application.

Yeah, I've applied to a copule jobs that asked me to provide my transcripts.

Nightfox
--- SBBSecho 3.33-Linux
* Origin: Digital Distortion: digdist.synchro.net (21:1/137)

On 19 Dec 2025 at 07:38a, poindexter FORTRAN pondered and said...

tenser wrote to rootroot <=-

He wants to see things like high school transcripts if you
go to work for Canonical, regardless of what you've done in
industry or how long you've been out of, you know, high
school.

I had a government job ask for a copy of my college diploma. From 1985.
31 years later, with a full resume and references. I thought that was
kooky, then realized it was government.

Yeah, I've been surprised at the number of places that have
asked for a college transcript.

The fact that I had to sign 40 documents, provide fingerprints and have
a background check should have been my first clue I was going down a
process hellhole.

...let me tell you about when I enlisted in the Marine Corps.
"Fill this out in triplicate..." doesn't begin to describe it.
The bureaucracy is so bad that Marines joke that the Corps
floats on a sea of paperwork.

Two weeks after I left, they realized that they underpaid me by a day
or so of wages. Instead of just cutting a check for the difference,
they clawed back the paycheck out of my account and issued a new check.
In a week.

When I became an officer, I had a kid with a pay issue: he hadn't
been paid something from when he deployed. So I told him to go to
Admin and talk to Sgt. So-and-so. So instead, he wrote his
congressman, who then ordered us to do a full audit of his pay from
the time he enlisted until the present.

Turned out, he'd been _overpaid_ by a few thousand dollars and
actually owed the government money, so they started docking his pay.
Had he just gone and talked to the Marine I told him to, he'd
probably have gotten whatever the original issue was sorted out
and no one would have ever realized he'd been overpaid.

He went UA (Naval service speak for AWOL) a few months later. No
idea what became of him.

--- Mystic BBS v1.12 A48 (Linux/64)
* Origin: Agency BBS | Dunedin, New Zealand | agency.bbs.nz (21:1/101)

On 19 Dec 2025 at 08:33a, Nightfox pondered and said...

Re: Re: macOS 26
By: poindexter FORTRAN to tenser on Fri Dec 19 2025 07:38 am

I had a government job ask for a copy of my college diploma. From 198 years later, with a full resume and references. I thought that was ko then realized it was government.

I always thought organizations hiring for a job could contact the
college or university you attended and asked for verification of your degree. I've never been asked to provide a copy of my college diploma. And for a while, I had even forgotten where I had stored mine because
I'd never really needed it for anything.

Come to think of it...no one's ever asked for my diploma, either.
If anything, it was a copy of my transcript. The government was
always into that when I was in the military.

--- Mystic BBS v1.12 A48 (Linux/64)
* Origin: Agency BBS | Dunedin, New Zealand | agency.bbs.nz (21:1/101)

Re: Re: macOS 26
By: Nightfox to poindexter FORTRAN on Fri Dec 19 2025 08:33:51

I always thought organizations hiring for a job could contact the college or university you attended and asked for verification of your degree.

Negative. The HIPAA privacy act disallows thrid-party access to personal documents without the owner's approval.
--- SBBSecho 3.31-Linux
* Origin: End Of The Line BBS - endofthelinebbs.com (21:2/101)

I always thought organizations hiring for a job could contact the colle university you attended and asked for verification of your degree.

Negative. The HIPAA privacy act disallows thrid-party access to personal documents without the owner's approval.

Was that a joke that I'm not understanding?

HIPAA, as far as US laws go, is about health information privacy, so I'm confused on why it would cover things that are not health information.

And, that said, most of the time people say, "it's probably a HIPAA violation", it is not, in fact, a HIPAA violation.

And with verifying diplomas, sometimes universities have automated pages to check credentials.

Honestly, with anything that's identification, there _should_ be some way to verify that it's a valid document.

--- Mystic BBS v1.12 A48 (Linux/64)
* Origin: Storm BBS (21:2/108)

Re: Hiring Practices
By: Mortar M. to Nightfox on Wed Dec 24 2025 12:11 am

I always thought organizations hiring for a job could contact the college
or university you attended and asked for verification of your degree.

Negative. The HIPAA privacy act disallows thrid-party access to personal documents without the owner's approval.

Ah, I had the impression HIPAA was mainly for health-related stuff, and that things like the degrees you've earned were basically public record.

Nightfox
--- SBBSecho 3.33-Linux
* Origin: Digital Distortion: digdist.synchro.net (21:1/137)

NIGHTFOX (21:1/137) wrote to Mortar M. <=-

Ah, I had the impression HIPAA was mainly for health-related stuff, and that things like the degrees you've earned were basically public
record.

There is another law that helps protect academic records.


... Gone crazy, be back later, please leave message.
--- MultiMail/Win v0.52


--- WWIV 5.9.03748[Windows]
* Origin: inland utopia * california * iutopia.duckdns.org:2023 (21:4/108)

Re: Re: Hiring Practices
By: Utopian Galt to Nightfox on Wed Dec 24 2025 12:26 pm

Ah, I had the impression HIPAA was mainly for health-related stuff, and
that things like the degrees you've earned were basically public record.

There is another law that helps protect academic records.

Interesting.. When I've gotten a new job, I've never had to directly provide proof of my degrees, so I thought they were able to contact the colleges and verify with them.

Nightfox
--- SBBSecho 3.33-Linux
* Origin: Digital Distortion: digdist.synchro.net (21:1/137)

On Wed, 24 Dec 2025 00:11:02 -0600
"Mortar M." <mortar.m.@endofthelinebbs.com> wrote:

Re: Re: macOS 26
By: Nightfox to poindexter FORTRAN on Fri Dec 19 2025 08:33:51

I always thought organizations hiring for a job could contact the
college or university you attended and asked for verification of
your degree.

Negative. The HIPAA privacy act disallows thrid-party access to
personal documents without the owner's approval.

HIPPA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) is about
protecting your medical and health records.

Like if your wife tries to call your doctor to find what medication
you're taking, they will not tell you until you have signed a HIPPA
release for people you wish to have that information.
--
End Of The Line BBS - Plano, TX
telnet endofthelinebbs.com 23
--- SBBSecho 3.31-Linux
* Origin: End Of The Line BBS - endofthelinebbs.com (21:2/101)

Nightfox wrote to Utopian Galt <=-

Interesting.. When I've gotten a new job, I've never had to directly provide proof of my degrees, so I thought they were able to contact the colleges and verify with them.

Same here.

But prior to that (so we're talking 20+ years ago now), I did have to get a notorized transcript from my alma mater for the company I was applying for. But the job had a specific requirement of a Bachelor's Degree.

Could it be that universities have fallen so low that the degrees are no longer required?


... Always remember you're unique - just like everyone else.
___ MultiMail/Linux v0.52

--- Mystic BBS/QWK v1.12 A47 2021/12/25 (Windows/32)
* Origin: cold fusion - cfbbs.net - grand rapids, mi (21:1/616)

Mortar M. wrote to Nightfox <=-

I always thought organizations hiring for a job could contact the college or university you attended and asked for verification of your degree.

Negative. The HIPAA privacy act disallows thrid-party access to
personal documents without the owner's approval.

HIPAA, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability act of 1996
concerns the dissemination of health information.

From https://www.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/privacysummary.pdf

The Standards for Privacy of Individually Identifiable Health
Information ("Privacy Rule") establishes, for the first time, a set of
national standards for the protection of certain health information. The
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services ("HHS") issued the Privacy
Rule to implement the requirement of the Health Insurance Portability
and Accountability Act of 1996 ("HIPAA"). 1 The Privacy Rule standards
address the use and disclosure of individuals' health information-called "protected health information" by organizations subject to the Privacy
Rule - called "covered entities," as well as standards for individuals'
privacy rights to understand and control how their health information is
used. Within HHS, the Office for Civil Rights ("OCR") has responsibility
for implementing and enforcing the Privacy Rule with respect to
voluntary compliance activities and civil money penalties


--- MultiMail/Win v0.52
* Origin: realitycheckBBS.org -- information is power. (21:4/122)

Re: Re: Hiring Practices
By: Adept to Mortar M. on Wed Dec 24 2025 14:19:35

HIPAA, as far as US laws go, is about health information privacy, so I'm confused on why it would cover things that are not health information.

My bad. That should be FERPA, the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act. --- SBBSecho 3.31-Linux
* Origin: End Of The Line BBS - endofthelinebbs.com (21:2/101)

Re: Hiring Practices
By: Nightfox to Mortar M. on Wed Dec 24 2025 09:52:04

Ah, I had the impression HIPAA was mainly for health-related stuff...

It is, my goof. That should've been FERPA, the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act.
--- SBBSecho 3.31-Linux
* Origin: End Of The Line BBS - endofthelinebbs.com (21:2/101)

Re: Re: Hiring Practices
By: Utopian Galt to Nightfox on Wed Dec 24 2025 12:26:51

There is another law that helps protect academic records.

Yep. FERPA, the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act. Sorry for the error.
--- SBBSecho 3.31-Linux
* Origin: End Of The Line BBS - endofthelinebbs.com (21:2/101)

Re: Re: Hiring Practices
By: Nigel Reed to All on Thu Dec 25 2025 03:17:51

HIPPA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) is about protecting your medical and health records.

Yeah, my bad. That should be FERPA, the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act.
--- SBBSecho 3.31-Linux
* Origin: End Of The Line BBS - endofthelinebbs.com (21:2/101)

Re: Re: Hiring Practices
By: Dr. What to Nightfox on Thu Dec 25 2025 08:12:44

Could it be that universities have fallen so low that the degrees are no longer required?

Not all jobs require a degree, but these tend to be low-level positions. Educational requirements are up to the employer.
--- SBBSecho 3.31-Linux
* Origin: End Of The Line BBS - endofthelinebbs.com (21:2/101)

Mortar M. wrote to Dr. What <=-

Could it be that universities have fallen so low that the degrees are no longer required?

Not all jobs require a degree, but these tend to be low-level
positions.

That's not true and especially not true today. The higher level jobs may need more education, but the need for a degree has dropped in a major way over the last decade - especially in the last 5 years.

Educational requirements are up to the employer. ---

They always have been. But too many graduates are coming out with degrees but obviously don't have the education that's supposed to go with that degree.


... I can't be overdrawn, I still have checks left!
___ MultiMail/Linux v0.52

--- Mystic BBS/QWK v1.12 A47 2021/12/25 (Windows/32)
* Origin: cold fusion - cfbbs.net - grand rapids, mi (21:1/616)

Re: Re: Hiring Practices
By: Dr. What to Mortar M. on Sun Dec 28 2025 10:18:02

But too many graduates are coming out with degrees but obviously don't have the education that's supposed to go with that degree.

That's a very broad, and I suspect, unsubstantiated claim. Unless you have hard facts to back that up.
--- SBBSecho 3.31-Linux
* Origin: End Of The Line BBS - endofthelinebbs.com (21:2/101)

Mortar M. wrote to Dr. What <=-

But too many graduates are coming out with degrees but obviously don't have the education that's supposed to go with that degree.

That's a very broad, and I suspect, unsubstantiated claim. Unless you have hard facts to back that up.

Ahhh... I see we have another leftoid shill.

"Broad", most certainly.
"Unsubstantiated", nope.
"Hard facts", simply what the corporations are saying publically.

But telling people not to believe what they see with their own eyes is your job, isn't it?

*Plonk*


... I'm sorry Mrs. Bobbitt, you can't send that in the mail.
___ MultiMail/Linux v0.52

--- Mystic BBS/QWK v1.12 A47 2021/12/25 (Windows/32)
* Origin: cold fusion - cfbbs.net - grand rapids, mi (21:1/616)

Ahhh... I see we have another leftoid shill.

FSXnet having a no-politics rule, this is the sort of post that I am generally very happy _not_ to see here.

Please help us keep it that way, so we can have a place that _isn't_ constantly about one stupid leader or another. Or insulting each other.

We get enough of that elsewhere.

--- Mystic BBS v1.12 A48 (Linux/64)
* Origin: Storm BBS (21:2/108)

Re: Re: Hiring Practices
By: Dr. What to Mortar M. on Mon Dec 29 2025 07:17:50

"Unsubstantiated", nope.

How?

"Hard facts", simply what the corporations are saying publically.

Who?

But telling people not to believe what they see with their own eyes is your job, isn't it?

Evasive.
--- SBBSecho 3.31-Linux
* Origin: End Of The Line BBS - endofthelinebbs.com (21:2/101)

Re: Re: Hiring Practices
By: Adept to Dr. What on Mon Dec 29 2025 16:30:28

FSXnet having a no-politics rule, this is the sort of post that I am generally very happy _not_ to see here.

Oops! Wish I'd seen this before I replied. Sorry.
--- SBBSecho 3.31-Linux
* Origin: End Of The Line BBS - endofthelinebbs.com (21:2/101)

Adept wrote to Dr. What <=-

FSXnet having a no-politics rule,

*Laugh* That's a joke. FSXnet seems to be the place where the delusional Left hides.

this is the sort of post that I am
generally very happy _not_ to see here.

And why do I care about your happiness?

Please help us keep it that way, so we can have a place that _isn't_ constantly about one stupid leader or another. Or insulting each other.

So the rules are only enforced against non-Leftists. Got it.

We get enough of that elsewhere.

So you hide here. Got it.


... Everyone makes mistakes, if not we'd all be single!
___ MultiMail/Linux v0.52

--- Mystic BBS/QWK v1.12 A47 2021/12/25 (Windows/32)
* Origin: cold fusion - cfbbs.net - grand rapids, mi (21:1/616)

FSXnet having a no-politics rule, this is the sort of post that I am generally very happy _not_ to see here.

Oops! Wish I'd seen this before I replied. Sorry.

Thanks! I appreciate it, and I do love that pretty much everyone is fine with the rule. It's nice that people can be thoughtful. I think Avon did well with what he was aiming for, with the network.

That said, I do like that people do still tend to post about things in their lives. If someone is talking about what they did on Saturday or Sunday, it's just people talking about their lives.

--- Mystic BBS v1.12 A48 (Linux/64)
* Origin: Storm BBS (21:2/108)

FSXnet having a no-politics rule,

*Laugh* That's a joke. FSXnet seems to be the place where the
delusional Left hides.

So you're intentionally breaking the rules of the network?

Just checking, as I'm uncertain on how much a person can get banned from the network, as most people are able to have a base level of respect. So it hasn't happened much.

And it's annoying when Avon (or others) have to do extra work.

And why do I care about your happiness?

*shrug*. It's an appeal to empathy, that most non-sociopathic people are able to understand.

If you don't, it's fine; it's just not fine for you to both violate the rules and continue to post here.

--- Mystic BBS v1.12 A48 (Linux/64)
* Origin: Storm BBS (21:2/108)

BY: Dr. What (21:1/616)

|11DW|09> |10*Laugh* That's a joke. FSXnet seems to be the place where the|07 |11DW|09> |10delusional Left|07
|11DW|09> |10hides.|07
There are plenty of us of all different types of political orientations im a bit to the right. If we want to continue
the conversations fidonet is one alternative.

--- WWIV 5.9.03748[Windows]
* Origin: inland utopia * california * iutopia.duckdns.org:2023 (21:4/108)

Adept wrote to Dr. What <=-

So you're intentionally breaking the rules of the network?

No. I'm simply pointing out that YOU are treating one set of opinions as "political" and another set as "non-political". Unequal application of the rules is never correct.

Just checking, as I'm uncertain on how much a person can get banned
from the network, as most people are able to have a base level of
respect. So it hasn't happened much.

Ahh... The appeal to "respect" argument. Ya, that doesn't work today.

Respect is earned, not deserved.
Leftoids who play word games and unequally apply rules will never earn my respect.

And it's annoying when Avon (or others) have to do extra work.

And I'll ask again why I should care.

*shrug*. It's an appeal to empathy, that most non-sociopathic people
are able to understand.

And most people with a level of self-awareness would understand. But I can see that what others told me of fsxnet is true and the people have no self-awareness.

If you don't, it's fine; it's just not fine for you to both violate the rules and continue to post here.

I'll tell you what. I'll make this simple for us.

Since this is obviously not a group that I care about anyway. I'll simply drop this group from my feed.


... If you want the last word with a woman, apologize.
___ MultiMail/Linux v0.52

--- Mystic BBS/QWK v1.12 A47 2021/12/25 (Windows/32)
* Origin: cold fusion - cfbbs.net - grand rapids, mi (21:1/616)

Since this is obviously not a group that I care about anyway. I'll
simply drop
this group from my feed.

Thanks!

|03--|11[|05esc|13!|05dEMONIC|11]|03--|07

--- DayDream BBS/UNIX (Linux) 2.15a
* Origin: [>mONTEREYbBS.COM>] (21:3/203)

Since this is obviously not a group that I care about anyway. I'll
simply drop this group from my feed.

Woo! Thanks! Problem solved!

I appreciate you helping out, and apologize to anyone else in this base who might've been annoyed with my responses, somehow.

--- Mystic BBS v1.12 A48 (Linux/64)
* Origin: Storm BBS (21:2/108)

BY: Dr. What (21:1/616)
On Tuesday,December 30, 2025 at 06:22 AM, Dr. What (21:1/616) wrote:

FSXnet having a no-politics rule,

*Laugh* That's a joke. FSXnet seems to be the place where the
delusional Left

am going to say this once, but if this kind of trash is going to be allowed to be posted on the network then you can just drop me off. I am not going to put up with politics and people bashing others. There is ZERO excuse for this type of behaviour in real life and on this network (or any other).

-dmxrob


--- WWIV 5.9.03748[Linux 6.5.0-1026]
* Origin: Off the Wall - St. Peters, Missouri - #VoteBlue (21:4/142)

Hey Dmxrob!

On Sat, Jan 03 2026 09:42:56 -0600, you wrote:

* Origin: Off the Wall - St. Peters, Missouri - #VoteBlue (21:4/142)

While I was reading your message, I was actually in the process of agreeing with you.

Then I read your Origin line, and the credibility of your message went right out the window. :(

Practice what you preach, please.

Regards,
Nick

... Sarcasm, because beating people up is illegal.
--- SBBSecho 3.34-Linux
* Origin: _thePharcyde telnet://bbs.pharcyde.org (Wisconsin) (21:1/700)

Dmxrob wrote to Dr. What <=-

FSXnet having a no-politics rule,

*Laugh* That's a joke. FSXnet seems to be the place where the
delusional Left

am going to say this once, but if this kind of trash is going to be allowed to be posted on the network then you can just drop me off. I
am not going to put up with politics and people bashing others. There
is ZERO excuse for this type of behaviour in real life and on this
network (or any other).

Yeah...

--- WWIV 5.9.03748[Linux 6.5.0-1026]
* Origin: Off the Wall - St. Peters, Missouri - #VoteBlue (21:4/142)

Except you're happy to get your little jab in with your origin line, eh?

That's perfectly OK, right?

"Rules for Thee, but not for Me"...



... Your proctologist called - he found your head.
=== MultiMail/Linux v0.52
--- SBBSecho 3.34-Linux
* Origin: Palantir * palantirbbs.ddns.net * Pensacola, FL * (21:2/138)

Re: Re: Hiring Practices
By: Gamgee to Dmxrob on Sat Jan 03 2026 11:36:55

* Origin: Off the Wall - St. Peters, Missouri - #VoteBlue (21:4/142)

Except you're happy to get your little jab in with your origin line, eh?

Second time I've seen someone say this. What's wrong with the origin? It looks normal to me.
--- SBBSecho 3.31-Linux
* Origin: End Of The Line BBS - endofthelinebbs.com (21:2/101)

Second time I've seen someone say
this. What's wrong with the
origin? It looks normal to me.

Syntactically there's nothing wrong with it but "#Vote Blue" can be seen as being political which would be potentially against the rules on FSX_NET.

All this is pretty dumb though, the rules of the net say no politics.. so can we just leave it out here? Seems like a no-brainer when there's other echos that welcome the discource with open arms.


--- NE BBS v1.14.1 (linux; x64)
* Origin: NE BBS - nebbs.servehttp.com:9223 (21:3/193)

Hey Mortar!

On Sat, Jan 03 2026 21:52:40 -0600, you wrote:

Second time I've seen someone say this. What's wrong with the
origin? It looks normal to me.

When the poster damn near freaked out on someone for posting political stuff ends their message with #VoteBlue, they continued the politics themselves. A pot meet kettle, kind of thing.

Slacker makes a good point. If the rules say no politics, there shouldn't be any from either side.

Regards,
Nick

... Sarcasm, because beating people up is illegal.
--- SBBSecho 3.34-Linux
* Origin: _thePharcyde telnet://bbs.pharcyde.org (Wisconsin) (21:1/700)

Slacker makes a good point. If the rules say no politics, there
shouldn't be any from either side.

Since I did also object to the triggering message, yeah, I agree with this fully.

Not sure if I needed to state that directly, after a previous poster accused me of hypocrisy for some unknown reason.

Mind you, I _did_ just have a post that talked about calendars that have some connection to religion, but it wasn't _about_ religion; just about my personal daily human experience.

And I'm all about people sharing that sort of thing, and would be sad if people thought that should be banned with the rule.

(And people talking politics/religion is _also_ reasonable, elsewhere. It's just nice to be able to have a space that gets us a reprieve.)

--- Mystic BBS v1.12 A48 (Linux/64)
* Origin: Storm BBS (21:2/108)

BY: Accession (21:1/700)
On Saturday,January 03, 2026 at 09:27 AM, Accession (21:1/700) wrote:

Hey Dmxrob!

On Sat, Jan 03 2026 09:42:56 -0600, you wrote:

* Origin: Off the Wall - St. Peters, Missouri - #VoteBlue (21:4/142)

While I was reading your message, I was actually in the process of
agreeing with you.

Then I read your Origin line, and the credibility of your message went
right out the window. :(

Oh yes, let's equate calling people names with common hashtags. That way you can feel better about normalizing hate speech.

-dmxrob

--- WWIV 5.9.03748[Linux 6.5.0-1026]
* Origin: Off the Wall - St. Peters, Missouri - LGBTQ+You (21:4/142)

Second time I've seen someone say this. What's wrong with the
origin? It looks normal to me.

When the poster damn near freaked out on someone for posting political stuff ends their message with #VoteBlue, they continued the politics themselves. A pot meet kettle, kind of thing.

They didn't "end their message" with #VoteBlue, it was part of the origin line not a statement anyone was making.

--- BBBS/Li6 v4.10 Toy-7
* Origin: The Rusty MailBox - Penticton, BC Canada (21:4/106)

Re: Re: Hiring Practices
By: Al to Accession on Sun Jan 04 2026 09:17 am

They didn't "end their message" with #VoteBlue, it was part of the origin line not a statement anyone was making.

The sysop certainly was making it, on a decidedly apolitical message network. --- SBBSecho 3.33-Win32
* Origin: realitycheckBBS.org -- information is power. (21:4/122)

Re: Re: Hiring Practices
By: Dmxrob to Accession on Sun Jan 04 2026 05:13 pm

Oh yes, let's equate calling people names with common hashtags. That way yo can feel better about normalizing hate speech.

Wow. Just, wow. From what I recall, there was no name calling. To make the jump to hate speech seems unmerited.
--- SBBSecho 3.33-Win32
* Origin: realitycheckBBS.org -- information is power. (21:4/122)

While I was reading your message, I was actually in the process of agreeing with you.

Then I read your Origin line, and the credibility of your message went right out the window. :(

Practice what you preach, please.

I have found that on networks that bar all political discussion, politics
is usually tolerated until the discussion veers towards the right. That
said, the OP that started the objections in this case likes to play
ignorant of the rules and stir the pot so his apparent departure may be no
big loss.

P.S. When I say tolerated, I don't necessarily mean by the moderator or
NC but by other participants.

---
þ BgNet 1.0á12 ÷ RAW: Port 27 / Telnet:26 / ftelnet:80
* Origin: moe's tavern * 1-5028758938 * moetiki.ddns.net:27 (21:4/134)

* Origin: Off the Wall - St. Peters, Missouri - #VoteBlue (21:4/142)

Except you're happy to get your little jab in with your origin line, eh?

Second time I've seen someone say this. What's wrong with the origin? It looks normal to me.

The poster was complaining about politics being included in messages, but
every message they post includes '#VoteBlue' in the origin line, which is
a political statement.

It would be just like someone else including '#MAGA' or '#VoteRed' at the
end of all of their messages. I am 100% positive that doing so would get complained about.

If you are going to complain about political speach in an echo, it would
be a very good idea to omit any/all politics of any type/color/wing from
your objection message.
---
þ BgNet 1.0á12 ÷ RAW: Port 27 / Telnet:26 / ftelnet:80
* Origin: moe's tavern * 1-5028758938 * moetiki.ddns.net:27 (21:4/134)

* Origin: Off the Wall - St. Peters, Missouri - #VoteBlue (21:4/142) >>

Except you're happy to get your little jab in with your origin line, eh? >>

Second time I've seen someone say this. What's wrong with the origin? It >> looks normal to me.

The poster was complaining about politics being included in messages, but every message they post includes '#VoteBlue' in the origin line, which is
a political statement.

#VoteBlue is not political speech. It is a hashtag that was in the origin
line.

If you are going to complain about political speach in an echo,

I guess someone was getting political. We try to avoid that here about.

it would be a very good idea to omit any/all politics of any type/color/wing from your objection message.

There was no politics in the request to refrain from politics. #VoteBlue is a hashtag, nothing more, nothing less.

--- BBBS/Li6 v4.10 Toy-7
* Origin: The Rusty MailBox - Penticton, BC Canada (21:4/106)

Al wrote to MIKE POWELL <=-

* Origin: Off the Wall - St. Peters, Missouri - #VoteBlue (21:4/142)

Except you're happy to get your little jab in with your origin line, eh?

Second time I've seen someone say this. What's wrong with the origin? It
looks normal to me.

The poster was complaining about politics being included in messages, but every message they post includes '#VoteBlue' in the origin line, which is
a political statement.

#VoteBlue is not political speech. It is a hashtag that was in the
origin line.

Baloney. It's clearly a political statement. Are you kidding?

If you are going to complain about political speach in an echo,

I guess someone was getting political. We try to avoid that here about.

it would be a very good idea to omit any/all politics of any type/color/wing from your objection message.

There was no politics in the request to refrain from politics.
#VoteBlue is a hashtag, nothing more, nothing less.

Come on dude. Just because you agree with the *political* statement of
that "hashtag", doesn't change what it is.



... Gone crazy, be back later, please leave message.
=== MultiMail/Linux v0.52
--- SBBSecho 3.34-Linux
* Origin: Palantir * palantirbbs.ddns.net * Pensacola, FL * (21:2/138)

#VoteBlue is not political speech. It is a hashtag that was in the
origin line.

Baloney. It's clearly a political statement. Are you kidding?

No.

There was no politics in the request to refrain from politics.
#VoteBlue is a hashtag, nothing more, nothing less.

Come on dude. Just because you agree with the *political* statement of
that "hashtag", doesn't change what it is.

Ah, I see. You don't like #VoteBlue so it is wrong and should be banned.

Gotcha.

--- BBBS/Li6 v4.10 Toy-7
* Origin: The Rusty MailBox - Penticton, BC Canada (21:4/106)

Ah, I see. You don't like #VoteBlue so it is wrong and should be
banned.

I haven't agreed with Gamgee on all things in the past, particularly
political things, but I side with him here. No politics means we shouldn't
have things like #voteblue which come off as very passive aggressive in a no politics zone. Remove it so we can all move on, please.

|03--|11[|05esc|13!|05dEMONIC|11]|03--|07

--- DayDream BBS/UNIX (Linux) 2.15a
* Origin: [>mONTEREYbBS.COM>] (21:3/203)

esc wrote to Al <=-

Ah, I see. You don't like #VoteBlue so it is wrong and should be
banned.

I haven't agreed with Gamgee on all things in the past, particularly political things, but I side with him here. No politics means we
shouldn't have things like #voteblue which come off as very passive aggressive in a no politics zone. Remove it so we can all move on,
please.

Thank you.

I chose not to reply to his post.



... Trust is gained in drops and lost in buckets.
=== MultiMail/Linux v0.52
--- SBBSecho 3.34-Linux
* Origin: Palantir * palantirbbs.ddns.net * Pensacola, FL * (21:2/138)

Ah, I see. You don't like #VoteBlue so it is wrong and should be
banned.

I haven't agreed with Gamgee on all things in the past, particularly political things, but I side with him here. No politics means we shouldn't have things like #voteblue which come off as very passive aggressive in a no politics zone. Remove it so we can all move on, please.

I don't use the hashtag so I can't remove it.

Nobody was discussing #VoteBlue, It was part of an origin line.

--- BBBS/Li6 v4.10 Toy-7
* Origin: The Rusty MailBox - Penticton, BC Canada (21:4/106)

Hey Al!

On Sun, Jan 04 2026 23:56:26 -0600, you wrote:

There was no politics in the request to refrain from politics.
#VoteBlue is a hashtag, nothing more, nothing less.

.. and denial is a river in Egypt.

Regards,
Nick

... Sarcasm, because beating people up is illegal.
--- SBBSecho 3.34-Linux
* Origin: _thePharcyde telnet://bbs.pharcyde.org (Wisconsin) (21:1/700)

Hey Al!

On Mon, Jan 05 2026 10:21:24 -0600, you wrote:

Ah, I see. You don't like #VoteBlue so it is wrong and should be
banned.

Gotcha.

If a message network's admin states "no politics," that doesn't mean some things are okay, no matter what it is, or what one thinks is right or wrong.

Try doing an online search for what you call that "nothing more than a hashtag" and see what it means and where it points to.

Regards,
Nick

... Sarcasm, because beating people up is illegal.
--- SBBSecho 3.34-Linux
* Origin: _thePharcyde telnet://bbs.pharcyde.org (Wisconsin) (21:1/700)

Hey Esc!

On Mon, Jan 05 2026 12:34:24 -0600, you wrote:

I haven't agreed with Gamgee on all things in the past, particularly political things, but I side with him here. No politics means we
shouldn't have things like #voteblue which come off as very passive aggressive in a no politics zone. Remove it so we can all move on,
please.

Thank you, good sir. You're a gentleman and a scholar. ;)

Regards,
Nick

... Sarcasm, because beating people up is illegal.
--- SBBSecho 3.34-Linux
* Origin: _thePharcyde telnet://bbs.pharcyde.org (Wisconsin) (21:1/700)

Hey Gamgee!

On Mon, Jan 05 2026 15:04:22 -0600, you wrote:

I chose not to reply to his post.

Probably better off than I am, then. Just means we get to see another off the wall response from him. Sorry about that. ;)

Regards,
Nick

... Sarcasm, because beating people up is illegal.
--- SBBSecho 3.34-Linux
* Origin: _thePharcyde telnet://bbs.pharcyde.org (Wisconsin) (21:1/700)

There was no politics in the request to refrain from politics.
#VoteBlue is a hashtag, nothing more, nothing less.

.. and denial is a river in Egypt.

There was no politics in the request to refrain from politics.
#VoteBlue is a hashtag, nothing more and nothing less.

Denial whether in Egypt or anywhere else doesn't come into it. I don't know why you obsess over it.

--- BBBS/Li6 v4.10 Toy-7
* Origin: The Rusty MailBox - Penticton, BC Canada (21:4/106)

Try doing an online search for what you call that "nothing more than a hashtag and see what it means and where it points to.

I know what it means. No one is discussing #VoteBlue or #VoteRed.

It was a hashtag included in an origin line.

You can obsess over it if you want. I'll not comment on the thing further.

--- BBBS/Li6 v4.10 Toy-7
* Origin: The Rusty MailBox - Penticton, BC Canada (21:4/106)

Accession wrote to Gamgee <=-

Hey Gamgee!

On Mon, Jan 05 2026 15:04:22 -0600, you wrote:

I chose not to reply to his post.

Probably better off than I am, then. Just means we get to see another
off the wall response from him. Sorry about that. ;)

Yeah, no worries. He's now stated that he's done with the thread.
Pretty standard practice for somebody like that.

Al has a pretty serious case of TDS, and the prognosis isn't good. ;-)



... Gone crazy, be back later, please leave message.
=== MultiMail/Linux v0.52
--- SBBSecho 3.34-Linux
* Origin: Palantir * palantirbbs.ddns.net * Pensacola, FL * (21:2/138)

Yeah, no worries. He's now stated that he's done with the thread.
Pretty standard practice for somebody like that.

Al has a pretty serious case of TDS, and the prognosis isn't good. ;-)

I think he just likes to play silly games, and also to get the last
word in. As a moderator and echo participant, I dealt with his nonsense
for several years. He and Dr. What are someone else's problems now.

My money was on his "I didn't say that" game -- I used to have a QWK
tagline dedicated to his favorite thing to say -- but I guess Al decided to
cut his losses instead.


* SLMR 2.1a * "Bother," said Pooh, and twitted his moderator.
--- SBBSecho 3.28-Linux
* Origin: moe's tavern * 1-5028758938 * moetiki.ddns.net:27 (21:4/134)

My money was on his "I didn't say that" game -- I used to have a QWK
tagline dedicated to his favorite thing to say -- but I guess Al decided to cut his losses instead.

What losses?

If I had anything to say to you I would say it. If you have anything to say to me I will listen.

--- BBBS/Li6 v4.10 Toy-7
* Origin: The Rusty MailBox - Penticton, BC Canada (21:4/106)

Hey Dumas!

On Tue, 06 Jan 2026 11:13:10 -0500, you wrote:

..but I guess Al decided to cut his losses instead.

Doubtful. He'll continue to argue just to argue.

Stop feeding the troll, and he'll eventually go away or participate in a different conversation unrelated to the subject.

Regards,
Nick

... Sarcasm: because beating people up is illegal.
--- GoldED+/LNX 1.1.5-b20250409
* Origin: _thePharcyde telnet://bbs.pharcyde.org (Wisconsin) (21:1/200)

Dumas Walker wrote to GAMGEE <=-

Yeah, no worries. He's now stated that he's done with the thread.
Pretty standard practice for somebody like that.

Al has a pretty serious case of TDS, and the prognosis isn't good. ;-)

I think he just likes to play silly games, and also to get the last
word in. As a moderator and echo participant, I dealt with his
nonsense for several years. He and Dr. What are someone else's
problems now.

My money was on his "I didn't say that" game -- I used to have a QWK tagline dedicated to his favorite thing to say -- but I guess Al
decided to cut his losses instead.

Yep, I'm familiar with his games and methods, from Othernet(s). Very predictable and expected behavior from him. I laugh at his attempts.



... Gone crazy, be back later, please leave message.
=== MultiMail/Linux v0.52
--- SBBSecho 3.34-Linux
* Origin: Palantir * palantirbbs.ddns.net * Pensacola, FL * (21:2/138)

..but I guess Al decided to cut his losses instead.

Doubtful. He'll continue to argue just to argue.

Agreed. He's already broke his promise to drop it.

Stop feeding the troll, and he'll eventually go away or participate in a different conversation unrelated to the subject.

Also agreed.
---
þ BgNet 1.0á12 ÷ RAW: Port 27 / Telnet:26 / ftelnet:80
* Origin: moe's tavern * 1-5028758938 * moetiki.ddns.net:27 (21:4/134)

Re: Re: Hiring Practices
By: Dr. What to Adept on Thu Jan 01 2026 08:04 am

No. I'm simply pointing out that YOU are treating one set of opinions as "political" and another set as "non-political". Unequal application of the rules is never correct.

Just chimming in. I agree that the application of rules feels arbitrary at times and subjects tend to be "removed" only when the consensus is challenged. ie. stating some politicism in this place is safe as long as it fits the most supported stance around here, and only gets considered against the rules once the statement is challenged with enough vehemency it is obvious arguments against it can stand up to a point.


--
gopher://gopher.richardfalken.com/1/richardfalken
--- SBBSecho 3.34-Linux
* Origin: Palantir * palantirbbs.ddns.net * Pensacola, FL * (21:2/138)

Re: Re: Hiring Practices
By: Al to MIKE POWELL on Sun Jan 04 2026 09:56 pm

#VoteBlue is not political speech. It is a hashtag that was in the origin line.

I think that means I could use the hashtag #HitlerWasTheBest and nobody would complain because it is just a hashtag.


--
gopher://gopher.richardfalken.com/1/richardfalken
--- SBBSecho 3.34-Linux
* Origin: Palantir * palantirbbs.ddns.net * Pensacola, FL * (21:2/138)

Hey Arelor!

On Thu, Jan 08 2026 10:11:02 -0600, you wrote:

I think that means I could use the hashtag #HitlerWasTheBest and
nobody would complain because it is just a hashtag.

HAHAHAHAHAHA. Thanks for driving the point home. :D

Regards,
Nick

... Sarcasm, because beating people up is illegal.
--- SBBSecho 3.34-Linux
* Origin: _thePharcyde telnet://bbs.pharcyde.org (Wisconsin) (21:1/700)

I'll not comment on the thing further.

Yay! Ideal outcome!

(I've been resisting commenting more, expressly because this network has the rules it does because it should be fun (or at least kind, if the topic is not fun), and I hardly want to add more than necessary to a conversation that I'm hoping will stop.)

So, on that note, anyone make any interesting resolutions for the new year? I generally don't, but, "I'll draw something every day for a month" or something would be a neat resolution.

--- Mystic BBS v1.12 A48 (Linux/64)
* Origin: Storm BBS (21:2/108)

I'll not comment on the thing further.

Yay! Ideal outcome!

Agreed.

(I've been resisting commenting more, expressly because this network has the rules it does because it should be fun (or at least kind, if the topic is not fun), and I hardly want to add more than necessary to a conversation that I'm hoping will stop.)

The thread was not something that interested me and I don't think for anyone else either, so I don't see any point in continuing with it.

--- BBBS/Li6 v4.10 Toy-7
* Origin: The Rusty MailBox - Penticton, BC Canada (21:4/106)

Adept wrote to Al <=-

So, on that note, anyone make any interesting resolutions for the new year? I generally don't, but, "I'll draw something every day for a
month" or something would be a neat resolution.

I signed up for a 90-day writing sprint. One hour per day, 6 days a
week. I've done 30-day NANOWRIMOs before, with the intention of getting
a practical first rough draft, this challenge aims to have a complete
book in 90 days.

My resolution this year is to write consistently, get published (or self-published) and see if I can make some income writing.



--- MultiMail/Win v0.52
* Origin: realitycheckBBS.org -- information is power. (21:4/122)

I think that means I could use the hashtag #HitlerWasTheBest and nobody
would complain because it is just a hashtag.

Klara Hitler? What did she do that was so great?



--- NE BBS v1.14.1 (linux; x64)
* Origin: NE BBS - nebbs.servehttp.com:9223 (21:3/193)

Al wrote to Accession <=-

Second time I've seen someone say this. What's wrong with the
origin? It looks normal to me.

When the poster damn near freaked out on someone for posting political stuff ends their message with #VoteBlue, they continued the politics themselves. A pot meet kettle, kind of thing.

They didn't "end their message" with #VoteBlue, it was part of the
origin line not a statement anyone was making.

As you well know, the origin line is configured to whatever you want it
to be. It's just as much a part of the message as ... the message. You
know all of this, and choose to argue about it anyway.



... He does the work of 3 Men...Moe, Larry & Curly
=== MultiMail/Linux v0.52
--- SBBSecho 3.34-Linux
* Origin: Palantir * palantirbbs.ddns.net * Pensacola, FL * (21:2/138)

Dmxrob wrote to Accession <=-

* Origin: Off the Wall - St. Peters, Missouri - #VoteBlue (21:4/142)

While I was reading your message, I was actually in the process of
agreeing with you.

Then I read your Origin line, and the credibility of your message went right out the window. :(

Oh yes, let's equate calling people names with common hashtags. That
way you can feel better about normalizing hate speech.

Who was calling anyone names?

* Origin: Off the Wall - St. Peters, Missouri - LGBTQ+You (21:4/142)

So, you change it, but *STILL* can't help but put some controversial
(indeed political) words in there, can you?

Come on, quit trying to fan the flames with your passive-agressive
tactics. If you can't do that, please go away.



... Ignorance can be cured. Stupid is forever.
=== MultiMail/Linux v0.52
--- SBBSecho 3.34-Linux
* Origin: Palantir * palantirbbs.ddns.net * Pensacola, FL * (21:2/138)

poindexter FORTRAN wrote to Al <=-

They didn't "end their message" with #VoteBlue, it was part of the origin line not a statement anyone was making.

The sysop certainly was making it, on a decidedly apolitical message network.

Absolutely correct.



... Gone crazy, be back later, please leave message.
=== MultiMail/Linux v0.52
--- SBBSecho 3.34-Linux
* Origin: Palantir * palantirbbs.ddns.net * Pensacola, FL * (21:2/138)

poindexter FORTRAN wrote to Dmxrob <=-

Re: Re: Hiring Practices
By: Dmxrob to Accession on Sun Jan 04 2026 05:13 pm

Oh yes, let's equate calling people names with common hashtags. That way yo can feel better about normalizing hate speech.

Wow. Just, wow. From what I recall, there was no name calling. To make
the jump to hate speech seems unmerited.

Agreed. This guy (?) is really something.



... Gone crazy, be back later, please leave message.
=== MultiMail/Linux v0.52
--- SBBSecho 3.34-Linux
* Origin: Palantir * palantirbbs.ddns.net * Pensacola, FL * (21:2/138)