Over the past week, Randy has reviewed a number of threads and determined several FTers have been personally abusing others, and driving those threads in directions not intended. This has resulted in a "Time Out" being given to at least three of the most virulent offenders.

No one takes pleasure in seeing another member of our Community placed in this position. We have all written, from time to time, words that may have veered off course and/or personally hurt or offended other FTers, intentionally or unintentionally. I myself, plead guilty, and have been reminded by Randy of such transgressions.

The question here is: Can one continue to have as a member of this Community, someone who ignores their "Time Out" and returns in the guise of a newbie, only to continue their same assaults on others in the Community?

On Thursday evening, a FTer was given a "Time Out", in part for personal insults he hurled continuously at me, as well as a couple of others who post regularly on the AC Forum. Within hours, it appears that this same individual had returned using a new Username [an obvious reference to this decision?] -- no ID is contained in the new user profile, only the initial registration date coinciding with Randy's decision -- and continued as if nothing had transpired.

In at least one thread last week, this FTer counselled others to continue to book Back-to-Back tickets, even after it was posted that government authorities had ruled these were are violation of tarrifs in Canada, and that airlines catching their customers doing this could bar these FFers from the carrier for life. Such posts not only reflect a disregard for the laws of a country, but a disregard for the welfare of other FTers. This person's postings under a new Username, are a demonstration of a similar disregard of the rules and conventions of the FT Community, and an insult to each of us, and partiucularly to Randy.

I therefore am formally requesting an investigation to confirm that these two Usernames belong to the same person, and if this is the case, then appropriate actions taken. What those actions should be, I leave up to a general discussion on this thread, to FT Board, or to Randy himself.

I really do appologize for raising this matter, particularly at this time of year. But I feel I have little option. A also feel Community is the appropriate place to conduct this discussion, as we all should be clear what "citizenship" in FT entails, our responsibilities as well as our rights.

[This message has been edited by Shareholder (edited 12-21-2002).]