Originally Posted by dhammer53
[B]Back to your first issue; if you were to ask TalkBoard to consider a new rule,
If TB members go on holiday, at Randy's request 
, that they be dismissed from the board, then this would be a valid topic for the TB to consider.
There are very few instances where a member has been suspended
by Randy. Suspensions are generally given by moderators and may or may not be appealed to Randy.
If you are saying that a time out from a moderator equates to one from Randy than you would be establishing a very problematic rule.
On the other hand, if you are saying that only a time out personally issued (or approved) by Randy would result in the TalkBoard member's removal then you would be tying Randy's hands.
Right now, TalkBoard has the
option of voting off a member who has violated the TOS. To date, to the best of my knowledge, it has never done so but it does have that right.
Randy has the right to remove anyone from TalkBoard for any reason at all.
Hence, if either Randy or TalkBoard want a member off, he will indeed be removed.
If a timeout issued by a moderator automatically resulted in removal fom TalkBoard than moderators would basically find themselves in the position of having to chose between not giving the member the time out he deserves or telling the plurality of F/T members that voted for him that they can have the representative they chose.
I have, admittedly, violated the TOS from time to time. I don't think there are very many members who post a lot who can say they have never made a TOS violation.
I have never received a time out.
Why? Perhaps because my TOS violations were not caught. Perhaps because they were not considered serious enough to warrant a time out. Perhaps for one of any number of other reasons. I honestly don't know.
I do know that I have seen people receive time outs for offenses which
in my own personal opinion were also not very serious.
We have 60+ moderators. Each sees things according to his own lights. What one considers to be an offense deserving of a time out another may not. Randy has to allow the moderators the leeway to operate as they see best (within reason) or the whole system will fall apart. At the same time, however, he can not give each and every one of these moderators the veto power over a TalkBoard member's continued service -- and that is what this rule would do.