I am making this post today because it may be some time before I am able to post again. As I write, one of my law partners is literally on what will likely be his death bed in Houston, having been airlifted there after suffering an acute aortic dissection Friday night. Even if he survives, our medium-sized firm is going to be very busy dealing with this situation from a business standpoint, not to mention personal issues. None of that, of course, has anything to do with the subject of this post, but I wanted others who read this message to know why I may not be able to continue this discussion moving forward.
I have visited the board sporadically over the weekend, and came across ccraider’s post directed to you this morning. Since dealing with any challenging legal issues appears to be out of the question for the moment, responding to cc’s post gives me something to do while waiting by the phone for further news from Houston. I have gotten to "know" cc a bit better over the last few months, and I will say that I think he is a good person, with whom I enjoy corresponding --- however, we simply disagree in the context under discussion.
Cc mentions Agoracom’s post of March 13 (actually, the 14th), but fails to note the follow-up post of March 24. In that post, Agoracom noted several types of behavior that it deemed inappropriate, including, "accusations against another poster or group of posters", "flaming - a post with the intent of enraging a poster or group of posters", and "any questions regarding the moderation of the message board". I am unable to see how such would be deemed inappropriate on March 24, yet be deemed acceptable now.
For several years, there have been a number of members in the PTSC forum who seem to enjoy making accusations and casting aspersions against other members to the effect that the latter have "motives" and/or "agendas" to harm PTSC, to "bring down the stock price", or who are "shorting the stock" or engaging in other nefarious activity. Apparently, the accusers do not realize, or do not care, that not only are their accusations a personal attack on the character and integrity of those they accuse, but further, that in some instances, those accusations assert criminal conduct and/or "white collar" crime. Of course, actual proof is never offered, and the accusations are usually if not always based merely on what the accusers refer to as "negative" postings, even though the posts of which they complain are in most instances factual and accurate.
Merely as a means of comparison and meaning no offense to Agroacom, some of the accusations described above are of the same type that Agoracom was accused of last year by the OSC, and as to which the Agoracom staff felt highly insulted and demeaned. That is an understandable reaction, and one which you should therefore be able to understand is likely felt by "the accused" in your forums.
Under the purported guise of "freedom of speech" and supposed concern over "censorship", it is easy for those who engage in inappropriate behavior to attempt to justify their conduct — sadly, those who most loudly assert their "rights" are often the ones who use them to engage in hateful and/or harmful actions toward others. As a result, I would urge Agoracom not to bend under pressure from those who would depart from the rule against personal attacks, and I would further urge continued compliance with your post of March 24.
Certainly, if a member of a forum is lying or engaging in other dishonest conduct, and such can be actually demonstrated rather than merely accused, the demonstration of such is a service to the community as a whole. However, unsupported accusations of improprieties to which a member or members are asked to respond or "defend", accusations that a member or members are "being negative" out of a desire to harm PTSC, or unsupported accusations that members are otherwise attempting to harm other shareholders, among other similar accusations, are simply way over the line of impropriety. Those types of posts accomplish nothing but infighing and personal animosity --- this forum is for discussion of PTSC, not for discussion of other forum members on a personal level, as Agora itself has stated many times.
I had all but completed this post an hour or so ago, but was then called away for further news as described at the outset. Unfortunately, I have now been informed that my law partner has passed away. As a result, I wanted to finish what I had started, but will now be taking a leave of absence, which I am sure will be welcomed by some. It is possible that I will post now and then because such can sometimes be "therapeutic", but, even if I am able to do so, it will likely be sporadic.
Best wishes, good luck, and Godspeed to all.
