KelliH and others Banned? Why?

Originally Posted by 420Geckos

I think this whole situation is pathetic.... I only come here for the leo forum... Now you've removed it's cornerstone... I'm disappointed...

Disappointed in who? Rich or the others?

Originally Posted by Junkyard

Disappointed in who? Rich or the others?

I think for most of us ( or maybe just me?)..... just that the whole situation happened at all.

wow after reading all of the posts here and on the other forum I find my eyes are starting to burn....... it really is a shame this all happend but things like this always seem to happen in time. I thought I left the days of forum drama when I ended my gaming clan last year.

Rich, banning all of them members may be harsh but I think you did what most forum owners would have done.

No offense, but aren't we all grown adults here? This reminds me of something that would've happened in high school. Such drama.

Originally Posted by shrap

I think for most of us ( or maybe just me?)..... just that the whole situation happened at all.

Amen, brother........

It's rather humbling to see such animosity stemming from my efforts on this site.

You know, Rich, I used to think you were a good guy- someone who took a stand yet bit his lip when needed. Kelli and I are good friends, and she has always spoken very highly of you until recently when you started to voice doubt on the money raised via the "Hayden Fund." The things you've said about about it being a "fiasco" cut deep. Were you implying that the money was misused or without need?

Kelli's income is geckos: she works with them full-time. When Hayden was killed, it obviously changed her life. They didn't have the cash laying around for a proper funeral, and insurance was only covering so much. Had it not been for the kindness of everyone here who contributed, the geckos would have been sold in order to cover immediate costs. Without those geckos, within a short time Kelli's income would be gone, and the Hammack family would have lost their home and who knows what else. Not to mention, it's hard to get up the desire to do meaningless, mundane work when your child has just died. The Hayden fund did more than pay for a few things. It saved whatever little bit of a life a family who loses a child has left.

After all you've said about the Hayden Fund, I'm pissed, too. So when Kelli decided to start her own forum, I saw it as an opportunity for someone who is knowledgeable and experienced to engage the larger community in something worthwhile for everyone. Of course, as with any small, tight-knit community, which it is currently is, conversations will take place which may not be the most professional or even the most mature. So it goes... those conversations didn't take place here.

Yes, she did say hurtful things about you. Sure, she may not be expending all her energy in this website anymore. Can you blame her?

Originally Posted by WebSlave

Yeah, I guess I probably shouldn't have banned her, but the damage is done. And honestly I don't feel bad about it at all. Matter of fact I probably should have banned others for the same reason. I just don't WANT those sorts of people HERE. I've worked too damned hard on this site to make it into something to have those destructive personalities eat away at it from within.

Honestly, was I supposed to read that animosity laced thread and just shrug it off, keep those people as moderators here, and welcome them lovingly back into the arms of everyone here? Get real.......

If people hold such animosity towards myself, this site, and any moderators here, then hit the road. I do not want them using this site to further their own ambitions and goals. I do not wish to assist them in any way with the facilities I offer here and with my other sites. Yes you certainly are free to post your true feelings but if you do so in such a way that it is obvious that those words WILL get back to the targets, well then you may have consequences to bear up under. If that concept is difficult to understand, I believe there are medications available that help your cognitive capabilities somewhat.

Those people were posting on a publicly viewable forum so either they maliciously desired for this info to reach the targets over here or they were just too damned stupid to understand that concept. Either way, I really don't want them here. If those are the kind of people Kelly wishes to surround herself with, then I guess the feathers on that bird are not what she portrayed here at all. You ARE known by the company you keep. If it so happens that the majority of the leopard gecko community here feels the same way and desires to be those same birds of a feather, then more power to them. That is their choice to make.

Justyn,

The "fiasco" part of my comment was in reference to Chris Johnson. In my opinion, he attempted to blow up a private conversation I had with him, which has been addressed elsewhere into something that served his own purposes. This clarification has in fact been relayed to Kelli, but I guess she has neglected to inform you of that. If Kelli has chosen to take that with a different meaning, and you share her interpretation, then those are choices you make yourself.

Originally Posted by shrap

I think for most of us ( or maybe just me?)..... just that the whole situation happened at all.

Agreed, without picking sides in this whole debacle, its just very unfortunate it had to happen at all....

I've been gone for a bit, out of the loop concentrating on health issues, surgeries, and the hatching season. This is the first I've been back. And to come back and find that some of the top breeders have been banned, is crazy...
I comprehend why, but it is not right, and this is why.
Fauna is about education for the public in the care of herps. Kinda like a school. Not everyone is going to get along and eventaully people will voice their opinions about one another...used to be by phone where only gossip could travel back and forth about who said what about who. Now we have the internet where it can be seen, by the public. Yes it hurts to find out that someone is saying mean things about you, but get over it....Marcia, Kelli, and Jeanne's knowledge on Leos is irreplacable and by banning them you are doing a dis service to the public. To educate people, you bring together the best breeders you have regardless of how you feel about one another and you educate....most of the public asking questions would have never known there was drama going on amongst the big names, nor would they care. What they do care about is getting the best info from the best people. No name calling posts were made on fauna. Your average fauna member would never have known. But becasue a few people got tehir feelings hurt this was blown into a huge ordeal and the fauna members suffer by losing some great sources of info, simply becasue of petty name calling and the reaction by those who were offended on ANOTHER site. Get over it. If you think you can live everyday making everyone happy with you and agreeing with everything you say, you need to wake up. People gossip, people back stab, people name call....
But bottom line, none of this was done here....to punish those people by banning them from this site is only punishing the ignorant (as in lacking the knowledge)reptile owners who come here for knowledge....to become non ignorant and learn to care for their herp properly...
Had this occured here, then that is different. But it didn't. This site is an education tool and should have the best of the best as members regardless of how they interact with one another. as long as those interactions and negativity are kept off this site, which they were....it shouldn't matter who likes who...or who thinks who is an idiot or what not..
It is sad because by banning them I think alot of damage has been done here that will not be able to be fixed.
And if something bad was said about you, think about it. Why was it said? What can you learn from it...? Use it as an eye opener to your interactions with people...truth hurts...hurt is an emotion, and emotions should never come into play when you are talking about a business/educational site. It should be about what each member can contribute and brings to the table to offer other members. If you are going to ban everyone who voices something negative somewhere about someone else, you are going to have no members left. EVERYONE has said something bad about someone else, and in a tight knit community such as this word will get around....but honestly, who gives a crap? I'm here to learn about Leos, not about immature drama and power abuse. So person A called person B an a$$, what does that matter to me in my attempt to further educate myself in herps? And honestly, what does it matter at all? And why did it have to be pulled into here?
Some of the memorable fauna threads have been enjoyable to read, and humorous..THIS thread is not....it is sad to see emotions play such a large roll in this. And it is sad to see some great breeders banned from what can be an amazing educational tool....over NAME CALLING....

I'm sure I'm probably on the 'to be banned list' because I'm linked to Ryan, and I have a problem keeping my mouth shut, so I might as well make it worth my while. Besides, with all the people you banned, really..what's the point in posting here?

Ever since the Hayden Fund, I lost all respect for this forum and for Rich. The way the situation was handled blew my mind that a human being would think of themselves when he knows someone who plays such a huge role in the reptile community is suffering so much.

I'm sure that everyone on Rich's side is the model of perfection and has never disliked anyone, or spoken poorly about them behind their backs. It's inevitable that you are not going to like someone you come into contact with, but to ban someone for speaking their opinion? And not even on THIS forum? Something about that seems slightly ridiculous. I'm sure Kelli's forum is not the first place that someone has voiced their opinion about Fauna's members..so are you going to do a google search and ban all of those people, too? That's the only way that this banning can be fair. The way I see it, is Rich doesn't want to lose his position towering above all of his forum-goers atop his big, golden horse (or in his blue corvette..), and I honestly think he's intimidated by Kelli's forum taking over one of his most used section of Fauna.

What people fail to realize is that the ones banned are what I consider the heart of the leo community. I have more respect for what they have done to further the hobby then words can even express. So, I am gladly transfering to Kelli's forum because I'd much rather be where the heart is, then support this forum which is run by a seemingly heartless man. Money can't buy that Rich, no matter how many membership fees or sponsorship ads you get.

This is what I think of Rich's high horse... :