Jerry,

As you won't respond to my personal communications either, I'll post my response publicly as well. Especially so because I feel the need to do so for the record so that others can hear the other side of the story.

You initially left the forum with a "I'm taking my ball and goin home" attitude because someone dared to comment adversely on a thread you started, and because an administrator suggested that you were out of line by demanding that the other person "leave your discussion." At least that was the public reason. Later, I realized that you had larger "issues" with that other administrator. The really oddball thing was that the discussion you left over was one you started praising PaleoPlanet and me and all its members.


So you left, and hovered around the fringes of the Planet. Sometime after your public exit, you posted in your bio the true reason you left - lashing out at one of the administrators and me for not getting rid of him (something I see you've done again now - giving Ken a final kick in the teeth). Just before your grand re-entrance, you posted a fairly angry and argumentative post accusing me and others of having a double standard. You and I Emailed back and forth (I should say that you sent accusatory Emails to me - some including links to "how to" pages on running a discussion forum. When I responded with dialogue, you ignored it).

Then suddenly, you returned, bright and seemingly chipper. At first I was so happy because I thought that perhaps I had finally manged to patch things up with you (I'd always thought very, very highly of you - and did until recent days), and that all would be Ok. You were greatly missed by lots of folks here (and rightly so, as you're a pretty darn cool dude and full knowledge too). It was mysterious though, because though seemingly happy with your own return, you still wouldn't respond to my Emails to you (happy ones...glad to see you back and all).

But then I very quickly saw what was going on. Without even coming up for a breath of air, you dove right back into the sort of topics that were at the very heart of your earlier problems with the other administrator, and with me (as you and I discussed on several occasions). You didn't even hesitate! Right to the jugular you went. At that point in time, I realized something. I realized that you were very clearly and plainly trying to bait me into a public dispute with you. You crossed the politics line, over and over, each time standing ready for a rumble - because that was just what you were after, wasn't it?

Obviously, only you would know for sure, but my guess was that you really didn't care about PaleoPlanet, and your publicly happy return was really just a front. I began to suspect that your goal was to goad me (or the other administrators) into a public fight with you so that you could get all huffy and leave - this time, hoping to make me and the administrators look bad (rather than the last time, where your public reason for leaving was kind of weak and a mystery to all involved).


So I sat back and watched and was careful not to take your bait. So you laid out more bait. And still I waited and watched. I watched as you lured other unsuspecting members into "political" disputes with you on clearly political topics (the very same topics that gave rise to your previous problems here as you well know). I even watched as those unsuspecting members tried to break from the political disputes, and observed you have the audacity to post new offending discussions identifying those members by name in your effort to draw them back into the dispute. I watched and endured your pokes at me and other administrators while I calmly confirming my suspicions as to what game you were playing.

Is the most recent situation you created with Ken the best you can do for a reason to leave the forum? What a joke. You're nothing more than the kid in class who flicks the ear of the kid in front of him, and then sits back while the other kid takes the heat because he gets caught retaliating. When someone finally took your bait (in a rather respectful, but still friendly manner), you give your ultimate goal way because you're not content to just depart (as any self-respecting person would who doesn't want to be a participant in a forum he doesn't like). Nope.... Instead, you go to the forum where you most like to hang out and you announce your departure and point to the evil administrator as the reason why.

My apologies to all for having to see this. Again, Jerry doesn't give me the benefit of replying to personal mail - even nice, kind "glad you're back Jerry" kind of mail. As he's called the forum and my administrators "out" in public, I was feeling that a public response was appropriate and necessary. The very sad thing is that I felt a strong kinship with Jerry. Aside from his problems with one other administrator, he and I always got along very well. I told him that I thought of him as a big brother. And I wasn't BSing! Somewhere along the line it's clear that Jerry began to see me as an enemy as well - one he created in his own mind. It has become a self fulfilling prophesy of sorts at this point, because where I once had tremendous respect, I now have absolutely none - zero - ziltch - zippo!



It's truly a sad day. In about 10 years of running this forum, I've never felt the need to write such a message, and have never felt the disgust I feel today.

Apologies again all around.

Tom Mills
Pasadena , CA

Tom,
due to medical conditions, Crohns disease, osteoporisis, constant severe pain over last 6 years every single day and night, collapsed vertebrae, arthritis, ....life has been difficult for me, and pain medicine sometimes results in odd behavior. I don't expect you would understand this without having experienced it. I had to take prescription morphine for over 5 years every single day.

Until you experience pain so bad that you wish to end your life, you can't understand. Am I human? Yes. Do I make errors? Yes. Do YOU make errors? Yes. Are you allowed to make your own goofy rules for YOUR website? Yes. Do I have the right to leave your site? Yes. Do I have a right to be angry at you? Yes. Does it upset me that you are angry at me? Yes. Can I "fix" it? No. Will I "recant"? No. Is your above rant full of factual errors? Yes, yes, yes yes. Complete horse hockey.


Not an excuse, but letting you and others know, you don't understand my situtation. So get off your soapbox. Your rant, is just that. Life is short and I am on to greener pastures..with no restrictions.

Jerry Scalpcreek, in beautiful flint rich Texas