A quote about local communities from Alexis de Tocqueville

Spirit

Howard, what warrented Laz being verified?
You state it's thebatavians policy to TRUST those appearing to give real names
You said yourself you thought it were possible Laz was a real name so let your suspicions of it not being slide
BUT
When "at least" 2 people began voicing concern over Laz
"making problems for you"
You seemingly broke your own policy and decided you should verify my identity
in my own words
to quiet those making trouble for you

Who were these accusers? I have my own sneaky suspicions and if true..

Seems some kind of actual evidence would be needed before verification of a seemingly real name would be justified
like reasonable suspicion

What gave you that?

For that matter
What about Robert Drewinsky?
-Seems- he was blocked from posting before being given time to proove himself

I'm asking because you talk of spirit of the law and not a simple following of the letter

You talk of free and open governments
on this site you take on the role and responsibility of government
Yet I cannot get anything from you
Sure seems you hide behind your being a private business not subject to inquiry
IMO
that falls flat

Without local institutions a nation may give itself a free government, but it has not got the spirit of liberty

natural rights of people
natural limitations of government/authority figures

If you have ordinary citizens not of the mind
You will not have a government of the mind
it is impossible

No parallels here?

I myself said that I was Laz

Again
why do you have any reason to believe Lawrence S clark is not my real name?
It's your policy to trust those giving a name seemingly "real"

which is saying you only require validation on names such as Mickey Mouse and Fonzie Fonzarelli

If you don't "believe" this is my real name
You cannot "believe" anyones name is real

I'm sure I can keep on using your own words for my -lazarios- defense since you seem to want to be held to higher standards by playing to the spirit of things
or is that just for the government to follow? I can understand the two are separate
kind of
but again

Without local institutions a nation may give itself a free government, but it has not got the spirit of liberty

I don't think you can quote things and then not hold yourself to its ideals

Am I simply being an ass here
I don't think so
I am just accustomed to and making use of my natural rights and since spirit extends far beyond the borders of letters I believe spirit walks through private enterprise walls

Laz (Larry?),
I am one of the people who stated you are Laz, and at first you tired to deny it. I don't think you live in CA either.

Question, why the silly lies? Are you so ashamed of your posts you can't verify who you are and where you are from? Afraid your friends (if any) would know its you?

Just come clean.

Laz, I did like your "I'm coming out" post. I also don't understand the big deal your making about using your name. Use your real name or don't post, the rules are simple. I would prefer that you would follow the rules and continue to post. Some of your thoughts are pretty good, a bit long but, not bad.

Like him or not. The person,[because I haven't even determined the gender yet]has a lot of good controversial ideas and and witty input on subject at hand.He or maybe even she has stirred up this board since I can remember.
My prediction are that this is a person mid 50s-lives in this county,maybe even Batavia,Is definitely a homeowner-has dinner everyday at the same time.Has a significant other-family visits on the weekends and just gets their kick out of exercising their freedoms-college educated or maybe just a fast learner.
If anyone was to feed the trolls ,there's a big lunch for ya

Name or no name who cares. I applaud anyone who is willing to make a statement. Sure the name would be nice but it is not important to me. What matters is the content of their comment. Many people have commented that this mystery person "Laz" has some really interesting input. I agree. I might not necessarily agree with all that is said but I respect that that is their opinion.

The beauty of this country is freedom of speech. Enjoy it!!!!

Its becoming somewhat obvious to me from Howard's and Phil's posts what political and philosophical positions they favor, and the fervor with which Laz and lawrence's proof of identity have been pursued when others' haven't been at all questioned confirms my opinion.

I was never asked to present proof of identity. Why were Laz and larry?

Howard
It strange you don't accept my word when it comes to Laz being my real name but gladly will accept it -when it helps your case- in that lawrence s clark -maybe perhaps isn't
Is what Lazario says credible or not?
I can see your side of it
Just seems very easy for you to stick it to me here

I should be able to give a defense
Lawrence Clark perhaps being a fake name also was perfectly plausible
After you intitally saw that name you took it as proof that lawrence was my true given name and demanded I post under that name
After I gave that defense you threatened me with having to come in
in person with Gov't ID

Now you say my defense against your unwarrented -IMO search is "casting doubts upon myself"
As for the solid evidence aspect
I don't see how the burden of evidence is mine
Where is your solid evidence to begin any identity verification process?
That's the problem I have here.

I can find your own quote give me time but I know you've said something to the effect of
"if people don't have an open, transparent gov't -where the gov't freely gives out information- there is no way for the people to be assured that power is not being abused"

I can see you having some reasonable suspicion after seeing the name Lawrence in regards to Lazarios identity
Problem is
You shouldn't have ever seen it

it's also not hard to catch 90 to 95 percent of the people who use fake names.
What are your methods?
You brought it up, Howard. What are they?
Mickey Mouse and Purple Hayes is easy enough
What about Lazario and what about bob drewinsky?

It sure SEEMS that opinion outside of the norm is suspect
not just cause for suspicion ..but the only evidence against them for using a fake name
-you have said here that freedom of speech is a natural right of people
Probably not intending at all of limiting it to people of this country but a right guaranteed to all everywhere they may be

You could clear this up by telling me what you had against Laz besides suspicions

It SEEMS you gave in to 2 or 3 or maybe 4 people who were noisy enough
and if my suspicions are correct
those 2 or 3 people had ties with this site
I'll give it up
I know of 2 people who have dogged me long and hard
one of the group landed a "job" over in forums -Tom
It seems Tom is a close friend of -at least in terms of online here- Ron
If someone gets a job in the gov't of thebatavian
abuses their new power -and I mean this in terms of being able to keep in close enough contact with you that their voices are heard consistently
..you may feel as though you have some duty to honor those suspicions since they're "a part of the family"
Seems like an ethical breakdown IF I AM CORRECT
If I am not
I owe two people an apology

If you're for what is right you should probably feel the need to tell me now what I'm asking for in order to clear these guys names
If you still don't
Seems like a bit of an ethical breakdown
I can see your side of it, again
I do

But again
"spirit"

"Jerkiness" SEEMS to be your best evidence against a person
That somehow people who are "jerks"
-to be read have differing opinions and perhaps strongly worded opinions- online HAVE to be trolls and thus are using a fake name
Seems lacking in substance

John
Never have I said I wasn't Laz

I said "who the hell is Laz?"
Not denial
setup for a later argument

What does it matter if I live in california or Batavia?
I obviously know of the area. Think I searched for random small city online community "blog" sites?
If I were a troll I'd search out a bigger audience

Home is where the heart is? Is proof of residence needed now, too?

Who says I'm ashamed of my posts
Who says this isn't my real name? Howard? You? Where is your proof that I'm not who I say I am? Where is your proof of identity? Maybe you're ashamed.

We should have had a super bowl pool

Laz,
I have no what you call “ties” to this site or Howard. However, to be honest, I did meet him once, so you would probably think that was a tie.

To Russ, this is not some sort of free speech issue. . I don’t think Howard’s political views have anything to do with who is on the site. If so, many of us would be gone. You and Dan Jones are more to the left of Howard on many issues and I would bet I am to the right along with Mark. Dimes to dollars, Howard could care less what our views are. And as Howard said, who knows what Laz’s political views are? Who cares?

We do not own this site. It is “private” property to a point. We are invited here by the owner to read it like a newspaper. It covers a lot of subjects like a paper and we are invited to express views on subjects if we want. You are allowed to start your own posts or to comment on one already here. The owner sets the rules, just like the paper. You are not forced to be here, there are other blogs out there. But this one is local, so we accept the rules to learn about local subjects.

The rub with Laz has been his intentional misuse of the site. . He calls them “lazarios”, I call them stupid. The silly page breaks and unfinished sentences make reading a pain. And with the misuse of the page breaks, if you want to skip him, you have to keep scrolling. Laz knows this and takes delight in misuse of this privilege to be here. And since it is private property, it is a privilege to use the site, extended by the owner. Then when told to follow the rules, he cries “why me and not him?”

If Laz/Larry or whatever, wanted to stay, he would follow the owners rules. And, the owner can alter the rules if he wants, it’s his property.

Why do you insist on calling me Laz, John?
Are you saying Laz had an identity here?
No matter what name I use now I will be forever known/recognized as Laz?
hmm

Are you saying you were one of the two or "more" who caused trouble for Howard over my identity?

No
I don't think meeting Howard once or twice -necessarily-means you have any ties to him/influence over his decisions

"The owner sets the rules"
What are the rules, John?
This is what my posts are concerned with
Don't know where you're going with this

The owner also wants the public to trust him/his integrity not only as a person but a reporter

"The rub with Laz has been his intentional misuse of the site"
Describe how I have "misused" the site?
Not according to you but to the terms of service guidelines

Intentional? How do know what I have intended to do?
He calls them “lazarios"
Don't even understand this line
What are my lazarios?
You call them stupid
Again
what are they?
I, frankly, don't care if you think my "lazarios" are stupid.

The silly page breaks and unfinished sentences make reading a pain
DON'T CARE

"And with the misuse of the page breaks"
These are my "lazarios"
My page break style is how I have misused the site?
Please, point to specific rule where writing style is mentioned

Oh, wait

Paraphrasing Howard Owens
"Nothing about how I -Laz- writes warrants my being banned or edited"

"if you want to skip him, you have to keep scrolling."
I don't recall if you were one of the group but I certainly believe you were -at least in spirit- who said
"If you cannot stand by your post with your...sdrtefss

What about
If you cannot do a simple finger movement or at suffering worst? a minor wrist action in order to post your firmly held beliefs
Maybe your beliefs aren't all that firmly held

Obviously both are pretty ridiculous statements with only cuteness behind them to back em up

"Laz knows this and takes delight"
This is getting ludicrous
but it's cool because I will stretch things to make a point seem stronger, too
However, I don't try to arrest you over this garbage

"Then when told to follow the rules, he cries “why me and not him?”

I was not really ever told to follow the rules..?
I was brought in to be questioned
Arrested
Convicted
Based on absolutely nothing
No defense allowed me
Executed
..in the spirit of things

Um
I am following the rules?
My real name
I am somehow not following the rules when Howard TOLD ME I'd have to begin posting under the name Lawrence Clark and in interest of full disclosure reveal myself as Laz in the threads ..as though it wouldn't be obvious

The only one who has broken rules here seems to be Howard
I don't know cause he won't divulge ANYTHING
Not even how the site finds evildoers

Private enterprise
COOL
But when you've already
ALREADY
PREVIOUSLY
made note of the fact that you TRUST those appearing to be using real names

....
...................!!!!

I expect something
SOMETHING GOOD
to be shown to me that you have reason NOT TO TRUST

Not just
Heyyyy people have been wondering cause you know you ruffle feathers or whatever and people TROLLLL don't like your style so I think it will be easier on me to just like bend my own standards and ask that you to prove yourself through gov't ID so that I don't have to listen to all this stuff ringing in my ears all day long making my ears bleed ..uhhh and a retinal scan would be cool for future incidents
soooo could ya do me a favor here buddy

Just a parody

That's not even getting into the "spirit" of things yet
It just gets worse

I've submitted my original birth certificate for identity verification
some call it an uploading of an avatar
Not my fault the site resizes avatars
What else can I do here to follow the rules? I cannot bleed my identity. If you must know I'm AB+ but I never settle for less than an A so I'm working on it
Not a retinal scan but does have my mothers fingerprint so long as she doesn't disown me it should prove good enough

And yes
I did break the rule of not posting under my real name
I did not intend to break that rule, though
I don't remember seeing any such rule upon registration
Still don't

I see a line for name*
That doesn't say anything

Pen names are not illegal
I have fun
It's entertainment
What is in a name?

I seem to remember the issue over real names coming to a head late October or November or so which is right around the time I think Molino/city was giving problems
I remember John Roach and others
although John is the only one who spoke for all of us LOL
saying that people don't see thebatavian as a legitimate news source
"perhaps it was legally to be considered press"
but in the minds
was not

I see this real name stuff as thebatavians attempt to legitimize something already legit
kneeling to those in power over them so as to get a piece of the cake

Perhaps I'm wrong

I don't know
I remember Shedguy specifically posting under that name for quite a while, though

Now you have most wanting to turn thebatavian into the daily news with a community twist instead of the other way around
No REAL CHANGE found there
My style is a misuse
You mean to say I am not professional enough?
This site was not meant for professional writers
It is community based
Everyone has a voice
Everyone an opinion
Everyone has the right to share theirs disliked or not
illegible or not
legible or not

There goes that?

Laz,
Sounds like you really wanted to make a point somewhere here; but failed. Sounds like you wanted to make sense, but failed. Sounds like you're crying, you are.

Anyway, new start and serious question. Are you in favor, in principle of Town/City merger. True, no details out yet, but do you support the idea?

I think there is much bigger fish than a duplicate costly system or whatever you call it that consolimerger hopes to lessen/eleviate

Problem is
the bigger fish are microscopic from where we are
as though we are standing atop the waves looking through the depths hoping to glimpse something huge at the bottom

This -seems- more like making sure you do not catch a dolphin in with the tuna
Which is great
But if you need every dolphin you can get and something unseen keeps attacking them
keeping one or two out of the nets is only a drop in the ocean

Why would I cry? I have 9 lives.
How retarded to cry over being wrongly convicted, though
pobrecito

laz, lawrence, whatever you choose to call yourself,

The more I read what you write, the more I get the impression that you're having at people for your own amusement and we don't get the joke. Its like junior high English teachers critiquing ee cummings' punctuation.

since feeling is first
who pays any attention
to the syntax of things
will never wholly kiss you;
wholly to be a fool
while Spring is in the world
my blood approves,
and kisses are a better fate
than wisdom

I think I'm beginning to get it.

"...and Howard Owens as Dean Wormer."

'as though we are standing atop the waves looking through the depths hoping to glimpse something huge at the bottom'

I hate to say it but this observation is elegant, articulate and beautiful. I'm with Russ here; has Laz spent all this time having his way with us or does he just get lucky every once in a while?

Man, I can't get enough of The Batavian.

News for the day and entertainment for the evening.

Sorry, John
Alleviate

Came to me in the shower