Steve - this will be my last post (you're probably relieved at this point!)...

You are sadly mistaken if you truly believe that my INTENTION when I originally posted was to violate your "rules". You are WAY off base if you think that was my intention - all you have to do is read and digest the other posts in this thread to realize it wasn't even close - everyone else that has responded realizes what my true intention was. To use your own words - "doesn't make much sense to me". My SOLE intention was to give anyone in the KR forum first notice that my tonneau was available since it is a very specific item for 01-03 KR supercrews. In a way, I feel a bit sympathetic that you are incapable of grasping that fact.

If you sincerely think my intention was to violate your rules, then you should probably spend a little more time in the KR forum and get to know the people there. You won't find "when's the last time you got laid and with what animal threads and the such but rather a very friendly, close knit congenial group of people who sincerely enjoy their trucks, have disposable income to customize them and are probably much closer to the demographic your sponsors would like to see than some sixteen year old kid in GD.

My INTENTION for lobbying perhaps a compromise change is NOT to benefit myself, but perhaps HELP other members in the KR forum in the future. From hosting this site, I would assume you have some semblance of altruism and can understand this. But frankly, I could give a rat's *** at this point in time... and perhaps maybe someone in the forum will take up the cause. Again, as evidenced by the posts above from not only senior members I know but also newbies, there seems to be support for an allowance. It may not fit into your black and white world, but these are indeed your customers giving you valuable feedback. All I can say is you may want to reconsider wasting this opportunity.

My INTENTION throughout my entire time here has been to try to be an active member, be helpful where I can be and assist others so they don't have to go through the same mistakes/lessons I've had to. And as time has gone on, friendships have evolved. (Case in point are the private emails I've rec'd the past couple of days about this).

Good luck/farewell/adieu... everyone will be fine.... I'll probably use the time gained from here and invest it in scouting... leading our den has been quite enjoyable and rewarding.. kids have been a blast.

Anyways, not going away mad... just going away...

 

THANK GOD!

Steve, I know I didn't have to read this thread, but IMO you spent way too much time trying to justify your rules on your site.
You said it best here:

 

i agree with this comment. it would be nice to get a head's up on something before it hits ebay or the classifieds. that's what we're here for, right? to share our KR specific stuff. i mean, if it were a set of spark plugs, i would say that's too generic to be listing. but Charcoal Blue ARE LSII tonneau is UNIQUE to the KR.

webmaster, sir, you are right to enforce your policy. and you are within your rights to stand by that enforcement. but you are also within your rights to be reasonable and judicious. this particular instance is a violation, but a violation with good intent (to give FRIENDS first crack at something). it was not a blatant disregard of your policy in the sense that he was trying to get one over on you.

and if you look at the responses this has generated, i think you'll see that there is overwhelming support for mike. we want to be given KR opportunities before everyone else...that's why we're here....among friends...sharing ideas...sharing stories...and sharing KR parts...

 

Wow... I vanish for a travel day to get out of Missouri and back to Kentucky and poo and fan collide.

While I do hate to see you leave Mike and respect you for making such a decision, I do wonder why you would react in such a manner when similar threads that you've posted have also been removed from the KR forum. Early this year (in Jan), you posted a thread for the KROC polo shirts. That thread was removed promptly as well. As a direct result of that 'falling out' between you and I as a result of that thread getting the snub, you went back through and deleted every single post that you had made anywhere on f150online.com from Jan 02, 2005 to when you joined in October of 2001. They're all a single 'wink' smiley face now that were all edited on the same day/night. What that accomplished or set forth, I'm not sure.

From there, you and I have butted heads on numerous items. Both of us, at times, have seemed to come around but, after reading your 'blow up' as a result of Steve removing your thread, I see very clearly that your animosity towards me is still prevalent and, for some reason, more elevated. As has been stated Mike; I didn't remove your post for the ARE. I didn't even log on yesterday.

The KR forum has long since been a 'lax' place to visit and enjoy. Everyone here that has been around knows that. Hence, it's one of the only KR Truck forums on the web. 75% of what's posted here, in all reality, should be moved elsewhere on the boards but most times are left in-situ. Threads about tuners, wheels, radios, etc.. etc... typically stand true as I respect someone's thought to post an item here within a forum where they know and trust people. I have done this myself because most all of the folks who click on F-150 King Ranch back on the main forum page know that the group here is pretty tight-knit and that you're going to get a straight answer on a question about something pertaining to your truck (even if it should've been posted elsewhere on the forums).

As one of the 'founding fathers' around here, I hate to see you go but I won't dive out of my way to beg you to stay either. Childish reactions on both of our parts haven't been good in the past and I'm not willing to make a childish move to get you to stick around. While I'd like to see you stay, I agree with Steve's decision to remove your thread and, in turn, if that moves you to not participate at our site, that's nothing I'll attempt to sway. Everyone needs to 'want' to be here.

Even though we've had our differences, I've always respected you and have thought that you were a pretty good guy. Your comment to me several months ago about 'Zaino...' and that it wouldn't matter once I had kids really kind of struck home. I agree with you.

Sometimes priorities get skewed and maybe should reevaluated. Mine were. They needed to be.

I don't have kids as of yet but, I can assure you that your comment has been taken to heart and heard very loudly. Again, no need to leave on terms like this but, if you decide to do so, I wish you nothing but the best. Further, I hate it that other members have seen it fit to follow based on the outcome of everything but, again, it's an individuals' decision to stay, leave, dance, or sit on the pot. I can dictate nothing along those lines nor would ever want to be able to do that.

Now, with all of that being said, I'm probably packing up and driving the KR back to Madisonville, KY this evening so that I may get up in the morning and help with tornado clean-up at my grandmother's house. Fortunately, they only sustained minor damage from the F3 but, down the road where I have several friends (less than 1/4 mile away), they lost their house totally.

Feel free to email me if anyone has any questions, comments, or concerns about what all has happened here. I'm all ears but may be delayed with a response.

-RP-

 

seems to be a history behind all of this that i didn't know. with that in mind, i will be silent about all of this.

RockPick's post was excellent. i totally agree with you. this is a place where i feel like i can trust the posts within the forum. i've read some of the other forums and i'm not sure what to believe. but here, i trust the other members. i respect the opinions that are posted about our KRs.

i am sorry for chiming in on a topic that i didn't know the full history on.

 

You're a member in good standing and a KR owner; you're welcome to chime in as you see fit. Other members may express a different view, but what's the harm in any of it?

 

Well, I don't KNOW MikeF150, so I'm not SURE if I'll miss HIM, per se. However, I WILL definitely MISS all of the random CAPTIALIZED words in his posts.

Otherwise, I'll HAVE to agree WITH the webmaster on THIS one. Seems LIKE a pretty simple CASE. Not sure what TENURE has to DO with the way RULES are applied.

 

Not tenure, per se. I think a lot of us have tried to make the point that someone with little or no previous posts who comes in hawking something might be regarded a little suspiciously, OK, maybe a lot suspiciously. Someone who has been around for years and who is well-known to the small community might be assumed to be genuine, as long as it's not a regular thing. Having said all that, there's clearly a long history here, the principal actor has exited stage left, the administrator has spoken, probably time for the thread to RIP...

 

Yes....RIP is the best way forward, yet a very sour taste is left.

Everything that the Moderators have said in the context of the site is correct....but in this instance the way it has been dealt with is NOT right.
Being a moderator does not make a moderator right.....I speak as someone who has been a moderator in real life for issues that make this thread seem totally trivial.
Steve has made some very valid points about the conduct of the site and his methodology in maintaining it, yet has totally ignored points made about the particular nature of the King Ranch forum.
Perhaps he hasn't really got to grips with the sort of people here (In the main) and what they have tried to do.
We have promoted the Ford name, the King Ranch branding, and this particular website. Along the way we have offered help both to newcomers and old timers who are new to the KR and its quirks.

I have lost count of the number of people I have directed to come here...Main Ford dealers included, both in the US and abroad.
What's more I have not only directed them because of the commercial nature of the site but also for the lively discussion that has taken place.

I particularly, have tried to take it a stage further...I try to inject humor and from time to time anecdotes from my life that might amuse and both educate.
Now that may seem arrogant.
So be it...I have had a very full and fortunate life, and at my age.....and I guess I'm the oldest here, feel that I can give something back. It needs to be done quickly though...before one is simply regarded as an old git living on past memories.
I hope that will never happen though, as always as the back of my mind are Richard Bachs words in "Gift Of Wings" (You should all read it).

"Aviators dream of adventures yet to come, not those in the distant past"

I might not have remembered the words totally correctly, but that's the gist.
Actually that's quite difficult to adhere to because by it's nature aviation...especially light aviation, simply builds up a store of tales to tell at the hanger doors on days when the weather is just not good enough to fly !

Some who know me from way back will have noticed odd comments about my lifestyle, my history, the people I've met, the places I've been, which have simple been made to illustrate my take on life.
It is a very fine line trying to mention certain aspects of life that help illustrate points that come up on this board, without seeming boa****l or arrogant.
Nevertheless for many years I was a professional writer for aviation magazines, and also involved in prestigious car clubs at a world wide level that has taken me to places and enabled me to meet people that has given me the good fortune to have a broad mind.....Yes, travel does broaden the mind.
This is what leads me to look at the GD board on occasions with great sadness...the level of bigotry and blinkered approach to life is almost unbelievable.
I think it is because here for once is an opportunity for people who cannot reason well and produce logical thought chains to put their views into the public domain without fear of rebuttal or ridicule.

Occasionally I have been stirred to add comments to that forum, but almost without exception points that I made were misconstrued or ignored.
A forum where despite again what Steve says ...the word 'bastard' forms a long term thread, really sums it up.
You may have a drink using that word....doesn't make it right though....doesn't help promote your use of the English language which I might add is rapidly going down the pan, and will soon be known to you in the US, as well as the rest of the world as "Slanguage".

Do you know there are third world countries in Africa that have a better command of the English language than some posts I see on forums hereabouts ?

Anyway I'm starting a personal rant now which is not the point....

I've also reached my 5000 character limit so forgive me for finishing on the next post....!

 

Continued from last post....

If you can see through all this verbeage the point I'm making is that I am not impressed with Steve's comments or reasoning...."so what" he will say...I will reply in the same way.
I really don't think he has got to grips with this forum, the way it has worked and what it has tried to do.
Whatever you say it was NOT a black and white matter...nothing in life is that simple.
It's simpler for you to think it, admittedly, and for Brad to follow in his kind modulating way....but to use your slanguage...
Right....it ain't !

PS FrankLee...
Your Thank God comment was not deserved or wanted here.
All it does is ably demonstrate some of the blinkered thinking that goes on elesewhere....you don't understand the nature of the background to this debate and that comment was unwarranted.

You seem to be averse to REAL forthright discussion...as indeed are the moderators who just want to stick by the "Lets all play nicely" rules.

Life isn't like that, and you don't become the enemy simply for being a proponent of what you think is right.

Anyway I started off in an earlier post by saying that if Mike left then so would I.

I honestly thought that with the support he has had from most members he would think again, but thanks to the insensitivity and inflexibility of the moderators that doesn't seem to be the case.
I try to live my life by the "If I say something...I mean it rule"

On this occasion I really don't know.
I might post again...I might not.

Because of the way the thread has gone....I now really don't even care !

 

Originally I wasn't going to post in this thread, it all seemed so much ado about nothing. But I'm amazed at how much energy has been devoted to this thread.

My initial reaction to Mike's post was the same as other members, a little outrage, a little indignation that "one of our own" was being treated without some consideration that most of us feel is deserving of such a senior member. But I also believe most of us realize that rules are rules, whether you like them or not.

It's like speeding, most of us do it, but all of us realize it's against the law, and therefore we really have no argument when the cop pulls us over. Most of the time we get away with speeding, but if we're caught we might feel indignant that the police are spending their time writing us a ticket when they should be out catching real criminals instead. We might also argue that the speed limit is too low and hey, everybody drives fast through here anyway.

I respect Mike's decision to leave the forum. I also think he's being childish. If he thinks the rules are wrong, he should have lobbied for them to be changed, not just whine like my son would do when he's caught doing something he knows is wrong ("But it's just not fair, Dad!").

As a senior member for over 4 years, Mike has no excuse for not knowing the rules. He got caught and the cop wasn't letting him off with just a warning this time. The only way to effect change is from within, but with Mike deciding to walk away instead, we lose another voice to effect that change. Good luck to him.

 

Agreed 200%. What we're all struggling to deal with here is something that is VERY subjective. That is what is known as the 'spirit' of the rule. Laws that govern each of our homelands also fall into categories of such 'spirit' however; it's up to an individual 'enforcer' of these rules/laws to interpret the 'spirit'.

Unfortunately, the spirit behind the rules here was interpreted in a fashion that many didn't agree with. While I stand by my notion in that I would've removed the same post if I had noted it early on, I understand why someone would be upset about the interpretation that has been followed.

Often times the moderators are just other members that participate on the board but, other times, they are individuals with targets painted on their foreheads. Take for instance a recent 'shot' at me by one of our long standing members here about 'Yes Rockpick, it has to do with KR...". I wouldn't have thought about removing or replacing that thread even if it had NOTHING to do with KR but, because I'm a moderator, someone felt it necessary to single me out and punch me on the target. Again, we've always had a 'family' feel here; I realize that, respect that, and like that. Why would I want to change that?

I'm not looking for sympathy here... don't want it or deserve it. Just making sure that both sides of the fence that has been mentioned here are noted and represented in some way/shape/form.

I think our current scenario is leaning towards an 'us versus them' and I don't like it. It's not fair. What many here have noted is that the spirit of Mike's post wasn't to break the rules but, the bottom line is that the rules were broken. As was mentioned in my first response, this wasn't the first time that this EXACT scenario has played out... This was, however, the first time that a 'lash out' 'knee-jerk' type of reaction was noted. 99 times out of 100, you'll divide the waters and draw a line in the sand with everyone who reads such a post. This thread has offered zero exception to that rule. There's no grey area that can be remotely noted here.

Agreed. That's what makes this place special and to use it as part of your argument against the decisions that have been made here simply isn't fair to the mix in my opinion. Why would one be detrimental to the group being helpful in order to justify a cause? Maybe I'm misreading you here John as it's always difficult to interpolate text on a screen on any subject. Again, the spirit is sometimes difficult to read into an opinion.

And?

Anytime that anyone offers ante's anything up for free, they will come. While not all 80K+ members here participate, I can assure you that a certain cross-section is ever-prevalent and will continue to be that way. The thought of word smithing every post that's made here, honestly, humors me. There aren't enough hours in the day or week. Again though, I concur with your notion. Just not sure how it fits in to the grand scheme of things being discussed.

Again, agreed. Totally uncalled for and unwarranted.

This further concretes the notion that we do have a 'family-like' atmosphere here. This wasn't a family member. Comments were offered and no one gave them the time of day. Tis life. Again though, tis the way that a group of 80K+ will operate. Always a couple...

Respectfully disagreed.

Did you read Mike's initial response to his thread being removed? The line was very clearly drawn in CONCRETE (not sand). He thought I had removed it. For most, that might not be blatantly obvious to recognize; however, being one that has butted heads with Mike on more than three occasions, I can tell you with great confidence that the post was directed at me. The guy with the target on his forehead that frequents the KR forum...

<con>

 

<the 5000 character rule applies to me too... post continued>

I'd have to say that this is the silliest thing I've ever read that you've written John. Insensitivity/inflexibility? Again, this isn't an us versus them scenario as we've both noted in our text. This, however, directly conflicts that notion/paradigm.

I've said it several times and I'll say it again... I hate to see Mike go. I don't want to see anyone go. While Mike and I haven't been buddies to the extent that some of us here have been, I respect him and, again, thank him for pointing out somethings that were blatantly obvious, yet not to me at the time (see previous post). I wish him the best in all endeavors that he sets sail towards and hope that he'll reconsider. I, again, won't beg nor cross a threshold that I've crossed in the past to attempt to get him, or anyone else, to stay. We're all big boys and girls now and can make decisions of this stature on our own without influence. I hope to see everyone's face here again and on a frequent basis. I've never specifically wanted to 'run anyone off'. Flexability and sensativity would've negated the fact that rules were broken and that he made a decision to leave? I fail to see the juncture. Again though, I'm respectfully disagreeing with you... not 'calling you out'. Please understand that my ramble is very calm and not directed at you, John.

You and I have a very positive history. We've shared emails, stories about family, pictures of the country-side (one of which was a wallpaper of mine up until about a week ago when it was replaced by a former gold mine facility that I toured via helicopter in Nevada about a year ago). I respect you. Big time.

I trust those of you who know me, know my personality, and know my sincerity when it comes to the subject of us being a family realize that I'm being genuine. I also trust that the same cross-section of folks know that moderators and webmasters alike must have some sort of domain to walk within where decisions set and are final. Sometimes the best portions of a democracy cannot be realized in such a focused atmosphere. Before you say it, you're right, this is far from a democracy.

While some see it fit to target those of us who are tasked with helping to keep the f150online.com forum in a running fashion, there is another cross-section that truly enjoy this resource and hope that it continues to strive, grow, think that the staff/ownership of the site does a good job, and have the ability to help someone out when they're in a pinch. I think that all of these characteristics are important to any online community; this one being no exception.

Rules are rules. Bad. Ugly. Indifferent. Intolerable. Again, tis life. We all live and play by them on a daily basis. A hard line was drawn here. All the thought was in place. This wasn't a special occurrence. Nothing 'out of the norm'. The precedence had previously been set in January.

Can we move on?

 

Absolutely....nuff said !

Thanks for your considered reply (as always) Brad....

Onwards and upwards !!!

 

It took me less time to get Ford MoCo to eat $2,500 of the $3,000 bill for my #4 blown spark plug than it did for me to read this entire sparring match about forum rules. Having been a member of the motorcycle V-Twin Forum for quite some time I appreciate the efforts it takes to run a really effective forum. The "Old Goats" do have the credibility they deserve and provide invaluable information and advice to those who have less experience with the F-150 and it's pros & cons.

I never like to see a premium member leave the forum and what I sense here is that the administrator tried to be a straight shooter about the policy of posting sale items in a specific forum. If there is a published "NO EXCEPTIONS TO THE RULES" policy then it can be no clearer than that.

Stick around "Old Goat" Mike and continue to help those of us who need it.

Semper Fi,
Steve.....Pensacola
USMC 1972 - 2003