After about 27 years, TMF finally got sick of my shenanigans and dropped the ban hammer on me. I probably had it coming. Wendy stated a thread about whales, but noted she wasn't allowed to use the word "dick" as in Moby Dick or even mention the type of whale discussed in the article. The thread devolved into a discussion of TMFMint's heavy handed moderation. flyerboys wrote an eloquent post (as he always does) directed to TMFMints explaining essentially that we've all been around a long time, we all know each other, we know what we're getting into, and we are all okay with seeing the word "sperm" used in a discussion about a certain type of whale.

I responded to his post chiding him, saying that the rules were there for his benefit, and if we start making exceptions for sperm whales then we'll start making exceptions for other things, and while he might not understand now, in the future he'll understand the importance of enforcing purity of thought. Something like that. And I signed it TMFMints.

I thought it was funny. TMFMints DID NOT think it was funny. She pulled my post and all the other posts criticizing the moderation policies and gave me the boot just to be on the safe side. The rules really are there for our benefit, apparently.

If someone sees this and can pass along my farewells I would appreciate it. It was a great run. I learned tons and thoroughly enjoyed myself. Too many great and informative posters to even mention, but you folks were the reason I stuck around so long. If I frequently disagreed with you, it is because I frequently found your posts interesting enough to read. I was educated, enriched, and amused. Fair winds and following seas, everyone.