As a general rule, it is unacceptable to "call the moderators out" in public like this. The courteous thing to do is to drop a note via PM to the moderator that closed a thread asking for an explanation and making your case for your thread
not being closed.
In the specific case of the "I intend to perjure myself" post, your post was closed for three reasons:
1) to save your butt, and
2) to save MY butt, and
3) to save TFL's butt.
Frankly I don't care all that much about your butt, but occasionally people post things that they later come to regret. A good moderator helps keep them from making a habit of it. But hey, you're an adult and it's
your butt.
But when it comes to my personal butt, I do care. If you use a site to promote, encourage, admit, advertise your intent to violate the law, it would not be much of a stretch to land the moderators or other forum leaders in court on some sort of BS conspiracy charge. On a personal level, I'm not really up to putting my butt on the line for internet strangers, so I don't allow discussion of intentional illegal activity in "my" area of the forum -- nor does any other moderator with a lick of sense.
The third reason is the kicker. When you signed up on TFL, you agreed to follow a certain set of rules, and you indicated that you understood TFL's mission. Here's the TFL mission statement:
Quote:
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Welcome to The Firing Line, a virtual community dedicated to the discussion and advancement of responsible firearms ownership.
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Admitting and promoting illegal activity is not within the keeping of our mission statement of promoting
responsible firearms ownership. If we allow it, our mission changes and the flavor the board changes. So when I as moderator choose to shut down a discussion of illegal activity and damnably BAD advice, I am preserving the nature and mission of TFL as I agreed to do on the day Rich Lucibella chose to trust me with the moderator keys.
Further, when you signed on the dotted line as a member, you indicated that you understood that I would need to make such calls from time to time:
Quote:
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5) As we can never convey a philosophy through a few rules, we reserve the right, in our sole discretion, to edit or delete posts and/or to revoke Membership. No Second Chances; No Argument; No Trial; No Way. At best you will receive one warning.
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I think the original question has been adequately addressed by the other posters, but am moving this down to the proper forum before closing it. (Firmly resisting the temptation to add, "I feel like closing this post and I am not giving anyone any reason. Ha Ha" -- thanks Uncle Buck!)
It is being closed because it is against TFL policy to allow calling-out-the-moderator threads to continue in public. I am deliberately violating policy (Rule 5) by leaving it visible so that there is no doubt about who did it or why it was done.
Despite the closure, I'm inviting other staff people to weigh in on this, and hope they do.
pax