CEAV CENSORED!


KingsFan forum joins CAl Expo and NBA
in Manipulating the Public

[this story may be reprinted, if done so in its entirety, without further permission. All reprints must include the following copyright information: ©Red Slider and www.ceav.us, 2010. ]

1/25/10 - Cal Expo/NBA Contempt for Public Spreads to Sports Sites - Censorship is preferred mode for deciding issues of interest to the sports community...

'CEAV FORUM POST BLOCKED -
SPORTS FANS TREATED LIKE SHEEP'

by red slider
Sacramento CA, www.ceav.us

Red Slider, steward at www.Ceav.us and member of KingsFan.com Forum, attempted to post a comment online inviting forum members to view the "other side" of the issue of siting a new arena and invited them to consider the matter by reading CEAV's position. The forum moderator ("VF21") refused to post the CEAV message and, instead, sent Mr. Slider the following message:

"You have received an infraction at KingsFans Forums. Reason: Rules Violation. Sorry, but we do not allow discussion of politics or religion and we definitely are not going to help you promote your own agenda with this kind of post."

The 'post' to which Mr./Ms. VF21 was referring was the following, posted by Mr. Slider to KingsFans.com on January 23:

"You can't keep up with this story - It's moving too fast and there are too many 'switchbacks'. But, you can read the other side of the story - the one the players in this field of schemes don't even want you to think about - in our editorial at: http://www.ceav.us/CEAV-PAGES/thenews/thenews-home.html You might ask, "The Kings need a good home; but is it even possible to get them one in this atmosphere?" Our answer: yes, but only if the public and the media climb down from the cheering section and start asking the tough questions. We dared to ask some of them. We hope it will get you started asking more.

We know, you're all Kings fans, and so are we. You'd like to see a fantastic new arena. So would we. But there are some things about this whole business that you're not supposed to think about; people who want us in the cheerleading section and are deliberately trying to distract us oohs&ahhs and keep us waving our home-team banners. If we keep it up, we won't just be having the wool pulled over our eyes, we'll be so covered in wool that we could enter the Cal Expo livestock show – as sheep! Read our editorial, check out our website and then think for yourselves [about] what's going on. - red slider, steward; The CEAV Project"

Asked why he thought KingsFan.com had reacted as they did, Mr. Slider remarked, "It appears that some of those who would claim to represent sports interests ("moderators") or otherwise lead sport's fans groups appear to believe the folks in their cheering sections really are sheep." Mr. Slider did not seem at all surprised by the reaction of 'KingsFan.com' at his attempt to post the other side of the issue on their forum. Asked what he thought might have motivated them to treat their own base with such disrespect, Mr. Slider replied, "It's pretty typical of the way Cal Expo and the NBA have manipulated the arena matter for the past several years." He added, "It appears to confirm what a California Appeals Court judge said in a class action suit against the franchise when he said, “It is common knowledge that professional sports franchisees have a sordid history of arrogant disdain for the consumers of the product.” (Charpentier v. Los Angeles Rams, 75 Cal.App.4th 301) I suppose," Mr. Slider added, "we can now include some so-called "moderators" of fan groups and cheering sections, such as those at KingsFans.com, on that list."

When pressed further to explain why he thought those leading the pack had such "arrogant disdain" for the people they were supposed to respect and encourage, Mr. slider had this to say, "Well, I think Mr. (or Ms.) VF21's own reply gives the best clue to why they behave the way they do. When people throw their own "rules" around to control others, it usually says more about them than it does about those they wish to bully. In his/her own words, VF21 said, "… we do not allow discussion of politics or religion [on their forum - ed.]…." Now, we know he couldn't have meant that our post was "too political". There's nothing political in it. It's about where the new arena is located and how it is financed, and our assertion that it ought not involve the destruction of the public commons."

"There's nothing political about that. And CEAV is certainly not a political organization, though some of the individuals we oppose are politicians. But CEAV has no political position; neither Republican nor Democrat; not left, not right. We're not against basketball, were not against arenas; were not even against developers. In fact, we assert just that at many places on our website. So, Mr./Ms. VF21's remark couldn't have been about politics. That leaves religion. And it seems pretty evident that was what was wrankling Mr./Ms. VF21 and our post. It would appear that KingsFans.com has made a religion out of the Kings and seems to regard a new arena as some kind of church - their own church. Now, as you know, it's often hard to talk to religious fanatics, because they don't listen. Indeed, they are incapable of listening. However, as we would point out to VF21, even the bible (one of them, anyway) had four gospels, and we fail to see how an additional opinion on where and how a new arena should be sited (more accurately, where it should not be sited and whose land should not be used to build it) would rise to the level of some kind of blasphemy about Mr./Ms. VF21's "new church"."

"To tell the truth, we don't even have any problem with VF21's opinion that only one "church" should prevail (though we certainly don't agree, either). But we do object to the fact that he would try to achieve that outcome by riding roughshod over his "flock" and attempt to prevent them from thinking for themselves; by censoring what they are allowed to read or consider on their own. That kind of behavior we find reprehensible. It does, in fact, treat people like sheep and disrespects the right of people to decide matters for themselves. The 21st Century is not a place that can abide too many VF21s. They are throwbacks to an age when people were just things to be herded and used for the convenience of a few. That, we believe, is an era that can and should rapidly come to a close."

We asked Mr. Slider if he planned to take further action against KingsFans.com for their censorship of their community. "No," Mr slider offered, "we're not really interested if Cal Expo, the NBA, KingsFans or other sports fan groups want to shoot themselves in their own foot. That's entirely their business. We are only interested in seeing that a stray bullet doesn't strike and kill the City of Sacramento or the State of California and generations of children and grandchildren to come. That would be a tragedy, and we're doing our best to prevent that from happening."

[this interview of Red Slider by Red Slider was unrehearsed. Mr. Slider was not provided with any of our questions in advance.]

- Red Slider, www.ceav.us; 01/25/10: