Actually, ML, the word didn't really "go out". I mean, I really did not try to advertise this place.
Oh. OK. Why not? That's what you said you were going to do. I'm confused. 
ML, I did intend to do that, but in the end I decided to let this place mature somewhat. There are some outstanding minds here, and the caliber of consciousness I've been seeing here lately is impressing me in a very good way. I like what I'm seeing here these days. It could be that this place could end up being what it was supposed to be at the start. This thread is three years old this month. Improvements in the general tone of conversation and ideation are looking much better. But but there have been some voices herein which I would be embarrassed for some of our friens to see, and especially I would not want their own views attacked mercilessly by insensitive remarks from self-appointed geniuses who hit newbies over the head with the iron skillet of judgment because said newbies were not already full-blown anarchists.
And I'll confess that that has been mostly my fault, because I've been too busy myself for the past eight years, and have not been here nearly enough to nurture a sense of civility in the general flow of conversations. I over-extended myself, and I also tied my hands a bit back in 2007 when I tried to set up the Admin policies along a more "democratic" style of administering the forums. For some number of years my hands were tied in some ways. That has now changed and I'm no longer bound by the Admins, and in my absence a higher quality of folks have weathered the years of change here and contributed meaningful posts. That is a good sign, and it's not something I did -- it's just a sign that some of the sorts of folks I'd want to see here have indeed stayed the course and continue to make this a quality place. But three years ago it was not really ready. I did, however, invite in some friends, who have mostly given up and gone their separate ways.
Because the nice folks I did invite in here got attacked by the know-it-all snotty club who just knew that if anyone came here from Oath Keepers they were sub-human robots of statist ilk.
Let me be frank with you. You can go over to the Allied Camps section of the national website and take a look at the caliber of liberty fighters listed there. Just scroll this page --
https://thementalmilitia.net/allied-camps/Do you think I'm going to invite Edwin Vieira or Pat Wood or even Wendy McElroy to come over here and get dumped on by a group of would-be-ninja know-it-alls who love to strut their superior wisdom around the place like, what's his name, Diablo Loco -- who sees himself as more brilliant than a peacock's fully-spread fan. I am not saying that the good people here now are like that. In fact, I really appreciate the ones I've known by their posts. The place is much more "user-friendly" now than it's been in the past, and I'm pleased. But three years ago there was some turbulence. For example, there was Silver, who jumped immediately to a conclusion (as did others) which was far from correct. He presumed that I only know "Oath Keepers", and therefore I would only be bringing in those damned cops and militarized thugs. I do not know how he could presume that G. Edward Griffin or Richard Gage or Edwin Vieira, or even I myself, must be lumped into his vision of "Bad Cop!" and his theory that all cops are bad cops and since bad cops infest Oath Keepers then anyone I brought in here must be a bad cop. It's like Silver totally overlooked the fact that this discussion group got started in 1999 and stayed online ever since, and that Stewart Rhodes only joined here in 2006 and that Oath Keepers was not created here until March of 2009. Oh no! If I'm working for Oath Keepers, then that means anyone I bring in here must be a Bad Cop.
Are you getting my drift? Go look at Silver's post on page one of this thread and tell me if he jumped to conclusions or not. He presumed that because I worked for Oath Keepers the only people I would know must be "Bad Cops". It did not dawn upon him that a lot of liberty-loving free thinkers had joined Oath Keepers to help convert those "bad cops" into being decent human beings. So he was not pleased with my bright idea about upgrading the levels of intelligence here. Just read his well-written post on page one of this thread.
Here is another example. Basil Fishbone has been in TMM since 2003. He is the co-founder of the Fully Informed Jury Association, (FIJA), a national-level top shelf organization that has done huge strides in fighting for liberty. Do you ever see him taking valuable time away from his work to shoot the breeze over here? Do you ever wonder why he does not "hang out" here? The reason he is not present here is the same reason I am hesitant to invite other nationally-known names in here.
Here is another example -- Claire Wolfe. As you know, she ran this place for four years, until it finally drove her crazy and she handed it back to The Mental Militia. Why is she not posting here? There are many dear friends who I'd love to see posting here, but I won't subject them to pious egoism as displayed by that Diablo Loco character or the long-gone "Get Your Hands Dirty" crowd.
But maybe that sort of consciousness is finally gone, and maybe we can build a renewed interest in open-minded free-thinking consciousness, the sort of consciousness I'd be proud to introduce to the power players in the American liberty movement. But as I noted above -- all of this is mostly my fault, because I've not been around to help keep the conversational streams focused on building up a worth-while instrument for mental development while at the same time providing a cultural center for freedom loving people of all walks. Thankfully, you've been on duty here and have kept the place glued together. I'm deeply grateful to you for that. I'm also grateful for many others here who I'd be proud to call my friends.
So I'd invite all readers here to go to the national website and click on "Articles and Information", or any of the other pages, and notice that there is no "infighting" there. Egoism is totally absent. That site is being packed with information. It is not a "rolling news wire", and it is not a place for debates and arguments. It is on mission, which is to collect knowledge. When these forums rise to that level, I won't have to invite people here -- they'll come on their own. Any word of good things moves swiftly through the national consciousness.
So I've got much work to do, but I also have to survive and build that national site and put some groceries on the table here, and it's more than this old guy can do to be here every day. I will apologize to you for that. But I'll also be on record for saying to you that I do believe that this place will become much stronger in the new year coming.
Merry Christmas!
Salute!
Elias
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