Old bomb squads

[Usafvet509]

@Herf N Turf , I hope I have not started one of those. I began with the idea of a jocular poke at the War of Northern Aggression. If an apology is in order, consider it extended

[dj1340]

As long as it is kept in the context of what it is meant to be it is a great way to show
Appreciation to someone who has helped or guided in one way or another. I think I
Was part of a real early mass hit to show what an asset this person had been to the
People on the forum.
He had no idea and was totally blown away by the generosity of the members.

Hopefully that will be the idea behind things

[Sweet Cigars]

@Herf N Turf , I hope I have not started one of those. I began with the idea of a jocular poke at the War of Northern Aggression. If an apology is in order, consider it extended

I personally feel like you did nothing wrong. You had no idea this would escalate like it did. Having said that I also think this North vs South has morphed into a separate entity such as a MAW or PIF type of thing. There are those that will join in and bomb the opposite fraction and then they will be those that don't. If we treat this as "game" and not all bombing that we do everything will be ok. Like I stated earlier I will continue to bomb random unsuspecting victims that I see fit that has nothing to do with North or South but just RAK's in the purest form. This North vs South is just a fun little game we are having. Like @Horseshoe said there are so many generous members on this forums and we have been bombing like crazy but I don't feel as if anyone has lost site of what a bomb means. Lets just keep having fun and keep this forums going with love and respect!

[JollyRogers]

@Herf N Turf , I hope I have not started one of those. I began with the idea of a jocular poke at the War of Northern Aggression. If an apology is in order, consider it extended

I am in the same boat, and will second an apology if warranted. A bomb for me will always be a way of showing respect and admiration for a member on here, whether it's under the guise of a North/South bomb or not. For me, it's not economical to bomb all willy nilly, so a bomb will always carry meaning.

Having said that, living where I do, very few people aren't North (30th parallel) of me so my bombs will almost always be directed northward

[TheGrumpyOleTroll]

Please believe I was not calling anyone out that what is going on here is nothing more then fun and of the original meaning behind bombing and I doubt Don ment his any different. More of a remberence post of why to prevent history from repeating its self..


The Troll

[Bull]

As others have stated, bombing in the early days was good amd well intentioned. The groups took it to a whole other level and it was the beginning of the end......we're there other contributing factors, absolutely. ....I hope that doesn't happen hear.

[Herf N Turf]

I am in the same boat, and will second an apology if warranted. A bomb for me will always be a way of showing respect and admiration for a member on here, whether it's under the guise of a North/South bomb or not. For me, it's not economical to bomb all willy nilly, so a bomb will always carry meaning.

Having said that, living where I do, very few people aren't North (30th parallel) of me so my bombs will almost always be directed northward

@Herf N Turf , I hope I have not started one of those. I began with the idea of a jocular poke at the War of Northern Aggression. If an apology is in order, consider it extended

Well, you guys must understand, the membership at Poof! was also to blame, mods included. For all Poof!'s boasting about being self-policing, it actually wasn't at that particular time. A wave of FOGS was stepping back and there was an enormous influx of new, very young members. Boys will be boys and given the tendency of many millenials to reject authority, members failed to report posts for language, disrespect toward one another and so on. The mods basically stopped reading their posts, so the behavior went unchecked. By the time things went pear-shaped, it was way too late. Members had begun reporting things like wild, but again, too late. By the time the mods stepped in the gangs were taking it way to harshly and completely refused to accept that they were acting in accordance with a huge member base of tenured people. Most of the gang members had been there less than 18 months. The issue of the overall lack of tenure at that time was as much the culprit as anything.

I see this community much like old Club Stogie in it's prime. People were respectful to others to a fault and didn't hesitate to report, or admonish offenders. Everyone stuck together and backed one another up. The issues became seldom, where we'd go weeks without a reported post; at least for someone doing anything naughty. I see Cigar Bum much that same way. While none of us has a lick of tenure we've made it clear we're all on the same page and also get along as friends. We really don't have any jackasses as far as I can tell.

So, I'm not really worried about the intent of the outfits you guys have formed. I think you're each on board with the values we've quickly come to embrace and now jealously protect, so I'd say, what the hell, have at it.

[StogieNinja]

Everything about the gangs flew in the face of the very spirit of gift giving.

I gotta disagree with you there, Don. The Squids always were about recognizing and thanking members in the community that we appreciated. We had members who did their own thing, as did all the groups, and there were a few individuals towards the end that took things too far (there always are, and they're not exclusive to bombing groups) but I don't think it's fair or accurate to say that everything about the gangs flew in the face of the very spirit of giving.

There was a terrible rift and several members on both sides acted out in deplorable ways.

That may be the fairest thing that can be said on the matter.

[Herf N Turf]

It actually took a couple years, I think, before things really went downhill.



I gotta disagree with you there, Don. The Squids always were about recognizing and thanking members in the community that we appreciated. We had members who did their own thing, as did all the groups, and there were a few individuals towards the end that took things too far (there always are, and they're not exclusive to bombing groups) but I don't think it's fair or accurate to say that everything about the gangs flew in the face of the very spirit of giving.



That may be the fairest thing that can be said on the matter.

Well, Derek, that's how I felt about it at the time and still do. While I respect your opinion, if I put both sides on opposite ends of the seesaw, I'd have give it to the general membership, for the simple fact they didn't cause it. Perhaps the biggest mistake the "groups" made was to ignore the message being sent by the membership. I think, had that been acknowledged and activities amended, even slightly, naught would have happened. By "the end" as you call it, things had slid so far downhill and had become so rabid, that there was no reason left. Nothing worked.

I tried hard to express that I wasn't impugning every one of the members of all the gangs. If it came across that way, I apologize. My belief at the time was that it was about 35% jackasses at the end. Sadly, that 35% took down a LOT of really good people in the heat of battle. That's the part of it I deeply regret, but again, I wasn't at the wheel.

Edit: Oh and bytheway, we're not going to discuss any specific events, or specific members or groups in this, or any other thread. This is nothing, but bad blood that occurred in a long, far off, forgotten place and time. That stuff will not be carried into Cigar Bum.

[Big Bull]

Sorry those weren't the good ole days..it was the beginning of the end.

The groups and gang bombing is why I stopped bombing...the idea of what a bomb is and how it was done was lost.

I don't have any issue with groups getting together and bombing but the idea behind it needs to be for the receiver and not what was sent or who sent it..


The Troll

The original intent wasn't what it turned into. What it turned into I agree wasn't cool at all.