Guns, Dope and RAW

From the Huffington Post...

Robert Anton Wilson by Paul Krassner

My friend Bob Wilson--the prolific writer who has been balancing for decades on the cusp of cult following and mainstream awareness--has recently been on his deathbead, surrounded by family and hospice workers in what were his final days, but he suddenly seemed to be changing his mind.

On June 19, he sent this haiku with one syllable missing:

Well what do you know?
Another day had passed
and I'm still not not.

And then, on June 21, he e-mailed this message:

Surprise!
I'm still alive
and doing business on ebay.

Even if you're not a fan of Wilson's work, it's worth checking this out "link"-- if only to be delighted by (to quote from a Forest Lawn Cemetery billboard) the way he's NOT "going out in style."

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/paul-krassne...on_b_23608.html


Not sure if the "Guns & Dope Party" can survive without him.

He will -eventually- be very missed by many people....

Carry on, RAW

~Cowbell

See ya..

Well I'm off again. Play with fire too much and you end up getting burned.

Take care all.

:cheers:

~Cowbell

Observations and a suggestion for Ben

Hi all,

It's been awhile since I posted, but I have checked in from time to time and with all the continuing "kerfuffles" lately I thought I would weigh in with some observations and a suggestion. Those who care are aware of what has been going on at this Forum in relation to Ben and several members, some who have been here a long time, some who haven't. I include myself in this group. I also want to give those who haven't been here awhile some perspective.

I joined in November of 2004, wanting to share with those interested in this phenomenon, my experiences and perspectives as a human being who feels he has been engaged throughout his life by "Visitors". At that time, in the "Report your Experiences or Sightings" section of the Forum, there were guidelines set forth, directed both at those posting an experience as well as posting responses to threads in that section. I believed they were well thought out, reasonable and fair. There was and is always going to be some risk associated with allowing people to post in this section, and over time, it became easy for most of us to tell who was posting benevolently as opposed to malevolently (trolls, BS artist and the like). It was a risk the Forum had to take in order to provide a modicum of safety for those inclined to share, and the guidelines were created out of experience by Xander, not in spite of it.

All was well through the summer of 2005, with the occasional ban coming to those who deserved it. In all cases, more than enough rope was given and in the end, those who really didn't belong hanged themselves with it or got with the program. It wasn't until late summer of 2005 that events came to light involving Ben and several female members of the Forum, P-goddess and I Watch (Tanya). It became apparent that Ben had developed private relationships with those two as well as a newer member, Lucy. It got very ugly and for those who just can't help slowing down to rubberneck car wrecks and train crashes, I give you the the thread whereby Ben became "outed" in his relationships.

http://www.alien-ufos.com/forum/showthread...5&page=34&pp=30

The story begins about post #1009 to the end of the now closed thread.

It became known to me after awhile that this was not the first time that Mr. Goodwin had played games with the hearts of others on the Forum, and it was intimated to me that there had been other -failed- attempts as well. I came to regret that I had defended Ben at the end the way I did, and Tanya was right in that I did not understand what was truly happening. My deepest apologies at this time to both Tanya and the Goddess. Although I still have misgivings about some of the choices made by Goddess in other areas, I had no business butting in and I now truly regret it.

After I had learned that this episode was not the first time that Ben had, in my mind, taken what I feel is advantage, not only of these two, but others in this way, I began to see patterns develop that really began to bother me. Especially bothersome was the fact that in the case of the Goddess, who was (and hopefully still is), married with children, that she was exactly the type of "abductee" Ben has recently discussed in his "victimology" thread. She has been pilloried here ever since by Ben, and it is this episode that Sam mentioned to AJ in a recent post in the Question re: Banned Members and Guidelines thread.

Ben is quite the wordsmith (I fear pathologically so ) and I began to think that much of what he had written about himself on the Forum prior to the above episode, whether it was his reflections in the "Passages" thread (the poet), his lamentations on his health (mother me please), his musical career (the Rock Star), or his crusade to protect us from the "liars" (the Savior) were nothing more than, consciously or not, attempts to attract the opposite sex here on the Forum. I would include his position as a Mod (Power) here in this group as well. All that came to an abrupt end when the "outing" occurred. Conspicuously so in my mind. When he comes under scrutiny regarding his actions, another crisis convenietly pops up.



Yes Ben, it was wrong. Especially with a married women and someone who was, as you have described her often enough, "deranged" "a loon" and other untoward descriptions. And the problem I have is and have had with you ever since last summer has always been the fact that we will never know -what-your true motivations are, whether it be your dreamy post or your "scientific" (although lacking any true evidence or data) analysis of the abduction phenomena. Your apology in that thread rings hollow and smacks of being too little, too late.

It was also about this time, that a marked change in attitude towards "abductees/experiencers/others" was being displayed by Ben, at one point towards Black Belt Joe. Was he the victim of your transferred anger towards the Goddess? I wasn't sure at the time, but again, it was during this time frame that Ben began his crusade against those who claimed "experiences".

I was not the only one that noticed this change. I was, obviously, the most vocal all the while trying to remain diplomatic. It was at this point that Ben began lobbying Xander and the rest of the Mods for a change in the guidelines governing responses to post in the "Reports" section. Kelly B, read the "Experiencing Problems" thread in Mods. I lobbied strenuously against changes to the guidelines there, going so far as to suggest pre-approving post in the "Reports" section in an attempt to satisfy all concerned and to increase the quality of the post in the section AND to keep what I felt were reasonable protections against trollish attacks (such as the one Ben conducted against The Chosen One (the "eyeball" thread) in that section. To no avail...as you can all see now, there are no guidelines overseeing responses and there hasn't been for three months. They are "under advisement".....



Mary, as much as I admire your loyalty and defense of your 'friend', to describe and generalize what has gone on here the last six months, or even the last few years here to include any other Mod but Ben is disingenuous and to put it bluntly, flat out wrong. No one of merit, that I recall, has EVER had a problem with Dingo, Hunter or up until a few months ago, myself. From Tutu's "hostility" thread to the recent dust up with Rube, Tutu and myself, it has ALWAYS been about Ben. I am only saying what many other's have tried to say for months. And it's not really all that hard to understand if you step back at look at a larger picture. This forum is Bens life. It's where he finds romance, it's where he lay's out the trials and tribulations of his life and it's where, when ego's clash, he always comes out the other side somehow unscathed and admired more than ever. But he knows how to play the game and more importantly, the people. He is, as you recall, trained in the ways of social interaction. It is unfortunate however, that he didn't learn how to deal diplomatically and without malice towards people who disagree with him. This is the problem he has with being both a "poster" and a Mod. Which comes to the suggestion I alluded to in the title of this thread. I suggest that Ben consider retiring from his Moderator position in the best interest of all and the future of Forum. Too many good people have, after crossing Ben as a poster, been hounded out by him as a Mod. Sometimes, I suspect, simply from asoured relationship. Again, we'll never know. The list is lengthy and does not include the malevolent. Tanya, P_Goddess, Rube, myself, Joe and countless others who didn't bother to stick around after seeing how he treats valued members here - including the heart and soul of this Forum, my friend Tutu.

Passive|Aggressiveness is not a trait one would hope for in a Moderator and with his suspect motives in the past towards females here, coupled with his blatant hostility towards many who claim experiences and the suspect basis for how it has become so, it is time for him to let go of the ego, resign his role as a moderator and become a forum Elder. If he truly wants this Forum to move forward and find peace, this is what must happen. I have been a Mod and trust me when I say, it just ain't that hard. This will be a test of just how much he really does care, how much he truly wants to find answers to the UFO/Abduction phenomenon, for it will again become a place for those of us wishing to share our stories to find some modicum of safety and this in turn, ultimately, will be an integral part of the answer we all seek. I also urge the restoration of the Guidelines in the "Reports" section. A poster recently asked where are all the "good" abduction reports and posters went. My answers is "not here" and the main reason for this in my mind for this is because of Mr. Goodwin.

I truly hope this post is seen as coming from me as my perspective on what is good for this Forum and not a direct attack directed towards Ben. I suspect some will disagree and in the end, his actions will determine how large and nasty this particular thread becomes. I truly see this as the ONLY way for this Forum to move forward with respect and dignity. I post this with a heavy heart at seeing what has transpired over the last few months between some very good people. It didn't have to happen that way....

Take care all,

Cosmic Cowbell
Forum Elder

"I'm the Decider- Koo-Koo-Ka-Choo"

Although it is simply a link, one could argue it does have some political -overtones-.....so here it is, turning up the volume (hint).

http://decider.cf.huffingtonpost.com/

~Cowbell

Cow Abductions

:eek:

http://www.cowabduction.com/

~C