[Evenstar]

Originally Posted by Taz

So the point of my original question is why are you targeting the lake as the only place speed limits should implemented?.

HB847 was for all NH lakes until it was amended, and that’s what I supported - but now I have to settle for just Winni. HB167 also include some NH ocean waters – that bill failed.

Look at all the posts you have entered . . . look at the length of many of your posts. Its clear you are fixated on this issue. It looks like you are looking to pick a fight. You called one poster silly when he mentioned the flag. Thats not a personal attack? Thats just one example. You made light of my calling a recreational kayak a lake kayak. If it were reversed you would call that a personal attack. Thats called hypocrisy.

I have to make long posts to reply, since I’m limited to the number that I can post each day. Well over 90% of what I post are direct replies to other members – hence all my quotes. I’m not “looking to pick a fight,” but I will continue to defend myself. No, you are misquoting me – I called the flag silly, not the person. That is not personal attack. And I merely corrected your use of what I saw as an incorrect term – I wasn’t making light of anything. I also explained that I am very literal, yet you just ignored that completely, but instead judged me and essentially called me a hypocrite. Just today, in this post, Hazelnut called me a liar - again. That is a personal attack. It is intentional and it is done with malice. You are not the one being attacked personally, so it’s really easy four you to suggest that someone else whose is being attacked should just ignore the posts. I have the right to defend myself and will continue to do so. And your advice is really not very helpful at all when it is mostly full of insults.

Originally Posted by GWC...

Perhaps you misspoke, misremembered, or simply forgot your attack of the Webmaster...

GWC, complaining about having my posts moderated, and giving my opinion on the apparent slant of this forum is not a personal attack on the webmaster.

Originally Posted by brk-lnt

The problem is that as far as I can tell, your conclusion here about people traveling too fast to see you in time seems to have no evidence to support it, it's just your own assumption.

My word is the evidence. I don’t lie. And I’m not exaggerating. And my best friend was with me, and she will back me up – and she has in public hearings. I don’t have any hidden agenda. I honestly believe that a speed will make any lake safer for paddlers. You can disagree with me all you want, but I have a right to stand up for my beliefs.

How did you ever manage to twist my logic into believing that I think it is ok to paddle in the path of the Mount??? Please point to where I ever even suggested anything like that. I do my best to give powerboats as much space as possible – I never cut them off and I never paddle in the path of larger boats. I have kayaked and sailed on large ocean bays where there are shipping lanes, with ships many times larger than the Mount. At my university I work at the waterfront and am in charge of students use of kayaks on the bay. So I really do know what I’m doing and I do have way more logic than you give me credit for.

Our kayaks are made for large bodies of water – and we are very visible to most boaters. I am not being unreasonable to demand that powerboat operators travel at speeds that will allow them to stay well out of our 150 foot zones. If they can’t do that, they are going too fast.

Originally Posted by chipj29

You are by yourself (virtually speaking) in this converstation. You have your beliefs, and the 5 or 6 other members who respond to you have their beliefs. Since you are in the minority here...by far I might add...you only feel like you are being ganged up on. You are posting on a website in which a recent poll stated that a majority of the members were against a speed limit. So you should expect to feel like the minority. I would liken it to a person who does not drink going into a bar and saying that the bar should be banned from selling alcohol.

I was under the impression that the purpose of the Winnipesaukee Forum is: "To facilitate communication and an exchange of information which is productive and beneficial for those interested in Lake Winnipesaukee and the Lakes Region of New Hampshire."

So how are personal attacks on me by several members at once being “productive and beneficial”? How are repeated attacks on my ability, my knowledge, my age, and my experience in line with the stated goals of this forum? This is supposed to be a place for everyone to share information – not just for information from one point of view. I’m a very strong advocate for recreation and for NH lakes – and for boating. And a sea kayak is just as much a boat as any powerboat – it’s just a different type of boat.

I don’t mind being in the minority – I’m used to that. What I do mind is not being treated fairly, and people who treat me without respect, just because I’m outnumbered here. That is discrimination. And that is wrong on any forum.

Originally Posted by Skip

There is only one moderator for this website. And I think he continues to do an excellent job balancing the opinions of the many here while wielding his moderator sword carefully and with much consideration.

There are forum rules that every member agrees to follow. These rules clearly state that personal attacks are not allowed. Yet I constantly have to defend myself from personal attacks in this forum – and I really shouldn’t have to.

Perhaps devote your ample mental prowess towards creating your own kayak themed lakes region website where you can then experience the responsibility of moderating your own threads. Perhaps then you can earn the right to return here, with some sense of credibility, and criticize the job our webmaster is doing running this website!

Skip, you and others constantly underestimate me. I’ve had my own international website and forums for years – which I designed, administer, and moderate - and I have two other moderators to help me do the job properly. I do not allow personal attacks on my website. Why have rules unless they are actually going to be enforced?

Originally Posted by Turtle Boy

Well, enough for now, but to Evenstar, just because you've been singled out and maligned in a forum where you are the minority doesn't mean that no one hasn't noted your sincere committment to what you believe in. Keep up the good work. The speed limit will happen. Maybe people will even slow down enough to ... see the turtles.

Thanks so much for standing up for me! But I feel really bad that doing so has now made you a target as well.