To Anyone Interested
Posted: Thu Mar 08, 2012 5:32 am
SP members:
I was shocked, saddened and hurt to come to SP and find the thread “Why Treat Other Species Like Crap” in the GENERAL forum, and that it had been permitted to remain there. In this increasingly troubled world, as our country continues its unfortunate decline into obscure has-been status, don’t we have enough persecution going on that I must find it here, on SP? Islamists are persecuted in America. Christians and Jews are persecuted in the Middle East, and increasingly so in America. To find persecution foisted on others by current members, and thoughtlessly supported through ignorance and indifference by SP’s staff is a slap in the face to this long-time member. For certain, it is a rude awakening.
On recent visits to SP, I’ve noticed visitation is down and nothing happens in the forum. Contribution quality is paltry, particularly for America. I’ve always defended SP, holding out faith that it would grow popular again and see a renewed interest. It’s easy to see why interest continues to wane when discussions such as this are permitted to carry on in the general section of the forum. Most of SP’s original founding members have moved on. I was one of the last hold-outs that endeavored to continue supporting the SP community. Perhaps I should have “awakened” when they departed to save me this hurtful experience I find myself in. Some remaining “old ones” still maintain pages out of honor and pride, all of which may also soon be history with the posting of this notice.
A prospective new member of any religious persuasion would think twice about joining a community so full of persecution and insensitivity. Mean spirited and thoughtless comments in this thread, and probably elsewhere have no doubt alienated many SP members, including me. I am a Christian, and my wife Ellen is Jewish. We’ve been prominent members since SP’s earliest beginnings. We were contributors and SP activity sponsors for nearly ten years. I had a pivotal role in building SP and attracting the huge number of members following the completion of SPv2. I find myself in very deep sorrow that SP has descended this low. Well respected SP member and my dear departed friend Vernon (saintgrizzly) would be deeply saddened by what has happened here.
I cannot in good conscience allow my material to remain on SP. Coming to realization sooner than anticipated, the only evidence of my presence on SP will be my profile page. Most of my material is already removed, meaning around 100 routes and mountains exclusive to SP that could be found nowhere else. Trip reports, special objects, articles and albums have been removed. Low and high profile mountains and area pages originally created by me or adopted in SP’s first or second year have been removed. Some recent adoptions have also been removed.
All route descriptions have been removed, which includes standard routes on a number of important mountains, including Colorado’s fourteeners. Owners of these mountain pages will need to establish their own route pages lest SP’s audience continues to fall away along with its reputation. Some of these important mountain pages will already be transferred by me to members I feel deserve a chance at maintaining them. Be advised that the pages will be transferred empty. None of my material will remain, so the new owner will have some immediate work to do. These pages see plenty of traffic and visitors will not be impressed to find an empty page, which is contrary to SP’s hard earned reputation. I will do my best to transfer the pages as promptly as possible. New owners are advised to begin their work immediately. Be advised as time permits, I will be removing my photography as well, so the “red x” will be popping up in various places.
Those interested in taking over ownership of the remaining pages currently in my care should refer to the listings HERE and contact me ASAP. Requests for transfer of pages must be made via PM directly to me. PMs to mtnhiker13 will not be answered and will be deleted. Any inappropriate PMs will be forwarded to the staff (for what good that will do). I will not respond to any PMs other than requests for pages. No emails will be accepted or responded to. On March 19, my birthday (and SP’s “birthday” when it was first placed on the internet and viewable to a limited clientele), any remaining pages will be deleted. Pages currently exempt from this announcement: ARCHES NATIONAL PARK, PILOT KNOB, WEST COULOIR/PILOT KNOB (Route).
Frankly, I do not care about the end result, just as the membership posting vitriol don’t care about SP’s reputation. The indifference of the staff only reinforces this continued behavior and further decline of this once amazing web site. It is sadly only a shell of its former self. If and when SP should perish, it will be deserved. The members and the staff have lost sight of SP’s greatness to permit such to exist on SP. Perhaps Josh and Ryle agree, having seen the inevitable coming long ago when they decided to wash their hands of it, just as I do now.
I was shocked, saddened and hurt to come to SP and find the thread “Why Treat Other Species Like Crap” in the GENERAL forum, and that it had been permitted to remain there. In this increasingly troubled world, as our country continues its unfortunate decline into obscure has-been status, don’t we have enough persecution going on that I must find it here, on SP? Islamists are persecuted in America. Christians and Jews are persecuted in the Middle East, and increasingly so in America. To find persecution foisted on others by current members, and thoughtlessly supported through ignorance and indifference by SP’s staff is a slap in the face to this long-time member. For certain, it is a rude awakening.
On recent visits to SP, I’ve noticed visitation is down and nothing happens in the forum. Contribution quality is paltry, particularly for America. I’ve always defended SP, holding out faith that it would grow popular again and see a renewed interest. It’s easy to see why interest continues to wane when discussions such as this are permitted to carry on in the general section of the forum. Most of SP’s original founding members have moved on. I was one of the last hold-outs that endeavored to continue supporting the SP community. Perhaps I should have “awakened” when they departed to save me this hurtful experience I find myself in. Some remaining “old ones” still maintain pages out of honor and pride, all of which may also soon be history with the posting of this notice.
A prospective new member of any religious persuasion would think twice about joining a community so full of persecution and insensitivity. Mean spirited and thoughtless comments in this thread, and probably elsewhere have no doubt alienated many SP members, including me. I am a Christian, and my wife Ellen is Jewish. We’ve been prominent members since SP’s earliest beginnings. We were contributors and SP activity sponsors for nearly ten years. I had a pivotal role in building SP and attracting the huge number of members following the completion of SPv2. I find myself in very deep sorrow that SP has descended this low. Well respected SP member and my dear departed friend Vernon (saintgrizzly) would be deeply saddened by what has happened here.
I cannot in good conscience allow my material to remain on SP. Coming to realization sooner than anticipated, the only evidence of my presence on SP will be my profile page. Most of my material is already removed, meaning around 100 routes and mountains exclusive to SP that could be found nowhere else. Trip reports, special objects, articles and albums have been removed. Low and high profile mountains and area pages originally created by me or adopted in SP’s first or second year have been removed. Some recent adoptions have also been removed.
All route descriptions have been removed, which includes standard routes on a number of important mountains, including Colorado’s fourteeners. Owners of these mountain pages will need to establish their own route pages lest SP’s audience continues to fall away along with its reputation. Some of these important mountain pages will already be transferred by me to members I feel deserve a chance at maintaining them. Be advised that the pages will be transferred empty. None of my material will remain, so the new owner will have some immediate work to do. These pages see plenty of traffic and visitors will not be impressed to find an empty page, which is contrary to SP’s hard earned reputation. I will do my best to transfer the pages as promptly as possible. New owners are advised to begin their work immediately. Be advised as time permits, I will be removing my photography as well, so the “red x” will be popping up in various places.
Those interested in taking over ownership of the remaining pages currently in my care should refer to the listings HERE and contact me ASAP. Requests for transfer of pages must be made via PM directly to me. PMs to mtnhiker13 will not be answered and will be deleted. Any inappropriate PMs will be forwarded to the staff (for what good that will do). I will not respond to any PMs other than requests for pages. No emails will be accepted or responded to. On March 19, my birthday (and SP’s “birthday” when it was first placed on the internet and viewable to a limited clientele), any remaining pages will be deleted. Pages currently exempt from this announcement: ARCHES NATIONAL PARK, PILOT KNOB, WEST COULOIR/PILOT KNOB (Route).
Frankly, I do not care about the end result, just as the membership posting vitriol don’t care about SP’s reputation. The indifference of the staff only reinforces this continued behavior and further decline of this once amazing web site. It is sadly only a shell of its former self. If and when SP should perish, it will be deserved. The members and the staff have lost sight of SP’s greatness to permit such to exist on SP. Perhaps Josh and Ryle agree, having seen the inevitable coming long ago when they decided to wash their hands of it, just as I do now.