Changes

'''Summary'''. The sections below contain detailed evidence in the form of 'diffs' (time-dated edits to the Encyclopedia).  [[#Peter Damian Background | First]], I present a list of the articles I have written (or been the main contributor to) since June 2003.  This shows beyond reasonable doubt that I have been a good-faith contributor to the 'mainspace' (article space) of Wikipedia over a long period.  I have never had a block for an 'edit war' over an article, and nearly all my articles have stayed in their original form to the present date (September 2008).

'''Summary'''. The sections below contain detailed evidence in the form of 'diffs' (time-dated edits to the Encyclopedia).  [[#Peter Damian Background | First]], I present a list of the articles I have written (or been the main contributor to) since June 2003.  This shows beyond reasonable doubt that I have been a good-faith contributor to the 'mainspace' (article space) of Wikipedia over a long period.  I have never had a block for an 'edit war' over an article, and nearly all my articles have stayed in their original form to the present date (September 2008).

In the section [[#My concerns about Wikipedia | concerns about Wikipedia]] I present the issues that I feel are dividing the project.  The first problem is the rise of an administrative 'class' in Wikipedia whose priority has shifted from writing an encyclopedia to the blocking of vandals and abusive 'sockpuppets' (multiple accounts).  While they are a solution to a real problem (vandalism caused by the lack of editorial vetting) they have become a Frankenstein's monster that is almost destroying the project (which is to write an encylopedia).  The second problem that afflicts Wikipedia is the proliferation of 'cruft' and of crank material.  (Cruft is non-encyclopedic, unsourced material that is placed in the encyclopedia for financial gain, since Wikipedia gets a high or top ranking in most search engines, crank material is non-encyclopedic, and unsourced).

In the section [[#My concerns about Wikipedia | concerns about Wikipedia]] I present the issues that I feel are dividing the project.  The first problem is the rise of an administrative 'class' in Wikipedia whose priority has shifted from writing an encyclopedia to the blocking of vandals and abusive 'sockpuppets' (multiple accounts).  While they are a solution to a real problem (vandalism caused by the lack of editorial vetting) they have become a Frankenstein's monster that is almost destroying the project (which is to write an encylopedia).  The second problem that afflicts Wikipedia is the proliferation of 'cruft' and of crank material.  (Cruft is non-encyclopedic, unsourced material that is placed in the encyclopedia for financial gain, since Wikipedia gets a high or top ranking in most search engines, crank is material that is tendentious, non-encyclopedic, and unsourced).

In the section [[#Criticism of FT2 | Criticism of FT2]] I argue that FT2's contributions to the Wikipedia project are net negative.  He or she is the leader of the adminstrative 'security force' whose main function has been subverted to the blocking or banning of genuinely good editors (point one), and he is also responsible for much cruft-ish and cranky material in his own right.

In the section [[#Criticism of FT2 | Criticism of FT2]] I argue that FT2's contributions to the Wikipedia project are net negative.  The point is not to criticise FT2 himself, but to set out the reasons why I have been criticising FT2 on the project itself, and to show why these have been made in good faith, and with the purpose of improving the quality of Wikipedia.  (Even if these criticisms are misplaced, they were nonetheless ''bona fide'', and should not be misconstrued as 'harassment').

Finally, the section [[#Blocks of Peter Damian | Blocks of Peter Damian]] shows how my blocks (and now the ban) are the direct result of my good faith and principled criticism of FT2's administrative actions in the project.  A community ban is therefore completely disproportionate.

Finally, the section [[#Blocks of Peter Damian | Blocks of Peter Damian]] shows how my blocks (and now the ban) are the direct result of my good faith and principled criticism of FT2's administrative actions in the project.  A community ban is therefore completely disproportionate.