"in posters we can discern two ways of responding to a subject

one is disinterest: they don't respond at all

another form of response is attacking the poster either by invective or ridicule"

You seem to leave out the possibility of agreement. There are other options than ridicule and non-responsive. Aren't there?

"we see both types of response from members of the GC Committee"

I've seen none of the above attached to the GC Committee sigpic.

All of the Mods and Admin are also posters too. Nobody has claimed that they have to leave an opinion at the door.

However, they are expected to be impartial and to stick by the Rules and FAQ alone when they don their Mods hat to perform their duties using the Mods or Committee sigpic.

Sure, some avoid unpopular opinions. Others, like infinity and Kero didn't shy away from a controversial post when they were in GC poster mode. So the "opinionated" Committee member was much more common when I started here than at present. These things can be cyclical.

As to what motivates criticism? Any number of things.

Some call the fallacious argument for what it is.

Some correct misinformation.

Some are skeptical about behaviours that have been used by infiltrators to target GLers in the past.

Our own have been outed by "minors" seeking off-board contact. "Hobbyists" seeking off-board contact. "Activists" seeking off-board contact. Well, you get the drift.

Those who come here and immediately call for contact will invite suspicion.

That's how its been as long as I've been here.

So too do those insisting that they're minor females. ( GC no longer allows minors to register. ) But anyone insisting on being recognized as such was held in suspicion based on what previous "minor female" posters had done with off-board contact. Some were sincere. But unfortunately on an anonymous forum GCers cannot start from the presumption that everyone has to be what they claim to be.

"if we see this consistent behavior from a member of a GL governing board we can suspect he or she is not there really here to support GL's. "

One can be supportive of GLers while still being critical of the fallacious, the specious and while reserving concern over known infiltrator tactics.

In fact I'd be hard pressed to see how recusal in the face of the false or the potentially harmful would be "supporting GLers."

As to Antis on the Committee? I seriously doubt it. I've seen no evidence for it.

But for safety's sake, everyone ought to treat all other posters with caution when it comes to personal contact, email, networking &tc.

Safety is paramount. We should assume that there are LEOs here reading our posts. Don't assume that any level of access should "shut off" the critical faculties when it comes to vetting others and giving trust.

Once your RL identity is linked publicly, you can't take it back.

"As some of you may know by reading the newspaper regularly or the history of the FBI attacks on leftwing groups in the 1960's and 1970's, it was a common tactic of the FBI have their agents or informants placed on the administrations of some of these groups"

Indeed, the "agent provocateur" was often the easiest pose. This was the guy who would urge that people "must" act and throw caution to the wind. He would push until others took the very risks that might get them caught. Or took the actions which diverted the organization away from its original goals and onto a reckless path.

So folks should greet a provocateur with skepticism.

Some may insist that you prove your bona fides as a "real" GLer by contacting them. Some may insist that the "only" way for a real GLer to prove that they are doing something for "the cause" is by contacting them.

This is one of the reasons why GC is not an activist board.

It is set up as a communication forum for those who want to freely communicate using anonymous nicks. Anonymity is the default. Those who are aware of the risks may proceed to network or contact each other. But GC disabled the Email window at the response head and remove email addy's from first posts because safety is more important.

If you see a post which is unnecessarily hostile in tone with the official Mod sigpic; please forward it to the Moderators' email so that they can collectively address it.

Dante