Wikipedia:Requests for adminship/Cirt

Cirt

Voice your opinion (talk page) (156/22/5); Scheduled to end 19:59, 15 September 2008 (UTC)

Cirt (talk · contribs) - It’s an honor to be the nominator of one of en:wiki’s most qualified candidates for RFA. Cirt is already an arbitrator at Wikinews, an administrator at Commons, and an OTRS volunteer. At Wikipedia he has contributed 11 featured articles, 26 good articles, 33 “Did you know” articles, 1 featured topic, and 11 featured portals (he’s the most prolific contributor of featured portals on this website). He has made over 38,000 edits to Wikipedia. In connection with his OTRS work, cross-project deletion work, and his AFD work it makes sense for him to have the tools at this project too.

Now you might be wondering, why didn’t an editor with qualifications this good get sysopped long ago? Two reasons. First, some of Cirt’s contributions are to controversial topics. It is darn near guaranteed that an editor who writes about Scientology and related subjects will step on some toes, no matter how polite he is or how many of those contributions result in featured articles. I don’t know much about those subjects but I do know he’s evenhanded: not only do the articles he works on consistently pass GAC and FAC, but he’ll intervene to revert vandalism, seek page protection, etc. regardless of what POV the disruption expresses. The second reason he’s hesitated to ask for the tools here is because this isn’t his first account and he collected some blocks before he started this account. I can guarantee you he did not change accounts to hide that block log. Please respect his privacy in that regard. It had to do with personal security and I was the administrator he turned to for help when the problem first occurred. His blocks had to do with edit warring—not incivility or any more significant concern—and he’s long since learned to open dispute resolution instead of violating 3RR. The most recent block occurred more than a year ago.

So in terms of an editor who got a rocky start and made healthy turnaround, I don’t know of a better example than Cirt. Two other WMF projects already trust him with the mop. Let’s do the same. Durova^Charge! 19:59, 8 September 2008 (UTC)

Co-nomination by weburiedoursecretsinthegarden

I think the only word in the English language to describe Cirt consists of only three letters: “Wow”. Perhaps that’s because I’m terrible at English. Or perhaps, as Durova has said extensively above, Cirt is actually too good an editor to describe in mere words.

It’s not often one gets the chance to nominate a good user for adminship – let alone a brilliant one. So, when a user like Cirt comes along, all activity is halted to write a nomination for them. I myself do not even feel qualified to nominate this calibre of editor for the mop, regardless of how big a deal it is. Many admins – perhaps even bureaucrats – do not have the credentials Cirt possesses – which is why he should obtain the almost iconic mop.

I first encountered Cirt earlier this year, on – believe it or not – featured portal candidates. I believe he had a nomination or three on the go then. At once, I saw the amount of work he put into those portals – not just a fly-over job, a work of art. Upon visiting his userpage, I saw just how many portals he had managed to get featured – some of which single-handedly – and gasped in shock. (That rarely happens to me, after seeing something on the internet.) I must say, this drove me to create and develop a portal of my own. That I did, and I owe it to Cirt’s example.

I don’t see much else I could say to top Durova’s nomination above. I do hope that you, the community, will not look upon Cirt’s early history and write him off for the tools that will only help him to help the project. We need more admins like this guy. weburiedoursecretsinthegarden 20:01, 8 September 2008 (UTC)

Candidate, please indicate acceptance of the nomination here:

I accept. Thank you very much Durova and weburiedoursecretsinthegarden for your kind words. Cirt (talk) 20:29, 8 September 2008 (UTC)

Questions for the candidate

Dear candidate, thank you for offering to serve Wikipedia as an administrator. It is recommended that you answer these optional questions to provide guidance for participants:

1. What administrative work do you intend to take part in?

A: I’d like to do some work in the administrative backlogs related to images, specifically CAT:NCT, CAT:NC, and CAT:NT. I have recently been doing some work on OTRS, and having the tools would certainly help with this. I would also love to help out with updating Did you know, I know it has been a recurring issue to find admins for that.

2. What are your best contributions to Wikipedia, and why?

A: I think my featured work on Wikipedia stands as my best quality contributions to the project. I’d like to especially point out how fulfilling it has been for me to work on collaborative efforts with members of WikiProjects, including a featured portal with members of WP:TEXTILE, a featured article and featured portal with members of WP:OREGON, a featured topic and featured portal with members of WP:DOH.

3. Have you been in any conflicts over editing in the past or have other users caused you stress? How have you dealt with it and how will you deal with it in the future?

A: As Durova notes, I have been in conflicts in the past with regard to Scientology and related topics. Those were mostly edit wars from my early days, and I delayed this nomination considerably in hopes of building up a track record that demonstrates I've put those mistakes behind me. Those pages where I once disputed are mostly GAs and FAs now.

What made the difference is that blocks had their intended effect on me: I stepped back and returned with a healthier outlook. Since the early days I've also discovered that dispute resolution is a better way of resolving differences between editors. I also trust in the community – and I have seen the dispute resolution process work very well and I especially find article content RFCs to be helpful. With any issue that crops up I always seek out an experienced administrator for advice, and I will continue to do so.

Optional question from xenocidic

4. As an administrator, you will come across some extremely vulgar language and often come under attack for your actions. You will most likely have to deal with some fairly troublesome users. The users you block will sometimes ask to be unblocked. Please review the very NSFW scenario outlined at User:Xenocidic/RFAQ and describe how you would respond to the IP's request to be unblocked.

A: The IP vandalized article mainspace a total of 13 times, and his previous 2 unblock requests were extremely uncivil. His statement is also incorrect in his most recent unblock request - after his "constructive" edit, he went on to make another vulgar vandalism edit, and his most recent unblock request was also highly inappropriate. I would not however be the administrator to review the unblock request because I was the blocking admin in the first place. I would leave the unblock review to an independent administrator.

Additional question from Haukur

5. Should this image be transferred to the Commons?

A: Interesting question. I'm looking into it. This work is definitely public domain in the United States. The question is whether it's also public domain globally. It falls under the pre-1923 window under U.S. law, but the illustrator lived until 1955. I'm currently looking into whether the New York publication given was the first publication (or whether it was first published elsewhere) and whether the artist resided in the United States at the relevant time. The short answer is I would take no action until I were certain.

Those are just the right questions to ask. Thank you. Haukur (talk) 21:18, 8 September 2008 (UTC)

Additional question from Sumoeagle179

6. Many people feel admin behavior standards have gotten rather lax these days. Some users seem to feel it's okay to be rude and condescending to others, especially if you disagree with them. What do you think of WP:CIVIL? Should standards of behavior for admins, including civility, be higher than for user who are not admins? How should issues of admin incivility be handled?

A: If I want to ask for civility I had better demonstrate it. Of course that doesn't stop me from disagreeing with people, or explaining why. But incivility distracts from that type of message when it needs to be given. We are a community of contributors and we should all be held to a high standard of civility together. Of course I highly support WP:CIVIL, it is official policy and a very good one to encourage constructive, rather than destructive dialogue.

Additional question from Townlake

7. Would you mind providing a brief example of a situation where you would apply IAR in the course of your administrative activities? It can be the most obvious IAR case you can imagine, I'm just curious if and when you might invoke it. Thanks and good luck! Townlake (talk) 21:20, 8 September 2008 (UTC)

A: Technically one is not supposed to edit an article after protecting it, but if I noticed an obvious WP:BLP violation, for example "Joe Schmoe is an alcoholic", I would invoke WP:IAR to remove that information. I would note that I had done so in the edit summary and give a comment on the talk page.

Optional question from MBisanz

8. Will you be open to recall? Who will be the "decider" of if a recall has passed? If you will be open to ti, what are your criteria?

A: I think that the recall process is certainly controversial and not clearly defined. I trust in the current system which works the best - if a user has an issue with my use of the tools they may start a User RFC. This could then proceed to an arbitration case, at which point my use of the tools could be dealt with formally by the Arbitration Committee.

This question should not be used for the basis of one's !vote. In fact, the question itself is extremely unpopular as it poison's the well---Balloonman ^PoppaBalloon 22:39, 8 September 2008 (UTC)

Optional question from NuclearWarfare

9. At this time, do you believe that you will branch out to some of the other administrative-related tasks (CSD), XfD, RFPP, etc.)?

A. I will start off work in the admin areas I have mentioned above, NCT, NC, NT, OTRS-related work, and Did you know. Over time I'd like to branch out into CSD, XfDs and RFPP, but I think there will be plenty to do to start with those first tasks I listed. As I gain more experience I hope to naturally round out my administrative contributions a bit more in the future.

Optional questions from  Asenine 

10. In his daily editing, a newbie user edits a prominent page, and his edit is reasonably trivial. It does not violate any policies, and it contains reliable sources. Unbeknownst to them, the edit they just made was against an overwhelming consensus on the talk page. Disgruntled editors then take action and replace the edited text with their own version which was decided with consensus. Their version, however, does not include any sources at all, and is unverifiable. What should be done to resolve the issue effectively, and which editor is doing the right thing according to policy? In a nutshell: Which is more important, verifiability or consensus?

A: I would explain the importance of WP:V to the editors on the talk page of the article, and I would also welcome the new user and reach out and explain the relevant policies as well. If the article is a BLP then there is a pressing matter to remove unsourced content that cannot be backed up to verifiable and reliable sources. Perhaps some of that unsourced material could be sourced, and we could all work together on the article's talk page to share resources and work to properly source the material. In any event, a good next step would be to open an article content RFC to bring in broader input from the community.

11. As an administrator, many inexperienced editors will come to you for advice. Some of them will be highly puzzled as to what is going on, or even angry because of something that has happened to them in the course of their time here. It is important to keep a cool head and handle the situation well, and also be knowledgeable in how to resolve the problem; so I ask - can you give us evidence that you have successfully aided annoyed users in the past?

A: The Project Chanology article is one where I have seen an increase relative to other articles in the amount of new users that notice the article and make a comment on the talk page. Sometimes these users question current content in the article, or make a suggestion about adding new content. Sometimes they are indeed frustrated that a particular piece of information is not there. The first thing that I do is make sure that the user has been welcomed to the project. This provides them with helpful links to pages where they can learn more about how to contribute, as well as links to our policies. This also tells the user they can ask me questions on my talk page. I also explain the need to cite sources and back up the new information recommended to be added to the article. Over time, I have been pleased that users I had previously explained this to have helped to explain the matter to other subsequent new users that show up suggesting new information be added to the article.

12. Will your current activities continue if you are appointed with the mop and bucket? If so, which will you drop/be less active in/be more active in/take up?

A: I will most certainly continue my current activities if granted the mop and bucket. I am involved in a featured topic drive, and I have four featured portal drives I am working on. I will slow down a bit from article content contribution to work on some administrative contributions, but article-writing is one of the things I love most about this project.

Optional question from Lankiveil

13. In the nom, it's stated that you have worked with articles concerning Scientology, a most controversial topic at times. Do you still edit on this subject, and if so what sort of edits do you make? Have you made any major contributions to an article on this topic lately, and if so can you provide some examples?

A: Lately I've been focusing on featured portal drives and an unrelated featured topic drive. The closest major quality content work I've done to Scientology recently has to do with works by L. Ron Hubbard. These include To the Stars (album) (DYK/GA), To the Stars (novel) (DYK/GA), Buckskin Brigades (DYK), Final Blackout (DYK), Revolt in the Stars (DYK), and Space Jazz (DYK). I plan to do some more DYK/GA work on a few more works by Hubbard as well.

Question from Avruch

14.: Is it fair to say you've been blocked for edit warring seven times? I see that the last time, according to your talkpage post, was in June 2007. Without knowing the names of your prior accounts, its difficult for those of us who aren't very familiar with you to evaluate the circumstances. What about your approach to Wikipedia has changed in the last year? I should add - your content contributions are amazing and greatly appreciated, and unquestionably make you a far more valuable member of this project than myself. I'm just looking for some more background information, and a little insight into your views. Thanks!

A.: In the past I rarely sought to improve the quality of articles to a high standard. I had gotten a few articles up to GA, but I had not endeavored to participate collaboratively in a stringent review process with other editors to get an article all the way up to FA status. Through work on my first FA, Trapped in the Closet (South Park), multiple editors pointed out things that could be improved on in the article, and a few helped me with copy-editing and some other difficult work during the FAC process. After the article was promoted as a FA, one of the editors that had helped me on it invited me to join The Simpsons featured topic drive. I was hesitant to commit myself to such an ambitious project, but it has been a real pleasure working on it.

I have benefited greatly from my collaborative experiences working with editors on varying topics in featured topic and featured content drives. Also, when I work on improving the quality of an article I take it through the DYK, GA, peer review, and FAC processes. This opens up the articles I work on to review from a wide cross-section of the community, and I have found that this is a very positive thing which helps to greatly improve the quality of those articles. I highly respect the advice of experienced editors and administrators, and frequently seek out their advice in both stressful situations as well as for help with minor content questions.

Question from Justallofthem

15.: Cirt, we can keep this short and sweet. First off, Cirt and I go way back and I have known her in all her previous incarnations. I am going to say nothing at this point about her history here or any current objections I might have. I just have one question. Cirt, if you are given the admin bits do you promise to not use them AT ALL in the topic area in which you are personally invested and in which all your prior trouble has occurred, specifically the areas of so-called cults, NRMs, and the human potential movement. Your answers to previous questions indicated that you intend to work on image areas and it considered good form IMO to refrain from using admin tools in your own areas of potential bias. --Justallofthem (talk) 22:40, 9 September 2008 (UTC)

A.: As you know, during mid-July and August a group of IP users were vandalizing your usertalk page, coordinated from offsite message boards critical of Scientology. It took some time for other admins to notice the issue and it was several hours before the users were dealt with. There was another recent related issue where you requested assistance at the Administrators' noticeboard for help with similar single purpose accounts that were attempting to insert unsourced negative information about the Church of Scientology at the article List of new religious movements, and it was a few days before an administrator took a look at the issue. I want you to know that you could come to me with any of these issues in the future if I become an admin, and I will quickly do my best to deal with the vandal users. Of course in any article where I am a contributor to the article's content I will refrain from using the tools.

Cirt, in the examples you cite I would rather wait for an uninvolved editor admin than risk establishing a gray area here. And anyway, protecting my user page from vandalism is not included in the area I asked you to refrain from using your admin tools in. To be honest, I am not looking to oppose your nomination and in fact I feel that in many ways you have earned this. I could bring up recent specific incidents that I feel show POV editing on your part but that is not my mission here. We both know that your main area of interest and the area in which there are POV concerns is the area that I described above. Pointing out that you would have a faster response time as admin in that area is the exact opposite of the response I am looking for and raises the issues of WP:OWN that I already have problems with. I really do not know how to deal with your answer as I am looking for a clear demarcation and I did not get that. --Justallofthem (talk) 03:43, 10 September 2008 (UTC)

To be honest, I am not satisfied with Cirt's answer to question 15. I would like to see an explicit answer to the very clear and direct question above. A direct answer to what is basically a yes or no question doesn't need much elaboration. Ebay3 (talk) 16:36, 10 September 2008 (UTC)

Question from Caspian blue

16.: What do you think of the essay, Wikipedia:Honesty and how this so basic requirement would affect your activities in Wiki space if you become admin? What is your past account? Many people seems to know you and say about "your 7 blocks for 3RR violations", but your current blog log is very clean. I wonder why you did not reveal such information before being asked by editors who know your past. You only disclosed your block history at the talk page, but no diffs provided. So we're seeing your new account only. Is this honest and transparent behavior for your RFA campaign? --Caspian blue (talk) 16:51, 10 September 2008 (UTC)

A.: Thank you Caspian blue for your question and your concern. I do think the honesty essay is important to this project and that is one of the reasons why Durova mentions I have a previous block log at the top of this RFA in her nom statement. I posted the list of blocks and lengths of those blocks to the talk page, the last of which occurred in June 2007. I think Durova has already sufficiently explained the nature of the privacy issue in the nom and in her response to Athaenara below.

Thank you for the answer, however you still did not answer my question properly. I also asked you about how you consider honesty itself and behave as admin with the requirement. I still can not convince myself that your past 7 blocks are just an insignificant history. That is not far from "some". I don't know you, except your current account. People are judged by their past all the time and block log is somewhat a measurement of how they behave. Your past history is also public information and you make people unable to judge it. According to Durova's statement, His blocks had to do with edit warring—not incivility or any more significant concern—and he’s long since learned to open dispute resolution instead of violating 3RR. I'm sorry, but how do we call your blocks are dispute resolutions with "what ground"? Just her nomination statement? Besides, the answer seems that you defer the matter to Durova.--Caspian blue (talk) 19:02, 10 September 2008 (UTC)

I certainly view honesty as an important value and will conduct myself in an honest manner in my possible capacity as administrator. Durova already explained the privacy matter, so I feel that at this point there is not much more to say on that issue. The dispute resolution is something that I have learned and I think have gotten better at over time and through talk page discussion I have been able to work with others of varying viewpoints to collaboratively bring articles on controversial topics to WP:FA.

Question from Jayen466

17.: Dear Cirt, I don't think I've ever met a Wikipedian who spends so much of their lives editing Wikipedia. And of course you're active on a few sister projects as well! What drives you to devote so much time to this project? And when do you sleep? :-) (<wink> I want to get some POV edits in.) Cheers, Jayen466 16:49, 11 September 2008 (UTC)

A.: Thank you Jayen466 for your interest and your support. I think a good quote which sums up a motivating factor perhaps shared by many Wikipedians is this one by Jimbo Wales: "Imagine a world in which every single person on the planet is given free access to the sum of all human knowledge. That's what we're doing." [1] I love writing, and I also enjoy my activities in other areas of this project and other Foundation projects helping to facilitate the pervasiveness of free information in a quality-format. I would also say that I volunteer in various capacities in my community which at times does have the affect of throwing off my sleep cycle a bit.

Question from Justallofthem

18.: In your prior account here, the one that edited under two usernames from mid-2006 to mid-2007, did you ever share that account with another person, i.e. were you ever one of two or more editors making edits under that account, either concurrently or consecutively, in either username, during any part of the period the account, in either username, was active.

A.: No.

::In other words, every single edit made under that account was made by you personally? --Justallofthem (talk) 05:01, 12 September 2008 (UTC)

General comments

• See Cirt's edit summary usage with mathbot's tool. For the edit count, see the talk page.

• Links for Cirt: Cirt (talk · contribs · deleted · count · AfD · logs · block log · lu · rfar · spi)

---

Please keep discussion constructive and civil. If you are unfamiliar with the nominee, please thoroughly review Special:Contributions/Cirt before commenting.

Discussion

Basically, as there is no public access to information about all previous accounts of Cirt and the context about the 7 blocks she received in the past and these accounts' edit history, editors commenting on this RFA will have to go with the nominator's assessment of the prior past and editing behavior of Cirt, as well as Cirt's own declaratios, as being something that is not relevant anymore as it pertains to this RFA. Given this, Durova will carry together with Cirt the responsibility of any unlikely problems of misuse of the tools by Cirt in the future. If Cirt continues her prolific work in the project without misue of the tools after she gets his/her adminship, this indeed would be one of the most remarkable turnarounds in Wikipedia, to be commended, and presented as an example for others in similar situations to consider. ≈ jossi ≈ (talk) 19:53, 10 September 2008 (UTC)

Support

1. Support as nominator. Durova^Charge! 20:32, 8 September 2008 (UTC)
2. Beat a co-nom support: You're not already an admin? Cirt should have been given the mops years ago! Dendodge|Talk^Contribs 20:34, 8 September 2008 (UTC)
3. Support - fantastic editor and knows the project well. Will do well with some more tools. Ryan Postlethwaite^{See the mess I've created or let's have banter} 20:35, 8 September 2008 (UTC)

   I've reviewed Cirt's earlier accounts and I'd like to confirm my support. She might have had problems previously, but a year is a long time and I'm still extremely confident she'll make a fantastic administrator. Ryan Postlethwaite^{See the mess I've created or let's have banter} 04:40, 10 September 2008 (UTC)

   Thank you very much, Ryan. Just to clarify though: Wikipedia can promote Cirt to admin but it can never promote him to female. That's an honor he'll never quite attain. ;) Durova^Charge! 05:01, 10 September 2008 (UTC)

4. Support Sure. Tombomp (talk/contribs) 20:37, 8 September 2008 (UTC)
5. Support before anyone else gets in before me :P weburiedoursecretsinthegarden 20:37, 8 September 2008 (UTC)
6. Support, I am shocked that you aren't already an admin, I had assumed you were. Excellent candidate, I have no concerns. ~ mazca ^{t | c} 20:45, 8 September 2008 (UTC)
7. Support Clearly one of Wikipedia's most qualified for the mop. –Juliancolton ^{Tropical Cyclone} 20:48, 8 September 2008 (UTC)
8. Support I actually did think you were an admin already. Model Wikipedian. --I'm an Editorofthewiki^{[citation needed]} 20:52, 8 September 2008 (UTC)
9. Support. Most definitely. This is one user who will benefit the project greatly by being given the mop! Malinaccier (talk) 20:57, 8 September 2008 (UTC)
10. Strong support — Fully trust both nominators, great article work, is human and can communicate well with others, wants to work in areas commonly burdened with backlogs. Marvellous! —Cyclonenim (talk · contribs · email) 21:03, 8 September 2008 (UTC)
11. Support - trustworthy editor who understands the image policy. PhilKnight (talk) 21:07, 8 September 2008 (UTC)
12. Support Overdue. how do you turn this on 21:08, 8 September 2008 (UTC)
13. Obvious choice I'd say. John Reaves 21:10, 8 September 2008 (UTC)

    Yes; definitely. I supported him on Commons recently too and would trust him pretty much anywhere. Solid trustworthy contributor with the best interests of the enyclopedia in mind. naerii 21:15, 8 September 2008 (UTC)

14. Support. Seems like a great guy. Certainly answered my question very well :) Haukur (talk) 21:18, 8 September 2008 (UTC)
15. Strong support, per both noms. Extremely trustworthy. --Maxim (☎) 21:27, 8 September 2008 (UTC)
16. Support I see him all the time and I think him to be an admin each time, only to be proven wrong. I have not a single idea why, with all those great contribution, he isn't an admin yet. SoWhy 21:29, 8 September 2008 (UTC)
17. Support: Why not? seicer | talk | contribs 21:30, 8 September 2008 (UTC)
18. Strong Support Highly trustworthy candidate. Nishkid64 _{(Make articles, not wikidrama)} 21:31, 8 September 2008 (UTC)
19. Support; I have no fear the candidate would stick the mop in bad places. — Coren ^(talk) 21:44, 8 September 2008 (UTC)
20. Simply looking at his astonishing content contributions pushes me to support - above and beyond the accepted RfA standards. Valtoras (talk) 21:44, 8 September 2008 (UTC)
21. Support complete no-brainer. Absolutely. --Rodhullandemu 21:54, 8 September 2008 (UTC)
22. Support Good editor. America69 (talk) 21:58, 8 September 2008 (UTC)
23. Support Great edit history, many fine contributions. Support 100% --Banime (talk) 21:59, 8 September 2008 (UTC)

    Support Trustworthy candidate, I respect the nominators, and I like the IAR answer. Townlake (talk) 22:06, 8 September 2008 (UTC)

    No opinion I'm too lost at this point to put forth an opinion on this request, even a neutral opinion. The concerns raised appear to have at least some merit. Townlake (talk) 23:36, 12 September 2008 (UTC)

24. Support - This RfA isn't an April fools joke? I thought you already were an admin. *Realist double checks his calendar* . — Realist² 22:10, 8 September 2008 (UTC)
25. Support Good answers, gonna make a great mop-holder. —[DeadEyeArrow – Talk – Contribs] 22:20, 8 September 2008 (UTC)
26. Support - This candidate is a breath of fresh air. Wisdom89 _{(T / ^C)} 22:22, 8 September 2008 (UTC)
27. Support. I'm usually pretty well informed about who is and isn't an admin, but this one really made me jump out of my seat. bibliomaniac15 22:34, 8 September 2008 (UTC)
28. Suppose....joking! :P An excellent candidate —— RyanLupin • (talk) 22:36, 8 September 2008 (UTC)
29. I'm very disappointed... that I didn't nominate you myself. Very Strong Support! Wizardman 22:43, 8 September 2008 (UTC)
30. Support a real asset to the Wiki. ϢereSpielChequers 22:49, 8 September 2008 (UTC)
31. Support Love his answers. Sumoeagle179 (talk) 22:52, 8 September 2008 (UTC)
32. support —DerHexer (Talk) 22:53, 8 September 2008 (UTC)
33. Strong support An outstanding Wikipedian. Move for acclamation invoking snow. JGHowes ^talk - 23:18, 8 September 2008 (UTC)
34. Support Very straight forward, hard working... nothing of note to gripe about. Good choice! bigjake (talk) 23:22, 8 September 2008 (UTC)
35. Kind, caring, and trustworthy. Hopefully he'll become an admin, and then this'll be your third project as a sysop , correct? Good luck! —Sunday ^Scribe 23:31, 8 September 2008 (UTC)
36. Support - Yes!  Asenine  23:32, 8 September 2008 (UTC)
37. Like WBOSITG said, all I can say is, Wow! LittleMountain5 ^review! 23:38, 8 September 2008 (UTC)
38. Support Wow! iMatthew (talk) 23:40, 8 September 2008 (UTC)
39. A fantastic, exemplary contributor. Skomorokh 23:47, 8 September 2008 (UTC)
40. Support Several positive experiences with this user at Commons where the user is an administrator.--Natl1 (Talk Page) (Contribs) 23:59, 8 September 2008 (UTC)
41. Support I've had positive experiences with this user. Seems willing to learn fine points when required. Considerate. Helpful. No issues from my point of view. Protonk (talk) 00:26, 9 September 2008 (UTC)
42. Support Why do we even have to go through RfA for this candidate? Erik the Red 2 (AVE·CAESAR) 00:39, 9 September 2008 (UTC)
43. I cannot think of anyone who "deserves" the tools more. Ral315 (talk) 00:40, 9 September 2008 (UTC)
44. Support I have interacted this user during the various featured processes I went through and as far as I can remember, it was only positive, without having any problems with any of his edits/comments. I also find it funny/notable to have edit conflicts over a 2-second edit in the support section. Nergaal (talk) 00:41, 9 September 2008 (UTC)
45. Support You managed to get FAs on Scientology articles? And you work at OTRS!? My cluemeter just broke. Paragon¹²³²¹ 00:43, 9 September 2008 (UTC)
46. Support I don't often post here, but I heard Cirt was in nomination, and decided to throw my unconditional support his way. Bastique ^demandez 00:49, 9 September 2008 (UTC)
47. Support Cirt is a good content producer and a nice guy. Zagalejo^^^ 00:54, 9 September 2008 (UTC)
48. Wha? He's not an admin? Someone get a WP:TROUT for the people at RfA. Excellent work in Featured content, very civil. Pie is good ^{(Apple is the best)} 01:11, 9 September 2008 (UTC)
49. Strong support Most certainly. In every way, epitomizes what people have to be to pass the horrible process that is the modern RfA. miquonranger03 (talk) 01:20, 9 September 2008 (UTC)
50. Strong support All of my interactions with Cirt lead me to believe he will make an excellent admin. Ruhrfisch _><>°^° 01:45, 9 September 2008 (UTC)
51. Support - Nothing wrong with this user, give him the mop. Macy 01:46, 9 September 2008 (UTC)
52. I trust Cirt. Giggy (talk) 01:59, 9 September 2008 (UTC)
53. Dinner Support - I haven't done a dinner support yet so here goes: I had General Tso's chicken and rice with an eggroll. --Coffee // talk // ark // 02:05, 9 September 2008 (UTC)
54. Support Looks good to me. Ten Pound Hammer and his otters • ^{(Broken clamshells • Otter chirps • HELP)} 02:22, 9 September 2008 (UTC)
55. Support. Wow isn't the one word I was thinking of... Busy might be more apt. But I'd be hard pressed to find anything Cirt has accomplished that was not done properly and thoroughly. A good editor who will make a fine admin. UltraExactZZ ^Claims ~ Evidence 02:31, 9 September 2008 (UTC)
56. Hello, I am here for the meeting of Necrophiliacs for McCain & Palin...oh, wrong queue. Support (the others said it best...and first). Ecoleetage (talk) 02:38, 9 September 2008 (UTC)
57. Support can't place where I've seen Cirt around since our editing spheres don't appear to intersect. When I saw this RFA I thought, "Cirt isn't an admin??" so, no doubts here. TravellingCari 02:42, 9 September 2008 (UTC)
58. Support. I often see this editor doing good work. I think he'd make a helpful and diligent admin. ·:· Will Beback ·:· 02:45, 9 September 2008 (UTC)
59. Support -
    "Cirt" is such a familiar-sounding name
    It comes from the whole prima facie fame
    But fortunately today I have no doubts
    That this user knows what it's all about
    CL — 03:13, 9 September 2008 (UTC)
60. Strong support. An outstanding editor. The amount of dedication and work Cirt had made here on Wikipedia is by far the most impressive I've ever seen. DiverseMentality^{(Discuss it)} 03:28, 9 September 2008 (UTC)
61. Support Looks outstanding! GlassCobra 03:30, 9 September 2008 (UTC)
62. Support Cirt should've been an admin months ago. Cirt is very familiar with Wikipedia, its policies, and editing. He is always a hardworking Wikipedian. I like the stuff he has done to various portals. He is always helpful and willing to help out. I think he deserves to be an admin. --Grrrlriot (♠ ♣ ♦ ♥ †) 03:34, 9 September 2008 (UTC)
63. Support. Never had any problems with him. Daniel Case (talk) 03:34, 9 September 2008 (UTC)
64. Support I saw this when it was 10-0... and while my initial impression was to support, I decided not to take a short cut, but to investigate further... I saw it when it was 35-0 and still thought, wow, I should support, but let me look closer... at 50-0, I still couldn't bring myself to support without reviewing Cirt myself. Having looked him over, I am happy to pile-on-support.---Balloonman ^PoppaBalloon 03:38, 9 September 2008 (UTC)
65. Of course OhanaUnited^{Talk page} 04:27, 9 September 2008 (UTC)
66. Total no-brainer support obviously is acting in the best interest of the project. Beeblebrox (talk) 05:35, 9 September 2008 (UTC)
67. Ah, much overdue. I am confident that you will integrate the massive experience you have on the other projects into your use of the tools here, and, because of that, there can be no reservations in the wholeheartedness of my support. —Anonymous Dissident^Talk 06:10, 9 September 2008 (UTC)
68. Strong support - needs no introduction. Super nom, super editor. This is a total no-brainer - Alison ^❤ 06:12, 9 September 2008 (UTC)
69. Support - I have seen Cirt all over Wikipedia, and I think that he has the trust of many editors.--Danaman5 (talk) 06:41, 9 September 2008 (UTC)
70. Support Well known, good trustworthy editor. ·Add§hore· ^Talk/_Cont 06:58, 9 September 2008 (UTC)
71. trust Durova Dlohcierekim 07:00, 9 September 2008 (UTC)
72. user:Everyme 07:36, 9 September 2008 (UTC)
73. Support - per excellent responses, especially Q#5. --Fatal!ty ^(T☠LK) 07:47, 9 September 2008 (UTC)
74. Support I thought you already were. Sabine's Sunbird talk 08:15, 9 September 2008 (UTC)
75. Support — per the obvious. Mr. IP 《Defender of Open Editing》 08:53, 9 September 2008 (UTC)
76. Support per strong confidence candidate will continue to contribute as before getting the mop. Candidate has been a major force in portal promotion and frequently risks the peril of editing in controversial areas. BusterD (talk) 09:26, 9 September 2008 (UTC)
77. Support Looks to be a good user Monster Under Your Bed ^(talk) 10:31, 9 September 2008 (UTC)
78. I'm Mailer Diablo and I approve this candidate! - 11:06, 9 September 2008 (UTC)
79. Support As per track.Pharaoh of the Wizards (talk) 11:24, 9 September 2008 (UTC)
80. Support, thought he already was one. Stifle (talk) 12:00, 9 September 2008 (UTC)
81. Support. →Christian.И 12:15, 9 September 2008 (UTC)
82. Support - this is the first time I contribute to an Rfa. I consider Cirt a very worthy candidate. Also, I have long thought that he already was an Admin. Manxruler (talk) 12:18, 9 September 2008 (UTC)
83. Support Of course! SWik78 (talk • contribs) 12:36, 9 September 2008 (UTC)
84. Support - meets my standards. Bearian (talk) 13:19, 9 September 2008 (UTC)
85. Strong support per nom and comparable administrative work (Wikinews, etc.). Cosmic Latte (talk) 13:57, 9 September 2008 (UTC)
86. Support- Sure thing! Overdue, though. :) Cheers mate! Λuα ^{(Operibus anteire)} 14:01, 9 September 2008 (UTC)
87. Support per the above. Parsecboy (talk) 14:49, 9 September 2008 (UTC)
88. Support - I've reviewed several of Cirt's FA nominations, and even though on several occasions I began by opposing the promotion, Cirt always worked very politely and very diligently to improve the articles. He has a good work ethic, a congenial manner, and a good grasp of policy. Karanacs (talk) 15:07, 9 September 2008 (UTC)
89. Support excellent editor, shows dedication to the encyclopedia. -- _{Escape Artist Swyer} ^{Talk to me} _{The mess I've made} 15:20, 9 September 2008 (UTC)
90. Support good user who is highly qualified for the job of administrator.Biophys (talk) 17:01, 9 September 2008 (UTC)
91. Support. Cirt has definitely had a rocky road, and I've seen him rub up some people the wrong way, but this is mostly because of his enthusiasm and dedication. I have had a fair amount of interaction with him and am happy to give full support. --jbmurray (talk • contribs) 17:37, 9 September 2008 (UTC)
92. Support I've known Cirt ever since he came out of nowhere to nominate an article I had on watch, and he's always been an enthusiastic editor and a lot of fun to work with. I would have gladly nominated him had he asked, so I definitely support. -- Scorpion⁰⁴²² 17:44, 9 September 2008 (UTC)
93. Support Great editor, any interactions that I remember have always been positive, should make a fine admin. Davewild (talk) 17:52, 9 September 2008 (UTC)
94. Support - Way overdue --Admrb♉ltz (talk) 18:08, 9 September 2008 (UTC)
95. Support - Seems to easily pass criteria as far as I can see. It Is Me Here (talk) 18:21, 9 September 2008 (UTC)
96. Support - I've known Cirt for a good while and know how great a user he is. He'll do nothing but good as an admin. Gran² 19:10, 9 September 2008 (UTC)
97. Support - Sorry I have no diffs but great name recognition—in other words all good associations, some as I recall, in Portal:Contents/Portals. Others here have said this better. Good luck. -SusanLesch (talk) 19:14, 9 September 2008 (UTC)
98. WP:100 Support for this editor.  Frank  |  talk  19:50, 9 September 2008 (UTC)

    Dalmations. Rudget 19:51, 9 September 2008 (UTC) Withdraw support. Moved to neutral. Caulde 18:09, 12 September 2008 (UTC)

99. Support - wow. Jauerback^dude?/_dude. 19:54, 9 September 2008 (UTC)
100. Support. An obvious candidate for the mop. -- ChrisO (talk) 20:06, 9 September 2008 (UTC)
101. Support with a sense that this person will continue to do well..Modernist (talk) 21:24, 9 September 2008 (UTC)
102. Support - Why not?--OsamaK 21:31, 9 September 2008 (UTC)
103. Support I trust him. Sure, he's got a couple blocks. You don't have to be a virginal saint to be a good admin. rootology (C)(T) 21:47, 9 September 2008 (UTC)
104. Support per answer to question 3. Blocks aren't punishment then, and shouldn't be punishment now, over a year later, either. And also, because I thought that you were already an admin Keeper ǀ 76 21:56, 9 September 2008 (UTC)
105. Support. Cirt has given every indication, and has a proven track record showing that he will use the tools responsibly and effectively. So, in fact, make that strong support!   user:j    (aka justen)   22:13, 9 September 2008 (UTC)
106. Yes, looks good to me. As for your answer to my question, while you shouldn't be declining the unblock you can certainly grant it. Do consider giving {{2nd chance}}'s when appropriate. This particular vandal went on to become a very constructive contributor. –xeno (talk) 22:53, 9 September 2008 (UTC)
107. support Having now had time to look at the old accounts in detail I am inclined to support. This is also based on Cirt's work on the other Wikiprojects where he seems to be good. 3RR violations that are over a year old are not sufficient reason to oppose. JoshuaZ (talk) 22:56, 9 September 2008 (UTC)
108. Support. I trust this user.--ragesoss (talk) 00:39, 10 September 2008 (UTC)
109. Support. Here's a productive, trustworthy candidate. Cirt knows policy and has a solid record creating content and working constructively with other editors. Majoreditor (talk) 02:23, 10 September 2008 (UTC)
110. Support - know him from Commons. Exceedingly sound. ++Lar: t/c 03:00, 10 September 2008 (UTC)
111. Support - productive, no reason to think he'll abuse the tools. Bart133 ^{t c @ How's my driving?} 03:15, 10 September 2008 (UTC)
112. Support LegoK^ontribsT^alkM 03:24, 10 September 2008 (UTC)
113. Support Really, administrators on other WMF projects would probably be trustable with admin tools on this project.  Marlith (Talk)  03:34, 10 September 2008 (UTC)
114. Support. Somewhere in the past 15 months with no problems, 12 months as a truly exemplary contributor, 11 Featured Articles, 11 Featured Portals, and dozens of GAs and DYKs, I think this editor has more than atoned for past 3RRing. In general, I wouldn't really say I'm quick to forgive and forget, but surely Cirt's record is sufficient to do so in this case. --JayHenry (talk) 03:38, 10 September 2008 (UTC)
115. Support — E ↗^TCB 04:41, 10 September 2008 (UTC)
116. Support a decent user. Aside from article writing there is nothing that impressive about this candidate but there are no real negatives. The edit warring is to far in the past to influence my descion. - Icewedge (talk) 05:45, 10 September 2008 (UTC)
117. Support. I had some doubts, because I remembered some disruptiveness in previous incarnations and I hadn't seen much of this nominee since then. However, I respect Durova (I'd support her re-adminship any time), who authored what I consider one of the best of the Wikipedian essays, The dark side, so I did my homework on the contribs while giving it more thought. Cirt has changed a lot.
     I am very impressed by the gains in coolheadedness and skill, and I think the mop will be in good hands.
     (Changed from oppose.) — Athaenara ✉ 06:02, 10 September 2008 (UTC)
118. Support - Looks good to me, no doubts at all.    SIS  07:45, 10 September 2008 (UTC)
119. Strong support - Durova said it all! -- fayssal / Wiki me up® 10:50, 10 September 2008 (UTC)
120. Support I know the full history of the user currently known at Cirt. Jehochman ^Talk 13:07, 10 September 2008 (UTC)
121. Support The history of this account, and the confidence of folks who know the history of the user, lead me to support. Avruch ^T 13:36, 10 September 2008 (UTC)
122. Support too much good 'pedia building. Cheers, Casliber (talk · contribs) 14:23, 10 September 2008 (UTC)
123. Support Surprised you aren't one already. Esp. per answer to Q8. John Nevard (talk) 17:45, 10 September 2008 (UTC)
124. Support. Cirt will be a solid administrator. Anthøny ✉ 17:51, 10 September 2008 (UTC)
125. Support. My first adminship vote, well, he looks good enough to be one. --Yowuza ZX Wolfie 18:01, 10 September 2008 (UTC)
126. Support looks good, no objections. --Kanonkas :  Talk  18:26, 10 September 2008 (UTC)
127. Support Cirt's and my POV have at times differed, but in disputes he has invariably behaved like a gentleman. I trust this will not change if he becomes an admin. Good luck. Jayen466 18:49, 10 September 2008 (UTC)
128. Support I'm piling on solely on the work Cirt did on the Miles Fisher article. That was my only experience with Cirt and I came away amazed from the due dilligence Cirt exhibited in the AFD. Morbidthoughts (talk) 18:59, 10 September 2008 (UTC)
129. Support – Cirt is a quality contributor in a variety of areas (especially article work!), and all I've seen of him has been positive. The Opposes and past issues with 3RR don't leave me with concern; since then he's acted just the opposite of that, being collaborative and polite. I don't see why not, as he is overall a great user and very experienced. At times the mopping can be hard, but please don't let yourself be marred. ;) Jamie^☆S93 20:13, 10 September 2008 (UTC)
130. Didn't-read-the-nomination-support. · AndonicO ^Engage. 02:21, 11 September 2008 (UTC)
131. Support - the obligatory "you're not an admin already?" sentiment applies here. Superb content contributor. Will use the mop well. sephiroth bcr ^(converse) 02:37, 11 September 2008 (UTC)
132. Support - I've only ever seen good things from Cirt. He's been helpful to me a few times, and blocks from over a year ago are of no concern to me. Jennavecia ^(Talk) 03:10, 11 September 2008 (UTC)
133. Support - I could have sworn Cirt was already an admin, so, if this is a case of deja vu, ignore me. If not, well, heres to it all. Same reasons as I probably hallucinated before. Something about trust, good editing, keep up the good work, etc. Ottava Rima (talk) 03:36, 11 September 2008 (UTC)
134. Support. The past blocks are a concern but Cirt's absolutely outstanding contibution record for the last year definitely outweighs it. Nsk92 (talk) 03:42, 11 September 2008 (UTC)
135. Support His help at DYK has been excellent. Royalbroil 12:58, 11 September 2008 (UTC)
136. Support, good experience and productive cooperation with this user. --Tone 14:37, 11 September 2008 (UTC)
137. Support, I thought you were an admin. I cannot believe this user is not an admin. Great user to work with, D.M.N. (talk) 16:32, 11 September 2008 (UTC)
138. Strong support. Strange — I was sure I supported here, but it seems I haven't. Cirt has been a solid contributor to portals, content, and discussions for quite some time now, and I've been lucky enough to speak with him regularly both over IRC and on-wiki. He has proved he can be trusted with the tools, so I see no reason not to give them to him. This is truly well deserved. Qst (talk) 17:35, 11 September 2008 (UTC)

     Support Per all reasons per supporting. ·Add§hore· ^Talk/_Cont 18:44, 11 September 2008 (UTC)

     Noted, but you've already supported (#72, above). Enthusiasm for this candidate seems quite high, though - so, it's understandable. Best, UltraExactZZ ^Claims ~ Evidence 19:43, 11 September 2008 (UTC)

     Thanks for fixing this :) I didn't notice or remember about my previous vote. ·Add§hore· ^Talk/_Cont 06:54, 12 September 2008 (UTC)

139. Support, although bear in mind that adminning Scientology-related articles will result in a flare-up for you, deserved or not! Chase me ladies, I'm the Cavalry (talk) 21:10, 11 September 2008 (UTC)
140. Support great contributor on wikinews. --Steven Fruitsmaak (Reply) 22:19, 11 September 2008 (UTC)
141. Support - I CIRTently support Cirt. Xclamation point 23:32, 11 September 2008 (UTC)
142. Support - A dead "cirt" for adminship if I ever saw one. Particularly helpful, has assisted me as I started my first round of dealing with Articles for Deletion relisting. Would be a great asset. Thor Malmjursson (talk) 00:44, 12 September 2008 (UTC)
143. Support - Certainly looks like a dedicated editor to me. I've seen constructive work at DYK also. Would do just fine in my opinion. Add yourself to WP:DYK/A when you get the chance. ;) -- RyRy (talk) 01:43, 12 September 2008 (UTC)
144. Support - I am glad to have the opportunity to express my confidence in Cirt.--TonyTheTiger (t/c/bio/WP:CHICAGO/WP:LOTM) 02:37, 12 September 2008 (UTC)
145. Support as per other people's comments. - -[The Spooky One] | ^{[t c r]} 04:08, 12 September 2008 (UTC)
146. Support, good editor. Everyking (talk) 09:56, 12 September 2008 (UTC)
147. Strong support we need more people prepared to bring NPOV to articles 'owned' by fans of certain groups- not speaking of any one group in particular, it happens on a range of articles. Sticky Parkin 14:37, 12 September 2008 (UTC)
148. Support --Duk 14:39, 12 September 2008 (UTC)
149. Support , I thought he was an admin ... Xenus (talk) 16:11, 12 September 2008 (UTC)
150. Pile on support. Given the overwhelming good quality contributions, the history of blocks is less important. Axl ¤ [Talk] 19:39, 12 September 2008 (UTC)
151. Strong editor: good interactions with and observations of them. (Acalamari from alternate account.) Bellatrix Kerrigan 20:41, 12 September 2008 (UTC)
152. Yes, the block log's not a plus, but it's more easily forgiven when it's someone like Cirt who has done such good work, and it is rather ancient history now. Angus McLellan (Talk) 22:15, 12 September 2008 (UTC)
153. Support - a good editor with a damn fine record in the past year. That the blocks are way in the past are evidence of vast improvement since then. Is supremely unlikely to do insane or stupid things with the tools, and that's really the question RFA is supposed to be deciding - not an overarching Ken Starr inquisition - David Gerard (talk) 22:41, 12 September 2008 (UTC)
154. Support - well knowing his/her history, I will still support him/her, though he/she has about 7 blocks combined for something as minor as 3RR, its still not a problem..its editors with a clean block-log who you need to worry about ;) ...--Cometstyles 03:00, 13 September 2008 (UTC)
155. Support, certainly. krimpet✽ 03:03, 13 September 2008 (UTC)
156. Support- Cirt will most probably need the tools for his work, and I think can be trusted not to misuse them. Reyk _YO! 03:35, 13 September 2008 (UTC)

Oppose

Oppose while the contributions and logs from Cirt's previous accounts, which I remember and consider pertinent, remain invisible in this discussion. Basic transparency is important in RfAs. I will support if the secrecy is reconsidered and replaced with candidness. — Athaenara ✉ 03:40, 9 September 2008 (UTC)
(Addendum: I will appreciate it if any objections to my view are lodged here or on the RfA talk page, not on my user talk page. In fact, if such objections are posted on my user talk page, I will probably forward them here or to the RfA talk page and reply there.) — Athaenara ✉ 03:50, 9 September 2008 (UTC)
[Moved to support.] — Athaenara ✉ 06:02, 10 September 2008 (UTC)

Due to the nature of the topics Cirt writes about, personal privacy is a top concern for him--more so than for most editors. When Cirt was a new editor he was not quite as careful about that as he needed to be, and someone he collaborated with onsite was harassed at the workplace and could have lost her livelihood. Cirt and I discussed this carefully before nomination: we would gladly provide the usernames privately for review, or provide summaries of the block logs minus account information. Due to recent events (Poetlister etc.) there are concerns that possibly not everyone who has ops to read deleted user space is entirely trustworthy. I very much respect your opinion and hope this is enough to satisfy your concerns. Durova^Charge! 04:02, 9 September 2008 (UTC)

Thank you for your thoughtful reply. Summaries, as you suggested, would be a significant improvement for now. — Athaenara ✉ 04:09, 9 September 2008 (UTC)

My thanks to Cirt for posting on WT:RfA/Cirt#Note. As I don't wish to move abruptly to support now, only later to find I want to reverse myself again, I will give this more thought (this RfA opened barely ten hours ago, so there's plenty of time). — Athaenara ✉ 04:40, 9 September 2008 (UTC)

Durova - would it possible to elaborate on how many times he was blocked and when? Ryan Postlethwaite^{See the mess I've created or let's have banter} 04:11, 9 September 2008 (UTC)

Cirt's posting summaries to the talk page. Durova^Charge! 04:16, 9 September 2008 (UTC)

Many thanks, I doubt it's going to change my opinion, but it would be helpful for others. Ryan Postlethwaite^{See the mess I've created or let's have banter} 04:17, 9 September 2008 (UTC)

This whole "personal privacy" argument looks less and less credible the more we read here. I am not aware of anything to connect Cirt's previous usernames with his or her real-world identity - but if there is, no security is gained by suppressing references to it on this page. Hundreds of wikipedians are aware of it, and many more have discovered it quite easily within the last few days. It defies belief that it is being hidden for any other reason than that, were it open to scrutiny, it would render consideration for Adminship ridiculous - even with 12 months of exemplary behaviour in the meantime. DaveApter (talk) 16:04, 12 September 2008 (UTC)

1. Oppose for previous accounts with numerous 3RR violations, 'and failing to disclose during RFA more details about the number of past accounts, the number of blocks, and additional username changes. 2007 24hrs on 3RR-; 72 for 3RR,; 48 for 3RR; 3 hours for 3RR, 2006 24 hrs for 3RR; 24 hr for 3RR; 8 hrs for 3RR. ≈ jossi ≈ (talk) 20:32, 9 September 2008 (UTC)

   Sorry to immediately badger you, but those blocks were over a year ago. Surely one can change in that time? Hasn't Cirt proven that he is no longer an edit warrior, much the opposite? weburiedoursecretsinthegarden 20:35, 9 September 2008 (UTC)

   Cirt could have disclosed these but did not. Not a good sign. ≈ jossi ≈ (talk) 20:36, 9 September 2008 (UTC)

   Ok, that was edit conflicted and you added more - look at question 3 and at Durova's nom. Both tell about these blocks. weburiedoursecretsinthegarden 20:37, 9 September 2008 (UTC)

   There were not only 3RR violations, but those that know the previous accounts would attest to other concerns. ≈ jossi ≈ (talk) 20:47, 9 September 2008 (UTC)

   Another concern are the multiple requests to delete his/her current user pages (and all talk and user pages of previous accounts), the latest as earlier as Feb 2008. The first one could have been understood for privacy reasons, but the others simply obfuscate transparency. ≈ jossi ≈ (talk) 20:55, 9 September 2008 (UTC)

   Basically a prolific editor, that can continue helping the project without the tools as he has done so far. ≈ jossi ≈ (talk) 21:01, 9 September 2008 (UTC)

   You rightly bolded your main points in the oppose, otherwise they might simply appear too weak, no? user:Everyme 01:08, 10 September 2008 (UTC)

   Let me give this a try...Those edits were more than a year ago. How's that Jossi? If your argument is so weak that to try to make your point you have to bold it, that's not a good sign. Cla68 (talk) 07:18, 12 September 2008 (UTC)

2. Excuse me, but what is this nonsense about deleting comments? This editor wants to be an admin but is in such a sensitive position that certain comments about him must be immediately deleted due to unspecified "security concerns"? WTF? Durova's reply to jossi is positively Orwellian. Apparently, Jossi said something that was bad, Durova is demanding that Jossi delete all record of it having been said, and Jossi seems to be unaware of what the secruity concern is at all. What is going on here? I oppose Cirt's RFA in order to provide him with his unspecifiable security needs which are so dire as to over-rule normal Wikipedia transparency. This is nonsense we don't need. — goethean ॐ 21:48, 9 September 2008 (UTC)

   It's worth noting that Jossi also changed his name for security reasons and also had his talkpage deleted for security reasons. The need for discretion in this matter has been described in the nomination. Unless the policy here is to disclose the RL names of admin candidates I don't see this as a sensible reason to oppose. ·:· Will Beback ·:· 22:07, 9 September 2008 (UTC)

   FYI, my talk or user pages were not deleted. Sorry. And the issue is not about RL names, BTW. All Cirt's previous and current accounts and names (4 if I am not mistaken), were nicknames ≈ jossi ≈ (talk) 22:11, 9 September 2008 (UTC)

   I may be mistaken, but the log seems to indicate that your talk page was deleted on March 3, 2007, and that there are 3,044 deleted edits. Perhaps I'm reading it wrong. The issue with Cirt's previous accounts isn't that the account names included his real name, but that he made edits with those accounts which divulged his identity. Unless Jossi and Goethean are seeking to out the real name of the user I don't understand their focussing on this issue. We have a full record of the user's past year, and we know of his blocks prior to that. That is sufficient for us to judge his qualification for admin. ·:· Will Beback ·:· 22:22, 9 September 2008 (UTC)

   Here is the deal. Cirt had an account and shortened it a shorter version of the same name then seemingly "retired". Soon after another editor appeared with the same style in many ways but without the rough edges and who kept a very low profile as far as disputes went; this editor soon shortened the new name to Cirt. So I guess that makes four accounts. I recognized what was going on and on several occasions outed Cirt on various pages which outing Cirt never confirmed nor denied but which she never hollared "foul, personal safety", about either (how is that bolding Everyme, amidoingitright?) I was very active during the period and never saw any indication that anything happened except that Cirt wanted to lose the old account and Durova helped facilitate that. If there are sensitive edits under the old name(s) then let Cirt point them out to an oversight admin and get them removed. That is the normal and proper channel; hiding your history here is not. --Justallofthem (talk) 02:25, 10 September 2008 (UTC)

   (ec) (Check the deletion log and you will see - pls take to my talk if you want to discuss further, my name change was on 2005 if I am not mistaken). No one is trying to "out" Cirt. My opposition is based on what I know about this user, so let it stand. As this RFA will surely WP:SNOW and pass with flying colors, at least let it be a reminder to Cirt for times past that will hopefully not come back while in an adminship role (god forbid). Good luck with the tools. ≈ jossi ≈ (talk) 22:32, 9 September 2008 (UTC)

   FWIW, after further discussion Jossi now realizes that his talk page was in fact deleted, though he says he had nothing to do with it. ·:· Will Beback ·:· 03:41, 10 September 2008 (UTC)

   Unless Jossi and Goethean are seeking to out the real name of the user I don't understand their focussing on this issue.

   I regard that comment as an irresponsible smear. However, this being Wikipedia, I have no intention of trying to have it deleted from the record. — goethean ॐ 22:28, 9 September 2008 (UTC)

   Hi, I do trust you take this position with the highest of motives. My response to Athenara explains most of this. When two editors came to me concerned for their livelihoods, of course I treated that with the utmost seriousness and still do. There are times (occasionally) where extra care is reasonable, and this is one of them. With respect, Durova^Charge! 22:49, 9 September 2008 (UTC)

   Gee, thanks. Its unfortunate, and indeed, disgraceful that you had to send me an email and cc Jimbo Wales in order to be convinced of my good faith. Isn't it? — goethean ॐ 01:10, 10 September 2008 (UTC)

   Jimbo was the person those two individuals permitted me to discuss the events with at the time when events occurred, so he was the individual who was able to corroborate what I was saying. I meant no disrespect by that action, and certainly see no reason to be ashamed of offering the only means available to demonstrate that I was telling the truth about a serious matter. Durova^Charge! 07:23, 12 September 2008 (UTC)

3. Oppose. I came here to support, but from what I see, you have a history of being blocked for 3rr. This is not something I like to see, and would have been willing to overlook it if it had been disclosed. Synergy 23:30, 9 September 2008 (UTC)

   Please see the talk page of this RFA: Cirt did self-disclose the 3RR. Also, I disclosed it in the nomination and he disclosed it in the answer to question 3. Best, Durova^Charge! 23:32, 9 September 2008 (UTC)

   How stupid of me. I had seen the mention of the blocks, but not how many. I did in fact fail to check the talk page. I'll need some more time to consider it, as the history and the nature of the blocks is what are of real concern for me (the failure to mention the amount in the nomination was was what brought me to this section). Synergy 23:37, 9 September 2008 (UTC)

   To be precise, disclosure of the previous blocks was made by Cirt after it was asked at 04:17 Sept 9[2]. This RFA was filed at 19:59, September 8, 2008, and a partial disclosure made by Cirt on Sept 8, 20:28 [3] ≈ jossi ≈ (talk)

   His blocks are all over a year ago. Does being blocked once scrub someone forever? If not, for how long? rootology (C)(T) 23:58, 9 September 2008 (UTC)

   Being blocked once, not. Being blocked seven times, maybe. Now, given that we cannot scrutinize his past due to privacy issues, users participating in this RFA may not be privy to the behavior leading to these blocks and other related issues. Granted, Cirt has done admirable work since these days, and can continue doing so with or without the tools. ≈ jossi ≈ (talk) 00:15, 10 September 2008 (UTC)

   FWIW, I am well aware of Cirt's previous identities and I have mentioned the connections on a number of pages here including some very public ones in the past. This is the second time Cirt has whitewashed a questionable past with a name change and I do not think that substantive "privacy concerns" have been raised that would warrant obscuring Cirt's past here. Note that she continues to edit the same material she always has and I can point at instances where she seamlessly continued editing the same articles in the same fashion as previously. I am willing to WP:AGF that Cirt has learned her lesson and can keep herself in check to an extent but I have evidence to the contrary that I will present if my concern vis-a-vis misuse of admin tools is not addressed. --Justallofthem (talk) 00:41, 10 September 2008 (UTC)

4. Oppose While Cirt has been a prolific editor over the last year,I think that there is a serious concern regarding what is happening here. First, two people who are already admins are voting against adminship for Cirt. They raise some serious questions. Cirt has been blocked 7 times in the past and did not completely disclose this at first. From what I can tell here, Cirt requested to have a significant portion of their history on Wikipedia deleted citing privacy? I don't get it. The way this is structured we are being asked to take that at face value. I don't know but it just strikes me as a white wash. While I respect everyone's right to anonymity on Wikipedia, but unless it can be proven that this is not being done to hide a history of inappropriate/POV edit history I have to vote no. I also think that people should re-consider their vote until they get to see Cirt's answer to optional question 15 above.Ebay3 (talk) 01:01, 10 September 2008 (UTC)

   A disclosure was made in the opening nomination. The only reason it was not quite as complete as you wish was because of a serious personal security concern. Per dialog with Athenara, Cirt provided a full list of the blocks and his previous account is being disclosed via e-mail to trusted editors who request it (he had one prior account, which was renamed partway through its use). He is afk right now and he will answer question 15 as soon as he is able. I hope that's sufficient to address your concerns. Durova^Charge! 01:25, 10 September 2008 (UTC)

   If two admins voting oppose influence your !vote, how many admins supporting does it take? Also, as for Synergies concern about how many, we are talking about over 15 months ago. IMHO, 15 months is a non-issue.---Balloonman ^PoppaBalloon 02:49, 10 September 2008 (UTC)

   My concern, is that it was a an editing pattern, and one I cannot ignore. How many times did it take cirt to figure out that 3rr was not how we get things done? I would have liked to see that cirt was willing to not edit the articles mentioned in question 15 (I'm assuming these are the same articles that the 3rr's were from... am I wrong? please correct me if I am). To me, thats dancing around the questions. I would not like to see Cirt edit the same articles if there is an established history of edit warring once an admin. Synergy 03:53, 10 September 2008 (UTC)

   Not that it has any relevance, and people can oppose as they please, but I stopped counting at 15. (my fatigue overcame my OCD. Cheers, Dlohcierekim 03:16, 10 September 2008 (UTC)

   (Responding to Synergy's revised post) As Cirt states, the pages where he used to get into 3RR trouble are now mostly closely related to pages he raised to GAs and FAs. With that good a turnaround, there doesn't appear to be any problem in him continuing to edit them. Durova^Charge! 04:01, 10 September 2008 (UTC)

   Yet most editors still watch over their GAs and FAs, usually having strong opinions of them. I am more than happy to see these articles at their GA/FA status, and would have liked to see Cirt responding to this, and not you Durova (no offense; but Cirt did dodge the issue, and should have been the one to respond). Synergy 04:07, 10 September 2008 (UTC)

   Thank you for your interest and concern Synergy. I am very grateful that the community had enough confidence in my work to select it for GA and FA. Like most GA and FA writers, I will continue to keep an eye out for vandalism and maybe raise more of those good articles to the featured level. At present, I'm mostly working on other content. Cirt (talk) 04:19, 10 September 2008 (UTC)

   "the pages where he used to get into 3RR trouble are now mostly GAs and FAs" I'm disappointed - this is just not true. Of the seven 3RR blocks I just checked six of the involved articles and one is a GA. That is it. Seems to be some spinning going on here. --Justallofthem (talk) 04:14, 10 September 2008 (UTC)

   Hi Justa, I apologize if I overstated. Right now Cirt and I are collaborating on a featured content drive for the Finger Lakes portal, and I'd like to round it out with a better variety of featured pictures. The restorations might take a couple of weeks. So if you'd like to select one of those other articles for improvement I'll see if I can persuade Cirt to take a break and collaborate on a good article drive with you. Best wishes, Durova^Charge! 04:22, 10 September 2008 (UTC)

   Yes, I know you guys are productive editors. That is why I am not trying to drag Cirt through the mud here. You just might want to fact-check your statements a bit. Especially when they are based on material that most editors here do not have access to. If and when my concern is addressed in a clear and unambiguous fashion then I am done here and will bow out. --Justallofthem (talk) 04:28, 10 September 2008 (UTC)

   Oppose - Just doesn't instill confidence in me at all in regard to his attitude and activity. --John Jacob Wilson Alueminous (talk) 05:26, 10 September 2008 (UTC) Indef blocked for vandalism and trolling, vote struck/indented. -- Gogo Dodo (talk) 07:06, 10 September 2008 (UTC)

   That's incredibly vague - and considering it's a copy and paste rationale from another RfA you just voted on, could you be a little more specific, at least for the sake of the candidate? Wisdom89 _{(T / ^C)} 05:29, 10 September 2008 (UTC)

   This account was created 18 minutes before it opposed here.[4] Durova^Charge! 05:31, 10 September 2008 (UTC)

5. Oppose per his answer to my question above. Almost everybody say he has been reformed from his past in which he had been chronically blocked, but I could not know how well he has been improved. 7 blocks are not "some" blocks, edit warring is not immune to anyone including admins. Besides, he is not open to his past, and this just reminds me of somewhat User:Shalom Yechiel's RFA. His contributions with the current account look good, so he certainly would pass this RFA in spite of my opinion.--Caspian blue (talk) 22:05, 10 September 2008 (UTC)

   (Addendum) That was not so difficult for me to find his previous two accounts much related to Scientology. Durova's defensive statements are also not wholly WP:Honest about his past. For some unknown reason, his contributions of one account were totally deleted and Durova was engaged in that as well. That does not look like a relation with his personal privacy because he hopped to a similar name when he changed his account first. He seems to have had many enemies with "long-held grudge against him" according to his own statement somewhere. If he become admin, I wonder he could cooperate with them peacefully and properly manage the disputed articles with the tools.(those articles are still hot potatoes) He was also frequently accused for his POV pushing, WP:Point, incivility, WP:Disruption to ANI, AN3, etc in the past, and I still can sense the similar pattern of his past behaviors with his current account. So I change my opinion from oppose to STRONG Oppose--Caspian blue (talk) 13:58, 11 September 2008 (UTC)

   You accuse me of deleting an entire account history? I don't know what you're talking about, and I certainly didn't do such a thing. Cirt has one prior account and was never blocked for any reason other than 3RR. There must be a terrible misunderstanding here. I wonder what account you're thinking of, and would gladly resolve the confusion via e-mail. If you distrust my word on the matter I'll gladly hand it over to a mutually agreeable third party. With respect, Durova^Charge! 07:31, 12 September 2008 (UTC)

   Caspian Blue, I think you will find that Cirt's previous account was renamed, so his/her edits were reattributed to the new username which was a shortened version of the first. Durova only deleted the account's talk page, not the account's editing history. The talk page's history was moved to the new username when the account was renamed, thus what Durova deleted was eight edits which all seem to be related to breaking or restoring the redirect that occurred on moving the pages to the new account. Sarah 09:10, 12 September 2008 (UTC)

   Well, then why does he have separate block histories on each account? If somebody changed his own account, the block record are following the newly changed account altogether. Durova, I did not said that you are all responsible for deleting his contribution history, but somewhat involved in that. If my understanding is not correct, please excuse me since I've never seen such weird and obscure AFD campaign in regard to "WP:Honesty". Of course, he has a right to be banished but his activities are extended from the previous accounts. I'm also bemused to see his accounts being listed on missing people list on contrary to his prolific new identity. The editors who had been disputed with him in his previous accounts know the current Cirt and AFD? You claim that his blocs had nothing to do with others than 3RR violation sounds just absurd. He violated 3RR more than 10 times (which were reported to AN3) and was chronically blocked per one month or 2 weeks except some interval. That pattern of his behaviors was more than disruptive and includes all accusations by disputers at that time. If he opened his account at the first place, could he get such support like this? I don't believe people can be changed so drastically per someone's AFD. Sorry, I could not send you an email since I don't need such confidentiality, and still don't get what privacy concern he and you has tried to keep. Besides, I remember something big incident related to email in Wikipedia.--Caspian blue (talk) 11:49, 12 September 2008 (UTC)

   S/he has separate block logs because, at the time the rename was made, block logs did not move with the rename. I'm not sure if this is still the case or if it's been fixed, but this why you sometimes might see a one second block in the new log linking to the previous block log so that future admins will know a user has been renamed and has an extensive block history under the previous name. I'm not following what you're saying about AfDs but I'm wondering if you might mean RfA?? Sarah 13:14, 12 September 2008 (UTC)

   Thank you for the explanation. Yes, RfA, I mistyped that. However for some "privacy concern", I did not post who is (although the person is an admin). I just don't want to see something happening like Essjay controversy.--Caspian blue (talk) 13:22, 12 September 2008 (UTC)

6. Oppose - an admin with 7 blocks for 3RR? What could possibly go wrong there? --B (talk) 04:33, 11 September 2008 (UTC)

   As others have done, I went back and found Cirt's old account contributions. On one 3RR block, he argued he shouldn't be blocked because it wasn't all the same revert - this is a misunderstanding of the 3RR policy. On one occasion in mid-2007 when he was reported for 3RR, he tried to cherry pick an admin for a favorable close. (He was not blocked in that instance, although it had nothing to do with his asking another admin to look into it as far as I could tell.) On two other occasions in mid-2007, he was reported for 3RR and the closing admin opted to protect the article instead. Bottom line - he has seven blocks and easily could have even more. If he hadn't changed accounts, this RFA would fail with less than 20% support. I'm not going to reveal his previous accounts, but seriously, the closing crat needs to either inquire who the accounts are or figure out for himself/herself. This is utterly silly to ask for adminship without everyone !voting having a full opportunity to reveal all of the history. --B (talk) 01:49, 12 September 2008 (UTC)

   I think the closing 'crat should consider that the existence of the previous identity and the fact there was a block log was revealed by the nom and candidate. I think it should also be taken into consideration that said blocks were over a year ago, which is clearly enough time to demonstrate that one has learned from their mistakes and understand the policy. Jennavecia ^(Talk) 03:32, 12 September 2008 (UTC)

   I always find it silly when people point out what the crat should or should not take into account. It should be obvious that some things will be given more or less weight. Synergy 04:26, 12 September 2008 (UTC) That is after all, the role of the crat.

   ??? The role of the closing 'crat is to make a judgement based on consensus here and on community consensus as a whole. It's difficult to do that if we don't point out to them arguments we would like to see given less weight becuase we think they are relatively weak. Giggy (talk) 06:40, 12 September 2008 (UTC)

7. Oppose 7 blocks? Secret past identities? Friends in high places who make stuff up in his defense? Seems like the recipe for another above-the-law admin. --Rividian (talk) 12:22, 11 September 2008 (UTC)

   Cirt has made the appropriate disclosures to both the Foundation and the Wikipedia Arbitration Committee. His work as an admin for Wikinews was steady enough that they elected him an arbitrator. Durova^Charge! 16:28, 11 September 2008 (UTC)

   Yes, with seven !votes: [5]. ≈ jossi ≈ (talk) 22:25, 11 September 2008 (UTC)

   So he gathered the greatest number of supports in the election (with 2 others), and no oppose.. It's difficult to compare Wikipedia and other projects, they are administrators from other projects who are banned on enwiki. Being arbitrator on Wikinews matters little for adminship on Wikipedia in my view. Cenarium ^Talk 18:17, 12 September 2008 (UTC)

8. Oppose Not that I expect my observations to influence the outcome, but I counsel extreme caution here. We are dealing with an editor who spent well over a year as an extreme POV warrior of the most obsessive kind, often spending up to 18 hours a day on polemical outpourings. Not isolated excesses explicable as inexperience, but sustained campaigns of edit-warring on a narrow range of related topics, abusive and uncivil comments and personal attacks on other editors, and multiple blocks for repeated and persistent 3RR and other violations. Then suddenly they announce their retirement, go to great lengths to hide the records of past behaviour, but almost immediately create a new account and spend a year or so building up an impeccable record and winning friends. There are clearly two possible explanations for this sequence of events, but I'd be more inclined to the charitable one if there had been a full and frank disclosure of past activity. DaveApter (talk) 15:07, 11 September 2008 (UTC)

   The long-term, sustained 18-hour-a-day shifts are certainly somewhat unusual. It's something that's puzzled me too. :-) Jayen466 16:39, 11 September 2008 (UTC)

   I couldn't care less what has been declared to the arbcom I'm not willing to support anyone for admin who has a hidden user/contribution history. Spartaz ^Humbug! 20:06, 11 September 2008 (UTC) Oppose struct after some thought. I can't bring myself to support at this time but I no longer believe it would be correct to oppose. Spartaz ^Humbug! 18:25, 12 September 2008 (UTC)

9. oppose three reasons 1) 3rr and NPA blocks and no real willingness to discuss them 2) I don't like the evasion we are seeing 3) If this editor has severe worries about privacy and real-world identification, to the level suggested, then being an admin is a really, really, bad move. Keep your head down mate.--Troikoalogo (talk) 20:51, 11 September 2008 (UTC)

   To the best of my knowledge, Cirt was never blocked for NPA on any prior account. He has adminned successfully at two other WMF sites. Durova^Charge! 21:11, 11 September 2008 (UTC)

   OK, but really are we to be satisfied with "the best of your knowledge" - there's history here (apparently) of edit warring and long -term and obsessive "extreme POV pushing", and what we get is "trust me, he's OK (to the best of my knowledge)". I say, let's not go there.--Troikoalogo (talk) 21:24, 11 September 2008 (UTC)

   What a clever user you are, to have found, installed, and used Twinkle within your first 25 edits.[6] You seem to be complaining about Cirt's incomplete disclosure of prior accounts. Perhaps you'd like to apply the same standards of transparency to yourself and let us know what other accounts you've operated here, or on other Wikimedia projects. Jehochman ^Talk 22:09, 11 September 2008 (UTC)

   Oh dear, an ad homium, and so early in the day! Why is it that all oppose voters are not only being argued with, but they are not being researched in order to discredit them. Well, for what it's worth, I am not hiding anything, and promise to fully disclose everything if I'm ever asking the community to place trust in me. Now, if you've finished dirt-digging, can we return to scrutinising the candidate?--Troikoalogo (talk) 22:19, 11 September 2008 (UTC)

   (ec x2) As noted above, Cirt has the best of reasons for his reticence and has maintained a stellar record for over a year. He has made the appropriate disclosures to both ArbCom and WMF. He also self-disclosed his own block history here at this RFA, and if writing 11 featured articles and 26 good articles counts as obsessive/extreme POV pushing then I hope Wikipedia acquires many more obsessive/extreme POV pushers of exactly the same type. :) Yes, he erred a long time ago with 3RR. That hasn't been a barrier to good administrative work at other projects, nor need it be at ours. People can reform. I hope to hold him up to others as an example that motivates other editors to overcome their early mistakes. Durova^Charge! 22:21, 11 September 2008 (UTC)

   A funny thing is that somebody once labeled him as "prolific POV pusher moving from Wikipedia to Wikinews" in his/her report on Cirt. Besides, admin roles on Wikinews and Commons are quite different from English Wikipedia's. You know that. As you said, by gone is by gone and such "one-year-old" past records are not so big deal, why he is so reluctant to reveal his past accounts and willing to risk himself for being exposed more to people by his adminship? Nonsense. --Caspian blue (talk) 00:20, 12 September 2008 (UTC)

   There's one example why WMF projects assume good faith and don't take every accusation at face value. That claim happened to be the first edit at Wikinews by that account, and Cirt's track record and general esteem at that project speaks for itself. Durova^Charge! 07:09, 12 September 2008 (UTC)

   Yes, that is also a complaint about Cirt's attempt to feature Scientology on Wikinews.--Caspian blue (talk) 11:53, 12 September 2008 (UTC)

10. Oppose - I am well aware of the prior accounts, and their history. I am also aware that he isn't quite as good at letting bygones be bygones as he has intimated. As I respect the user's desire for privacy as the reason for his rename, I will not comment further on this issue; please do not insist on examples, as it will only serve to "out" him. Risker (talk) 23:11, 11 September 2008 (UTC)
11. Oppose Regretfully, I must change my neutral to an oppose. My reason is straightforward and has no bearing on whether Cirt will or will not be a good admin - I simply cannot judge that. However, I do believe that Wikipedia is only as good as its ordinary editors who toil away adding this piece of information or checking that fact, expecting no reward other than that the processes that govern the encyclopedia be fair and transparent. In this case, the process is neither fair nor transparent. It is not fair to expect someone like me to express an opinion on the suitability of this candidate while apparently essential information is withheld. It is not transparent to say that "appropriate disclosures have been made to ArbCom and WMF". If that were sufficient then the RFA process should include a mechanism where ArbCom and WMF make admin decisions on their own without consulting the community. However, that is not how wikipedia works and presenting an RfA to the community with a great deal of classified information and a 'trust us' approach is wrong. My apologies to Cirt for this oppose because I cannot believe that someone would game the system for months on end just to become an admin, but the process here is flawed and I do not like flawed processes. --Regents Park (count the magpies) 02:03, 12 September 2008 (UTC)
12. The blocks are certainly concerning. While they are indeed from a year ago, there are seven (at least that is the number given by administrators who are privy to the previous account's username) blocks for 3RR. That's ridiculous. That shows that he has a lack self control to stop edit-warring, discuss and build consensus; a refusal to follow social norms — there are seven blocks; or the ability to learn from mistakes. The behavioral problems alluded to above also compound these concerns. Further, I do not like administrators to have a problematic history that cannot be openly reviewed. And finally, I agree with Troikoalogo. If Cirt has serious privacy concerns, and he edits contentious articles, becoming an administrator is an extremely unwise thing to do. seresin ( ¡? ) 03:55, 12 September 2008 (UTC)

    I think you meant it shows that he had a lack of self control, etc. Maybe one year as an incredibly exemplary contributor is not enough to atone for past misbehavior. But the statement that he lacks control to stop edit warring, refuses to follow norms and does not learn from mistakes is directly contradicted by his entire track record on a new account. It's one thing to say that more time is needed, and I understand concerns about not being able to review the past account, but none of that is a reason to ignore his entire record with the new account which unequivocally demonstrates that he can follow norms, refrain from edit warring and learn from past mistakes. Away from Cirt and into the hypothetical: a hypothetical editor with a history of edit warring changes accounts to get away from genuine harassment and also has a sincere desire to make a clean start. What would it take for such an editor to earn your trust? Or could such an editor never do so? --JayHenry (talk) 06:47, 12 September 2008 (UTC)

13. I've been thinking about this for a couple of days now but I'm just not comfortable with it and therefore must oppose. I have seen this user's name around but I did not realise it was a new account of a user I remember only all too well from the various ANI discussions a year or two ago. In fact, I only discovered who Cirt was accidentally when seeing the subject being discussed on another user's talk page via my watchlist. I'm not comfortable with a user with a controversial history on this project being promoted without the community being allowed to know who they are and having the opportunity to examine the full range of their edits. Also, and probably most importantly, if their identity can't be revealed for the purpose of transparent discussion at their own RFA but their identity is apparently known and is even being discussed openly on user talk pages, I worry that they are too vulnerable to be an administrator and could be compromised (and for some reason I can't help but think of the situation with NSLE as I write this). If they can't reveal their prior username due to personal security concerns, then what happens when a troll they deal with as an administrator happens upon discussions of their former username and decides to use the information? Sorry but this is a little too much for me and I'm just not comfortable with it. Sarah 09:10, 12 September 2008 (UTC)
14. Per concerns about the previous account. naerii 10:13, 12 September 2008 (UTC)
15. Reluctant Oppose, this user's contributions are stellar, there can be no doubt or dispute about that. However, I am just not comfortable with the secrecy and mystery surrounding this user's past. I'm sure that Cirt will prove me wrong and turn out to be a model administrator, but I feel I simply can't support given that there are things we don't know about him/her. Lankiveil ^{(speak to me)} 12:00, 12 September 2008 (UTC).
16. Oppose I also managed to find the prior accounts of this individual and in reviewing the block logs, if someone came to RFA with such a block log on the Special:log/username link, I'd oppose. It also highly concerns me that Cirt was no forthright regarding the past blocks (even listing a redacted block log on the talk page instead of waiting for someone to ask) and that he indicates he will not be open to community recall, despite this past history of behavior. MBisanz ^talk 13:09, 12 September 2008 (UTC)
17. Oppose Cirt is an excellent content contributor (something far more important than some silly extra buttons) and I hope he will continue. I can't unfortunately shake my uneasiness of his block log and past history, given that past cases of problematic admins have been significantly damaging to the project. I'll err on the side of caution in this case, and hopefully be proven wrong. henrik•talk 19:28, 12 September 2008 (UTC)
18. Oppose Cirt is an average contributor who's POV is remarkably close to mine. But per B and Jossi, there's something wrong here. Fighting POV battles is fine, but 3RR is one of those non-subjective guidelines around here that shouldn't be violated once, let alone 7. OrangeMarlin ^{Talk• Contributions} 20:38, 12 September 2008 (UTC)

    Further comment. I've always wondered why those who oppose have to write more to defend their position, but here it goes. 3RR is just one of those rules around here that is like a line in the sand. Don't cross. Maybe you can argue about what's NPOV or what isn't, what's civil and what isn't. But edit warring, even if you think you're right is just not acceptable. It's not a judgement call, it is a rule that is supposed to tone down the arguments. If Cirt had violated it once, we could all overlook that. But seven times is a bit much. So, how are we to trust them with the tools, when they has abused the system. Moreover, since we are on the topic of trust, their lack of transparency about this situation takes a couple points off the trust scale. Cirt is a great editor, or so it appears. They've got the numbers all around. Their temperament may be ill-suited to an admin. OrangeMarlin ^{Talk• Contributions} 22:14, 12 September 2008 (UTC)

    A him according to this. Not that there's anything wrong with that :-) --Regents Park (count the magpies) 23:27, 12 September 2008 (UTC)

19. Oppose Excellent content contributor who should remain as such, having administrator rights will not improve this user's contributions to the project. Also a bit of a protest oppose to the lack of transparency et al. One can disclose all they want, but things don't get any more transparent and that's a bad thing. User:Krator (t c) 21:22, 12 September 2008 (UTC)
20. Oppose - While I feel that letting the forgiving and forgetting is something we all need to learn to do a little more of here, I can not overlook Cirt's history in this case. Let me start by saying that I respect Cirt and have come to find him a good editor, and I think he needs to stay that way, an editor. I consider edit warring, and violation of 3RR to be among some of the most disruptive practices here, and have come to see them as the downfall of Wikipedia. In order for us to ever fix these issues we must have admins who set good examples, and a block log seven blocks long does quite the opposite. In my experience users who have a block log as long as Cirt's prior account does for edit warring are unlikely to change that behavior, and admins who edit war often do the most harm. I really hope that if Cirt does get promoted, that he will take all of the opposes to heart and insure that every edit he makes is in the projects best interests. Tiptoety ^talk 21:46, 12 September 2008 (UTC)
21. Oppose The editor has a propensity to edit war. I find a history of blocks. NonvocalScream (talk) 00:56, 13 September 2008 (UTC)
22. I've been thinking about this for several days since I saw mention of it on someone's talk page. I'm sorry, but I can't support because I know who this user used to be. While I'm fine with someone turning over a new leaf, I have a sneaky suspision that this user is only doing it just to get the tools and then will go sideways. --Tex (talk) Vote Bishzilla for Arbcom!! 01:16, 13 September 2008 (UTC)
23. Oppose Sorry to have to do this. Cirt's account and edit-warring history aside, I find the prospect of a pro-Scientology editor who is best buddies with justallofthem (confirmed 'OSAbot', an employee of Scientology's OSA who is tasked with seeking out and removing anything that relects badly on Scientology in the media) being given adminship wholly unsettling. To quote Cirt above:

As you know, during mid-July and August a group of IP users were vandalizing your usertalk page, coordinated from offsite message boards critical of Scientology. It took some time for other admins to notice the issue and it was several hours before the users were dealt with. There was another recent related issue where you requested assistance at the Administrators' noticeboard for help with similar single purpose accounts that were attempting to insert unsourced negative information about the Church of Scientology at the article List of new religious movements, and it was a few days before an administrator took a look at the issue.- I know exactly the incidents being referred to here. I am aware that there WAS some vandalisation of justallofthem's talk pages, however it was NOT co-ordinated. Also Cirt refers to SPAs trying to attempt unsourced material, this is not wholly accurate, in fact what happened was justallofthem started an edit war by contunually removing sourced material. The tone of Cirt's reply suggests that she does not recognise justallofthem's part in that whole affair, whereas any objective and fair editor viewing that article's talk pages would see that he started it. In conclusion, there is definite collusion going on here, and the very thought of a pro-Scientology editor who is close to an OSAbot being given admin status is repulsive. If this is passed, any fair insertion of negative material in Scientology articles will disappear, plus no doubt anything else that justallofthem wants done will be done, just like that. I therefore I must oppose. ShadowVsScientology (talk) 04:58, 13 September 2008 (UTC)

Note: This user has made little to contributions outside of this RfA. Tiptoety ^talk 05:22, 13 September 2008 (UTC)

The offsite message boards I referred to above in my answer to Question 15 are located at the anti-scientology site www.enturbluation.org, and specifically the threads "War on Wikipedia!" and "Wikipedia Entry on New Religious movements equals lulz", which Justallofthem had referred to in a post at ANI. I subsequently went to Talk:List of new religious movements and agreed with Justallofthem's position that if certain controversial subsections containing references to the Church of Scientology could not be sourced to verifiable and reliable sources, then I would oppose the inclusion of a reference to Scientology in those subsections of that list. It's heartening to receive opposition from both sides of the ideological fence regarding Scientology: if featured credits aren't enough to demonstrate that I have become a neutral editor, surely this does. Cirt (talk) 05:36, 13 September 2008 (UTC)

Neutral

Neutral thinking this one over too. Sumoeagle179 (talk) 20:46, 8 September 2008 (UTC) [switched to Support]

1. Neutral : Earnestly wanted to support for the merits of the candidate but I am too embarrassed to pile on support when the result is so crystal clear :) . But my sincere best wishes -- Tinu Cherian - 10:30, 9 September 2008 (UTC)

   Hello, thank you for your kind words about my merits as a candidate. Could I answer any questions which would lead you to feel you could support? Cirt (talk) 17:47, 9 September 2008 (UTC)

   You may treat this 'neutral' as a support :). Just didnt want to pile on when the result of this RFA was so predictable already, Thatz all ! best wishes again -- Tinu Cherian - 18:08, 9 September 2008 (UTC)

2. Neutral - well qualified, but the answer to question 8 gives me pause. To present that the current system through the Arbitration Committee works shows a large amount of ignorance towards how wikipedia actually works --T-rex 13:19, 9 September 2008 (UTC)

   Thank you T-rex for saying you feel I am well qualified. I was not explicit enough in my answer to question 8. The Arbitration Committee isn't perfect, and it is not the best possible system we could ever have on this project to deal with times when administrators misuse their tools and lose the trust of the community, but it is the best process that we have out of current options. Recent events have shown that the recall process can be fraught with undue drama and tension, and lead to the Arbitration Committee as an end result. Until there is a more clearly defined process that has the consensus of the community I feel that a User RFC followed by if necessary a formal review by the Arbitration Committee is the best option in cases where there is a question if an administrator has misused their tools. Cirt (talk) 17:57, 9 September 2008 (UTC)

   Neutral (switch to oppose) because everyone else seems to know more about what's going on than I do. --Regents Park (count the magpies) 13:31, 10 September 2008 (UTC)

   In a nutshell - A prolific POV editor who impressed no-one dumped his old account and recreated himself as a prolific wiki-gnome (WP:ELF? WP:FAIRY?) who impressed many while scrupulously keeping his head down, avoiding conflict (mostly), and making (usually) non-controversial edits on his previous area of POV editing. Now said editor wants the admin bits ostensibly to further his gnomish side but most editors are barred from viewing and openly discussing his previous history for vague and IMO dubious "privacy concerns". A very few of us that are all too familiar with the editor behind the gnome are concerned about potential misuse of those admin bits. So the question we must ask ourselves is this: do we have here a reformed POV-warrior that has seen the errors of his ways or do we have a determined and clever POV-warrior that realized that the best way to have free rein to forward his POV is to flank the project with a massive beard of non-controversial work. I have my own opinion about that but I am not looking to make a case here. I really do not think the admin bits are any big deal and Cirt would be ill-advised indeed to misuse them in forwarding his POV. I think Cirt is more clever than that. --Justallofthem (talk) 14:16, 10 September 2008 (UTC)

   I have now looked at these previous accounts (in fact, I was aware of them already, though I have only interacted with this user when he has been using this latest account). I have to say that yours is an extraordinary partial and misleading summary. I'm not entirely sure why Cirt wants to keep a veil of silence over the past, though I am willing to take in good faith Durova's comments. But you must be the first to know that were there to be a thorough examination of his previous interactions, then you yourself (and your own multiple other accounts, some declared and some not, plus IP edits) would hardly come up smelling of roses. If I were you, I would feel relieved that he has decided, very maturely, to let bygones be bygones. But let me concentrate on the way in which you describe Cirt's editing under this account. For it is equally misplaced to suggest that Cirt has been a prolific "wiki-gnome." The page to which you link describes a wiki-gnome as someone who "loves to work in the shadows," for instance "fixing typos, correcting poor grammar, creating redirects, and repairing broken links." This is not an accurate characterization of Cirt's editing patterns. Cirt continues to work in the same controversial areas as he has always done (viz. Scientology, Erhard Seminars Training, New Age movements, and so on), and regularly brings the articles he works on to FAC, so drawing enormous attention to what he has been doing, inviting the scrutiny of the entire Wikipedia community. There is almost no area of Wikipedia that could less be described as its "shadows" than WP:FAC. Rather, it is a place in which there is a glaring spotlight of criticism and critique, as reviewers seek the slightest trace of NPOV, unreliable sources, undue weight, and so on. This is hardly the activity of someone who wishes to fly low under the radar. The insinuation that it is amounts to conspiracy theorizing at best. --jbmurray (talk • contribs) 12:58, 12 September 2008 (UTC)

   Oh, you do not know me very well at all if you think I would shy away from a thorough review of Cirt and my interactions in either her present incarnation or any previous one. I would most enthusiastically welcome that but you might notice that I have spared y'all such drama. Heck, I haven't even !voted yet and have not been the most vocal in this discussion either; not silent but not the most vocal. But since you bring up my so-called sock history, let me at least point you toward the relevant discussion following Cirt's relentless harassment of me when, as a semi-retired editor, I tried to make some good-faith edits without logging in. Cirt being aided and abetted I might mention, by none other that Durova. Here, is the conclusion by User:Bishonen to what she termed a "trainwreck" "full of cheaply-bought accusations of disruptiveness". If you want a good synopsis of the interactions between Cirt and myself and the role of Durova in such, I suggest reading that. And if are really interested in Cirt's behavior under her new identity included repeated and tendentious WP:BLP violations and deceptive editing then please read Down the rabbit hole with Durova (and Anynobody and others). --Justallofthem (talk) 14:42, 12 September 2008 (UTC)

   Look. I don't want to go over your interactions with Cirt in his previous identities. Everyone agrees (and the nomination clearly and openly states) that he did not conduct himself as he should have. Nor do I want to put your part in all that under scrutiny; it is not you who is up for RfA. I was simply pointing out that there were many caught up in the "trainwreck," yourself and others included. More importantly, I'm saying that I beg to differ about your account of how Cirt had conducted himself since he has taken on his current account. But I don't want to derail (if we are to use railway metaphors) this RfA any more than it has been already. --jbmurray (talk • contribs) 14:50, 12 September 2008 (UTC)

   That's cool. Yes, I was well aware of Cirt's work on featured articles and featured portals but I consider the portal work to be non-controversial and background in nature. I deliberately left out mention of his FA work 'cause I have strong opinions about some of that and likewise did not want to derail this. Regarding how Cirt has conducted himself since taking on his new name I have been at the receiving end of a number of instances when Cirt broke cover, so to speak, so I have a different perspective. My dilemma is whether those breaks were errors in a well-orchestrated plan by an editor that has shown a massive commitment to *something* here or were they simply cases where an editor that is really trying to do better simply slipped up. I am still pondering that and will !vote soon based on my best assessment. But that is my personal thing as I am in a very unique position vis-a-vis Cirt. Others seem to be voting on their perception of his current editing style or their concerns about what is going on with the RfA and that is all well and good. As far as the alleged reasons for hiding Cirt's questionable history, I have to take that with a lot of salt as this is the same editor that cried "I am quite frankly getting scared for my personal safety due to User:Justanother's personal attacks in edit summaries and elsewhere" after I used CAPS in an edit summary following a particularly egregious bit of tendentious editing on Editor X's part. --Justallofthem (talk) 15:29, 12 September 2008 (UTC)

   How about assuming good faith? The editor has a POV, but don't we all? They have been a model contributor for a lengthy period of time. Jehochman ^Talk 14:19, 10 September 2008 (UTC)

   How about we don't trot out the old WP:AGF. This is an adminship discussion and warrants open discussion of legitimate concerns. --Justallofthem (talk) 14:21, 10 September 2008 (UTC)

   Yes, but concerns based on long past events are not given much weight, especially if the user has behaved extremely well since then. You seem to feel that they are faking, but I think they have sincerely improved. Jehochman ^Talk 14:30, 10 September 2008 (UTC)

   Believe it or not I am able to WP:AGF that what may have started out as an end run has changed to a real commitment to the project and a realization that petty forwarding of one's POV is neither so much fun nor so intellectually remunerative as honest and lasting contribution to an important worldwide project. But then I am an optimist and I believe in change. A pessimist might think otherwise. However the concern is a legitimate one given this IMO phony obscuring of the prior history. That is not a good recommendation for the candidate and is consistent with what a cunning poseur would do, reveal just enough so as to not be caught in a lie, but not enough to allow open discussion. It would look much better if the old accounts were just named openly and we drop the charade. --Justallofthem (talk) 14:40, 10 September 2008 (UTC)

   When an editor changes username to avoid harassment, outing the past username would be bad thing to do. Don't go there. If you want to oppose, there is a section above where you can state your reasons. Jehochman ^Talk 15:18, 10 September 2008 (UTC)

   I never said I would out Cirt. As I have mentioned above I have outed him in the past and he did not scream "foul" so I have my doubts. Not my decision to make but just saying. --Justallofthem (talk) 15:26, 10 September 2008 (UTC)

   Actually, I didn't have any problem with Justallofthem's summary. Based on what Cirt and others have said, it does sound as if he was a POV warrior, but has been keeping his hands more or less clean. There are other people who have clear biases, but can temper their POV while working on the project. Justallofthem asks, So the question we must ask ourselves is this: do we have here a reformed POV-warrior that has seen the errors of his ways or do we have a determined and clever POV-warrior that realized that the best way to have free rein to forward his POV is to flank the project with a massive beard of non-controversial work. He isn't advocating one position, but asking the pertinent question... those who opposed, seem to think the later.---Balloonman ^PoppaBalloon 20:03, 10 September 2008 (UTC)

   I thoroughly criticized Cirt back in the day. When somebody behaves consistently well for a long period of time, this is a sign that they have reformed. I don't believe an editor could do such a massive amount of good work as a ploy to gain adminship. Contrast Cirt's contributions with those of former administrator, banned editor User:Archtransit, who I helped to expose.[7] Jehochman ^Talk 20:15, 10 September 2008 (UTC)

3. Neutral for now Problematic this one - a "just stay well away" temptation but I've read through this far and concerns about the issues this nom raises nag: why does this seem to be a bit of a 'reward' of adminship consideration? The candidate's history - arguably old? So what is 'old history' and for whom and under what circumstances does it or should it matter still or no (seven blocks, name change, pov accusations)? The insistence of the replies to the opposes. Drama - actual and potential? Alongside and yet in opposition: the value (and volume) of the contributions. Thinking, reading on. Plutonium27 (talk) 18:36, 11 September 2008 (UTC)
4. Neutral. I'm sorry, but if a past ID is so sensitive that just discussing it causes people's comments to be deleted and there are outing concerns, then no. Too much chance for blackmail. Corvus cornix_talk 22:03, 11 September 2008 (UTC)
5. Neutral, leaning (weak) oppose. Those blocks are certainly concerning (I wasn't aware of them prior to this), and I agree with Corvus above. Also, I remember a not-too-long-ago run-in with another member over content. I had thought it was a one-off at the time, but with a record like that said on the talk page it is disconcerting enough for me not to offer my support. Caulde 18:09, 12 September 2008 (UTC)