User:Giano/Hell and back
2004[edit]
2005[edit]
2006 (The Hate Speech year)[edit]
- Feb: Wikipedia:Requests for arbitration/Pedophilia userbox wheel war This was the first case, I was involved in, and resulted from the first time I was ever blocked [1], but there is no record of it in my block log because after ages of battling and having to change my name to lose it, they eventually agreed to to wipe it as the block was not only unjust but the citation for it defamatory "Blocked for hate speech" (This is the hate speech in question [2] and [3]). The blocking Admin was desysoped within hours of the block. However, by the time someone called Brion (who had previously refused) [4] agreed to wipe it, I was long gone from that account; its password and lying block log sent to hell.
- July: Wikipedia:Requests for arbitration/Eternal Equinox Following the above debacle, I was pretty pissed off, but surprisingly this was the first time I realised that Wikipedia's Arbs left a lot to be desired. I had not taken much notice of them and Wiki politics before then, but Fred Bauder (a close friend of Jimbo, I'm told) was an inspiration to me, and I was never quite the same after my first encounter with him. Thank you Fred. In short: this case was a fiasco, Arbitrators felt in spite of Eternal Equinox's atrocious behaviour they could not ban her, but would ban me for one month for annoying her, not three hours, a week, but a month! [5] Everyone was incredulous, I don't think anyone could really believe it was a serious proposition, yet strangely two Arbitrators supported it, one with the now famous words, "pour encourager les autres."
- Aug The reason I left the original Giano account was the "re-admining" [6] of the Admin desysopped for writing the slanderous slur on my block log - a log incidentally, which had been as clean as snow until he go his hands on it. That a supposedly respected Wikipedian felt it was right that he should nominate, that Admin to be re-promoted having offered no apology, explanation for his universally condemned behaviour(my block log was still tarnished by "hate speech") I was pretty mad, I was even madder when amazingly this Admin was re-promoted against consensus. The result of his RFA was 112/71/11. Not surprising this surprise promotion brought about another huge wiki-row
By the time the both these cases had finished I was completely politicised [7] and determined to see some changes.
- Sept So we finally had the most famous case of all Wikipedia:Requests for arbitration/Giano. The case was brought by a user I had never heard of before (or since for that matter) and was very grandly named after me. Even though it began "It's with heavy heart that I bring this arbitration request forward" There were even moves to have the name changed because it was not about me, but the perpetator of the case wanted in it centred on my displeasure with the re-promotion of Carnildo (yep the "hate speech" Admin). Namely this edit here [8] - I had dared to question the authority of a Bureaucrat promoting the Amin candidate of an Arbitrator. It seems inconceivable now, but then that was a capital offence. There is no doubt that the knives were openly out. user: Lar sounds almost panic stricken here on finding the tide was turning [9] and an Ex Arb and one of the Arbs' ex-clerks were coming under the spotlight (Incidentally the matter here [10] Lar was referring to was a bad block widely known to have been cooked up on IRC) So the wondrous Giano case pondered on, it failed to centre on me quite early on and focus on the behaviour of others, namely: The result after a month of near hysteria and a great deal of support for me was:
"Giano (talk · contribs · deleted contribs · logs · filter log · block user · block log), in frustration, destroyed his access to his account, after what he viewed as an inadequate response by the Arbitration Committee to Tony Sidaway's actions [11]; he now edits as Giano_II (talk · contribs · deleted contribs · logs · filter log · block user · block log). It has been suggested that his access to his original account be restored and that the comment regarding "hate speech" be expunged from the block log of Giano."
All of which was what I had been saying for months, but it was nice that the they ordered the block log to be expunged. Of course, they failed to grasp it was by that time a meaningless gesture, but everyone was too tired to point it out, but I had proven my point, but sadly mud sticks and always has. However the real and often forgotten findings of the "Giano Case" included some important findings:
- Kelly Martin gave up her sysop, checkuser, and oversight access under controversial circumstances and must get them back through normal channels.
- Tony Sidaway gave up his sysop access under controversial circumstances and must get them back through the normal RfA channels.
- Jdforrester, an Arbitrator, erred by intruding into the discussion at Wikipedia:Administrators' noticeboard with an edit with the section heading "You're all idiots."
And so I was exonerated [12]. It ws not the result those arbs who had so keenly accepted the case wanted, it was forced upon them and following that case the knives were out. Some very important Wikipedians rightly felt they had been made to look very stupid.
2007[edit]
- Aug Wikipedia:Requests for arbitration/The Troubles For once, this is a case that was not about me (all though inevitably the usuals tried to make it so), a lot of people had become confused as to who were the baddies and who were the goodies. I argued that the goodies were in fact the baddies and vice versa, of course few agreed with me, but the case had a better ending than anyone dared hope for, and a friend of mine was not banned for ever (as many wanted), and is still one of Wikipedia's best and most productive sporting editors. A year or so later those I said were the baddies were proven to be mostly the socks of an already banned user - Were I a person to enjoy saying "I told you so".......
- Dec Wikipedia:Requests for arbitration/IRC Very long and dull case dragged on into February 2008. In a nut shell - Admins frequently plotted bad blocks on IRC Admins, and I fequently pointed it out. David Gerard had a less than candid wikipedia page describing the admin's IRC channel in rather glowing terms, I tried to make it a little more candid and less POV, the Arbs were cross because they all use IRC Admins and don't like lesser mortals criticising it, so a big Arbitration case resulted and I was put under a silly sanction so IRC Admin members could ban me and silence criticism of the channel at whim, which of course they did, as was the intention of the Arbs. This has lead to even more trouble than there ever was before and the Arbs still use IRC admins, but they are a little more circumspect (we are told) about how bad their behaviour is there.
2008[edit]
- July Wikipedia:Requests for arbitration/Geogre-William M. Connolley I don't know why they accepted this case, it was just about one of the bad blocks which resulted from the criticism silencing sanction mentioned above, and rather proved the point I made (above) in December 2007. The only result from this case was that only Arbs can block me and Geogre cannot. This proved to be complete bolox when I was later blocked by User:Theresa knott who did not have the authority (or need) this led to a further 10 entries in my block log over the next 3 days. During this time of momentous exitement for those interested, I wrote a page Banqueting House, Whitehall which says rather more about me than it does Ms Knott, an editor for whom I have zilch respect.
2009[edit]
So January 1st, a new Arbcom full of hope and promise began their term, but alas! some still want to continue old fights, settle old scores and open old wounds. A huge mistake, I was prepared to give the new guys a chance, it seems it is not to be. Ironically, this time with an editor who I don't beleive I know.
- Jan: Wikipedia:Requests for comment/Giano II I suppose one should take an interest, but nobody else seems to be, so I'm not bothering either. I think it was brought because the person concerned was cross he could not get agreement to bring another Arbitration case. I don't know the person concerned, have never had any dealings with him, so cannot really say - perhaps he was bored or something.
- Jan [13]
- May Page moving and editing of baronets and the like. Not really to do with me, but I have a hunch it will return.