Lot going on here. Some clarifications:
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Some have asked why we suspended Claude Remains but haven’t done anything about Cesario, who also posts about pedophilia. The suspension was an instance of the ick rule, under which mods and admins are permitted to halt a discussion they feel has gone off the rails pending further discussion by staff. After review, we’ve decided to reinstate Claude because we’ve had no specific rule about discussions of pedophilia up till now. However, see below.
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The SDMB’s longstanding policy is that, in principle, we’ll permit discussion of almost any topic, provided it doesn’t promote illegal activity. The implication, where criminal or otherwise abhorrent behavior is concerned, is that the discussion should be mature. We’re now making this rule explicit. The board is not meant to be a forum for the gratuitous expression of criminal fantasies, such as the one that led to the suspension of Claude Remains. Such posts may result in revocation of your posting privileges. We’ll be the judge of what’s gratuitous.
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Regarding Cesario’s request to start an “ask the pedophile” thread, we refused permission because C. seems to think there’s nothing inherently wrong with having sex with children, and we don’t wish to do anything that would encourage such people. That said, pedophilia is not a verboten subject, and it’s not out of the question that we would allow such a thread with a different OP.
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Having reviewed Cesario’s postings and compared notes, we now realize how frequently he posts about his sexual inclinations. Our rules state, “The board is not intended to furnish you with a forum for promoting your personal agenda. We reserve the right to ask you to limit postings on a particular topic, or to refrain from posting on such topics altogether.” We’re now invoking this rule: We don’t want to see any further discussion from Cesario about pedophilia. Attempts by other users to provoke Cesario into breaking this rule, or to make comments about him to which he cannot respond, will also not be tolerated. Thank you for your cooperation.