# Request for Vigilance **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 26, 2005, 12:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/request-for-vigilance/296347 "2005-03-26T12:39:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Kythereia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e8c25b/32.png) [@Kythereia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kythereia)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2005, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/request-for-vigilance/296347/21 "2005-04-06T17:21:19Z")
The _real_ question is, do us on the vigilante squad get to wear chaps and leather boots and cowboy hats? ---
**Author:** ![LonesomePolecat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/a88e57/32.png) [@LonesomePolecat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LonesomePolecat)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2005, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/request-for-vigilance/296347/22 "2005-04-06T18:44:20Z")
And do we get to wander around at the Mexican border with cell phones annoying the Border Patrol? ---
**Author:** ![Cliffy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/59ef9b/32.png) [@Cliffy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cliffy)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2005, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/request-for-vigilance/296347/23 "2005-04-06T20:43:11Z")
> [@Kythereia](#): > > The _real_ question is, do us on the vigilante squad get to wear chaps and leather boots and cowboy hats? Well I’m not going to answer directly, buuuut 1) I reported a post in the Cafe earlier this week, and 2) I’m wearing chaps and leather boots right now. Also a cowboy hat, but not on my head. 😉 –Cliffy ---
**Author:** ![ShibbOleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@ShibbOleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShibbOleth)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2005, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/request-for-vigilance/296347/24 "2005-04-06T21:14:06Z")
> [@pravnik](#): > > Well, damn. I heard this was the price of freedom. No, that’s “eternal vigilance”. Regular old vigilance is just the price of a cup of coffee and maybe a newspaper or some sticky buns. ---
**Author:** ![Ponder\_Stibbons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponder_stibbons/32/343_2.png) [@Ponder\_Stibbons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponder_Stibbons)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2005, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/request-for-vigilance/296347/25 "2005-04-06T21:24:17Z")
> [@LonesomePolecat](#): > > And do we get to wander around at the Mexican border with cell phones annoying the Border Patrol? That’s too far away for me. Can I just wander around Border’s Books and Music instead? ---
**Author:** ![ShibbOleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@ShibbOleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShibbOleth)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2005, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/request-for-vigilance/296347/26 "2005-04-07T01:32:22Z")
> [@Ponder Stibbons](#): > > That’s too far away for me. Can I just wander around Border’s Books and Music instead? Do you look anything like Barney Fife? ---
**Author:** ![Syntropy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/65b543/32.png) [@Syntropy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Syntropy)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2005, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/request-for-vigilance/296347/27 "2005-04-07T16:21:53Z")
> [@Kythereia](#): > > The _real_ question is, do us on the vigilante squad get to wear chaps and leather boots and cowboy hats? I was hoping for something more along the lines of a SWAT uniform with CSVS\* hats. \*Cafe Society Vigilante Squad ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2005, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/request-for-vigilance/296347/28 "2005-04-07T18:23:28Z")
“Watch the skies! Keep watching the skies!” 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Zoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/a4c791/32.png) [@Zoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zoe)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2005, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/request-for-vigilance/296347/29 "2005-04-11T03:15:21Z")
Is Dex back yet? Is it too late for me to ask is it okay to wear jodhpurs instead of chaps? ---
**Author:** ![C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b2d939/32.png) [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C_K_Dexter_Haven)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2005, 11:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/request-for-vigilance/296347/30 "2005-04-11T11:49:09Z")
I’m not “gone,” I’m still around, I’m just not able to put in the number of hours that I usedta. I don’t see that lightening up until summer. I usedta go cruising through Cafe Society, reading and posting to a variety of threads. Now, I’m basically only looking at threads that are called my attention. ---
**Author:** ![ShibbOleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@ShibbOleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShibbOleth)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2005, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/request-for-vigilance/296347/31 "2005-04-12T02:12:30Z")
> [@C K Dexter Haven](#): > > I don’t see that lightening up until summer. I usedta go cruising through Cafe Society, reading and posting to a variety of threads. Now, I’m basically only looking at threads that are called my attention. Well, would you look at the gams on _[that](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=311008)_ thread. Aside: I read Orson Scott Cards’ Shadow Puppets last week and one of the acknowledgements was to a “C K Dexter Haven” online persona. Was that you, **Dex**? ---
**Author:** ![C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b2d939/32.png) [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C_K_Dexter_Haven)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2005, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/request-for-vigilance/296347/32 "2005-04-12T03:13:23Z")
> [@](#): > > Aside: I read Orson Scott Cards’ Shadow Puppets last week and one of the acknowledgements was to a “C K Dexter Haven” online persona. Was that you, Dex? No, sheer coincidence. It’s a fairly common name. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Slant](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c57346/32.png) [@Mr.Slant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Slant)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2005, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/request-for-vigilance/296347/33 "2005-04-20T19:56:44Z")
> [@Ponder Stibbons](#): > > That’s too far away for me. Can I just wander around Border’s Books and Music instead? Dear Lord. Is there a B&N in Ankh-Morpork? I had assumed there was a Starbucks, but a B&N is a bit much. ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2005, 7:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/request-for-vigilance/296347/34 "2005-05-07T07:11:46Z")
> [@Jonathan Woodall](#): > > Dear Lord. Is there a B&N in Ankh-Morpork? I had assumed there was a Starbucks, but a B&N is a bit much. There is one, and it _isn’t_ staffed by monkeys. Always keep that in mind. Anyway, could those of us who are up late be called “C K Dexy’s Midnight Runners”? To avoid copyright problems, we’ll move to Alabama and play _Come On Lurleen_. (Are you pondering what I’m pondering? I think so, but how do we fit fiddles into our chaps? If I could reach you, I would hurt you.) ---
**Author:** ![Spatial\_Rift\_47](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a8b319/32.png) [@Spatial\_Rift\_47](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spatial_Rift_47)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2005, 8:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/request-for-vigilance/296347/35 "2005-05-07T08:06:55Z")
> [@Derleth](#): > > There is one, and it _isn’t_ staffed by monkeys. > > Always keep that in mind. But … but … **everything’s** better with monkeys. Now, everybody raise your right hands and repeat after me: I, (your name), pledge that from this moment forth, I shall visualize every action taken by any moderator on the SDMB as the moderator sending out a monkey minion, either to thwap the offending poster on the head with a stick, or to pick up a thread and throw it into the proper forum while shrieking with monkey glee. ---
**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2005, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/request-for-vigilance/296347/36 "2005-05-11T17:15:04Z")
> [@](#): > > everything’s better with monkeys. Band name, User name and product tag-line of a monkey house, if I ever saw one! Tri-Fecta Completed! ---
**Author:** ![ageless6](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9de053/32.png) [@ageless6](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ageless6)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2005, 7:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/request-for-vigilance/296347/37 "2005-07-04T07:19:33Z")
> [@Kythereia](#): > > The _real_ question is, do us on the vigilante squad get to wear chaps and leather boots and cowboy hats? Ha, you’re busted. I think it should be "do WE on the vigilante squad, "not “US”. But if I’m wrong, what’s the penalty for filing a false report? ---
**Author:** ![ageless6](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9de053/32.png) [@ageless6](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ageless6)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2005, 7:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/request-for-vigilance/296347/38 "2005-07-04T07:33:19Z")
> [@C K Dexter Haven](#): > > I’m not “gone,” I’m still around, I’m just not able to put in the number of hours that I usedta. I don’t see that lightening up until summer. I usedta go cruising through Cafe Society, reading and posting to a variety of threads. Now, I’m basically only looking at threads that are called my attention. Really? How many threads do you run into that are titled ‘My Attention?’ ---
**Author:** ![C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b2d939/32.png) [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C_K_Dexter_Haven)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2005, 12:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/request-for-vigilance/296347/39 "2005-07-07T12:51:29Z")
> [@ageless6](#): > > Ha, you’re busted. I think it should be "do WE on the vigilante squad, "not “US”. > But if I’m wrong, what’s the penalty for filing a false report? On your first point, and on my omission of the word “to”: Most of us have learned not to worry about typos or grammar in other people’s posts, due to Gaudere’s Rule and the Golden Rule – everyone makes typos at one point or another online, so pointing a finger and saying “nyah nyah” is just bad form. Generally, everyone understands what is meant when a typo is made. Note that if you make a serious typo, one that can create misunderstanding – for example, leaving out the word “not” or typing “now” when you meant “not” – you can email a Moderator and we’ll be glad to fix it. In terms of filing a “false report,” I guess it depends on what you mean by “false report.” We certainly have people filing a report saying that So-and-So is out of line, and the Moderator disagrees and thinks that So-and-So is on the edge but not across the line. That’s not a “false report,” it’s just a report on which the Moderator decided not to take action. And that’s perfectly OK – we would far rather have a dozen reports where we don’t need to take action, than to miss one situation where we should take action but it doesn’t get reported. So, don’t be fearful of reporting something, that’s perfectly OK. Now, at the other extreme, of course, is that filing two dozen reports to point out minor typos in other people’s posts … well, that would be just annoying the Moderators, and that’s pretty much jerkish behavior. So, there’s honest “false” reports which are no big deal, and then there’s the practical joker asshole filing false reports just to annoy. Two completely different categories, you see. ---
**Author:** ![C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b2d939/32.png) [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C_K_Dexter_Haven)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2005, 12:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/request-for-vigilance/296347/40 "2005-07-17T12:24:46Z")
I’ve been asked whether this situation still applies, and my answer is, sadly, yes, it does. My real life is not quite as all-consuming as it was four months ago, but I no longer have the hours and hours to pour over the Message Boards that I had (say) last year. So, I would still like to request that y’all be helpful (as you have been) in reporting suspect posts. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/request-for-vigilance/296347.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/request-for-vigilance/296347.md?page=3)