# The tree of liberty needs to be watered with the blood of school children

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-tree-of-liberty-needs-to-be-watered-with-the-blood-of-school-children/808854>\
**Category:** The BBQ Pit\
**Created:** [February 15, 2018, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-tree-of-liberty-needs-to-be-watered-with-the-blood-of-school-children/808854 "2018-02-15T02:32:10Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Showing post:** 598

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![raventhief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/raventhief/32/4_2.png) [@raventhief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/raventhief)\
**Post date:** [February 25, 2018, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-tree-of-liberty-needs-to-be-watered-with-the-blood-of-school-children/808854/598 "2018-02-25T03:22:16Z")

</div>

Interestingly, in the thread already quoted, there is a link to a thread from 2006, when Giraffe was mod, that says:

> [@FYI: changing usernames to insult people in the Pit](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fyi-changing-usernames-to-insult-people-in-the-pit/338910/1):
>
> There has been some confusion about whether or not there is a rule against changing someone’s username in order to insult them. I want to clarify that there is no such rule in the Pit.
> 
> I suspect the confusion originated when **Liberal** changed his username from **libertarian** , and another poster pledged to follow him around the board using his old username. The mods at the time felt this was inappropriate and made a rule against that behavior, for that situation. That rule was never meant to be a blanket prohibition on writing anyone’s username inaccurately.
> 
> So, go nuts. It’s the Pit. If we let you call each other twats and ass-lickers, it seems silly to warn you for changing **Poster** to **Postard** or whatever.  
> \*\*  
> I would ask, however, that you refrain from changing usernames in quote attributions. I don’t know what the mod consensus would be in terms of warning such behavior, but it’s certainly borderline, so better not to do it. Cool?\*\*

My bold added. So even back in the unfettered days, it was considered borderline. Huh.

---

_[View the full topic](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-tree-of-liberty-needs-to-be-watered-with-the-blood-of-school-children/808854)._