There are several posts above I'd like to reference...
"Uh, Ripster?"
My response: BWAHAHAHAHA!!!!"There was MMB too if you want to name instances, but as JesuswasaZombie we do not do this anymore."
My response: Who was MMB?"Will you now re-invite Ripster back to this forum as a way of of providing forgiveness?
I miss him a lot, the way he ruffles feathers here can only be done by him. We do need someone that stirs the pot."
My response: GH will never invite Rippy, but I miss all the excellent tech stuff, the dry wit, and other assorted shizz, BUT, I believe stirring the pot to that extent is not a positive on this forum. I should know...I branched out a bit myself. 
"I liked him too. No matter what you think of his behaviour, he has provided a lot for the forum and its members. However, even if getting Ripster back could be beneficial for the forum, the question is whether getting back to the forum would be good for Ripster. He seemed to be quite addicted to this place."
My response: I agree with the first half of the statement, I think the second half was said just in fun. 
"I also want Ripster back. I believe everybody with "R.I.P.ster" in their sig wants him back as well.
***insert hilarious Permaban/Heaven photo here***
In Helvetica we trust. R.I.P.ster"
My response: I've not been here much this last year, but have noted some of the sigs...my guess is 90% of them miss Rippy and want him back. I like seeing the sigs My few original thoughts on the subject:
I've seen a few other forums, only a few...and NOTHING like what was happening on GH 1-2 years ago happens on them. I do understand there are forums that do have some degree of infighting, after all it's our nature...but it undermines the PURPOSE and FUNCTION of a forum approximately 100% and scares away some quality newbies. Basically "infighting" is "off-topic". As an example....I came to GH because I was looking for info on buying or making a Kinesis Advantage into 2 halves...not for any other esoteric reason.
Shizz breeds shizz. That's why we must all maintain a high standard. Every have a "loser" friend, thinking you could help them out and lift them up? What REALLY happened?...Right...you got brought down. Happens every time.
Regarding Rip VanRipster: He was a positive force on the forum. He became a polarizing force on the forum. He was a negative force on the forum. He began to wield those forces at whim, which did damage. And for that misuse of power, he is guilty and is why he isn't on this forum. Unfortunate, but necessary.
1- I had no direct qualms with Ripster, he came close to treading on me once that I know of, but that was it. And, for the record, he was accurate in his call-out of me.
2- But I also didn't 'approve' of his actions that I saw (there were many I had no knowledge of), but they also were none of my business and I didn't engage.
3- To this very day, I strongly believe if peeps let him sound off, perhaps engaged, then backed down or let him steam-roll past without incessant contradictory escalation, it would have not empowered him to the great extent the circumstances allowed. What I'm actually saying, is that
WE DESTROYED RIPSTER. At one point a year before the bitter end, I implored everyone to back off the counter-attack of Ripster...to no avail (Rip would poke and there would be 20 counter-pokes, he obviously enjoyed that). I'm not saying that my idea of letting him run rampant was right, it was just one of many options to defuse everything. My attempt at calming things down. Perhaps the Keyboardlover vs. Ripster battle started the beginning of the end.
4- Rip profiling: He is an intelligent, well versed, quick witted, compulsive, middle class, educated, selfish white guy that may at times have a bit too much time on his hands. He may have been bullied when he was younger. He obviously enjoys taking people down a peg, which is a concern, depending if that's his on screen persona or real life. My guess is that his bills are well thought out/incurred and paid on time (great credit). I believe he is very appreciative of good service and will sound off when it's lacking. His circle of friends is small and may be of convenience. Can't tell if his car is clean or cluttered, but I'm sure it mechanically maintained well. Everything about him scream 'only-child' (I should know, I am one), but for all we know he may have a cheese-head sister in Wisconsin. He has written about his son, so he has an only-child it seems...I note this because I always envisioned having only one child...but that's just me projecting
The most telling signs Rip gave off was during the banning/breakdowns/boisterous boilovers. He seemed very human those last few weeks, asking, not telling. You can learn a lot from issues. I like Ripster. I wish things happened differently and that there was a different outcome. Also, Ripster was not the casualty...many of us paid an online price last year.
Regarding last year...(personally for me summer '11-spring '12...mostly the spring of '12) was the most terrible time. Loss of my 10 year little buddy Smoochie, my Blue-Headed Pionus Parrot, an employee died, I closed my biz, I was very lost, had a health concern, had a bookkeeper turn into a drunken, scary stalker that got into bank accounts, emails, etc. and GH was in flames right when I felt I was at a 3 year breakthrough with contacts/processes for a custom controller and other misc keyboard items (blah blah blah) that I was juggling. I unleashed and vented all over the place. Ripster crossed the line multiple times, people where in an anarchistic frenzy, and Mkawa took away my girlie pictures! I believed all the progress I had made (via GH) was about to be 100% wiped out and lost forever. I was livid!!!! So everything is relative. I'm just now empowering myself and seeing a light at the end of the tunnel, and it's extremely humbling.
Regarding 'on-screen' persona...I have one...some of ya'll have seen it... a testosterone-laden, skirt-chasing, butt-kicking, intellectual that you would love to have as a best friend, or move to another country and hide under a rock perpetual fear if I was your enemy. My "inflated alpha-male meathead ego" as Oqsy called me, is just the "identifier" that separates me from the rest of you geeks., That, and the fact I know where all you live, so respond carefully
