Misplaced Pages

Candidate, please indicate acceptance of the nomination here: I accept. Dreadstar † 18:45, 10 September 2007 (UTC)

Questions for the candidate

Dear candidate, thank you for offering to serve Misplaced Pages as an administrator. It is recommended that you answer these optional questions to provide guidance for participants:

1. What admin work do you intend to take part in?

A: Blocking persistent vandals, protecting pages being vandalized, and deleting inappropriate pages that vandals have created would be a welcome enhancement to my current set of anti-vandalism tools (VP). As my nominator points out, I have stepped in on several occasions to stop edit warring disputes and bring the warring parties to the negotiation table, and I would like the ability to protect pages and to block 3RR or WP:NPA violators in disputes where I am not involved either as a disputant or a mediator. I would not use my admin privileges in disputes that I am involved with, I would instead seek a neutral admin’s assistance. I would also like to help clear any backlogs of pages or images to delete, such as orphaned, duplicate or copyright-issue images.

2. What are your best contributions to Misplaced Pages, and why?

A: My best contributions to Misplaced Pages have been my anti-vandalism efforts, the several mediations I’ve handled, and general wikignome activities of fixing things, such as adding appropriate sections, repairing bad links, doing dabs. There are also several articles that I’m proud to have created, such as Charles Banks Wilson.

3. Have you been in any conflicts over editing in the past or have other users caused you stress? How have you dealt with it and how will you deal with it in the future?

A: I haven’t been stressed by my participation in Misplaced Pages, although I have been a party to some intense discussions and disagreements. My very first experience discussing a subject on Misplaced Pages was in a highly contentious article, and I have always remained civil and explained my view. I’m not proud of one or two short instances of edit-warring I've been involved in, but I learned a lot from those incidents and instantly regretted my participation in them. When conflicts arise, I step back and try to never answer with anger or frustration. I keep all personal comments out, relying on application of Misplaced Pages policies and guidelines. I follow the dispute resolution process and have had great success in focusing on the core issues of a dispute, getting a third-opinion, taking straw polls and gaining consensus. This is by far the most satisfying and successful method of dealing with disputes. Edit-warring is unproductive and scares off contributors, damages the article in dispute, and gets nowhere. Better to have the article protected, and discuss.

My real-life job is in management; managing people, problems, clients and upper management, so I'm very used to keeping a level head at all times. I think my RL experience has translated well into my Misplaced Pages editing, and I'm always looking to better myself. Helping others is a huge part of my job, and I find it to be a very satisfying thing to do...and it's the same here! I enjoy helping other editors.

Question from User:rspeer

4. As you may see from WT:RFA, I am concerned about the growing problem of edit count inflation. Be honest: what techniques do you use to accumulate such a large number of edits? Would you do anything differently if you were not running for adminship? What kinds of edits do you make that require stopping to think about things? rspeer / ɹəədsɹ 20:22, 10 September 2007 (UTC)

A: Quite honestly, I haven't used a technique to accumulate edits. Part of the reason for the uptick in the number of my edits over the past three months is due to my being approved for the use of VandalProof on July 24th. The sheer number of vandalism edits is staggering, and the team of dedicated editors who fight the vandals is a very hard working and noble crew. I'm proud to be a part of the antivandalism effort.

The edits I've made that require the most thinking are the ones during my mediation efforts, the policy discussions, and the AfD discussions I've been a part of. AfDs requre research in order to form an opinion and be able to give an intelligent reason for that opinion. I always research the subject, and in one of the AfDs I've partipated in, I not only performed internet research which revealed that the article subject's school name was wrong, but I even put in a phone call to the Director of the organization to confirm my findings and gather more information.

There is nothing I would have done differently, I would have been doing the same things whether I was running for admin or not. I enjoy doing what I do, or else I wouldn't take the time to do it...;) I haven't done anything to inflate my edit count. I'm running on quality not quantity. Merely accumulating a mass of empty edits doesn't lead to gathering respect from other editors and shouldn't lead to the honor of becoming an admin. I think you can tell from the comments of my nomininators and some of the supporting votes below that I've done more than accumulate an edit count. I find your research intriguing. The graph is well done and I look forward to further analysis on the subject.

Question from AldeBaer

5. Have you been in any conflicts over editing in the past? This is not a joke question. I feel you haven't provided a satisfactory answer to this so far.

A: I think your question is very serious and deserves a detailed answer. I’m glad you asked it. Yes, I've definitely been involved in conflicts over editing. I made some mistakes in the past and I regret the way I handled some of those conflicts. I learned a great deal from those experiences and recognize the mistakes I made. I've been involved in several conflicts; the incidents mentioned below happened in February 2007, a fairly long time ago and I've learned a lot since then. Here is more detail on the incidents mentioned. Let me know if this answers your question.

• 3RR block. My only block was in February 2007, it was for three hours. It was the result of one of the edit wars I was referring to. In her comment below, Yksin hit it right on the mark; after I had been blocked, I was trying to understand how I had actually violated 3RR, it didn’t make sense to me that my first edit cited in the 3RR violation (removing the NPOV tag after mediation and consensus had shown that the section was not POV.) was a reversion. So I discussed it with the blocking admin.
• Edit war. As for the edit war that resulted in the block, after I removed the tag, it was put back, I thought it was a mistake and reverted – we had just been through a lengthy mediation and it was surprising to see the tag put back. I quickly found out differently on all counts, and I learned a good lesson that day. I certainly wouldn’t do that again.
• Edit removals. Argh. Yes, that was my misunderstanding of one of the statements in NPA about removing edits. I've learned not to be as sensitive to those types of comments, and removal is not an option - unless it's a truly outrageous attack.
• 'Edit summary comment The edit identified below that I removed from my talk page where I put in the edit summary “remove comments from abusive editor” didn’t mean that the removed edit itself was abusive, but that I felt that the editor whose post I was removing had been abusing me in his other comments, I even checked with an admin who agreed with me about the incivility -but not the removal, and gave me some good advice. My putting such a comment in an edit summary was a mistake that I freely admit, especially since it’s so easily misunderstood and it wasn’t the right place to make such a statement - if at all.

Question from Wikidudeman

6. This question comes in a few parts. Firstly, Do you believe that Misplaced Pages should give credence to non-scientific or pseudo-scientific disciplines or occurrences such as purported psychic phenomena, Bigfoot, UFO's, etc? To clarify, Should the Psychic article clarify that "Psychic" abilities almost certainly don't exist as the vast majority of scientists conclude or should the article tiptoe around the fact that science can explain such things easily without invoking supernatural powers and give equal balance to all sides of the debate including the conclusion that psychic powers do indeed exist and are prevalent? Secondly, Should the James Randi article and the James Randi Educational Foundation have good sized(a couple of paragraphs) sections about how some people believe that his challenge is a "Gimmick" or that his challenge is not a legitimate way to test claims of supernatural abilities? Please read these questions carefully and answer them directly in detail. Thank you. Wikidudeman 13:38, 11 September 2007 (UTC)

I just want to make a brief comment on this. You may very well disagree with Dreadstar's views on alternative science and theories and the weight those get given in articles, but we're here to determine whether Dreadstar can be trusted as an admin. Do you think he would abuse the tools in a content dispute? Or do you simply disagree with his opinion about certain articles? Melsaran (talk) 15:25, 11 September 2007 (UTC)

I worded the questions very carefully so as not to ask what his personal views on James Randi were or on psychics were, but on his views of how such articles should be shaped. I'm not asking him if he believes in psychics since that is irrelevant. Nor am I asking him if he believes James Randi is a "gimmick" as that is also irrelevant. I'm asking specifically how he believes the wikipedia articles on these topics should be shaped. Wikidudeman 16:03, 11 September 2007 (UTC)

Yes, but how are his views on how the Misplaced Pages articles on this topic should be shaped relevant to his trustworthiness as an administrator? Melsaran (talk) 16:43, 14 September 2007 (UTC)

A: I have never advocated that Misplaced Pages state that psychic abilities or phenomena actually exist – if I’ve appeared to do so, then that’s a severe miscommunication on my part. I believe all significant views should be presented without bias. We should not be making a statement as to whether or not they exist. We shouldn’t tiptoe around or be adding bias to the views of the skeptics, the scientists or the believers. If science has concluded that something paranormal has no substance, that view should be clearly stated and sourced in the article. I think this comment I made describes my views well.

Let me clearly address each question:

“Should the Psychic article clarify that "Psychic" abilities almost certainly don't exist as the vast majority of scientists conclude?"

Yes it should. My only concern was that such a view should be clearly stated in the article and not be merely ‘implied’. For instance, making implications by using biased and loaded wording which violates words to avoid; instead we should add detailed content to explain why and how the majority of scientists have made their conclusions.

"should the article tiptoe around the fact that science can explain such things easily without invoking supernatural powers and give equal balance to all sides of the debate including the conclusion that psychic powers do indeed exist and are prevalent."

Not at all, the scientific view and alternative explanations should be clearly stated without any bias.

"Secondly, Should the James Randi article and the James Randi Educational Foundation have good sized(a couple of paragraphs) sections about how some people believe that his challenge is a "Gimmick" or that his challenge is not a legitimate way to test claims of supernatural abilities? Please read these questions carefully and answer them directly in detail."

No, that’s not what I was saying at all. In our dispute, which you mentioned below, we were talking about the prominence of the Randi challenge in the Edward article, which didn’t need several good sized paragraphs on Randi’s challenge - just a short statement. In the Randi article itself, the notable critical comments should be included, but not in a biased or distorted fashion either. While I think the controversy about the challenge should be mentioned in the Randi article, I do not think those critical comments are deserving of a “good sized couple of paragraphs”. I am a firm believer in WP:UNDUE.

It’s interesting to me that I became a “supporter of the paranormal”. I believe that had I come to Misplaced Pages and found the articles written entirely from the perspective of the ‘believers’, I would have argued the opposite side, for inclusion of more scientific content. NPOV is the concern, not my personal beliefs. I’m not sure about the paranormal, but I have an open mind about it. Dreadstar † 17:11, 11 September 2007 (UTC)

Follow up question from Wikidudeman

If what you say is true, then why did you argue so passionately with myself and User:BillC that James Randi's million dollar challenge was a "Gimmick"? Wikidudeman 17:55, 11 September 2007 (UTC)

A: First let me clarify that if you read the actual comment and discussion, I think it's clear that I wasn’t advocating using the word "gimmick" in any article, and I still don’t advocate its use. As for the discussion that followed, I was merely explaining why I used the word gimmick on the talk page. I really have no interest in continuing that particular debate. Dreadstar † 23:16, 11 September 2007 (UTC)

Followup from Wikidudeman - From what I could see, From the link you provided, the argument after you said that James Randi's challenge was a "Gimmick" was you arguing that you were justified in saying so. The question I am asking is, Why bring it up to begin with? If it shouldn't be used in the article that is. What was the purpose of arguing that his challenge was a "Gimmick" if it had no relevance to the article itself? If it did indeed have relevance, What was that relevance? Wikidudeman 00:14, 12 September 2007 (UTC)

Also, Should the James Randi Educational Foundation have any info at all giving credence to the contention that the million dollar challenge is a "Gimmick"? If so, How much? Wikidudeman 17:59, 11 September 2007 (UTC)

I've thought about this for a couple of hours, & decided I should say something. It concerns me that this line of questioning appears to be a continuation of a content dispute, & asking Dreadstar to, in a manner of speaking, "edit in a fishbowl." You also refer to a discussion involving you, BillC, & Dreadstar with no link provided to clue in the rest of us following this RfA on which specific discussion you're alluding to -- it's not readily apparent from your Oppose statement. Skinwalker's question below (Q7) is certainly relevant to the RfA, as it directly bears on Dreadstar's interpretations of Misplaced Pages policy; but I'm not quite sure what the relevance of your questions are, except as a continuation of content dispute. --Yksin 20:57, 11 September 2007 (UTC)

I apologize for not providing the link. It's here: link. Wikidudeman 21:00, 11 September 2007 (UTC)

A: If it’s mentioned at all, as I described in my earlier statement, it should be properly sourced and attributed to whatever notable, reliable, verifiable source the statement comes from. As for credence, the threshold for inclusion in Misplaced Pages is verifiability, not truth, and it should not violate WP:NPOV or WP:BLP if it's included in Randi's own article. Dreadstar † 23:16, 11 September 2007 (UTC)

Question from Skinwalker

7. Two parts, one specific and one open-ended. First, could you clarify your assertion, found here, that electronic voice phenomenon does not fall under WP:FRINGE? Second, can you discuss your views on the WP:FRINGE guideline, particularly as they apply to NPOV and undue weight? Skinwalker 17:06, 11 September 2007 (UTC)

A: Again, this is a matter of context. I was responding to the previous comments which were focusing on the notability, cultural-fictional and scientific-peer-review sources. Please keep in mind that this was a long time ago and I was just learning about that policy and EVP all at once...;) My comment about it not being WP:FRINGE was directed at the proposal for the article to be focused on the cultural aspect of EVP, not the science. According to science, it is indeed a WP:FRINGE science, I was referring to it not being fringe in the popular culture view, as I thought it had been somewhat discussed as being plausible within major publications. I believe the other editors were saying that for the EVP article to give details about any of the experiments that had been done, the subject needed to have notability per scientific topics - because it was WP:FRINGE, I disagreed with that view and felt the limited science should be included.

My views on Fringe and NPOV are that we shouldn't be making something appear to be more "real", "notable", or "scientific" than it actually is - if the subject is worth mentioning at all. We shouldn't be promoting fringe ideas or publishing original thought. Non-mainstream theories need solid sourcing per WP:V, WP:RS, and must abide by WP:NPOV and WP:NOR as well as WP:FRINGE. The discussion about EVP was primarily regarding its cultural aspects, which in my opinion at the time, didn't fall under WP:FRINGE.

The Paranormal ArbCom decision identified EPV under the loci of dispute, which is partly addressed by the finding of fact Three layer cake with frosting, which is why I mentioned it in my reply to Rspeer below, that finding is indeed concerned with EVP and the paranormal, as well as what I was commenting on regarding my views. Mainstream science has ignored and/or dismissed EVP, but it exists as a popular cultural concept. That was the basis for my comments about EVP, including my statement about WP:FRINGE.. Again, ArbCom has ruled on this, and I abide by their decisions. Clearly EVP is fringe all the way around; I've a learned a great deal since I made that statement.

Looking back on it, I must admit that my statement about EVP not being WP:FRINGE was a boneheaded comment. Definitely not the best example of my work...;) I hope that any editor on Misplaced Pages can be granted the opportunity to learn over time, as I have since February, when I made several of those boneheaded statements. Dreadstar † 22:54, 11 September 2007 (UTC)

Second question from Wikidudeman

Can you please explain why you referred to other editors as "Lazy" and "Pseudo Skeptics" here? Also, What exactly does "Pseudo Skeptic" mean? Wikidudeman 23:09, 11 September 2007 (UTC) Also, Another example. Here you seem to be comparing "Skeptics" to "Cynics". Please explain. Wikidudeman 00:27, 12 September 2007 (UTC)

Didn't see your added question. I wasn't comparing skeptics to cynics. I consider myself to be a skeptic, and I'm far from being cynical...! Dreadstar † 01:38, 12 September 2007 (UTC)

A: I'll have to retract my earlier statement that I've always been civil, and just say that I've always strived to be civil, even in the face of egregious comments by some of the opposing editors. With the comment you point out, I was joking around on the talk page of a fellow editor - there had just been a comment that "ESP shouldn't be confused with ESPN". My comment was clearly an inappropriate joke, but it wasn't directed at anyone in specific. Let's post the whole comment, I think it's clear what I meant:

"Yah, that's the ticket, the Psychic article..that's the one! Glad you were psychic enough to realize that! (Jeez, I must still have the flu... :) Dreadlocke ☥ 01:55, 1 February 2007 (UTC)

Say, I really like your new intro to Psychic! I think it addresses both sides (although the pseudo-skepitcs won't be happy until it says "All psychics are frauds and there's no such thing..." Anyway, I hope your version sticks! I'll work to make it so. I'm tired of arguing over a single word, you actually did what I've been suggesting and added detailed content! That's the way to go, but some of these editors just want to be lazy and throw in a biased, loaded WP:WTA. Good job! Dreadlocke ☥ 02:03, 1 February 2007 (UTC)"

Hey, I'm guilty as charged, joking or not - it was uncivil, and I regret making such a comment. After being so close to death and suffering through serious illness and multiple surgeries since that time, my world view is quite different now than it was those many months ago. I can only say that I've grown and learned a lot. I wouldn't make insulting remarks to anyone any more. I'm willing to be subject to recall, if anyone's concerned about my pov or civility, or anything else.

In its more serious implication, that comment is meant to say that instead of taking the time to research and add detailed comments, some editors substituted the easy way out of adding in a WP:WTA instead. Not the best way to add critical commentary to an article, in addition to violating WTA.

As for the second part of your question, you've actually asked this same question before in response to a question in your Admin nominiation in July. I'll answer by pointing you to the article on the subject, with a short quote from it: Pseudoskepticism, " defined pseudoskeptics as those who take "the negative rather than an agnostic position but still call themselves 'skeptics'". I consider myself a skeptic. The term pseudoskeptic has been found to be a pejorative and an insult, so I would never again say it in reference to any person or group - even jokingly. Dreadstar † 01:21, 12 September 2007 (UTC)

Third question from Wikidudeman

If nominated to adminiship, Would you be willing to add your name to Category:Misplaced Pages administrators open to recall with the requirement that at least 5 established users with over 500 mainspace edits agree that you should be recalled and re-confirmed? Reconfirmation means that if you abuse your admin powers and 5 established users with over 500 mainspace edits each agree that you have abused them, you request a steward remove your administrator powers and you run for admin again. Wikidudeman 17:02, 13 September 2007 (UTC)

Note: Dreadstar had a family emergency and may not be available to comment for a few days. --Fang Aili 18:14, 13 September 2007 (UTC)

That is quite frustrating. If Dreadstar would be willing to put himself up for recall if he were to become an admin with the stipulations I listed above then I would probably change my vote to Neutral or maybe even Support. However if I can't get my question answered then there is nothing much that I can do. Wikidudeman 18:16, 13 September 2007 (UTC)

I can confirm that Dreadstar has had a rather serious family emergency, and thus, some patience, and leeway would be helpful, as he may not be able to respond immediately. 18:42, 13 September 2007 (UTC)

My apologies for the delay, thanks to both Fang and Ariel for explaining my inability to respond quickly. Yes, Wikidudeman, I agree to your terms and I will gladly add my name to the recall list under the terms you've indicated. Just to be clear that this applies to my actions going forward and not any past disagreements. Thank you for making such an offer, Wikidudeman - I accept! Dreadstar † 23:23, 13 September 2007 (UTC)

Ok. Wikidudeman 00:30, 14 September 2007 (UTC)

A big respectful tip of the hat to you, Wikidudeman, for your willingness to give Dreadstar a chance despite your closely held doubts. --Yksin 01:58, 14 September 2007 (UTC)

Question from Yksin

10. Many of the questions here have focused on your activities in the first half of this year, prior to your extended break due to hospitalization. You have alluded to changes since the hospitalization that have had effect on how you conduct yourself at Misplaced Pages. Could you describe these changes? Please include specific examples of your edits/activities after you returned in July. What is the difference between how you did things before & how you do them now? --Yksin 17:51, 14 September 2007 (UTC)

General comments

• See Dreadstar's edit summary usage with mathbot's tool. For the edit count, see the talk page.

• Links for Dreadstar: Dreadstar (talk · contribs · deleted · count · AfD · logs · block log · lu · rfar · spi)

Please keep criticism constructive and polite. Remain civil at all times. If you are unfamiliar with the nominee, please thoroughly review Special:Contributions/Dreadstar before commenting.

Discussion

• Absence, My two long absences were both due to surgery. My appendix burst and I almost died from the resulting infection. I was lucky to have great doctors in a local hospital that literally saved my life. I then had to go back for follow-up surgery to have my abdominal muscles reattached. These were traumatic, life-changing experiences, and my attitude was affected in very positive way, I’m so happy to be alive and whole again. The disputes I had earlier in the year over the paranormal articles are things I regret and would never do again, for several different reasons – the hospitalizations were a part of that, and a greater understanding of how Misplaced Pages works is the other. Dreadstar † 03:51, 11 September 2007 (UTC)

• Paranormal quotation, The quote mentioned below by Rspeer was taken quite out of context, so I need to explain it in detail. Out of context, it looks like I'm advocating for “belief over science”...which isn't the case at all. The quotation was pulled from a lengthy discussion on the Electronic voice phenomena talk page. In that quote, I was making an extreme statement to try and make a point, but if you read my entire comment, in context with the surrounding comments, , you’ll see that I was arguing against a proposal to turn the focus of article into one that stated EVP was entirely fictional, while primarily using reference sources such as reality television shows for the article contents. The proposing editors wanted to minimize the science and focus primarily on fictional sources. This fictional view was being discussed in a "majority rules, majority equals believers" way of sourcing the article.

My follow-up statements to that post were:

“I mean, you cannot write the article that (for instance) talks about "Witches", but only uses Bewitched as a "fictional" source for content." ”

"The current article just needs a cultural section added to the existing content; it does not need to become a total "cultural article" or any type of fictional article - semi or full." ”

That’s where I was going with it, not that believers outweigh science. That’s actually the opposite of what I was attempting to say. And I wasn't making any comment about the validity or quality of the science, as a matter of fact, the science was highly questionable...but it shouldn't have been left out or even extremely minimized.

I was attempting to turn the proposal around and show how that view (majority rules – fictional subject) would work if it were applied to other paranormal articles where there actually was a body of scientific investigation. Majority rules would put science in the outbox everywhere, and make science seem less valid. But, if you cherry-pick that one statement out of context; it looks like I'm advocating for belief over science...which just isn’t the case.

Just to be clear, I would certainly never use admin abilities to push a pov; as a matter of fact, I probably would avoid using them on paranormal articles altogether, to avoid even the appearance of impropriety.

Dreadstar † 16:21, 11 September 2007 (UTC)

I hadn't realized you'd written this until I'd written & posted my own lengthy comment below in response to rspeer's analysis of that quote. But I'm glad to find that I seem to have been correct in my own analysis. I think it points out the importance of looking at statements made by RfA candidates within the full context of the discussion in which those statements were made. Thanks. --Yksin 18:21, 11 September 2007 (UTC)

• It seems to me, having observed Wikidudeman's RfA and now Dreadstar's, that no one who edits in the paranormal can become an admin. Perhaps it is also the case that no one who edits contentious articles can become an admin. This is kind of sad for Misplaced Pages, because it bars the editors who have had the most experience with disputes. Wikidudeman is opposing Dreadstar for the same reasons I and others opposed Wikidudeman. I'm not saying what should be done, only that this is so. ——Martin _{(Talk Ψ Contribs)} 23:00, 13 September 2007 (UTC)

Yeah, it's looking a lot that way. To some extent, both this RfA & Wikidudeman's (which I took a long look at) have seemed to me a continuations of content disputes on those articles. Also it's seemed to me that the focus in this RfA has been on stuff that happened several months ago, with little attention given to the ways this candidate has learned & improved since then, to the point of having been instrumental in helping resolve major content disputes on articles like What the Bleep Do We Know and Battle of Washita River, & making a pretty darn strong try at it at The Holocaust (which I think failed only for lack of participation by editors on one side of the content dispute). But, as I said in my Support vote, Dreadstar's participation as a neutral party (taking no position on the content we were disputing) was instrumental in helping us to work our way towards a resolution of a very long-term dispute. --Yksin 23:12, 13 September 2007 (UTC)

Support

1. Support as nominator. --Fang Aili 02:21, 10 September 2007 (UTC)
2. Support as co-nom. -- Anonymous Dissident 06:30, 10 September 2007 (UTC)
3. SupportSeems like a great editor.Rlevse 18:50, 10 September 2007 (UTC)
4. Support See no reason to oppose. LaraLove♥ 19:00, 10 September 2007 (UTC)
5. Support with enthusiasm. Dreadstar gave us a big assist at Talk:Battle of Washita River by setting up straw polling in our article RfC, which helped enormously towards us developing a consensus & putting an end to a lengthy period of full protection on the article due to edit warring. I was too overwhelmed at the time by all the problems we'd had with that article to figure out how to do a good straw poll, or even to realize that was what we needed, so it was really a huge help. I've also been witness to Dreadstar's communications with one of the other editors involved in the Washita dispute, whose habitual incivility had already resulted in a user-conduct RfC. Dreadstar has had dealings with this editor at the Washita talk page, at Talk:The Holocaust, & on the user's talk page, maintaining a firm but patient & civil demeanor throughout, despite plenty of provocation from the other user. Dreadstar is very well-suited to taking on the additional responsibilities that come with admin-ship. --Yksin 19:17, 10 September 2007 (UTC)
6. Support Good editor, see no major concerns. Pat 19:24, 10 September 2007 (UTC)
7. Support No doubt he will make a good admin. Cheers, :) Dlohcierekim 19:32, 10 September 2007 (UTC)

   Comment Answers to Q5 allayed concerns raised in opposes. Cheers, :) Dlohcierekim 13:15, 11 September 2007 (UTC)

8. Support, per all the reasons stated above, as a proud co-nominator. Phaedriel - 20:00, 10 September 2007 (UTC)
9. Support -- This user will apply the tools intelligently, and appropriately. That's all I ask. --Haemo 20:17, 10 September 2007 (UTC)
10. Support - having become involved in the attempts to unprotect and improve the Battle of Washita River article myself, I can echo Yksin's praises of Dreadstar's conduct, approach, and civility there. Everything I've seen from him makes me confident he has a thorough grasp of WP policies and will apply them fairly and use any new responsibilities wisely. --Miskwito 20:21, 10 September 2007 (UTC)
11. Support You sound familiar. I think we've worked together, and I have no reason to oppose. J-ſtan_Contribs 20:38, 10 September 2007 (UTC)
12. Support. I was recently just looking around at pages, and I saw his name, was curious, and asked why he was not an admin. Stupid question. Dreamy _!$! 20:56, 10 September 2007 (UTC)
13. Support Dreadstar has often helped me in difficult editing situations by giving advice and pointing me to specific policies. I've been impressed with his dedication to Misplaced Pages and learned a LOT from the way he handled the major rewrite of What the Bleep -- an article that had long been contentious and had serious violations of WP:NOR. TimidGuy 21:00, 10 September 2007 (UTC)
14. Support Yeah, of course! Good solid editor with a lovely sense of humour. Scarian 22:16, 10 September 2007 (UTC)
15. Support Good editor, good qualifications, and I trust the noms quite a bit. Jmlk17 22:30, 10 September 2007 (UTC)

    Please assess the nominee, not the nominators. Your trust in the nominators is largely irrelevant to the discussion at hand. - TwoOars (Rev) 13:40, 11 September 2007 (UTC)

    (changed to oppose) We need experienced editors as admins. —AldeBaer 22:41, 10 September 2007 (UTC)

16. Support all the best 22:50, 10 September 2007 (UTC)
17. Support as excellent editor, no problems, will make a good sysop. Bearian 23:05, 10 September 2007 (UTC)
18. Support a serious editor. - Modernist 00:14, 11 September 2007 (UTC)
19. Support a very helpful editor. --Annalisa Ventola _{(Talk | Contribs)} 01:09, 11 September 2007 (UTC)
20. Support Involved in a small way in the What the Bleep... discussions and found Dreadstar to be intelligent, thoughtful, calm, and very helpful in dealing with disputes. olive 02:23, 11 September 2007 (UTC)
21. Support, despite issues raised by oppose comments, I see no reason why not to grant him the bit. ≈ jossi ≈ (talk) 02:46, 11 September 2007 (UTC)
22. First time I've seen something which equates to opposing per edit count >_> Dihydrogen Monoxide 06:30, 11 September 2007 (UTC)

    Nobody is opposing for anything that even vaguely resembles edit count. --JayHenry 16:22, 11 September 2007 (UTC)

    That was part of rspeer's oppose. --Fang Aili 16:44, 11 September 2007 (UTC)

23. Strong Support, I have seen Dreadstar's work in all of the areas he does work in, and I am thoroughly impressed. Sebi 06:55, 11 September 2007 (UTC)
24. Support It is time to give this user the mop. A great editor as well. --Siva1979 07:29, 11 September 2007 (UTC)
25. Support Nice guy and never had a problem working with him. --Nealparr 13:04, 11 September 2007 (UTC)
26. Disagreeing with someone's views on article content is not a valid reason to oppose, in my opinion. I am confident that this user will not abuse the tools in content disputes. Melsaran (talk) 15:22, 11 September 2007 (UTC)
27. Support. It appears below that Wikidudeman is trying to sink this RfA due to personal conflicts with the candidate, which is completely inappropriate and unimpressive. I don't see any reason the candidate could not be trusted with the mop. --Spike Wilbury ♫ talk 15:26, 11 September 2007 (UTC)

    Asserting that my objections are based purely on "personal conflicts" is simply false. While my personal experiences with this candidate are outlined because they are what I'm most familiar with, it isn't the only thing that I bring up in my opposition. Wikidudeman 15:30, 11 September 2007 (UTC)

    You clearly have an axe to grind. Therefore, you have no credibility in this case in my opinion. --Spike Wilbury ♫ talk 15:40, 11 September 2007 (UTC)

    Ignoring the "no credibility" and "axe to grind" comments, I only oppose RFAs when I believe the user in question will either abuse the tools or won't know how to properly use them. I have given sufficient reason to believe this user isn't ready for the admin tools. Wikidudeman 15:53, 11 September 2007 (UTC)

    Spike, even if the basic motivation for Wikidudeman's oppose is a personal conflict with the candidate, automatically disqualifying everything he says seems a bit awkward. —  16:10, 11 September 2007 (UTC)

    While some of my opposition stems from my "expereinces" with the candidate, my opposition is anything but personal. I frequently support RFAs for editors whom I have had previous conflicts with. Though again, Some of my opposition stems from my experiences with the candidate, but other parts of the opposition stems from things the candidate has done which I was not involved in, such as disputes involving edit waring, a block for edit waring, etc. Wikidudeman 16:14, 11 September 2007 (UTC)

28. Support. Good editor. Rfas shouldn't be judged on their editing styles or what they believe in. That's wrong and biased. •Malinaccier• /C 00:29, 12 September 2007 (UTC)

    Editing styles are one of the main things to judge RFA's on. If someones editing style is to edit war, assume bad faith and insult other editors then that is definitely something to judge an RFA on. I agree that "beliefs" are irrelevant. As far as I can tell, No one has opposed him based on his pro-paranormal beliefs. Wikidudeman 00:33, 12 September 2007 (UTC)

    It would be hard to oppose him in any case based on his "pro-paranormal beliefs", as no proof has been given that he holds pro-paranormal beliefs; see for example his answer to your question #6, where he states "I’m not sure about the paranormal, but I have an open mind about it." "Not being sure" about something is not the same as being "in favor" of something. --Yksin 00:38, 12 September 2007 (UTC)

    You seem to be attacking him for believing in something you don't. This doesn't mean that he can't be trusted with the tools, or would be a bad admin. •Malinaccier• /C 23:43, 12 September 2007 (UTC)

    I seem to be attacking him for believing in something which I do not? Please explain how you got that impression. Nowhere in any of my opposition arguments have I opposed him because he believes in something I don't. I'm opposing him because of his previously disruptive editing habits and assumption of bad faith. It has absolutely nothing to do with what he believes about the paranormal. Wikidudeman 01:58, 13 September 2007 (UTC)

29. Support. Editor has been involved in many highly complex and contentious issues on Misplaced Pages, and these have lent themselves to mis-interpretation here. But being so involved or even making mistakes is not a good reason to oppose his candidacy. He seems to be a conscientious and thoughtful editor who is already doing many of the things which admins do. I think he will do well. ——Martin _{(Talk Ψ Contribs)} 00:44, 12 September 2007 (UTC)

    When Dreadstar was defending you on your RfC, I find that he was the first to support many positions that were divisive and not at all conscientious. Here's an example: "The paranormal section is essentially a platform for skeptics to espouse their view of the world, and only a few editors have had the courage to take them on. It is impossible to seek an informed consensus in those articles without being a little aggressive, and the skeptical editors are very good at baiting people into edit wars." I don't think there's much there that can be misinterpreted. rspeer / ɹəədsɹ 04:00, 12 September 2007 (UTC)

    It hinges upon whether the statement is true or false. I don't know you, which means you don't edit paranormal much. To tell you the truth, I wouldn't have believed the statement anything but ranting either, if I hadn't been through it myself. But it looks like your mind is closed on this, if you are willing to say he is not conscientious. ——Martin _{(Talk Ψ Contribs)} 04:21, 12 September 2007 (UTC)

30. Support. Dreadstar is a great vandalfighter, and does much vandal fighting at a time when fewer administrators are available. Whatever may have happened in the past on paranormal topics, I am convinced that enough time has past that he has learned from whatever mistakes he might have made, and would not use his admin powers in these areas. Academic Challenger 07:04, 12 September 2007 (UTC)
31. Support. Looks like he would be a good admin. --PinchasC | £€åV€ m€ å m€§§åg€ 09:22, 12 September 2007 (UTC)
32. Support Slrubenstein | Talk 09:25, 12 September 2007 (UTC)
33. Support per above. Briangotts (Talk) (Contrib) 13:39, 12 September 2007 (UTC)
34. SupportIt sounds like he would be a good admin. Folks below are raising the paranormal stuff, but he has said he would not use admin powers in this area. I think we should take his word for that. Bigglove 16:02, 12 September 2007 (UTC)
35. Support I think the opposers are taking some of the paranormal arguements a bit too far. I think this user can be trusted enough to have adminship. Captain panda 21:08, 12 September 2007 (UTC)
36. Support. I don't particularly care if I agree with Dreadstar's content views or not. He's shown a willingness to learn from his errors and I have no reason to believe he will abuse the bit. This editor fits the bill for me. Vassyana 04:52, 13 September 2007 (UTC)
37. Support Per noms, and above, I see no reason to suspect Dreadstar will abuse sysop. Dureo 04:54, 13 September 2007 (UTC)
38. Support. I have personal experience of Dreadstar encouraging collegial and generous behavior in other users. -- LisaSmall /C 16:50, 13 September 2007 (UTC)
39. Support good user. Acalamari 17:06, 13 September 2007 (UTC)
40. Support. When I first started writing here, Dreadstar (among others) was a very helpful mentor on how to edit articles. I sincerely support Dreadstar. Cosmokazi 01:42, 14 September 2007 (UTC)
41. Support looks like someone who would fit the role. AD 02:39, 14 September 2007 (UTC)
42. Support We need more users like this user. Fully support. Phgao 17:47, 14 September 2007 (UTC)
43. Support The editing environment in Misplaced Pages is a very confrontational, I think, for the very reason we are seeing some of these questions requesting that Dreadstar account for positions he has taken in articles. I do not deny the right for any editor to champion a cause. I do seek to deny the right for an editor to push a point of view at the expense of rational and reasonable debate, as has so often occurred in the paranormal articles. I have seen nothing but the demonstration of respect for Wiki policy from Dreadlock. In my view, he will help bring respect and credibility to Misplaced Pages articles. Tom Butler 21:16, 14 September 2007 (UTC)
44. Support I fully support Dreadstar on the basis of his excellent contributions, as well as for the fact that we badly need an admin with strong knowledge of parapsychology and related areas. - Solar 23:12, 14 September 2007 (UTC)
45. Support - If Phaedriel is co-noming, I can't see that bad attitude would be a problem with Dreadstar. Experience is no issue, either. Anyway, if this paranormal stuff does turn out to be real, Dreadstar, and you are one of the chosen ones, please remember that I supported your RfA and put in a good word for me. Thanks. -- Jreferee 01:51, 15 September 2007 (UTC)
46. Support - I support Dreadstar's nomination for a number of reasons but also with a few concerns - the same concerns I would have about any admin with an interest in the paranormal. The paranormal is one of the areas where wiki has a real problem. There are three competing viewpoints in my opinion, rather than the two normally stated. There are strong believers in the paranormal, there is a middle ground, and there are pseudosceptics. All three are heavily represented on Wiki. In my view Dreadstar occupies the middle ground. Definitley the paranormal leaning side of the middle ground, but the middle ground nonetheless. For this reason I think he is in a good position to be an admin with regard to those subjects in particular (and they are the hardest ones). That is, there has been a recent paranormal arbcom case (although many writing here appear not to have taken on board any of its findings) and it would be good to have someone able to represent those findings accurately in the disputes that will continue on paranormal articles. Thus my support for Dreadstar's nomination. My concern, the same concern I would have about anybody here, is that with regard to paranormal articles on wiki, integrity is paramount. The proof of Dreadstar's integrity would only show in his involvement in disputes after becoming an admin. I have seen nothing to suppose that Dreadstar would not act with integrity but it is clear than admin status has made many here think they are above the law.