[pnoon]

As an admin, I'll make a couple of comments here - for better or for worse.

1) RG means doodly-squat. Giving/getting - get over it. It means nothing. There are outstanding members here who have low RG. There are members here who have a way over-inflated RG. Bottom line. RG/rep is a way to communicate privately. Nothing more. Nothing less.

2) Doug - I'm not going to address the comments and feedback you received. That will only stir the pot. However, the thread you originally posted was perilously close to being against the rules. Discussing shipping practices of Cuban cigars is not permitted. Period. Your thread caught the attention of the admin team from the get go. We decided to leave it be and just observe. This is a perfect example of how we as mods/admins are damned if we do and damned if we don't. If we had shut it down immediately, we would have been criticized for being heavy handed. By letting it go, it went south and caused all sorts of grief for everyone.

3) As to who has or hasn't been a "jerk" in this whole mess is not factual but an opinion that is as differing as the answer to "what box of cigars should I buy?". Everyone involved has some accountability.

Understand that my post here is not personal but just a statement of how this played out.