You are correct, and I'll provide the additional detail with another example.

There are a few outspoken members who have contributed heavily in the past and naturally find themselves in Contribution Limbo at present. I will adamantly toss the gauntlet at Nokia for this because I continue to believe that their hardware and software release schedules are counterproductive and even suicidal in a business sense (having worked there I can tell you with certainty that Nokia employees on the tail end of any release schedule are just as frustrated as you all are-- maybe more so). So they have a natural pent-up desire to DO SOMETHING with possibly no real outlet at present. This needs to be understood by council members when they respond to posts borne of frustration.

Ultimately it matters not how much power the council really has-- the perception creates its own reality. And when a given council member persistently beats up on a poster here for daring espouse a critical opinion that flies in the face of established dogma that goes well beyond what is acceptable IMO.

If anything, council representatives should be working to ensure protection against member abuse, NOT participating in it.

I'm not pulling that allegation out of thin air. If anyone wants hard examples, I can find them.

Back to my children... even as teens they're still blaming the victim when there's controversy. It's always the other guy who starts it. But conversation is 50-50; each particpator bears the responsibility for 1) making themselves clear, 2) actively listening to the other party, and 3) leaving quick judgment out of the exchange.

The council is a great idea. I'll bet no one remembers I championed the concept looong ago. It's just got off to a rough start in some ways and it loks like some leadership training would benefit a couple of members.

Bottom line: we need to allow and even foster dissent as long as it is well-reasoned and well-intended. Quit shutting down people like Penguinbait. I admit I used to have issues with him too, but every community needs a broad spectrum of input/feedback and if nothing else he represents one helluva devil's advocate when it's needed. Use that, learn from it, direct the energy to its best use-- DON'T clamp down on it. Try tolerance for a change.