Kickas.org Forums Ankylosing Spondylitis General Discussion #1 AS Web Support Group I was a bit upset earlyer

Hi, Kevin:



We trade upon the currency of ideas, and nobody--even You --should feel any reservation about posting their ideas, opinions, complaints, venting, or outright churlish humor, but even conspiracy theories (we take notes of who is crazy--and who needs to be watched...) constitute acceptable speech.

The problem is, we should not expect not to hear dissent here or arguments or assertions that we do not like or agree with; it is the very nature of this place.

Someone came her with other expectations and was disappointed. It happens. The price was right (...the cost of one admission is your mind--Joe Byrd) and perhaps there is somewhere a better forum, more suitable to their needs.

We are in business to help people with AS in any way possible, but the reason KickAS exists (both in the first place and to this day) is to offer information that very many people with AS do not even want to hear about.

Although we sometimes have our battles, these have been important and we have all learned quite a bit from each other--not by being ever-so-cute and agreeable Teletubbies but sometimes playing devil's advocates--or even devils.

When this site is exorcised of its devils, and is neither hot nor cold, it will properly be spat out!



I'm sure the the vast majority of members appreciate their physicians and do not ascribe any evil profit motive to them, but the sad fact is that these chronic diseases are not very well addressed or even diagnosed by so many of them.

The stories are countless here of physicians making things worse, but even in some of the most egregious of these stories, there was certainly not a conscious effort on the part of any physician to do more harm than good. Most of us do not believe the physicians' goal is to keep us sick--to keep us coming back for more of the same. But it is we patients, we voters, legal clients, and congregation members who put our trust over and over again in things that do not have any hope of working, or that have never worked for very long--if at all--in times past.

We, as patients, are just never told of the long-term impact of things we are programmed to rely upon. At one time, the side-effects were not thoroughly enough studied--well, THAT is not the doctors' fault.

And our members remain all too keenly aware of the pharmaceutical cover-ups like with a drug many of us relied upon--VIOXX. Was there enough of a conspiracy there? Who really knows the truth?

And another point of concern about not being a moderator or administrator. We mods and admins are usually just ordinary members when we post. I have only on very rare occasion (in fact ONE that I can remember) posted in official capacity; Your posts carry just as much authority as mine or any other mod or admin.

I appreciate Your concern that we might not be treating every new person here with enough support, but as a group we do try, as You just have.

Keep up the Good Work,
John