Nothing I posted was out of context but I guess if Inks says it enough, it becomes the truth.
I think we've all compared the Forum to a dictatorship before. Let's expand that analogy a bit...
The Atlas Forum is a benevolent dictatorship, ultimately ruled over by a benevolent dictator (Dave Leip) who is hands-off to the point that even his direct subordinates don't easily have access to him.
The government officials in this dictatorship (i.e. the moderators) fall into four categories -- Some (Tender, Ernest) are pure technocrats; some (Joe Republic, Al) use their power merely as a licence to wreak havoc without fear of retribution; some (Emsworth is the poster child for this category) have entirely departed the country; and some (mostly Inks) are tyrants of the worst sort.
Freedom of speech does not exist -- not because of the dictator himself, but because of his subordinate tyrants. Citizens who aggravate the moderators too much (jmfcst, Teddy) are simply banished. And as Phil astutely remarked, the moderators' words are taken as gospel by an ignorant, apathetic populace.
Poll
