On Sunday June 15 we became aware that a Member here, Brian Cope (bcgamecock), who had been in an ongoing internet argument with other Members on one of our forums, had emailed our Sponsors claiming that...well here is a copy of his email...
From: Brian Cope <briancope@ftc-i.net>
To: <OUR SPONSORS EMAIL OMITTED>
Subject: Advertising on SCDUCKS
Date: Sat, 13 Jun 2009 14:22:01 -0400
I noticed you are an advertiser on the SCducks.com website. Have you happened to look at any of the posts on that site? They make a lot of vile, racial, crude, and obscene remarks about other Americans who don't agree with them politically. I guess that is what free speech is all about, and I've decided to look at that website no further, but I sure do refuse to support companies who help them put their hate-speech out there by sponsoring a website with such vitriol.
The Membership at SCDUCKS is made up of outdoor enthusiasts from all walks of life and represent people from every race, color, and creed. We wouldn't have it any other way. Mr. Cope, a representative of another outdoor related website (which he fails to mention in his emails to our Sponsors) took it upon himself to lash out at the site after failing to gain support for whatever his argument was. The owners of this site promote the healthy exchange of ideas, opinions, and have never sought to stifle any points of view. In fact, it is the debating of ideas that makes the website interesting in the first place. If everyone had the same opinions, what would be the point?
Mr. Cope, apparantly unable to cope with the idea that he wasn't able to produce an argument or opinion that was accepted by those debating him, chose the low road and tried to hurt the website, our business, instead. Never once did Mr. Cope contact the owners, moderators, or admininstrators of SCDUCKS to discuss his dissatisfaction with the website. Instead he chose to post on the site, promote his own fishing tournament on the site, and use the site like anybody else.
SCDUCKS isn't a political website and we, the owners, don't espouse any particular allegiance to any political party, nor are we registered to one. Our site is aimed at the great outdoors and that is where out passions lay. With members from 28 states, many countries, and all walks of life, we are bound to have discussion on every topic one can think of. Politics, religion, or how to make a proper catfish stew can all bring about heated debate as the proponents of one method or the other argue for their side. And yet, at the end of the day, the Members line up on the same side of the issues that brought us together in the first place. Waterfowling, Conservation, and Sportsmanship.
Despite the few malcontents like Mr. Cope, the site continues to grow. We regularly garner over 18 million hits per month making us, by far, the largest state specific outdoor related website on the net, and in the top 10 in waterfowl related websites in the U.S. based on hits per month.
I have no doubt that Mr. Cope posting as bcgamecock would still be posting today had we not revoked his membership privlidges. Even after claiming to our Sponsors that he was so shocked by the website that he would "look at that website no further", he continued reading, posting on, and "looking at" SCDUCKS on a daily basis.
We here at SCDUCKS are proud of our diversity and will not allow those who wish for everyone to bend to their ideals to change the way we do business at all. It is true that this site is kept free to our membership by the support of our fine Sponsors and we appreciate each and every one of them. However, Sponsors or no, we will not allow people such as Mr. Cope to tell our Members how they should think, feel, or act. SCDUCKS will be here long after the likes of this scalawag are forgotten...
Bookmarks