An Open Letter to @uyobong and @steemchurch Members
An Open Letter to @uyobong and @steemchurch Members
My name is Paul Savage and my Steemit username is @quillfire. And, I am a Member of the Power House Creatives (Steemitbloggers).
As a younger man, I spent five years in the Legion Etrangere (French Foreign Legion) and a significant amount of that time was spent in countries throughout Africa.
As a soldier, I was instructed in, and readily internalized, the Military Code of Honor.
Inherent in that Honor Code is the belief that "Even in War, there must be Rules" ... and that those Rules are to govern one's manner of comportment.
In the present @theycallmedan 20,000 STEEM Delegation Contest, the Power House Creatives are, again, being frustrated by the fact that their primary competitor is engaging in rampant vote-buying/selling. In this present contest, that it your organization, @steemchurch.
Following the "voting irregularities" that occurred in the prior @theycallmedan 10,000 STEEM Delegation Contest, in which the Power House Creatives placed second, "voting filters" were put in place in an effort to ensure a fairer follow-up Contest. And yet, Steemit's perennial problem with cheating has simply morphed, employing techniques that the filters cannot detect.
@crypto.piotr, Wallet Spam & "Upvotes for dPoll-Votes"
Upon the announcement of the 20,000 STEEM Delegation Contest, the Power House Creatives' Commander-In-Chief, @jaynie, and our Second-In-Command, @zord189, were contacted by @crypto.piotr who was offering a deal: He would Wallet Spam hundreds, if not thousands, of Venezuelans and other Steemians from poor countries, offering them compensation in exchange for dPoll Votes.
In payment for his services, upon winning the 20,000 STEEM Delegation, the Power House Creatives would delegate to him, 1,000 STEEM. A kick-back.
In any system based upon "voting," vote-buying/selling is the very definition of corruption. Ethically, one cannot help but wonder if the immorality of the undertaking is not magnified by the fact that it seeks to exploit the "poorest amongst us" ... turning them into, quite literally, "penny-whores."
@jaynie and @zord189 turned him down. @steemchurch, apparently, did not.
Out of respect for the religious nature of your organization, I will refrain from including pictures (screenshots) that "speak a thousand words."
Of My Code, and Yours
I will not presume to instruct you upon the morality inherent in Biblical teachings, but would merely proffer that, like the Military Code of Honor, religions instruct their followers to uphold Moral Rules of Conduct.
Nothing about blockchain technology or cryptocurrencies has in any way effected the manner in which the Military Code of Honor constrains my behavior, and I doubt that they ought to effect the way that your Code constrains yours. Indeed, you seem to be inherently aware of the problem at hand as articulated in your recent post:
CAUTION TO VOTERS – PLEASE ADHERE TO VOTING RULES ON 20K DELEGATION POLL
During a personal audit on the votes cast on the 20k delegation poll courtesy of @Theycallmedan, I observed that some users in their dire desire to support the @Steemchurch did not observe the voting rules and qualification criteria set for voters. While, I appreciate their support for @Steemchurch but, I, as a Priest of @Steemchurch do sound this alert and caution to them as well as voters in the future and hereby state that ...
Given the scale of what's going on, that's a bit of an understatement ... but I appreciate the sentiment.
@uyobong and my friends at @steemchurch: Let there be Honor in Victory, so that there may be Honor in Defeat.
If the Power House Creatives had engaged in such systemic vote-buying/selling, I would now be publicly calling for them to disqualify themselves from the Contest as condition of my continued Membership.
I expect no less from the Members of @steemchurch.
Sincere Regards
Paul Savage@quillfire
Member, The Power House Creatives
I must truly appreciate you @Quillfire for this tag and the courage to air out your views about the on-going 20k delegation poll by @Theycallmedan. I hope, you, the entire @Steemitbloggers community and the entire #steem users would find time to read through this response:
I would advice that you do your best to win the heart of #steem users to vote for your community and dissuade from attacking the character of others. I will be glad to have you share your purported screenshots.
Fro me, #steem is a family, whether @steemchurch or @steemitbloggers earn 20k delegation, it is for the good of #steem users in as much as it would be used judiciously for the growth of the system.
In all, The arms of @steemchurch are wide open to accept every #steem users (even you and @steemitbloggers members), to share our love and freedom NOW and after the polls.
Thank you.
Yours in the fight for Freedom via #steem blockchain,
@Uyobong
Priest of @Steemchurch
Dear @uyobong
Full respect for this very mature and polite reply. Seriously getting to know people like you, @sirknight and @emiliocabrera was worth the trouble that we're all going through now.
Cheers
Piotr
You remain an amazing person here on #steem. Like @Sirknight said, you'll go far.
@uyobong,
Thank you for your comment.
So as to avoid redundancy, I would refer you to my comments made in response to your fellow @steemchurch member, @liltom002, elsewhere in these comments.
Quill
Dear Paul,
This matter has been acknowledged and addressed by our organisation on multiple occasions.
Whilst this Knight is enjoying the banter surrounding this friendly, inter-community competition, he did fear that some might take it too seriously. Unfortunately friend - you have taken it more seriously than all others.
This Knight does not appreciate your tone or the manner in which you have escalated this issue. And bringing into question the integrity of the SteemChurch is reprehensible.
When all is said and done friend, you had better hope that all your votes are legitimate. One should only ever claim the moral high-ground, if they themselves are free of sin.
Posted using Partiko Android
I have been oblivious about this drama until just now.
Then I went to my wallet and had five different deposits from members asking for support and a vote of the steemchurch community for this delegation.
Up until the first delegation contest from @theycallmedan, I had never heard nor seen the steemchurch tag or page.
I believe people, whether at their job and up for review for a raise, looking for support or whatever the circumstances in life are should be rewarded for their integrity, work ethic and performance; not by bribing, infiltrating someone else's space or requesting such things.
I belong to quite a few communities and groups on steemit who are ALL asking members to support, rally for and vote for their communities; which I believe puts many people in a position of picking their favorite.
Being a mother of three, that's like asking me to pick which child is my favorite.
@goldendawne,
I am a strong advocate of Meritocracy.
The reason is simple: In any competitive system, of which Steemit is one, there must be some method of justifying the distribution of rewards.
Steemit has "Limited Resources," that is, it's Reward Pool CANNOT provide everyone with a "material reward" without dramatically increasing the Money Supply (printed money) and thereby triggering massive inflation ... and the collapse of the currency's price.
And so, there will inevitably be a hierarchy. All throughout Nature and other human-created systems, we see a phenomenon called the Pareto Principle. In effect, the square root of the number of participants will create half the outcomes and generate half the rewards. Hence, out of a group of 100 people, one would expect 10 SuperStars to generate 50% of the Great Content and receive 50% of the Payouts.
In more than three years, Steemit has not managed to create a single SuperStar.
Why not?
I would proffer that it's because the Curation System meant to identify and compensate such individuals is castrated. It is castrated by game-rigging that instead diverts compensation to one vote-buying/selling mechanism or another.
This is not sustainable. Steemit has "gotten away with murder" for this long because it had an effective monopoly ... no competition. THAT will change. When it does, there will be Hell to pay if reforms are not soon enacted.
Quill
Ignorance is not an argument goldendawne.
A little bit of research would reveal that SteemChurch is one of the largest and longest running communities on Steem.
SirKnight.
Posted using Partiko Android
@quillfire, in regards to my position, I was also nominated for the
competition by @sc-v, "Steemchurch Venezuela", parish of the great Steemchurch, of course all the vows went to the mother church, in the midst of so many words, here is only one problem: the love of the tangible, the power, root of all evils, it will be because the gospel that I preach is the one that I live, if in my hands I had the option of giving a winner, maybe I would give it to their community, there are some words that I like very much that Jesus spoke; "If someone takes off your cloak, also leave the robe," I've seen all kinds of comments here, all of them I leave this reflection:
Maybe because I live in Venezuela and I come from the streets of pain, of misery, of hunger, that this seems so superficial, so absurd, there are so many problems, so much suffering, and taking the time to argue for a delegation, it is a a scenario that I will never contemplate, it will be that I have worked so much, and I have lost positions that, as you think, perhaps correspond to me, but there is a place that no one can occupy and that is what we have in the heart of God, God's plans are unstoppable in We, when we are connected to the source of the blessing, do not need anything else, I can deliver everything now, and sure that tomorrow I will recover twice as much.
"And indeed, I still esteem all things as a loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus, my Lord, for whose sake I have lost everything, and I consider it as rubbish, to win Christ"
Philippians 3: 7
The world needs to change, and we aim at all, governments, companies, communities, money, but we never look at what we have inside, "the heart", and that the change must begin by ourselves, today a child with cancer died , if this delegation would have saved his life, he would be in the line of battle, in contention for it, nothing is worth more than life, it is a divine gift that we must take care of, the rest is temporary, it comes and goes.
It is unfortunate what happened!
Dear @sc-v
I never had a chance to "talk to you before" and we surely do not know each other (yet).
I can only sympathize with you as I'm in close touch with many of "your people" and I learned to respect regular Venezuelans.
Yours
Piotr
I sent a return memo to @crypto.piotr this morning, pointing him in the direction of the FAQs relating to Spam and Abuse.
I suspect most aren't aware that wallet-spamming links is on the list of donts.
@abh12345,
Thanks mate.
I've actually had substantial interaction with @crypto.piotr prior to this Contest and I believe him to be a good guy trying to do a good thing. Indeed, despite my obvious involvement with Power House Creatives (SteemitBloggers), I nominated him with mine and my daughter's account so that he'd have a chance at receiving 1,000 STEEM (the 19 teams that don't win the 20,000 STEEM Delegation still receive a 1,000 STEEM Delegation as consolation).
But I cannot condone his actions in this Contest.
In our numerous interactions, I wrote extensively about the deleterious effects of vote buying/selling upon the blockchain. Those deleterious effects Do Not disappear because you do it in the name of a noble cause. The ends do not justify the means.
That said, the critique in my Open Letter is not meant to be personal.
Quill
Hi
That's kind of you to support his nomination, I hope good choices are made by the contest owner and other voters.
Hopefully the words of encouragement from various parties will see a change in tact going forward.
Cheers
Asher
@abh12345,
Well said.
Quill
Dear @quillfire
I've read so many of your comments which are targeting my "good name" and discrediting me openly.
Would you mind at least backing up those accusations? It's really very painful that you guys decided to target me and few others for nothing else but sending mass memos.
I fully understand that this method of reaching out to people is not welcomed by everyone, but that is not reason strong enough to claim that I had anything to do with buying votes on this dpoll.
I really hope we can finally clear the air and move on. I regret taking part of this contest.
Regards
Piotr
Dear @abh12345, @quillfire
I received your link and it is obvious to me right away, that you do not want to be bothered with this method of communication. I respect that and I won't send you memos again in the future.
Personally I can hardly see the difference in reaching out to someone by sending memo (as this is very common here on Steemit, most of us are receiving few spam memos daily from bots) or mentioning same people within one post (like others did). After all in both cases result is very similar.
It would be great if Steemit would allow people to build their audience efficiently. But reality is that there are no tools that would allow people to become noticed. Sending memos is the only time-efficient way of doing it. That is sad reality.
Thank you again for sharing this link with me. If one day I will realize that witnesses and whales (using their bots) stopped any activity that looks like "spam" then I will follow their steps. So far they are giving very opposite example.
Yours
Piotr
I had no idea that this was what was going on.. It is quite depressing really. Anyway, we do what we can with our own personal honour and it is impossible to have others live by our own personal code...
@bengy,
One Man, cannot give another Man - Honor,
Nor, may another take it away,
Honor, and Dishonor ... is something we do for ourselves.
Quill
Dear @bengy
I also had no idea that this is what was going on. I've learned just yesterday that apparently I'm paying people so they would vote on @steemChurch (community which I just got to know).
Personally I found it shocking how easily it is to discredit someone, without backing it up with even one single proof.
I replied in full details to @quillfire
https://steemit.com/steemchurch/@crypto.piotr/re-quillfire-an-open-letter-to-uyobong-and-steemchurch-members-20190228t030326314z
It's really very saddening to experience all those accusations. And Knowing that none of it is true doesnt help much. Damage is already done.
Yours
Piotr
I know three things about human nature:
The only thing this post really proves is that these three things are true. It seems that #steemitbloggers is entering the home stretch with a leg up. I hope they win, not because of any of the three truths about human nature, and not because I am one of them, but simply because I like they what they do.
Love your 3 things blockurator!
Why thank you, @sirknight. Now, go and sin no more! ;-)
Honestly? I would highly recommend that @theycallmedan doesn't run this again. It was hard enough for @steemitbloggers the first time. I feel sorry for everyone working hard to get the votes, when people are bribing to get them. It's silly political rubbish. Sure, I'd love @homesteaderscoop to win, because they're the underdog, but I dont want to risk friendships over it, and I dont want to get messed up in this kinda stuff. xxx
@naturalmedicine,
I hear you.
But here's the thing: The blockchain is dispirited and has extremely low morale. Initiatives like those of @theycallmedan have the potential to re-energize the lethargic.
But they are for naught so long as cheating is tolerated.
So, how can one stop the cheating? Not with filters (although the current filters helped). You solve it with a sentence:
"... and I reserve the right to disqualify, it whole or in part, any Participant engaged in improper conduct including, but not limited to, vote buying/selling."
That's it. Problem solved.
Satoshi's Dream was that some magical system of algorithms could be concocted that would remove the need for human involvement ... and human discretion. And so, the world of cryptocurrencies has become obsessed with ideological bromides and empty platitudes to justify what is, on its face, ridiculous: "Quality is subjective."
Really?
You can't tell the quality difference between me singing vs Elvis? Yes, we could legitimately argue who was better, Elvis or The Beatles ... but my vocal renditions will not be part of the discussion. And, whether Elvis or The Beatles ultimately prevails at the Top of Trending, who cares? Can anyone argue that they weren't both Great? Let people quibble about their relative greatness ... but get them both into Trending so that the quibbling can begin.
Or ... we could settle for Quill Croons because I was the highest bidder.
Quill
Thanks @quillfire - sorry about that comment under the NM account - it's @riverflows, by the way! Vote buying/selling has happened in every group going for the 25 K I imagine. Even I offered votes to those who'd vote - shameful, I know. It's a kinda desperate scrabbling for... something. But what?
Let's go back to proper engagement for the sake of enagement instead of dog fighting over votes. Dreaming, I know.... xxx
As usual @quillfire - very wise comment.
Seriously more I read your comments, more I believe that you didn't intend purposely to discredit me and other people from our community.
Your good and mature intentions are really clear and it made me believe even more, that current tension and unfair accusations are caused simply by some sort of "misinformation".
Truly yours
Piotr
Dear @naturalmedicine
I fully agree. Experience I received during this contest and especially after it's over is quite saddening and I start to wonder if it was worth participating in that competition.
That's unfortunatelly how rumors are spreading :( To my knowledge absolutely noone (including me) bribed anyone to get a vote. I would have to be millionair to be able to bribe people to vote on someone's else community. So please let me reassure you, that this claim is nothing but "warfare" focused on discrediting opponents. Which is strategy often practiced during competitions. But not ... after.
Very wise.
Yours
Piotr
Question: About the poll. Isn't a delegation to the winner essentially a gift award? There is no contractual obligation to deliver the reward, right?
With delegation it isn't really the same as handing somebody $10,000 cash in a suitcase. It's more like letting them borrow the car. If they take bad care of the car before the vacation is over, you can take the keys away early.
The only thing is it looks a bit low when somebody ducks out of the promised contest reward they offered. Wouldn't people understand if it was revealed the reward recipient earned it unjustly, or used it for purposes the delegator does not want to be maligned with?
@creativetruth,
Ironically, there is a great deal of Honor involved.
Yes, you are right ... there is nothing, pragmatically, stopping a Contest Sponsor from reneging upon their allocated delegation. It's a matter of Goodwill.
The irony is that the beneficiaries of this Honor System are obtaining the benefits, dishonorably. You send the bad guys to Heaven, and the good guys to Hell.
Somehow, our society has managed to parlay itself into stupidity with the mantra, "Don't Judge Me!" Are truth-tellers not to be elevated over liars? The loyal over traitors? The honorable over the dishonorable?
Of necessity, human beings are judgment-making machines. Indeed, it is one of our primary survival advantages. Being able to accurately distinguish friend from foe is a matter of life and death. And yet, all this baloney ... despite the obvious evidence to the contrary ... about there being no way to distinguish between the truth and a lie, the fair and the unfair or quality vs crap. Everything's subjective.
Personally, being a fellow morally comfortable with using the brain that I've been given (on the assumption that that's what it's there for), I don't lose much sleep over elevating the noble while castigating the cretin.
Quill
Take a bow, sir. Well done Mr. Savage.
@dandays,
I'm glad you approve.
There was debate within PHC about whether we should say anything at all. No one wanted to look like "sour grapes." But it's not "sour grapes" to point out obvious malfeasance. Steemit has a huge "cheating problem" and if even religious groups cannot play fair, then the blockchain really is in trouble.
Besides, even in Heaven ... there are Angels who carry swords. Anyone who believed I would sit by and say nothing doesn't know me very well.
BTW ... stop calling me "Mr. Savage."
Quill or Paul ... you pick.
Quill
This is what I would like to see in light of these accusations. I think you should post them so we can see what you are seeing.
Dear @fitinfun
Personally I found it shocking how easily it is to discredit someone, without backing it up with even one single proof.
I replied in full details to @quillfire
https://steemit.com/steemchurch/@crypto.piotr/re-quillfire-an-open-letter-to-uyobong-and-steemchurch-members-20190228t030326314z
It's really very saddening to experience all those accusations. And Knowing that none of it is true doesnt help much. Damage is already done.
Yours
Piotr
¡What tha fuck! @quillfire. I'm in shock that the folks of PHC even thought on start a debate among their members about whether you should say anything at all about these shenanigans going on.
I mean, ¡Wadda Fuck!
Nobody should ever abstain to slam their voices LOUD enough denouncing wherever & whenever a fault playing is taking place whatever it can be.
Good call Mr. Savage. By now, everyone must be well aware of who my friend quillFIRE really is and what he's able to do against malfeasances. };)
Cheers!!
@por500bolos,
Thanks mate. In fairness, this was not an easy call.
The "sour grapes effect" is a real thing. We live in a "Victim Culture" and the world is filled with people moaning about why they aren't winning, and people get tired of it. I know I do.
But at some point, one has to call a spade a spade.
"Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me."
Quill
¡Yep! I understand pretty well, loud and clear what you are affirming here mate.
But as for "Sour grapes effect" & "Victim Culture" moaning, ¿Who really gives a rat ass at these heights of the game?
Never be afraid to pivot and walk away of the busiest road. Don't even give a second thought to what you consider fair at a given moment. No matter there is no signboard pointing the right way or any tag available to stick on you back.
Always do what your consciousness dictates that it must be done. ;)
Dear @por500bolos
Personally I found it shocking how easily it is to discredit someone, without backing it up with even one single proof.
I replied in full details to @quillfire
https://steemit.com/steemchurch/@crypto.piotr/re-quillfire-an-open-letter-to-uyobong-and-steemchurch-members-20190228t030326314z
It's really very saddening to experience all those accusations. And Knowing that none of it is true doesnt help much. Damage is already done.
Yours
Piotr
Dear @crypto.piotr.
Nobody can discredit no one while you (or anyone else for that matter) have the intellectual resources & capabilities to show clearly the evidences and prove beyond any doubt that their positions, beliefs (or suspicions) are an irrevocable and ultimate truth. So, in my not so humble opinion, no damage has been already done to anybody whatsoever.
Therefore, each word, advice and recommendation that I've already said to @quillfire is absolutely valid also for you to apply.
Never ever be afraid to raise your voice to tell 'your' truth no matter what. And never ever fear to pivot and walk away of the busiest road to prove that.
The concrete evidences and the logical reasoning will always accompany and will be on the side of the most forceful truth. (Until an even more forceful truth demonstrates otherwise.) };)
Cheers!!
Dear @por500bolos
I think we may see it differently. I was already approached be few users asking me about those accusations. Few did contact me. But how many people out there will never reach out to me and I will never have a chance to "clear my name"?
Of course I'm not really upset and I don't want to make this dramma even worse. There is very little I can do anyway.
The problem is not so much about "telling your truth". The problem is the fact, that there is no way I could reach out to hundreds of people who read those accusations and hearing my name will always bring only negative emotions. That cannot be repair.
It's a heavy blow for someone like me, who invested tons of hours in building my presence on this platform. And regardless if any evidence of my "crime" of buying votes will be displayed or will not - damage is indeed done already.
Hope you can see it from my angle?
Anyway thank you for sharing your opinion. I always value the fact that you're so very responsive.
Yours
Piotr
I can understand that we may see it differently. Mostly, because you are still a youngster and I am already a pretty old cranky chap.
"Clear your name"? Repair your "crime"? ¿Who really cares? ¿What crime? ¿Why the heck you should have to pay a rat ass to a bunch of unknows about what they can claim or think of you?
Oh yeah... because you are a 'marketing guy' who his actions mostly move on those 'marketing waters' and credibility is an utmost asset in those activities. ¿Right?
Again, tit for tat. You should only care for what's valuable and I mean it ¡VALUABLE! for you regardless of people's opinion. "Who owes nothing fears nothing"
And gradually everyone in due time eventually will find the truth. Meanwhile, you will have learned new things and will be doing other things way ahead of them.
But yeah, I'm well aware that it will still take you a while to 'stumbleupon' my singular and old fashioned point of view. :)
Dear @por500bolos
Wow. Thanks for those words :) Lately I turned 40 and I kind of stopped feeling like a youngster a long while ago.
I care.
And I really believe that most people would care.
As a matter of fact, knowing life most people would open a lawsuit knowing that those false accusations = easy money.
People are different. Some will care, some will not :)
Thanks again for your comment.
Cheers
Piotr
nice