Quote Originally Posted by Iratus ranunculus View Post
There is a question of post-deletion which I see has happened with some of those by one named Crotalus (my roommate for the summer, and collaborator). If the posts were deleted for TOS violations, accidentally or through computer glitch (board reverting to backups or something) then that is one thing. Deleting them for the purposes of censoring is another and even if legal and within one's rights as admin/staff/mod is not morally OK. It would be nice if that was clarified. He is standing over my shoulder wondering where his posts went.
I deleted the posts between Crotalus and Paul (one of our moderators) because none of the posts were constructive or contributed anything to the discussion of the issue at hand. There is no legal question and I have complete discretion to remove posts that are not even vaguely on topic - the posts were silly.

Regarding your other points - I actually agree with you for the most part, though frankly I think you give herpetologists and zoos far greater praise than they deserve. Most zoo personnel know what they need to know to look after the animals in their care, and that's about it. There are exceptions (I am friends with a few) but zoos pay very little and therefore rarely recruit people who are at the top of their game.

Regarding scientists, as a research scientist with a PhD, a considerable list of research publications in peer reviewed journals, as well as other publications outside of my research but related to amphibians, and having worked in several countries, I can tell you that again, most scientists have relatively little knowledge beyond their own research focus, and state bodies do not pay enough to have many knowledgeable and experienced scientists at their disposal. Don't get me wrong, I truly wish you were correct in your view of scientists - that would be a nice country in which to live.