Grimalkin:
This is not the first time that he's stepped over the line, and it will not be the last. I certainly do think that using one's position and authority to intimidate a citizen who has committed no infraction does indeed warrant a recall.
That is a judgement call, and one I truly did not take lightly. TNP wants the SC to police endotarters. The region expects us to be on top of it, and put a stop to any possible takeover attempts. On the whole, SC members get nervous when nations tart up the region. It cannot be denied that sometimes tarters are up to no good. From way, way back, the impulse has usually been "ban 'em."
Part of my role, both as delegate and SC member has been engaging endotarters in a dialogue to help them understand how things work around here. It has saved dozens of nations from the likelihood of being ejected or banned. Other TNP delegates and SC members have done the same thing. Some of us are more patient than others. Pas' communications with tarters was quite heavy-handed. However, it was not effective. Over the next few weeks Newmist's endo count continued to rise until he was a few endorsements short of surpassing the VD. At that point, Pas wasn't the only one recommending a ban.
I had to consider, what harm did Newmist suffer? Was he actually ejected or banned for tarting? How intimidated was he? He did not actually stop tarting until my second or third TG when I spelled out for him exactly what was going down. This was weeks after Pas' message. Maybe I intimidated him?
You see, I have an issue with the notion of "committed no infraction." When does an endotarter commit an infraction? Since we handle situations on a case-by-case basis, it is always a judgement call. I suppose we could just sit back and wait for a tarter to pass up the VD, then slap a ban on him. I guess that's what goes on in other GCRs. I just think it is preferable for the SC or delegate to try to TG tarters before it gets to that point.
But the bottom line for me was that Pas' sole intent was to protect the delegacy. Once Newmist declined to respond to Elu's initial TG, I think Pas was truly concerned for the safety of the region. For me, that dedication outweighs a couple of overzealous and possibly premature TGs to tarters. You cannot deny he is a SC member for whom security is job #1.