To Icantcook: I've been trying to get the word out. For others to know/listen, to see if my child, has been the only one with this problem. Or anyone else had any simliar experiences. No one seems to Care... But a few... So sad. I have asked them to run a Ad for me, refused to. What's up?

Everyone, whom I'm suppose to contact, is just another dead end.... I don't get it?

Figured VISD would care more about there students, then anything else.

Go Figure.

I enjoyed Pilot. I stayed up one night reading years worth of his posts. He was fun.

One other point in question, How is anyone to find out what is going on if the newspaper wont print it and it cant be posted because its POOP

I think pilot is back under a new name, the one with the airplane tail letters, talks just like him. and do remind me not to POOP on anyones rug.

Thanks Exresident. I also encourage you to join our new reader advisory board. This group is a way we can discuss ideas about how we report news, but we can certainly talk about ways to improve our online community. The link is here: http://groups.google.com/group/victor...

If you have problems registering, send me an e-mail at cjcastillo@vicad.com and I'll be happy to assist you. - CJ

Exresident - You bring up some good points concerning how an online community is managed. I really like how the St. Louis Post-Dispatch site, www.stltoday.com, lays out their posting guidelines. We are considering how to incorporate similar guidelines.

Here's a few quotes from their user policy:

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch and STLtoday.com want your participation in our blogs, forums and story comments. At the same time, we can’t have objectionable material on the site. You should also know that we don’t edit or review posts in advance, so we expect your help in policing them using the "report post" links available.

1. We use the Living Room rule (adapted from blogger Shel Israel). If you come into our home and behave rudely to a guest, we'll ask you to stop. If you continue, we'll ask you to leave. Basically, the living room rule means that you should behave as if you're in our living room. Don't monopolize the conversation. Be civil. Don't attack people personally.

2. Pretend your mom is in the room. Messages containing intentionally misleading or false information, defamatory content, threats, verbal abuse, harassment, obscenity or personal information about other individuals are not allowed. And that includes avatars. Offensive avatars will be deleted.

3. Remember, everyone here is a person, just like you. Treat them as you'd want to be treated.

...

8. Don't whine (adapted from Eric Zorn of the Chicago Tribune): Comment control on a our site is not "censorship." Shooing someone from the room is not the same as trying to silence him. Moderation is allowed. And yes, it can and will be subjective. Anyone who follows the first seven guidelines won't have to worry about No. 8.

Hey do you have any idea, what goes on at the Halloween party for the girls? My daughter doesn't even want to go, but says she has too. That they make the younger girls do things, and make fun of them.

I am curious as to what happened to The Pirate In The City blog. Did he retire, quit, or get banned? Seems as though there was another one or two that used to blog frequently as well. Where did they go or did they just loose interest?

Violation!
Violation!

Yet they talk about the football Coaches????

I am the drill team member that was telling my story about how cruel and unfair drill team life can be. I am speaking anonymously because of fear and retaliation. No matter what I post it gets removed . I am hoping that someone in administraton or the school board is aware of what is happening. Maybe they will read this. It is obvious who is controlling and removing these drill team comments. I know it is the director.

Mom98, You need to get out of drill team while you can and before competition season starts because it will get worse. I am sorry you and your daughter have gone through all this. I can honestly say that my daughters did not have to go through any hazing and I know might have gotten yelled at by the director but I only know that was because she was making the same mistake over and over. I have seen this before but i can honestly say the girls were dancing bad and she kept correcting them over and over. Is this not almost the same as or almost as a football coach yelling at the players, or a basketball coach yelling his head off, ugly i might add, during a game. How about the cheerleading coach yelling at the girls? I have heard this before also. How come all these are tolerated by the team players and their parents? Maybe we need to speak up to all these problems and find a solution. I know they yell because they expect more out of these athletes, and they want them to do better. Is this because they wanna win? I know DJ wants perfection from her dancers, after all their performance only shows her ablity to teach. I have seen many good performances but we have also seen some poor ones also. Read this fast but it will probably get pulled.

mom98-
http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/...

only if you exhausted all your local channels. Have you done a grievance? Follow the policy. Level 1 and so on. You have 10 days from the event which is Friday 28.

EXACTLY! If my daughter EVER came home crying from so-called "hazing" or from being bullied, or if I ever witnessed some of the things that this organization has been "accused" of...I would pull my daughter off that team in the blink of an eye and take it up with the person in charge. I wouln't come complain on a blog or resort to name calling..meanwhile all along leaving my daughter on the team that i'm criticizing...that's just poor parenting! If you honestly believe your child's being misstreated, look into it. But don't spread rumors about other children...be an adult about it.

My point was that she's harmless...and I don't understand why people are so scared of her. I wish I had a daughter on that drill team that was being bullied or supposedly being bullied (I don't know if its true or not)...I know I wouldn't be complaining on a website. My @$$ would be causing hell in DJ's office thats for sure. No one is going to mess with my kid and get away with it.

LOL RedRage..

I think your comment being pulled had something to do with a certain someone being pushed into a river.

IDK..can't be sure..just a guess..lol

LOL! My comment was removed and it wasn't even bad.

It's funny how people can chew each other out for all sorts of issues going on in Victoria from Pepper being attacked by a dog to everything else, but once the drill team gets mentioned it gets pulled.....SAD!I don't really care either way, I just think its wrong for the Advocate to censor it when they don't censor anything else.

The "blah blah blah" was for those people who want to scream freedom of speech! I wonder how those same people would feel to have their name or better yet the names of their children slandered in a public forum for all to read? It's one thing to express a concern about the direction of an organization, but it's another to make personal attacks on the young girls and their families.

As far as the "Cat" is concerned.. Don't look at me...the people that destroyed that "poor cat" were
ripping at it long before I had the chance to defend it. So Sad!

"If you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all." --Hmm...now there's words to live by!

sumthin2say

You have all the right answers. Please. like you say blah blah........

So grown-up of you...

Some one should report you to the PETA Police.

That por Cat.

If you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all.

Rosie- all you have to do is use the search engine. Do you remember the title of the blog or the topic of conversation? If so, click in the search box and type that information in. The Advocate website will search thru EVERY word- ever written on it's site- and give you the results your requesting.

I didn't read the thread you're refering to but it's still around! You need to know how to look for it: be "specific" and search a phrase that was written on the blog. Type in part of a comment, word for word, one you remmeber.

Also, if the blog violated the VA's website rules and regulations then they do have the power to "REMOVE" the post. In this case, once you locate it, the link might be removed and not working...

Where did the Blogs go? In the TRASH where they belong! Discussing the personal lives and defacing the character of MINORS on this forum should not be tolerated..and kudos to the Advocate for removing it! Now I know, Names were not given...and free speech...blah blah blah...I get that! HOWEVER, when you start calling out ranks of young girls on a very well known drill team, it doesn't take a genius to figure out who's being talked about. Let's not forget that these are High School girls and they are CHILDREN! Perhaps the people making all the fuss need to grow up and do what adults do...if you have a complaint...make sure you get your facts straight and take it to the appropriate authority. Don't spread rumors on a public forum..your acting no better and no mature than the teenage girls you're whining about!

In one of the removed blogs, the poster wrote, "The cat's outta the bag now!" Are you kidding me?? Do you seriously think you have started something new here? This "Cat" has already been skinned, hung in the window for all to see, and has long since been dead. Try to keep up dear!

Bottom line is this: If you don't like what the drill team or it's directors stand for, then DON'T BE A PART OF IT!! And if you're NOT part of it, then grow up, mind your own business and get a life!

Robert, its sad but correct. and to reply to one of your posts that got pulled, yes family members put on TKB, it originated so that her nephew could make some money, as he provides the bulls. He raises that kind of bull in gonzales. My nephew is a bull rider as was my brother, They never went to any rodeo or competition where the eent paid for their hotel rooms and meals. But then this town is full of rarities at best.

all drill team blogs will get pulled

when people start asking too many questions, phone calls are made

so you'll let certain posters constantly attack other posters, yet if people start sharing stories and asking questions about the drill team, that gets pulled ?

hahahaha

The drill team blog was removed because the director has henchman to watch it for her and she has and I quote "a very close freind at the Advocate who will do anything she asks"

The comments about the appraisal district are still on the site. You have only to look for Matt Ocker's blog.

As for the drill team, we don't consider this to be a constructive conversation for our forum. Perhaps you might be better off discuss this with the principal or a school board member.

information is the currency to democracy. the good and the bad.

The Pot was to full!

I unequivocally agree with what you have to say. We are subject to censorship at it's worst. The point of a blog is to have those interested in the subject matter bring their facts and/or opinions to the table for discussion. Every post that I have had the "right" to read, which was unjustly removed, thus far has had no unfavorable decorum. It is my interpretation that there are political issues brought up that frighten those who have control of the press, and have a vested interest in keeping things quite. Where is our first amendment right: “freedom of speech and that of press (to publish it)”. Who should we be pointing the finger at? Should we come together, collectively, and take a stand against such communistic antics.
Strong issues like that of the unexplained disparities in Victoria property tax assessments are paramount for all those affected. Why are being held at bay? Inquiring minds want to know….. Chris