I fully understand where you're coming from, and am in discussion with the moderating team and admins to see what we can do about the entire 'spam to 50' situation as a whole. I have suggested perhaps having one or two mega-threads that will be tolerated as long as people leave the actual discussion threads spam-free. When we have direction on that we will let people know. The captcha can be quite difficult at times (I had to go through captcha hell myself with this new account so I can definitely empathise with members who don't appreciate it) but it is an unfortunate necessity to combat spambots. There are many programs available that can defeat captchas with ever-increasing accuracy and having it on a lower difficulty would negate the reason for having a Newbie forum in the first place as the spambots could hit 50 posts in a matter of seconds. I also understand what you're saying about this not being explained to new members; I will see when we receive direction about the spam issue if it is appropriate to place a Sticky informing them as to the reasons they are restricted to this forum. I spent the majority of my time helping members out from my previous forum identity and appreciate the others who take the time to do so as well. However you are right, it is not your job to do it - however the contribution that older members make is essential to a well formed community. I will attempt to contribute more in this regard so that others do not have to. I appreciate your comments, but the other members of the moderating team do a great job - it's impossible to answer all questions given the size and scope of this place; it is a relatively large forum and the moderating team is kept low in numbers for very good reasons. Regarding deletion of your post, that will certainly not happen, at least not by me (and I highly doubt the other moderators would do so either). If people feel threatened by you helping out, then let them! It is their problem and in a free community such as this, it is something that they will simply have to learn to deal with! We enjoy great freedom here, and that is something that I will vehemently defend for all. This forum is not just a forum for people to discuss drugs, it is a place where we can speak freely and openly on any topic without fear of retribution or censorship and that is incredibly, incredibly important. Not just for Silk Road but also for the future of free speech. Thank you for the kind words, and regardless of whether I receive respect from others or not for doing so, I will serve this community as best I can for as long as I am permitted to. Libertas