I have learned that I owe you an apology, for more than one reason. To be clear, I have always been straight with criticism of reasons I have disagreed with some things you have done, but I have learned I have mischaracterized your work to keep our community free of spam and scammers.

I have said things from anger, from ignorance, and to get you to reveal what I misunderstood you to be capable of, trying to get you to flag or censor me. You have not done either, and I now understand you have tirelessly and selflessly worked countless hours to provide the bully pulpit from which I have arrogantly preached.

I deeply regret my inaccurate statements and implying you have less than an admirable character. We may disagree on some things philosophically, but you certainly have a right to be right where I am wrong. While you have no obligation to me, and I do not seek to imply any such thing, I want you to know that I honestly recognize that I have been wrong about many things I have said to and about you, and intend to forthrightly speak the truth from here on out on all these matters I have discussed with you.

I want to thank you here that @joe.public is no longer completely censored. I don't know how that came about, or even if you personally had anything to do with it, but I think you did, and I am grateful his voice can now be heard on Hive again. Hopefully, none of us will regret it.

I want to thank you for your hard work preventing spam and scams that has benefited this community, and myself. I don't know exactly what you do, who you work with besides @iamstan, who has strongly advised your work is essential to Hive, or how you do it, because I just don't well understand programming, and have spent as little time and effort to understand your work as I have been able to get away with, but none of that excuses anything inaccurate I have said.

I'm sorry. I don't expect to agree with some of your ideas, but am absolutely not expecting you to have to justify them to me, or give a shit about mine, or even this apology. I would right the wrong I have done you, and if you feel I should do so in some particular way, I will do what is reasonable you might request.