Should Wendy Welch remain on this site
 

Tell us your opinion. Should she be knocked off or asked to leave? or do you want to hear what she has to say?

Interesting question about yourself. What prompted it?

She posted a "public" article link about another former FM member(who semi-regularly posts in this forum), and their "apparent" former...."associations".

She says she was banned forever.

She did not post a public article link. Her inflammatory attack contained no link at all. Other people have posted public article links frequently. She posted a lengthy personal attack of her own, accusing criminal conduct that has never been charged and is defamatory. It was removed and then she engaged in threats and accusations about the removal. She was told she can do what she wants on her Facebook page, but she can't do what she wants here. She then posted this thread and yes she has been banned.

I was only saying that I have searched the allegations(years ago), and found pretty much the same articles.

Being the internet, of course it doesn't mean that they're true, but they're certainly out there, for anyone to read.

She did not post a public link. She posted a personal attack which contained no link at all. However, she was not banned for the post. It was removed and that could have been the end of that. She decided she wasn't going to take no for an answer.

Sheesh I should check in more often, I usually miss all the drama. That damn time difference between the USA and Australia!!!

Can we all go back to being quiet now in the Early Years forum?

Wendy Welch has gone through some very rough times since Bob passed away. I don't know how well she really coped with it. She has our sympathy, understanding and respect.
But I know many here found her posts disturbing and even insulting... :(

Wendy Welch
 

I want Wendy to stay! She is very well informed and only posts the truth!!!!

Banning Wendy altogether seems too harsh. Given her special status as the spouse of a deceased band member, she has a point of view and insight that is unique, and should be valued by our fan community. I'm not sure that she always posts "the truth," but I am sure she always states her opinion.

If there is a way to do this, maybe her posts could be screened by a moderator before they go public on the board. This would be like putting her "on probation." That seems like a more appropriate response than banning her altogether.

There are two points to be considered. Yes we have to give her respect because she's grieving and has lost her husband, band member or not. However, the same rules do apply to everyone on this board, and to allow one person to have special privileges simply because she's a link to the band isn't really acceptable.

Plus when her attacks are aimed at a former FM member who is also a member on here where do we draw the line?

Sadly Bob was a great conspiracy theorist, and Wendy seems to be too. There isn't always a conspiracy behind everything. Bob didn't get into the hall of fame perhaps because he had a lawsuit against Mick, John and Chris. Chris got pissed as any of us would and didn't want anything to do with Bob. Yes, Bob was probably well within his rights to sue, but that didn't make Chris' feelings any less valid. It wasn't a conspiracy it was just plain personal dislike and resentment. These things happen even if they shouldn't.

No-one is trying to delete Bob's memory, it just doesn't sell albums. I'm one of the few people on here who think the Bob Welch era was the best era of FM. Most people think PG or SN/LB. Those eras sell albums, make money and people care about them. They don't care about the time in the wilderness between Peter leaving and SN and LB joining. It isn't a conspiracy it is just commercial common sense.

Thanks Chriskisn! This is really one of the most informative and sensible posts I have read on this theme. And it's not a thing that I know very much about... so thanks! :)

I second that!

Why ban Wendy when she is one of the few members of the ledge who actually know FM band members, past and present? Many people on here think they know FM members because they went to a Mick meet and greet or hung out at venues show after show and got a few words and a photo with Lindsey. Why doesn't Wendy get to share her insights and opinions about band members when she has more credibility than most everyone else here does?

Wendy Welch
 

While it appears that Wendy's post may have been offensive to some, or at very least one as evidenced by her banishment from this site, I certainly can not agree with the decision to ban her from future posts.

Wendy is someone who is posting from the viewpoint of an "insider" , meaning that she, among all of us (or almost all, as I m not 100 percent sure) has insider information, having had countless encounters , conversations, and interactions with many Fleetwood Mac members. And I would say ,as Bob Welch's wife, that she had most likely been filled in on the many conversations and goings on that she did not hear first hand. So I would say that her information and viewpoint should not only be tolerated, it should be welcomed. And given the RRHOF situation, one could say that she has more of a bona fide reason to post than all of us.

The banning seems excessive. I am sure that Wendy would be approachable and reasonable enough to post within the guidelines and parameters of this board if asked to do so.

Regarding RRHOF, I would say that to state that, Wendy, or the many supporters of Bob Welch are in support of a conspiracy theory ,would be incorrect. There is no "theory" ,he was left out the RRHOF by someone's deliberate doing. The reason and motivation is and was transparent. As far as the "conspiracy " part, I believe it may meet the criteria.Thank you

If this were the case she would not have been banned.

See the penguins reason for banning earlier in this thread. Doesn't matter who you are personal attacks aren't ok. Anyway I think wendy did more harm to bob's legacy in the short time she was here than mick fleetwood ever has. Which is sad because it was the opposite of what she was trying to do.

Unfortunately this is not something our board software is capable of. Even if it were, we have over 4,600 members now. So screening people individually like this would not be an option, even if we did have the software capability (which we do not).

It is worth noting we have several Ledge members who fall under the "insider" umbrella. These include past & present band members, producers, their spouses/relatives, etc. None receive special treatment, and our board rules are applicable to all members- regardless of their stature.

I'm really saddened by what's happened, but from what I can make out, and with a great deal of regret, I think the right decision has been taken. There's a legal question at stake and you can't leave yourself or the site owners open to possible action. There's been quite enough of that sort of thing happening in the UK.

I'm sure none of this will stop us having Bob and Wendy very much in our thoughts.

I think everybody here feel sorry for Wendy Welch and wish her all the best.

I am really glad that the administrator and several moderators are involved in this case (ThePenguin, WildHearted, louielouie2000 and perhaps others too)
So let's trust that this case is being handeled the right way.

I absolutely agree with this decision. In fact, I hate the mentality that if someone is an "insider" they should be allowed to do whatever they want.

It's that sense of entitlement that leads to celebrities... and their family members... feeling free to engage in all sorts of misconduct. They are surrounded by sycophants so desperate to be close to an "insider" that they'll let them get away with murder.

"How dare you treat me that way! Don't you know who I am?!" That attitude doesn't work with me.

This all would be totally accurate and welcomed, if Wendy had acted like a rational human being whilst here on The Ledge. Every post was borderline slanderous (if not fully) and negative in nearly every sense of the word. Everyone should understand that we gave Wendy plenty of opportunity to amend things; to slow down, to take it easy, whatever. When people get banned, we realize it's a shock to everyone. It's a shock to us half the time. You all should know that banning is not an easy decision to come to, but when someone is given three, four, five (or more) strikes... we can't allow that to continue. Especially when the law is being broken.

my two cents...

Since there seems to be relatively few insiders here I can't imagine it
being overwhelming to check on their post frequently and delete them
if needed. Possibly legally necessary for The Ledge if they're defamatory.

And most especially in this section of the Ledge where there are few and
infrequent posts. Maybe another moderator could be added to make sure
no shenanigans were going on like some silly person posting things like April
Fools' jokes that seemingly upset so many people. And no, I don't want to be
a moderator.

If Wendy is who she says she is (has that been verified?), she seems to need
professional help. Coping with Bob's death and everything that came after
seems to have been more than she can handle on her own. Maybe The Ledge
could help in her recovery.

People who know and actually have worked with the members of Fleetwood
Mac aren't necessarily special or more important than the rest of us. But the
insight they offer is special and for that purpose they shouldn't be permanently
banned.

That was more than two cents worth.

Or maybe spending time her was preventing her from getting real help. Internet forums are no place for treatment of any kind. I often felt like she wanted us to validate her anger at other FM members, and if you didn't completely buy into what she was saying, that just seemed to fuel her more, which isn't good for her. Not long ago in one of her rants, she said Christine resented Bob for selling more solo albums than her, and that's why she blocked him from the RRHOF. I didn't understand why this new "reason" suddenly emerged after so many other messages on the same topic, and obviously it made no sense (wouldn't she resent Stevie even more?). That's when I decided she's just mad at the world and wants us to be too. I feel very bad for what she's going though, but we can't really give her the help she needs.

I don't think it's worthwhile to use a moderator for that purpose. As for your post, I think it came out about two days ahead of April Fools.

Regarding Wendy, she did not want to be moderated. She demanded to have the removal of her post reversed and if it wasn't she promised that her and "Bob's friends" would publicly expose this site as being in support of child molestation. Of course, she can expose the site as anything she wants -- on her Facebook page, which is also where I think she can find the most cathartic relief for her grief, if relief can be found online at all.

Michele

Well there's FM77 who seems VERY close to the band. I'm not ever gonna ask who but they often talk in terms of speaking with members of the current line up, Stevie in particular.

If I were running a board and someone accused me of supporting child molestation, they'd be gone. Done, end of story. Bye.

It's just way beyond the scope of what's right and wrong. You want to go off on the deep end, then start your own message board and do it there.

I've been on this board for a very long time and I've never even got a whiff that anyone here was against Bob Welch. There are people that get very angry if you don't have Stevie and Lindsey married, and/or making imaginary albums together. But other than that, the Bob Welch fans have been relatively sane and in check with reality.

I don't doubt that Christine had problems with Bob. But I certainly am not going to trust someone that sounds off like Fox News and uses every single possible angle to make a point to crucify her. Then crucify her bandmates, her fans, and now the person that owns the board. I found she even got upset when you agreed with her.

This is a common sense move to me.

Who are we to know what people on this site get up to when they aren't sitting on their computer? Just because allegations have been made against someone, they haven't ever been tested in a court of law, so surely the presumption of innocence prevails?

In fact we are often the ones who try to keep Bob's legacy alive by reminding people of how great he was. We are the ones that have bought the albums, not just of the FM era but his solo albums as well. There are a lot of pro-Bob Welch people here that were here before all of the Wendy worshippers joined or tried to join.

It's my fav period. Amazing comp, arranging, and dark.

Bravo! Well said, sir.

Well, I hate that Wendy has been banned. I haven't been here much this week so I don't know what she said. I'm assuming the offensive post has been removed.

:cool:

just read through the previous posts, you can kind of put two and two together and work out what was said and who it was aimed at.

If you didn't like my story that's fine. We all have different senses
of humor. It being written a few days before April Fools didn't make
a difference though.

Back on topic. I believe it could be helpful for her to vent online.
She needs to get it out of her system and heal.

You not wanting Wendy here is understandable. It's your site I
suppose. I wouldn't want to own or run this website or any website
that's a pain to run. Even more so, ones that cost more money than
they bring in. Sounds like a headache to me.

I never was a big fan of Bob, especially with Fleetwood Mac. I do
think he was better without them. I do own a few of his albums.
The main reason I posted was because of my concern for her. I
didn't read every post she made, but some of the ones I did were
very troubling.

Wendy if you're reading this, there's a few of us that are concerned
about you. I hope you don't take offence. We wish you the very best.

I think everyone on her accepted that Wendy was grieving and she got away with more than the rest of us would for that reason. Finding your husband after he has committed suicide is enough to screw up anyone's mental health, especially in the way it was done and the reasons it was done for. I don't think there is anyone here that doesn't wish her well and want the best for Bob's legacy.

^^ In that respect, my heart goes out to her. She's been through a lot with loss, pain, finances, estates, etc.

I loved Bob's music and think he was a fantastic and creative musician. I think he wrote the best lyrics out of any member. He kept the band alive. His blend with Christine was amazing. Even she admits that they had chemistry. It's a shame that he wasn't inducted, no matter who's fault it was.


I think that it's been cathartic for her to defend the music and lack of recognition in print. I personally still get pissed thinking about the snub from the RRHOF. Having said that, I hope Wendy can let go and get herself to a healthier place in life. Her life is not over and she needs to be healthy to carry on her goals with Bob's legacy.

This board has been nothing but supportive to her and I can only guess that she would threaten the board because she's not in a good place even now. That's why it's probably best she take a break, even if it's permanent.

And it's sad that anybody's right to express himself or herself is limited at all. The idea of allowing special privileges shouldn't be an issue, not because everyone's freedom should be limited, but because no one's freedom should be limited. There are times when an expressed point of view will not be popular. That's life. But is that really any reason to stop a person from expressing it? Why does a line need to be drawn?

A line has to be drawn when issues of legality come into play.

Wendy is a cool lady..leave her alone