UPDATED:

Now We Are Talking have since gone through and recovered my censored comment and posted it, it is:

Oh, Steve Toole, It’s not that hard to find it again. I won’t publish a URL here, but Sensis Search will help you no doubt. Just only a few responses to your reply though: 1. Sydney Lawrence has actually replied and see just how open the operation over at my site is. He posts anything he likes, and as long as its posted in a reasonable manner (Sydney Lawrence is a very reasonable person, aren’t you Sydney?), then I have no reason to censor them. In fact, I operate the exact opposite to this website. You make a comment, and if it doesn’t get caught up as spam, it’s live immediately. I later will moderate anything that IS SPAM, or IS INAPPROPRIATE, but generally, nothing that is a genuine reply is deleted! Read up, I’ve had a threat from a PC store on the site, … it’s still there! An empty threat though. 2. I wasn’t playing the race card. NWAT (This website) did that: - they couldn’t find anything better to attack Optus about, so, as I said, they attacked based on their Singapore ties, and little more. But as I said on my site last night (go read), I’m very much reasonable and open minded, and in fact, would welcome the oppourtunity to sit down with any number of you and discuss where you think flaws are, and what I know as facts. I can assure many of you would get a different idea, and no, it would be purely because of the open disclosure of facts. I repeat again, I don’t blame Telstra for the current situation, that’s the Government’s fault. OPEL is a way of fixing that, although 2009 is a bit to wait due to a stuff up they made originally that could have set us years in advance if they only split this giant pile of Telstra. The colourful names? Here they are: Idiot - Referring to the federal government’s failure to split Telstra. Greedy Pigs - Reference to Telstra and the way it represents its Australian and Foreign shareholders. That’s the two I can remember, but sure Steve, if you have more, feel free to post. I’m honest, open and transparent. I’m not hiding anything here, and neither is my website, use the comments feature and if you like we can talk by email as well. I assure you a reasonable discussion should you choose to offer the email route (and Sydney Lawrence can assure you of the same). Steve, I don’t attack people for the sake of attacking, and I sure don’t resort to name calling as a method of debate, the name calling is a little more comical than anything, but it also gauges perception. Do Telstra and its shareholders want to be perceived as greedy pigs? That’s the perception I get when they say: Wholesale: $59 for 512k and phone without any data or calls or even internet connectivity. Compared to: G9: $35 for 1.5Mbps, with phone (without dialtone), wholesale, without connectivity. You see the providers still have to add those missing bits, and when you start at a lower rate, the retail rates don’t blow out as much as the higher rates. I still stand by my comments though: How can Telstra attack Optus for being Singapore owned? Do Australian’s go into a chinese food store with a chinese owner and say”I’m not buying here cause the owner lives in China?”. The majority couldn’t care where the owner lives or who the owner is! What’s important is value for money. How much do I get? What’s it gonna cost? Heck - even shareholders ask themselves that when they buy shares!

– So, they decided against censorship once the spotlight was starting to shine on them?

That’s right.

It seems when the going gets tough for Telstra and it’s Now We Are Talking website, they resort not to fair and reasoned debate, and instead go straight for silent censorship.

I posted replies to a few posts on the website recently, one reply after the first reply was:

Well Vasso. Ignore all you like. If you can’t handle the heat, get out of the kitchen.

Which was in response to:

Jason T, there is really no point discussing anything with you. You enjoy splitting hairs, generate a lot of hot air and have no idea how business works and how wealth evolves. Importantly, how the wealth is used by the business to provide for our needs. I don’t expect you watched the story on channel nine’s ACA this evening (25/7/07) about your (Optus= No Greed, Optus = No Extortion) giving an unfortunate small food retail business in Bondi no phone service during it’s peak time and rewarding them with a massive run a round using an Optus call centre in India or Bangladesh to sort out their phone problem in Bondi Australia. I am astounded at the generosity of NWAT of allowing your slanderous posts to be published but then you are only making a fool of your good self. However, I shall ignore you and perhaps you will go away.

This one was declined (Received notice by email).

However, another reply, which was a reply to Steve Toole was silently “censored”, so that it didn’t tell me it was rejected, and it wasn’t posted.

They just simply “silently rejected it”.

However, have no fear, for I am not silly. I don’t forget the content of my messages to that forum, because unlike the trash posted there, I actually do put some thought into my replies.

by Steve Toole, Thursday, 26 July 2007

Thanks for the reply Mr. Torrento. Firstly, to all of you who are undoubtedly sick of this to-ing and fro-ing, with Mr. Torrento, my humblest apologies! This is not what nwat is for; ergo this will personally, be my last post “to Mr. Torrento”, for the foreseeable future! Unless he takes the Pepsi challenge – outlined in the last paragraph? If so, that will be my last reply to him. However, I’m sure you will mostly agree, that when anyone, regardless of who, not only puts forward their opinions, but also uses profanity towards others in the “complete safety/comfort zone” of their own website (which of course means those on the receiving end have to sit there and take it, with no recourse) - simply because we dare have a differing opinion, then a response here on our only “true” outlet to respond (nwat), is not only warranted, but a necessity! Thank you. So… yes indeed Mr. Torrento, my posts do tend to be a little lengthy, as I “normally (but not this time, of course)” prefer to do it this way, rather boring everyone by posting 3 or 4 times per day, like some? You know what I mean? Thanks too for the gracious invite to read your latest comment on your website, much appreciated. However, unfortunately I will not be seeing the (possibly R rated) reply, on your blog, due to the fact that following your adolescent name calling, I have since deleted you from my favourites and have no intention of returning - sorry. But go your hardest, anyway… I did find it strange however, that you would play the race card, in your reply to me? As I can assure you and everyone, that if you care to go back through my previous posts (which possibly number 12-15, since nwat’s inception – or about 3 or 4 days worth for you Mr. Torrento - lol) you will not find reference to race in any of them! Quite curious - a side step (like Johnsy) around the issues I touted perhaps? So to get back to a previous point - once and for all “for the record” – the Pepsi challenge: Would you like me - YES or NO (a simple one word answer will suffice) – to post to nwat, your litany of “colourful” names, from other blogs, which you have called myself and other nwat posters? In fact you actually made reference to all here at nwat, didn’t you? As I would love for everyone to enjoy (as did I) your wonderfully, “Tarantino-esc literary skills”! This way also, before considering your many comments, everyone here on nwat will get to see the “real” Mr. Jason Torrento - not the constrained Mr. Jason Torrento who grits his teeth and is uncharacteristically on his best behaviour, when visiting nwat! As such, everyone will then have a clear picture and be able to truly judge you and your views on face value! So please let me know ASAP, as I’m sure everyone looks forward to such a treat? Oh and if you stand by these personally abusive comments, please do not go back in and alter them - that just wouldn’t be cricket, would it? Thank you and kind regards, Steve.

Well, the whole point of a forum is for open discussion and debate.

Telstra has a representation with the ACCC of misrepresenting its offering, the case doesn’t seem to be much different here, it’s a forum, that allows open discussion, or is it?

I don’t use profanity towards others.. actually at all. I generally don’t swear at all on this blog. There are a few reasons for not swearing, but the most obvious: It’s a publicly visible website!

He goes on to say those with a differing opinion are not able to post a response here. What TRASH. Does that Toole not know how to read? This site has a complete comment system for users to respond to any comments made, and further, have the option of posting an email address, and if I find something worth replying to, I will reply directly.

Sydney Lawrence knows this first hand!

Further, a response on NWAT is not a necessity, in fact, judging my recent comments there, replies to comments off site shouldn’t be posted, but hey, it’s Telstra, if you aren’t pushing their agenda, you don’t have a valid argument.

There is no R rated replies here, and It’s not that hard for you to search out and find me anyway.

In fact, I would place bets that the Toole did come and read my entry yesterday, and will read this one too.

I didn’t play any race card in a reply to HIM.

The racist comments were directly about a topic that has been running in the so called Broadband Australia Discussion Forum, where by the number of comments about Optus were all centered solely on their Singapore ownership.

I also recapped: Would you go into a chinese owned chinese food shop, find the owner lives in China and not buy food from there? I doubt it. Would you go further to an alledged Australian Food Shop and put up posters to not buy from the chinese food shop, as it is owned by someone who lives in China?

Well - the food is Chinese, you want Chinese food, you don’t go to an Australian food shop.

You want reasonably priced telecommunications, you don’t go to Telstra Australia!

And I also stated that I accepted his challenge. Go for it. Show them the names and the exact sentences that I used in my posts on Now We Are Talking go for it.

Coming soon to this website, will be a section where I will post individually all my posts I make to Now We Are Talking, where they can then be checked by any one who chooses to do so to find a valid reason for censorship, and with that comparison discover that Telstra’s definition of open discussion is all about either highly pushing their agenda, or having a reply that they can easily formulate a reply to which they find will shut down the point completely.

Steve, for now, you won’t get to see the reply I made which stated that I accepted your challenge, Now We Are Talking are turning back to censorship as the going has got too tough for them in a reply I wrote.

Which went something along the lines of what has been discussed above, and:

Stated that the issues with Australian broadband all stem back to the government’s poor handling of the sale of Telstra.

And an explantion about how I formed the term Greedy Pigs (which is something you claim is profanity)? Not according to the dictionary, but anyway.

The definition that was censored, and was the one I was using is:
Telstra and its shareholders are represented as greedy pigs when they come up with a plan to provide:

Wholesale: $59 for a telephone service and 512k broadband service. This includes no data, and the telephone includes NO CALLS.

Compare this to the G9 offering: $35 for 1500k broadband service, and a phone service without any connectivity.

Both are very much the same, $59 gets you a phone service, no calls, and a 512k broadband service, no data or connectivity, and that’s before any of the other charges are applied.

I also recapped my point about Telstra and racism.

There was something in that post they didn’t like, didn’t have the balls to tell me they’d reject it, and instead decided to silently hide this post.

The next post after, was the reply to Vasso, who doesn’t seem willing to participate in a debate based on the facts surrounding Australian Broadband, and being a Telstra Shareholder, who would blame him?

Why?

Well Telstra are surely on the losing end of the stick, Virgin just announced something extraordinary: A 3G modem that will provide landline phone, and internet access for a $60 monthly fee.

But it gets better, and if you are a Telstra shareholder, don’t look away, this is a must to see if you want to ever have anything to support an argument:

They are offering unlimited landline calls, and 4GB of data.

Now what do Telstra do anything similar for?

$30 for line rental.
$30 for broadband.
No calls.
200MB of usage. No. 0.2GB of usage, That’s better looking.
256k as your speed.

“Jack Sh*t” really. Hey, they could make a bundle and call it that. The Telstra / Bigpond Jack Sh*t offer.

So customers can call up, and ask what the Jack Sh*t offer contains.

To which the sales rep can reply, well, the name says it all. Jack Sh*t.

Because that’s exactly what you get.

I have a associate in WA, who runs a business from his outback rural property.

He signed up with a Bigpond satelitte offer and used 6GB of usage.

His bill is likely to blow out to nearly $900!

He could have got a better service from activ8me for just $150.

Now this is yet another example of how Telstra and Bigpond treat regional australians.

They don’t treat them anywhere near fairly. Telstra and every entity they own are greedy pigs.

I’m not name calling here, that’s exactly how they depict themselves in the Australian market. They do this all by themselves by having prices that are by world’s standards, excessively overpriced.

Why do I associate Telstra and its shareholders with the term greedy pigs? Because that’s exactly how they act.

They continually want regulations removed, but do they even take the first possible step they can to make them go anywhere? Price backhaul fairly? No.

They much rather sit on the current regulations and let regional users suffer from lack of investment because its too risky and costly for anyone to invest, with the dominant telco a continued likely threat.

Again though Mr Toole, if you really want to have a fair and reasoned discussion, or even a coffee (if your not scared of also seeing just how poor regional areas are maintained by Telstra while you are here), use the comments box. I don’t bite, and I’m not like Telstra, I don’t censor comments from anyone without a very valid reason for it (and should they ask for a reason, they will be provided with one!).

Telstra do anything like that? Tell ‘em their dreaming.

Enjoy!