>Peter, there's a point that needs to be made here. I'm saying this out of fairness and my belief in what the truth is.
>
>The truth is that in most government agencies, it is much more difficult to terminate an employee than it is in private industry. If (and again, the big IF, as I don't know the facts) Naomi was warned about online activity and then continued, then a sad fact of life is that it is rather difficult to make arguments about what her employer did. Now, if you ask me personally, I don't think it's a fireable offense, but I don't get to make that call. So IF Naomi was warned by her employer to curtail online activities, and then continued, that's certainly a critical issue. And most good supervisors manage on critical issues. If anyone wants to correct me on this, if anyone has more facts, I'll be glad to be corrected...
>
>That doesn't change one single thing that I've said, or that others have said, about the other side in this issue....

As to my understanding it was quite easy to fire her. Not all personnel in a government agency gets the same amount of protection. (Besides, I think it is a state agency. Does that make a difference?)

I'm not sure whether or not the letter was the only reason, but it surely was enough to draw special attention from highest management. It is my hunch that esp. the managers of a government/state agency feel forced to act in such cases - to save their own a.s -, while the manager of a private firm can far more easilly think "to hell with what you think of my employee".

I also have the impression that the NYHomes management didn't really know what it was talking about. Did they understand and appreciate the argument in defense that presence on the forums not only costs time, but also saves time? That it can save them the costs of sending employees to precious conferences?

I don't know this, but it may have been the case that there were other developers there who do not frequently visit us here and that she at times had arguments with them about procedures, designs and coding styles. (Maybe I'm projecting here. I have had such experiences, still have them and will have them also in future.) A well-informed and gifted developer can be a pain in the a.s to some less gifted colleagues. Who'll tell. Does Naomi need to tell you all the details? I don't think so. It's none of our business. All that matters is the crucial impact of AK's letter. He shouldn't have searched contact with her managers and most certainly not with the head of them all.