User talk:Make America Great Again

July 2016

Welcome to Wikipedia. Because we have a policy against usernames which give the impression that the account represents a group, organization or website, I have blocked this account; please take a moment to create a new account with a username that represents only yourself as an individual and which complies with our username policy or request a change of username.

You should also read our conflict of interest guideline and be aware that promotional editing is not acceptable regardless of the username you choose.

If your username does not represent a group, organization or website, you may appeal this username block by adding the text {{unblock|reason=Your reason here ~~~~}} at the bottom of your talk page.

You may simply create a new account, but you may prefer to change your username to one that complies with our username policy, so that your past contributions are associated with your new username. If you would prefer to change your username, you may appeal this username block by adding the text {{unblock-un|new username|reason=Your reason here ~~~~}} at the bottom of your talk page. Thank you. — Coffee // have a cup // beans // 22:58, 13 July 2016 (UTC)[reply]

Blocking administrator note - This username is an apparent violation of WP:SPAMNAME (promotes a specific political campaign), and is also a trademarked phrase (currently owned by Donald Trump). You will have to choose a different username to continue editing here. — Coffee // have a cup // beans // 23:01, 13 July 2016 (UTC)[reply]

Unwarranted block

This user's unblock request has been reviewed by an administrator, who declined the request. Other administrators may also review this block, but should not override the decision without good reason (see the blocking policy).

Make America Great Again (block log • active blocks • global blocks • contribs • deleted contribs • filter log • creation log • change block settings • unblock • checkuser (log))

Request reason:

I was apparently blocked a few hours ago by User:Coffee who made no attempt to understand the fact that esteemed admin User:PhilKnight specifically allowed me to use this username [1] and another admin User:K6ka also approved, nor did he attempt to communicate with me prior to this unwarranted block in any way, shape, or form. I also must point out that User:Coffee has a clear Wikipedia:Conflict of interest and personal motive in blocking me given that he has reverted several of my edits addressing Wikipedia:BLP problem here [2] [3] [4] and appears to be abusing his blocking tool to gain an upper hand in a content dispute. He accuses me of violating WP:SPAMNAME yet the phrase Make America Great Again is a fairly generic slogan and comedian David Cross is also using this phrase for his stand-up comedy tour [5]. Furthermore, Coffee insinuated that I can't keep this username since the phrase Make America Great Again is "trademarked" by Donald Trump. This is also a FALSE claim as Trump's trademark is specifically for "political action committee services" [6] (CNN source) and nothing precludes anyone from using this phrase in any other manner. In any case, even fully trademarked words or phrases are fair game when it comes to personal Wikipedia accounts, Twitter handle, e-mail address, Facebook screen name, etc since it's not for financial purposes. Therefore, Coffee's erroneous claim shows a poor understanding of both Wikipedia policies and the law. Besides, based on his rationale, isn't User:Coffee also in violation of WP:SPAMNAME by giving the appearance of promoting Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf? I've seen many other respectable editors in the community with usernames that would also be considered WP:SPAMNAME under Coffee's definition. As my contribution can attest, I am clearly not a single purpose account dedicated solely to covering the Trump campaign as I have made many sports-related edits as well as contributions pertaining to African history and the Libyan Civil War. In short, I am perfectly within my rights to continue to use this username as it is in full compliance with Wikipedia:Username_policy and the law. I also must once again reiterate that my current username was specifically approved by highly respected admin User:PhilKnight in March and another admin User:K6ka also has no issue with my current username [7]. I had been editing productively without incident until now. I respectfully ask that my block be lifted. I also think an apology from User:Coffee is warranted for his heavy-handed approach and callous use of his blocking privilege. Regards Make America Great Again (talk) 06:14, 14 July 2016 (UTC)[reply]

Decline reason:

This is the slogan of a current political campaign, and would seem to me to be a clear case of WP:SPAMNAME. I agree that the trademark does not apply to Wikipedia use which lies outside the area of its grant, but it certainly confirms that the slogan is currently directly associated with the Trump campaign. The Anome (talk) 10:45, 15 July 2016 (UTC)[reply]

If you want to make any further unblock requests, please read the guide to appealing blocks first, then use the {{unblock}} template again. If you make too many unconvincing or disruptive unblock requests, you may be prevented from editing this page until your block has expired. Do not remove this unblock review while you are blocked.

Unblock Request

This user's unblock request has been reviewed by an administrator, who declined the request. Other administrators may also review this block, but should not override the decision without good reason (see the blocking policy).

Make America Great Again (block log • active blocks • global blocks • contribs • deleted contribs • filter log • creation log • change block settings • unblock • checkuser (log))

Request reason:

In March of last year, I was given permission by highly respected admin User:PhilKnight to use this username [8]. This decision was seconded by another esteemed admin User:K6ka [9]. Fast forward to last July, I was blocked indefinitely by User:Coffee for WP:SPAMNAME while the 2 of us were in the middle of a naming convention and BLP-related content dispute [10][11][12]. At no time did he attempt to communicate with admin User:PhilKnight, admin User:K6ka, or myself in order to understand why I was specifically allowed to use this username prior to blocking me. At the time, I raised concern that User:Coffee's indef. block at the very least gave off the unseemly appearance of trying to gain an upper hand in a content dispute through the use of his sysop tool and I thought it set a very dangerous precedent when it comes to preventing conflict of interest.

My unblock request was later declined by User:The Anome, who also had a conflict, as he previously blocked me in February 2016 for choosing the username User:Cuckservative, which he apparently considers to be "profane." This led to User:PhilKnight and User:K6ka to step in and allow me to change my username to my current name per WP:CHUS in March 2016 (as previously described). One silver lining is that User:The Anome did concede that User:Coffee's accusation of copyright violation was false [13] and does not apply to Wikipedia use. He also implied that I could possibly apply for reinstatement once the 2016 United States presidential election concluded [14] (please note the edit summary). Feeling disillusioned and bitten, I decided to quit editing indefinitely.

It is now August 2017 and I believe sufficient time has passed for me to return. Therefore, I am once again respectfully asking to have my editing privilege restored. As my contribution can attest, I am not a single-purpose account and I have made many contributions unrelated to President Trump's campaign [15] [16] [17] [18] [19]. Objectively speaking, my username is in full compliance with Wikipedia:Username_policy and frankly, I've seen many other respectable editors in the community with usernames that would also be considered WP:SPAMNAME under Coffee's broad definition.

Last but not least, I must reiterate that my current username was specifically approved by highly respected admin User:PhilKnight in March 2016 and another admin User:K6ka also has no issue with my current username. I had been editing productively without incident until that time and I respectfully ask that my block be lifted. Regards --Make America Great Again (talk) 04:56, 12 August 2017 (UTC)[reply]

Decline reason:

You're wikilawyering. Using a political campaign slogan as a username is a violation of the username policy, particularly WP:SPAMNAME. As The Anome noted above, the trademark doesn't mean you are legally prohibited from using the name on Wikipedia, but it still means that using the name violates our policy. Huon (talk) 00:32, 13 August 2017 (UTC)[reply]

If you want to make any further unblock requests, please read the guide to appealing blocks first, then use the {{unblock}} template again. If you make too many unconvincing or disruptive unblock requests, you may be prevented from editing this page until your block has expired. Do not remove this unblock review while you are blocked.

Pinging |PhilKnight in case he wants to comment on the username. Huon (talk) 00:32, 13 August 2017 (UTC)[reply]

I know what wikilawyering means and I can assure you that I have no intention of lawyering. What troubles me is that not one but two administrators gave me explicit permission to use this username and yet a third administrator who had an obvious conflict (in the midst of a content dispute) blocked me indefinitely without consulting the two administrators or frankly without any warning or communication whatsoever. And then a fourth administrator said last year that the slogan was currently associated with a campaign, which implied I could potentially apply for reinstatement when the campaign was over (and it has been over for over 9 months now). In any case, it is my sincere hope that User:PhilKnight and User:K6ka can weigh in on this matter one way or the other, so we can get some clarify on this issue.--Make America Great Again (talk) 18:41, 14 August 2017 (UTC)[reply]

Hi there, sorry for the delay in responding. While it would have been nice to be notified of Coffee's block, it doesn't matter all that much. Personally, I'd still be inclined to allow the username, but I understand Coffee's concerns. Overall, I think you should come up with a new username. Sorry about this. PhilKnight (talk) 20:45, 23 August 2017 (UTC)[reply]