It seems that any new idea which is reported as a duplicate can be quickly removed and merged into another, even if the original author thought that his idea was similar, but had very important differences from the older idea.
I very recently reported a new and exciting idea for ubuntu which was becoming popular very fast (for its short lifetime). My idea has been removed from brainstorm searches because someone reported it as a duplicate of a lesser idea, and, although the other idea had a similar theme, my idea was far more specific and better documented.
I wish that members here still had the option of voting for my idea, since voting for other idea won't accomplish what I was proposing, but I seem to have no power over this process.
To get a feel for the problem, look here:
My Original idea:
http://brainstorm.ubuntu.com/idea/5848/
Other Idea:
http://brainstorm.ubuntu.com/idea/5362/
If the author doesn't respond in the time appointed, then the merge should go ahead, but otherwise, our free speech should be better protected on this site.
