Smokey,
These are my thoughts on your post.
Quote:
I think you've got it!
REPLY:
I certainly have.
QUOTE:
The President is a political figure. Our WebMaster now allows discussion of politics in one or two threads at a time in the "Other" forum. And "abusive or distorted" verbage is par for the course in political discussions.
So you're welcome to describe political figures or ideas with abusive or distorted language, as long as you do it in one of the designated threads in the Other forum.
REPLY:
Abuse and distortion may be part of the gutter press. But that doesn't validate it's use and acceptance on a supposedly self disciplined forum.
QUOTE:
But no one is allowed to criticize or heap abusive or distorted language on a moderator who is doing his job. If anyone disagrees with, or wants to heap abusive or distorted language on, a moderator for their official actions on this website, then the place to do it is via private e-mail to the WebMaster and/or to the moderator involved.
REPLY:
This is the extent of the so called abuse distorted language used in the post.
I think the issue here is a question of balance. I thought when Jason closed down some of the political bashing and racial bigotry, that we would see an end to it. You may have misread or misunderstood what my message was. It was that there is no place in society and should be no place in this forum for the sentiments expressed by the first bunch of postings on that thread. One person even referred to Hilary Clinton as that Jewess, and it went completely unchallenged by the moderator. Moderator means what it says, the insistence of moderation. Moderation was conspicuous by it's absence in this case.
If there was any tastelessness it was in the harangue that started the thread in the first place. I merely characterised what the next target might be just by extrapolating the the trend that was established. My comments were not racial slurs, they are the language of the hatemonger and the bigot. I just wanted them to hear what for many is their inner voice. We have made a lot of racial and ethnic bigotry disrespectable, don't be the vehicle by which it once again becomes commonplace as it was 40 years or so ago.
I am not a racist, a bigot, religious fanatic, political hatemonger or any of the things that are demonstrated in the two threads and apparently tolerated by the moderator. Based on what Jason had to say I find it difficult to believe that this was accepted with his knowledge, although I could be wrong. If my post was anything, it was a mirror that might allow the extremist people expressing there political views to see what they were a part of.
Bill Clinton and his sexual relations was accepted by 65% of the American public. This small group do not accept that majority view and are prepared to take over your forum to perpetuate their extremist views. All I have to say is DON'T LET THEM.
If you do not stamp out this type of posting I can only conclude that you accept it, and by inferrence become part of it. The more extreme gun fanatics undoubtedly do not stop at guns. Public and personal morals and social behavior, their version, are included. The desire to tear down Bill Clinton is undoubtedly high on their agenda. Do you want to be part of that, then if you don't exercise your prerogative and stop it dead in it's tracks, you will become part of it, like it or not.
QUOTE:
Even "reasonable and measured response to a Moderator" must be done via e-mail, not in the public forums. The public forums are not to be used to discuss a particular case of moderation. General discussion of the operation of this website, such as your post above, are welcome in the Ford-diesel.com forum.
REPLY:
I will give you a couple of well known quotations the origins of which escape me.
"Justice must not only be done, it must be seen to be done."
"Justice unseen is justice denied"
Your statement seems to imply that it doesn't need to be seen. If I as a new American of 32 years can advise you, "That's not American."
Frederick
[This message has been edited by fyoung (edited 01-21-2000).]
[This message has been edited by fyoung (edited 01-21-2000).]
