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AnonyMouse
Joined: 22 Oct 2007
Posts: 405
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 Posted: Tue Jan 22, 2008 6:19 pm Post subject: |
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| There were any number of solutions short of just yanking it without warning. |
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.45chel
Joined: 26 Oct 2007
Posts: 2751
Location: Chambersburg
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| Posted: Wed Jan 23, 2008 12:33 am Post subject: |
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I need to be more alert!
After my last post I had not even checked back. No wait...I may have traded a few with Springhill after that...I can't remember. (ADD) I just follow the orange icons...
_________________
I demand euphoria! |
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the_mighty_HYMN
Joined: 24 Oct 2007
Posts: 34
Location: Chambersburg
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| Posted: Wed Jan 23, 2008 8:46 am Post subject: |
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DEAR ABBY: I have always wanted to have my family history traced, but I can't afford to spend a lot of money to do it. Any suggestions? -SAM IN CAL.-
DEAR SAM: Yes. Run for office. |
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postaff
Joined: 22 Oct 2007
Posts: 118
Location: Chambersburg
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| Posted: Wed Jan 23, 2008 4:00 pm Post subject: |
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| AnonyMouse wrote: | | There were any number of solutions short of just yanking it without warning. |
We hear you. But unfortunately we do not have enough staff to beg, plead, cajole, explain, argue and referee these boards 24/7. Folks have not responded well to our requests at times to tone it down-- instead they have belittled us and reposted deleted material -- so the most expedient solution is to simply remove the objectionable material. Since we're the ones liable for these boards and answerable to the communtiy (including parents whose kids come on the site), we have to make these decisions.
This forum started out in a positive way as a place for civil discussion of the issues, but the comments seem to have deteriorated in recent weeks. We welcome ideas on how to bring it back up to the original level of intelligent, civil and enlightening discourse.
Some self-policing on the part of posters would be welcome too. |
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AnonyMouse
Joined: 22 Oct 2007
Posts: 405
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| Posted: Wed Jan 23, 2008 10:07 pm Post subject: |
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| postaff wrote: | | AnonyMouse wrote: | | There were any number of solutions short of just yanking it without warning. |
We hear you. But unfortunately we do not have enough staff to beg, plead, cajole, explain, argue and referee these boards 24/7. Folks have not responded well to our requests at times to tone it down-- instead they have belittled us and reposted deleted material -- so the most expedient solution is to simply remove the objectionable material. Since we're the ones liable for these boards and answerable to the communtiy (including parents whose kids come on the site), we have to make these decisions.
This forum started out in a positive way as a place for civil discussion of the issues, but the comments seem to have deteriorated in recent weeks. We welcome ideas on how to bring it back up to the original level of intelligent, civil and enlightening discourse.
Some self-policing on the part of posters would be welcome too. |
Could you use some volunteer moderators? There may be a couple of reliable, responsible folks who use the boards a lot who would be willing to help out - if you can give out admin rights. You'd have some due diligence to conduct ahead of time, but I think it would be workable. |
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Mixolydian
Joined: 13 Oct 2007
Posts: 32
Location: Chambersburg
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| Posted: Wed Jan 23, 2008 11:05 pm Post subject: |
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That idea - while no doubt motivated by the purest of intentions and probably appreciated by the powers that be - seems unlikely at best.
There's probably some legal issue that would require them to hire those volunteers. |
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.45chel
Joined: 26 Oct 2007
Posts: 2751
Location: Chambersburg
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| Posted: Thu Jan 24, 2008 8:27 am Post subject: |
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Eep!
Am I one of those people who has not responded to tone it down requests?
Sometimes I'm not very nice, but I *try* to be--no, that's a lie, I don't always try to be.
Do you private message rowdy people?! Or is it a public post?!
Dear Gawd! Please tell me if I've been bad!!
I could be a mod 
_________________
I demand euphoria! |
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AnonyMouse
Joined: 22 Oct 2007
Posts: 405
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| Posted: Thu Jan 24, 2008 8:59 am Post subject: |
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| .45chel wrote: | | I could be a mod |
You were the first one I thought of.  |
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.45chel
Joined: 26 Oct 2007
Posts: 2751
Location: Chambersburg
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| Posted: Thu Jan 24, 2008 9:45 am Post subject: |
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Aww, see I was thinking you were a shoo in
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Coppy
Joined: 28 Oct 2007
Posts: 2266
Location: Chambersburg
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| Posted: Thu Jan 24, 2008 11:15 am Post subject: |
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Have you guys heard? Obama's middle name is Hussein and he's a radical Muslim!!!!
Run for your lives! |
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AnonyMouse
Joined: 22 Oct 2007
Posts: 405
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| Posted: Thu Jan 24, 2008 11:35 am Post subject: |
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He'll also institute slave reparations, sending our economy into chaos.
Oh, and he doesn't know how to salute the flag or even know all the words to "The Star Spangled Banner" (always sings "Jose, can you see").
Plus, I heard he has a black child. |
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Coppy
Joined: 28 Oct 2007
Posts: 2266
Location: Chambersburg
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| Posted: Thu Jan 24, 2008 12:10 pm Post subject: |
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| Someone told me he was sworn into the Senate on a Koran instead of a Bible. And I believe everything I hear, so, he doesn't deserve to be president. |
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AnonyMouse
Joined: 22 Oct 2007
Posts: 405
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| Posted: Fri Jan 25, 2008 10:35 am Post subject: |
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As usual, the most insightful commentary on our political process comes from the cartoonists:
The press continues to let us down on this. The stories are all about Hillary and Obama "attacking" each other. In reality they are primarily debating policy issues, yet the press just reports it as "testy exchange" or "counter-attack" or "hitting back hard" or "bitter back and forth." And on the Republican side, it is purely a popularity contest.
I think it was Meg Greenfield who described Washington as a high school. Your worth is based on your popularity and your popularity is based on whether you associate with the right people. The politicians are the cool kids and the press are the nerds who just want to hang out with the cool kids. They give the cool kids fawning praise, or if they don't like a particular cool kid, they ignore him or try to bring him down. They see everything through the lens of high school, so they frame every policy disagreement as a catfight and talk about it in terms of popularity or positioning. And through it all, they arrogantly assert that they are above it all and merely observers.
We, the citizens, are left trying to piece together the truth from websites and other sources. We can't rely on the teevee talking heads or any of the cable news. And heaven forbid if you suggest to a "real" journalist that a blog was your source for anything. They indignantly say that bloggers are a bunch of geeks who don't really know anything because they aren't part of the in-crowd. In truth, the bloggers are threatening their nerdy position among the cool kids. Probably eventually, the bloggers will fall into the same popularity thing and their opinions will be polluted too.
The more you think about this perspective - national politics and news as high school - the more examples you can think of. Bush is the ultimate bad boy, cool kid - blowing off class, getting other kids to do his work, and bullying the nerds. Hillary is the hall monitor, teachers pet who feels like she is entitled to be in charge. McCain is the smart-alec in the corner making smart remarks but desperately wants to with the in-crowd (have you seen the picture of him hugging our jock-in-chief?). Russert is a nerd posturing before his peers as a tough guy, but in reality is an enabler for the cool kids so he can be part of their crowd. And on and on...
Does any of this resonate with anyone? Where are you getting your political news with the least amount of pollution? |
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.45chel
Joined: 26 Oct 2007
Posts: 2751
Location: Chambersburg
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| Posted: Fri Jan 25, 2008 11:09 am Post subject: |
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Of course it resonates! You are Mouse and when Mouse squeaks, we listen!
My 'unpolluted' news comes from the interwebs, blogs, AP articles, podcasts, NPR. I consider every source as if they are trying to sell me something and I try to balance them out.
I still enjoy wacthing biased news sources too though. I don't see a harm in it if you recognize the slant.
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I demand euphoria! |
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Coppy
Joined: 28 Oct 2007
Posts: 2266
Location: Chambersburg
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| Posted: Fri Jan 25, 2008 9:28 pm Post subject: |
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| Quote: | Dear Bill,
We loved Bill Clinton as president.
When you told us you didn't inhale, with that little twinkle in your eye, we believed you and loved you even more.
When you got more than just a twinkle in your eye and a cigar in the -- well, we stuck by you. We rallied against the vast right wing conspiracy and ushered Newt and his fellow reptilians out of office.
Man, the 90s were fun - huh? The Macarena alone... But now we're in a new decade. Web 2.0, YouTube and camera phones; preemptive wars and terrorist attacks. It's a new era. And we've spent 8 years under the thumb of a royal son.
We're ready for change. We have some amazing Presidential Candidates. Edwards, Obama, and of course, the candidate like family to you - Clinton.
I know you want your wife to win. A lot of us want a Democrat in 2008. But you're getting mean Bill. That twinkle in your eye is starting to look more like crazy eye.
You're making accusations that Karl Rove & Co. will eat up and spit back out at us come time for the general election.
You're actually disenfranchising folks this time around, dividing the electorate at a time we need to come together.
And Bill, you're starting to make stuff up. And this time, we're noticing. It's a new era, Bill; everything you say is recorded and broadcast.
So what we're asking, Bill, is that you just shut up.
Just shut up.
Sincerely, Pretty Much Everyone
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