Disappointed with a 'conservative' forum....

J

Jets2007

New member
Not sure if this is the right place for it.. but here I go. Since this is the legal/political section, I guess this is the most fitting place. This is more of a RANT than anything.

Last night I decided to visit one of the more popular 'conservative' forums on the web. I usually don't post there. I go to read the news articles there because they always have up to the minute news. I don't really post or read the post because they are usually fileld with juvenile snarkiness and nonsense.

This particular forum is filled with Bushbots and the posts are loaded with over the top sarcasm. The name of the site beings with an 'F'.. and it's not Firing Line Forums! I don't want to mention the name of the place. Many of you know who I am talking about.

So after browsing over a few articles, I stumble across one of the 15 million Ron Paul articles. Me personally, I probably won't vote for him. However, I do not have anything against the man. The article had to do with his fundraising, I believe. After reading 12 or so posts under the article, I decided to post a few replies. Another poster on there was trying to make the arguement that if 'you don't support the Iraq war, then you don't support the troops'. I have never heard anything so silly and juvenile in my life. My intent here is NOT to start a debate about Iraq.

I responded to this particular poster challenging his reasoning. He shot back 'Surrender is not an option.. jabba jabba yibba yaba'.. along with a handfull of GOP talking points from the 2004 election. Our discussion took a turn and we debated the stability of Iraq and if we shoudl stay. He says 'stay until we get the job done'. My answer 'define what that means.. we captured Saddam, they had elections and the Iraqi people basically handed their power over to muslim clerics and mirrored Sharia Law in parts of the constitution, the ball is in their hands now.. what else can we do? build a disney world on the outskirts of baghdad?'. I check his replies 30 minutes ago and he goes about the 'surrender is not an option thing' again.. I realize it's a lost cause arguing with him.

I go to check my private messages.. and an error message pops up... I was BANNED by the mods! :eek: I guess we have some real champions of the 1st amendment over on the bushbot forms. I thought that internet forums were supposed to be for the open exchange of ideas and options... evidently, not all of them operate that way.

Sorry if I went on a tangent.. I just needed to Rant for a bit... now it's time to hit the gym.
 
I go to check my private messages.. and an error message pops up... I was BANNED by the mods! I guess we have some real champions of the 1st amendment over on the bushbot forms. I thought that internet forums were supposed to be for the open exchange of ideas and options... evidently, not all of them operate that way.
Click to expand...

Actually, virtually none operate that way. You will find very few discussion forums on the Internet where "anything goes", and those are generally unusable. If you take the time to read our Forum Rules, you'll learn that we here at TFL have certain "don't go there" topics that will get a thread closed or a user banned.

The First Amendment doesn't apply to private citizens, only to government. The owner or moderator of a forum cannot violate your free speech rights even if he bans you or censors your post, because a.) he's not the government, and b.) you're on his property. Your First Amendment rights don't exist in someone else's living room.

In order to defend your rights, you have to first understand what they are.
 
Marko, yes legally you are correct. My problem is that I was not vulgar, threatening, or rude during the debate. I read the forum rules over there... and disgareeing with the majority of the posters on said forum is not a prohibited act.

Well, maybe it's an unwritten rule:D ... I will leave it at that.
 
Jets,
There are several "conservative" forums out there that ban all discussion of the Congressman from Texas. #1) They had an influx of new supporters like yourself and consider it "spamming", and #2) They don't like what he has to say, which is largely a condemnation of the current state of the Republican party.

It's an echo chamber and they aim to keep it that way. Pay it no mind; there are other forums.
 
Jets, sorry, I stopped taking it seriously at the word "Bushbots". :p

BTW, that post, "Well, no, I'm not voting for RON PAUL, but these forums aren't being fair to RON PAUL"...is a tactic used by some of his spammers, quite a lot, in fact, so that's probably why you got banned.

Places like Redstate just got sick of them hijacking every single thread. I can't say I blame them for the ban.
 
Last edited:
Jets2007 said:
I go to check my private messages.. and an error message pops up... I was BANNED by the mods!
Click to expand...

I wouldn't take it personally. It seems to be a part of modern discussion on a forum. The real diehard members of the forum don't actually want to hear their postulates questioned. And many mods just want peace at any cost.

For example, one issue that drives me nuts is the perceived concept of "bashing." I was on a bike forum, and much like here, we post our experience, show pictures and debate. It seems that my very mention of time in a bike club was deemed "bashing" by younger members. They had never been club members (and in truth, probably didn't even own a bike) and discussions outside their skill sets was threatening. What they really feared was being exposed.

Consider it this way. The computer forum system is much like walking around a mall and looking at all of the stores and food courts. Some places will be of interest, some places will just be hype and flashy colors and some toddlers will prance and pose because they do that at their age to prove they are adults.

But if you think about it, you don't shop at each store. Heck, you might even blow the whole place off and shop at another mall. No harm, no foul, you don't have to please anyone except yourself.

I would like to hear your opinions before you leave. If you quit learning, you're a dinosaur, and dinos died.

I heard a statistic that postulated that if you find a forum that you like, within 18 months the discussion thrust and addition of new members will have changed so much you no longer recognize the place. Rather than rant, you just quit coming.

I'm always cleaning out my 'favorites' column. Almost two years ago I dumped all of my martial arts forums, every one. I found out the hard way that guys who really know how to throw a punch don't actually come to discussion sessions.

Then again, my circle of friends constantly changes, as well. We all age in different directions.
 
ManedWolf, my intent in this postig was not to spam Ron Paul. I actually left his name out of the title on purpose. We already have a dozen or so Ron Paul threads... no need for another.

As for you not taking my post seriosuly. If I was seeking your approval on something, I would have ended the post with 'Submitted for the approval of ManedWolf from NH'.
 
And you don't see how "Bushbot" is as nonsensical as "MoRons"?

You'll find a lot of people on here who will, while they admit Bush has made errors, know that we've not been attacked for six years under his presidency, that he's stood up to the Democrats in Congress, and that for better or worse, he's still worth supporting as the president.

Namecalling doesn't make anyone take you seriously.

Nor does:
As for you not taking my post seriosuly. If I was seeking your approval on something, I would have ended the post with 'Submitted for the approval of ManedWolf from NH'.
Click to expand...

...which is a retort I don't think I've heard since...wow...high school.
 
You'll find a lot of people on here who will, while they admit Bush has made errors, know that we've not been attacked for six years under his presidency, that he's stood up to the Democrats in Congress, and that for better or worse, he's still worth supporting as the president.


I'm not going to take the bait. I origionally said in my opening post that I did not start this thread to debate the war in Iraq or the WOT.

Now back to making some homemade Baked Ziti.............
 
Been more than 18 months, and I still like it here...

But I do admit, the general thrust of the conversations has changed somewhat.

So, you were polite, but disagreed, and got banned. Shame, but it is their toy, and they don't have to let you play with it if they don't like what you say. Not the way you said, but what you said. Sad, but some people are very petty, and cannot or will not have a true discussion with opposing viewpoints.

Maybe next time you can register and post (somewhere else) something like "Will I be banned for opposing viewpoints?" Or "for not following the crowd?", and see if you get banned for that.

As was said, these are private forums, and the can, and do, do whatever they please. The mods here are outstanding, and within their stated rules, very tolerant, but there are limits. I have been to a couple of places supposedly "winthout limits" and there is virtually nothing but name calling and profanity, to the point where there is hardly any real discussion. And if you can't discuss things, what is the point of being on a forum?

I like it here, the majority is polite, often witty, and generally well versed in the subject matter, sometimes embarassingly so. And they are willing to discuss things, (whether they know anthing about them or not ;)), and sometimes, folks even agree to disagree.

Only thing I don't like is that sometimes, the mods lock a thread before I can get my comment in. generally they are not wrong to do it, I am just slow, and don't always notice it is locked, read through, have a killer comment, and, dang! Oh, well...my fault for not being faster on the keys, and I'll deal with it,...somehow.
 
Computer boards and forums are like newspapers and magazines, they are the private property of those who put up the money to produce them, they can set whatever editorial policies they want. I have been banned from some "ersatz conservative" forums for not adhering blindly to the "party
line", I was banned from an erstwhile "military and veterans" discussion board
for making critical comments-I am an enlisted Vietnam veteran and retired
LTC, USAR, credited with 28 years service for retirement purposes. My attitude is Big Deal, I believe that you don't go where you're not wanted or
where you do not find the people congenial, whether in person or in cyberspace. And to use an old Hungarian expression of contempt-helvedem.
 
I got banned from storm2k because of a post I made after 2 years of being a member:

The first was me saying that I had been a rescuer in Mississippi for Hurricane Katrina, and that I had just gotten back from there and that while things were bad in some parts, they were not as bad as what the press was claiming. At the time I made the post, the press was claiming that there were hundreds of dead bodies in the Superdome, and some in the press were claiming that as many as 10,000 had been killed. I simply stated that I was serving as a paramedic in the area as a part of an interstate task force, and that the damage was being overstated. That got me some really ugly comments and I was accused of all sorts of things, and people called me a liar and accused me of never having been there.

I was banned. Eventually, it came out that I was right. The death toll was just over 1,000.

Don't sweat it. People get mad when they are forced to face the truth.
 
"This particular forum is filled with Bushbots and the posts are loaded with over the top sarcasm."

That's funny, using Bushbots and complaining about sarcasm in the same sentence.

John
 
Legally, no. However, stifling reasoned, polite discourse on a discussion board makes for a board of mind numbing repetition.

If you defend your point with a reasoned, polite discussion without resorting to profanity, name calling, or using moderator/admin power, your position is probably faulty and lacking in logic.

This is why so many liberal blogs have disabled comments.
 
divemedic said:
If you defend your point with a reasoned, polite discussion without resorting to profanity, name calling
Click to expand...

I agree.

In fact, if the TFL members here all got together at a gun or knife show we'd find that we have more in common than we would have guessed.

Debating amongst ourselves is sure to bring out diverse opinions. But at the end of the day over a beer (or in Wildalaska's case, an icicle dipped in tequila) we'd all probably be wearing the same style crappy T-shirt.

Passionate debates are one thing. But TFL is your favorite board, isn't it?
 
Hey, don't feel too bad. I got banned from the Sean Hannity forums for Contempt Of Host. I suggested Hannity might not always be 100% fair and balanced. Bam. Banned.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top