One the verge of an national election that is likely to favor democrats in congress; led by a known anti-gun Obama/or a minority-party McCain, as the next president; how likely is it, that firearms rights will be sacrificed on the political altar of government-promised security, in the next 4 years? Arguably, pretty likely.
Given that scenario, I can't imagine a worse time to abandon 2A-oriented political discussion. Despite the frustrations that come with moderating such a forum.
Some of the frustration might arise from unrealistic expectations, that the discussion must always stay in the neatly manicured fairway. Even Tiger Woods hits some shots into the rough, and, some of his most creative shots come when recovering from these flubs. None of us here is The Tiger Woods of internet debate. While we strive for high standards (expressed as signal-to-noise, think twice/post once, etc.), we'll all shank a few. Millions of hackers manage the frustration, and try to recover on the next shot, instead of breaking their 6-iron over their knee and stomping off the course. Advancing political ideas is infinitely more complex than putting a little ball in a hole, IMO.
Other frustrations may be built into the software. Some mention is made that archived posts may be dredged up to reflect poorly on gun owners. According to the banner page, we're now at 3 million + posts. Is it necessary/desirable that all threads/posts be archived? How about just archiving those threads (or posts) that rise high above the noise level? A positive-option system (clicks by moderators and/or members), necessary to keep a great thread or post from dying after some set time period? Could this be accomplished easily? Would it ultimately conserve server resources, and moderator time? Would we be more proud of the resultant archive? A TFL hall of fame?
Seems like the system for handling non-conforming posts could be streamlined, for efficiency, and to avoid hurt feelings. To use another sports analogy (soccer), some kind of yellow-card/red-card system with clear guidelines and cumulative consequences for violations. PM's seem to be extremely labor-intensive; the system almost guarantees frustration.
If I read the management posts correctly, the ax may have already fallen, and further suggestions, at this point, are futile. Perhaps forum software makes improvements impossible. The shell is what, 9 years+ old now? That's beyond eternity. Maybe some computer whiz can incorporate these ideas into a new shell, or maybe better ones already exists, I don't know.
So, its been entertaining, perhaps we'll meet up on some other venue.