Meredith

Thank you for that. :)

We are lucky that we live in a country where our views, no matter how different can be aired without fear of being visited in the night by military police.

(In reference to my post above I should have clarified I was speaking specifically of my comments in relation to the Peter Sellick article on atheism.)

Dear Pelican,

You've just displayed understanding, wisdom, and
decency.

A fine example for us all.

Thank You.

Col, polycap/Boaz_david
Gentlemen,
Seeing that I can't achieve the goals iI set for this Topic and both you feel this is an attempt to get at you personally...which it wasn't.
(Perhaps this will be the last time we communicate I'm sure neither of you will obstensively care but so that I, Graham and all other posters will be clearly able to understand your motivation for your tactics.) please answer the following with out your customary abuse/insults and condecention or obfuscation.
Col, what specifically would degrade, change the facts of your opinion if it was presented in the same reasonable manner as your reponse to Graham in his latest article post?
David, What do you think you achieve by your approach to religion and anti Islam?

Ok I admit it I believe that you both might actually answer an unloaded direct question each that has crossed my curiosity especially given your respective stated social attitudes.

"Distort me once, shame on you.
Distort me twice, and I'm outa this dysfunctional excuse for
a discussion. There's always another one around the corner."

That struck me as the most intelligent response here as well.

It can be hard not to take things personally. I imagine even more so if you're maintaining an ongoing feud or if someone is being deliberately provocative. But at the point where it becomes clear that it's not so much discussion as bickering, what kind of person continues?

A sucker? A child? An obsessive?

What kind of adult can't recognise provocation for what it is and walk away?

Some basic principles:

A set of rules, with the parameters as clearly outlined as possible, with a whole set of examples of inappropriate comments if need be. Not just broad concepts, such as ‘do not shout’.

An even level of policing, with the regulatory responsibilities being distributed amongst us all. Everybody on the forum should exercise their responsibility to know the rules and report inappropriate stuff to the moderator.

No responding to inappropriate comments in the same sort of manner. If people could just see their way clear to either ignore the silly stuff, or to address it in a sensible neutral manner or to simply post a response saying that a complaint has been submitted, then we’d all be much better off. Silly drongos can’t promulgate nastiness if others don’t take them up on it. Anyone who responds in a similar inappropriate manner should be deemed just guilty and open to penalty.

Real penalties via post deletion, suspension or expulsion, with perhaps a demerit point system, should be upheld.

This strict standard should be part of the promotion of this forum.

OK, so Graham will probably say that even with forum members assisting in the policing procedure, it would be too onerous for him, Susan and staff to manage. Well, it might be quite a chore at first. But I think that it would quickly become quite easy to deal with. Once posters realised that strict regulations are being strictly policed, there will be whole less policing needed.

Good tightly defined rules and a good even-handed regulatory regime go hand in hand with professionalism. This will help attract both good quality articles and good respondents…and will keep the riff-raff at bay.

Dear Pelican,

I went back and read the article on atheism by Peter Sellick,
for which you apologised.

My apologies to examinator for going off topic here but I came
across a quote by George Carlin that I thought may bring a
smile to your face Pelly (it did to mine):

"Religion has convinced people that there's an invisible man?
living in the sky, who watches everything you do every minute
of every day. And, the invisible man has a list of 10 specific
things He doesn't want you to do. And, if you do any of these
things, He will send you to a special place, of burning and
fire and smoke and torture and anguish for you to live forever,
and suffer and burn and scream until the end of time. But He
loves you. He loves you and He needs money."