I find it hard to critique your work when you insist on going off topic. I'll jump in before someone beats me to the point;
How about discussing/responding with some intelligent rapport about the topic in question.
I feel selfish in that I am diverting all your attentions from the topic, which I might add is a very sensitive and controversial one.
So don't waste your time on me.
I know the other commentors don't find me as interesting as you guys do. More importantly, NO-ONE cares.

Steel redux is rusting & de-laminating, help it Paul1045,

Dear individual,

On the contrary. Steel Redux
is this forum's man of steel.
He's doing a great job. He's flying high. He's far above
those trying to pull him down. And,
they should be honoured that he's
even responding to their posts.
However he's a gentleman - and that's what gentlemen do.
He raises the standard of discussions for us all.
We need more like him to balance the toxicity that
is currently being displayed here.

the point is that you and JayB can go consummate.
Foxy,
If this last post by our own Mr Rustconverter is the standard of Gentlemen & raising the standard of discussion then it is in fact you who should seriously reconsider any loyalty to it.
I can tell you're a considerate person but please don't fall into the trap of approving the resorting to ridicule when sensible retort is in short supply or in rustconverter's case, exhausted. It is in fact Steele Redux itself who is always the first to ridicule but then gets really dirty when it turns into a slanging match.
This Nation has not yet needed its Defence Force as it will need it to fight the enemy from within before long. To allow PC to undermine the Defence Force is akin to Treason in my book.

Dear individual,

All I really want to see on this forum is a bit
of civility. How on earth are any of us going
to get anything across to each other if we begin
by disrespecting the opinions of others and
then insulting people. I was shocked by some of
the comments made in this discussion. They had
no merit whatsoever because they were so ugly.

However, this has got to stop. Seriously.
We need to not look upon each other as "enemies"
but rather try to understand what is really being
said - and not put our own spin or false assumptions
onto things. And that can only come - if we put our
own prejudices to one side. Heavens, we may even
actually learn something. But if we begin our posts
with insults - then we lose all credibility and can't
be taken seriously.

Take the case of Jayb stating that he wouldn't urinate
on some females if they were on fire. Gee whiz.
Where did that come from? (he included me in that group).
I could have retorted that - his urination would not have
helped anyone who was on fire - 'cause lifting a leg
wouldn't have done much good (smile). But I didn't
respond. Anyway, if you can't get through to some people,
best to leave well enough alone, I guess.
As my husband tells me - "Walk away."

It appears there are certain people who wish to de-rail this topic so as to halt any further comments being leveled against it.
By continually going off topic and either stopping to pat each other on the back or try as they may to denigrate those who's comments do not align themselves to them.
Sometimes the banter is almost too low brow to even bother reading. Sometimes the sucking up is so excessive, those involved should get a room.
They are disruptive and display an air of superiority as if to imply that their opinion is the only one and totally reject anyone else's. In fact more often than not an egregious negative response is given without responding to the commentors direct questions or points.
As much as these commentors want to be seen as the bastions of all they comment on, sadly they are too narrow in their scope of wisdom and knowledge, where-by they have to research everything, yet have experienced nothing.
Because they have a pre-concieved opinion they believe that what they push is dogmatic.