Posted on 03/29/2005 8:58:34 AM PST by Long Cut
We, the Witness Protection Program For Freepers, aka the Wild Turkeys, aka the Coalition of the Sane, have through mutual discussion and rigourous thought, determined that:
1. The discussion threads regarding Terri Schiavo (hereafter referred to as "TS") have become too full of innuendo, rumormongering, hyperbole, hysteria, namecalling, paranoia, and general poor behavior to warrant participation.
2. Said threads have degenerated into "echo chambers", wherein the same, common thoughts are continually posted again and again, and the same old disreputable, unconfirmed and/or false urban myths are propagated.
3. Anyone who joins in said theads with alternative viewpoints to the most extreme posts are routinely driven away with slander, accusations, and vile namecalling.
4. No data or evidence contrary to the "prevailing opinions" are accepted, considered, or discussed; and in fact are rejected outright in most instances.
5. That the continued calls for armed insurrection, military or paramilitary involvement, impeachements of politicians and judges, and death threats are embarassing, stupid, shortsighted, doomed to failure, and contrary to most if not all conservative thought prior to this case, as well as damaging in the extreme to FR and the conservative movement as a whole.
6. That such emotional, hyperbolic, and propaganda-driven hysteria is in fact contrary to all conservatives USED to stand for.
7. That the holding up of swastika and other Nazi imagery towards the police and the Bushes, the use of children as political props, and the disruption of the peace at the Woodside Hospice can only reflect badly on conservatives in general, and should be discouraged.
8. That the pursuit of this issue to the exclusion of all others by the GOP has damaged, perhaps beyond repair, the pursuit of other important issues as well as the reputation of the GOP, FR, and conservatism.
The WPPFF is NOT of one mind as to the case of TS or its correct outcome. In fact, wide disagreement exists within our little group. However, we are united in our wish that reason and sanity be respected in the discussion, as well as the rights of all parties involved or participating. We wish to discuss this as adults and intellectuals, as conservatives and as FRiends, not as children screaming past each other on some playground of hysteria. We wish for facts and evidence to be provided, discussed reasonably, and considered fairly.
We reject all accusations of Naziism, "death cultism", or other slander as methods of debate. We reject the practice of "spamming" multiple threads, of posting unending vanities, and the posting of propaganda and calls for violence. We reject, in fact, all unseemly and childish behavior which has come to characterize this case on FR.
We DO invite others to come and reasonably discuss the issue. We have no problem with FReepers who wish to debate in a rational and fair manner, and with due respect for their fellow FReepers. We have NO problem with those whose views are formed by religion; however we reject "preaching" or "being beaten with a Bible" as legitemite debate tactics. Not all of us are Believers, and such tactics only cheapen the source.
If a FReeper finds this an acceptable meansd to discuss this and other issues, they are welcome to join in and participate. Those who find pleasure in attacks, flame-baiting, slander, stalking, and personal atacks will be ignored, and their egos will go unfed.
We assume this thread to be a zone of sanity in an overheated atmosphere. Thus, a general amnesty is in effect. If posters conduct themselves within the guidlines above, we will be happy to discuss and debate with you. If a poster wishes to apologize for past slips of the tongue, or for possible "over-the-top" statements to another, it will be graciously accepted, and your company welcome.
Please bring a sense of humor; we feel that too many have been taking themselves too seriously lately.
Let the discussion begin!
Signed,
The WPPFF, aka The Wild Turkeys, aka the Coalition of the Sane.
I didn't mean leave - I'm too stubborn for an opus. I meant I'd rather maintain my own path when the bandwagon here strays far from the path of conservatism.
I responded to his post. So, you are just wrong again.
Well, I guess I'll take a wait and see attitude. For now, anyway.
Several responded to Jim's post but Kryptonite is impervious to fact and prone to hysterical rantings.
He's a source for amusement and never one for informative discussion. Just baseless lies about others. He keeps begging (as he repeats yet again) others to leave here. LOL
LOL
Trolls and disrupters
Sounds like if you controlled FR, you'd "nuke" anyone who disagrees with you. Seems to me it'd get pretty boring after a while since eventually it'd be just you.
This much is certain. Any two people here will have SOMETHING they disagree on.
The Auschwitz pictures are offensive in the extreme and have no place on a conservative forum. I say that as someone who believes it was wrong for Terri Schiavo to be dehydrated/starved. BTW, not all who agree with that opinion are "thumpers" (a term I also find offensive), nor single issue voters.
The Auschwitz pictures chased me from every Terri thread yesterday. Please, please take them down.
Now, don't brag, we can all see that's what you are without you tooting your own horn.
hehehehe
You are in favor of lockstep groupthink at FR?
I'm sure if the majority supported independent thinking, he'd be in favor of that as well.
I don't think those Auschwitz pictures and Nazi flags are going anywhere. It appears that they're here to stay. Unfortunately.
So much for tolerance among the masses...
Thank you, daylate. Perfect, as usual. Sorry I got sidetracked last night, MrDem.
Nothing to add, other than that the "guardian" (surrogate) question was answered directly and clearly by the Florida 2DCA, and I've also seen a lot of attorney freepers here say the contribution thing is very common.
I'm only answering pings from now on, unless something jumps out at me after I hit post. lol
Happy Monday, everyone. : )
No, but most who either outright or peripherally refer to the rest of us as 'heretics' are of that crowd.
I do apologize for my use of the term "'thumper" ; as I've said, I'm just as guilty of name-calling, though I haven't gone as far as the "nazi" label has gone.
Something seems to have changed then. Prior to yesterday, when I punched the abuse button on them, the mods were pretty responsive about taking them down. What happened?
Breaking ranks eh?
Yep. Don't feed the trolls.
I wasn't aware that they were taking them down. I know they took down some of the more egregious ones, but I also noticed that a lot of them were left up. Perhaps they're left up if no one hits the abuse button, which also tells me something. I know that I hit the abuse button a couple of times last week on a couple of really egregious photos, and they were promptly removed. I'm sure the moderators have their hands full. I haven't really lurked and posted much the past few days because of the tone of things around here.
Do I get a secret decoder ring?
I think if anyone is in real danger of a slander suit, it is those who have propagated lies, or other things that are wrong to do, and which just might get people killed.
There have been a multitude of lies told, 2 of which I tried to point out the other night in an effort to clean up our credibility.
And for the record, they weren't merely my "opinion", but documented facts, by the way. Easy to verify. Names and particulars of doctors, which ones were selected by Greer, who said what, aren't "opinions".
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