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 think you are correct about there being many more of us out there, that we dont know about...lets not forget all the lurkers...I know, that for each one of us that posts at FR, there are many more that lurk and never post...
There is no way of knowing their numbers, but I feel their numbers are large...so when we post, we should post, not just for the jousting and such that goes on various threads, but also we are posting for the lurkers, who for whatever reason, do not post, but do indeed lurk and learn...
Nicely said.
FULL ZOGBY POLL re. Terri Schiavo Just Released.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1378901/posts
You already know I hold you in high esteem.
Wonderful, thoughtful post. Thanks for pinging me.
I'm just scrolling past the disrupters. They are a waste of time and band-width. But that is JR's problem, the band-width, that is. Our time is far more valuable to us.
BTTT!
Smart girl you. :)
Let me know when you come up with something resembling an answer to my question.
So how did all the turkeys vote on the poll:
"Was it wrong to kill Terri Shiavo?"
I'll start. I voted "yes," it was wrong.
Make no mistake about the Terri Schiavo case. It was impeccably constitutional and went off without a hitch. This time around, the legislative, executive and judicial branches of the US government executed a flawlessly synchronized checks-and-balances performance. The tenet separating church and state held firm and refused to buckle under significant pressure.You must be so proud.The arguments were compelling and the race against time, heart-wrenching. But make no mistake about Terri Schiavo's death. In a two week period, she was dehydrated and starved to death, sliced open for an autopsy and cremated - and the entire process was scrupulously executed according to the law of the land. America must be so proud.
What an amazing point of view, thank you. It made waking up in the middle the night worth while. :)
There had been times that I have posted articles that well are not generally acceptable on Free Republic but the reason I posted them was to generate discussion and the hope if just one person does a search and pulls up the thread that they might learn something and help them to make informed decisions. If this were to happen at least once it is so worth all the threads I have posted.
I have no doubt the lurker's number's are high. I also have a feeling that some are shy and worried about discourse that might end up ruffle feather's and just do not want to go there.
I bet the number of hits to FR far exceeds the actual membership.
So, in closing, it is always a good idea that in posting that you consider who the reader's might be and the impact just one thread can make to folks all over the world.
Again, thanks for your delightful comment!
Nope, no idea. Let's stop now, this is of no worth.
Here is something to consider:
A Freeper, Billthedrill, suggested this the other day. I think this is a very wise and helpful standard, and very fitting considering the recent unpleasantness.
He wrote: “We would all be better off if we would ask the other party what he or she thinks instead of telling them. It's almost always a mischaracterization, and it brings more heat than light.”
****
Sounds like a great idea. And by the way, Free Republic is the best site on the net and will continue to be. The thousanads of witty, bright, and decent posters make it so.
Sundance: "You keep thinkin', Butch, that's what your good at."
;-)
There was a Zogby poll last week that went the other way, and everybody was saying what an idiot Zogby was. It's all in how you phrase the questions I guess.
Exactly. Just like e-mail, it is difficult to tell the tone of something you're just reading on a message board. I think there is a lot of defensive-ness (is that a word?) going around. Much more so than there used to be here. People aren't ALWAYS trying to insult or ridicule.
"There was a Zogby poll last week that went the other way"
YOU ARE WRONG.
There were articles about the SAME Zogby poll, the point was exactly that he asked fair questions, unlike the MSM.
But at that time, articles were quoting Zogby, but he didn't have the full poll up on his website. Now he does.
Most people, once told the truth, wanted to keep Terri alive.
Yes, most of us cannot write well enough to be totally understood (not meant to be critical, just honest). Something is always lost on the written page.
We should all just slow down and stop making so many suppositions about others' ideas before getting it clear.
I think there is a lot of defensive-ness (is that a word?) going around.
Yes there is. But unfortunately that defensiveness sometimes manifests itself as offense.
People aren't ALWAYS trying to insult or ridicule.
Certainly not.
All of this fits in nicely to my theory that low self esteem is the root of all evil :)
You set a very high standard for all of us with the intellectual honesty and quality of your posts. Thanks.
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