[diotima]

This a great post Sabertooth. It is quite sad that this "meta" issue had to come up in the first place. One should always argue to the point and not the person, and there are clearly serial violators of this principle. On almost evey political issue discussed here.

There are prominent radio talk show hosts, congressman, journalists, political consultants and tv personalities that read this forum. I know this for a fact, I talk to these people all the time. They don't come here to read people's petty and infantile behavior or watch stupid cyber jihads carried out. They read FR to feel out the base and they read FR to see what issues are hot with the right-leaning public.

If you care about the forum and you care about the influence the forum has on the political circle, knock off the stupid petty inflamatory behavior. If you don't think you can say something to someone's face with out getting punched then don't say it. Don't ruin this forum and turn it into a virtual grudge match. Make a point with reason and facts, people lurk here and value the unfolding of a reasonable debate. Nothing turns off lurkers faster than observing a giant internet Hatfield-McCoy exhibition.

[Kevin Curry]

They don't come here to read people's petty and infantile behavior or watch stupid cyber jihads carried out. They read FR to feel out the base and they read FR to see what issues are hot . . .

Rather, they come to read the tepid, lukewarm groupthink responses to the hot issues--because the hot reponses and their authors have been kicked out and denied entry.

But it tends to validate and reinforce a point-of-view they're comfortable with. It does have that virtue.