Posted by tealady on March 9, 2006, at 23:05:17
In reply to Re: blocked for 2 weeks » Dr. Bob, posted by caraher on March 9, 2006, at 8:01:56
Surely in looking through the majority of posts on this board and the censorship applied the answer that it is fine as long as it is the "non pro Bush" side that you apply such comments to?
I still think DrBob should step back before reacting , swap the term for Bush or someone pro-bush to something like "Hitler", "Saddam Hussein", "Stalin", "Ida Amin" , the leader of Iran ..
and see if it the sentence is still uncivil to him, then its uncivil.
If its fine then.. well it was fine with Bush (or political supporters) in it.
Unfortunately for the whole board I think, I think Dr Bob has a problem here.. and is not prepared to do this.
By siding with pro-Bush(which he had always before admirably held himself above), he can no longer arbitrate without outright discrimination, causing much hurt and "offence", humiliation and even anger.
Eventually, in the disempowered ,where it really does have life and death consequences it causes acts of terrorism. Why Dr Bob chooses to run one board of this previously excellently run forum like this has been a mystery to me ..and from comments ,many other thinking mature people too (ok they're have previously been normal human judgement errors or debatable points here and there).
Viewing this politics board has caused me to have strong feeling of being hurt, stung, discrimination, humiliation, feelin like giving up, hurt by th arrogance and stunned by those who desire top remain ignorant and yet still have their views considered gospel.. but I guess that has always been human nature.DrBob can choose to throw away America's greatest achievement..free speech and have a one sided political "Praise for Bush"forum.. but he should warn people of this in his header!!
He is causing a lot of discomfort and frustratio, as wellas fooling himself if he thinks a fair open discussion can precede with censorship of any opposing views.
http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/admin/20060111/msgs/604754.html
I still think the heading of this board should warn it is NOT a open political board. Only pro-Bush views will be tolerated.I cannot see why DrBob cannot see why discrimination against any non pro-bush statements is not offensive in itself. and someone saying they are offended by a statement they disagree with is also offensive,... way more offensive than the statement. Instead of being offended that person should leave or openly state how they fell and what their experience and understanding is ..and only THEN can a genuine understanding happen. only then can tolerance, compassion and a feeling of community be foster. Only with free speech. To deny and throw away such a liberty as free speech .. ..THE best thing the US has, leaves me in a stunned astonishment. You cannot value it enough. in my book. My country does not have the same degree of free speech as in the US. I know of one board owner who went to jail for something that a poster posted.(in my country)..so far this hasn't happened(and unless the laws are changed for the worse due to terrorism issues can't happen) in US based boards. :-). Good you really have free speech and it really does apply to this forum. None of us need fear being jailed or worse for what we write, and even better ..DrBob does not need to fear for his life either based on what we write. In my books it takes a lot of being "offended" to throw that right away!
I do agree with prime time TV and no personal attacks and respect to listen and consider each persons view though. Just treating each other with decency and giving a fair go to all.
The politics board has caused me , and I think I can speak of others too, to feel upset by the outright discrimination practised and to lose respect, at least in part, for our very esteemed board owner and main moderator.Itseems to also encourages the feeling of superior ignorance? .. arrogance?.. nothing is quite the right word??which appears to be displayed and causes the hurt that is felt and eventually causes the lashing out that happens.. like Sept 11th. I did expect Sept 11th, but I fear it represents only the smallest fraction of what is felt by the majority in the world.
To censor efforts by those who are merely wasting their time trying to explain what is happening and how people are being affected and perhaps providing some warning..well most the some J*ps didn't know about the war either until the nuclear bomb was dropped, most the Germans didn't realise what Hitler was really like... but they had no way of finding out.AN idea I'm putting up for consideration here:-
Consider if the US didn't in practise as is thought by some almost control the UN (or ignore it if it doesn't conform to its wishes).
Would Bush and some military personnel may be just as guilty as Hitler and generals,Saddam, Yugoslav leaders both political and military etc.? . Should they be tried for war crimes too? Shoul Bush take the ultimate responsibility for the treatment of civilians by his troops?
Or is that just helping people out.. liberating them?
Why has the US got the right to define what is a war or not a war but a fight against terrorism?
Does the US just redefine what a war it invades(or aid) a country?
Does the Geneva convention really apply to US soldiers and civilians ? Has it been outlived now?
Did anyone see what some towns look like, say some of the footage of Italy at the end of WWII .. after the US liberates the towns? Or look at Vietnam villages? or even neighboring countries thru which communists might travel?Has anyone heard what is being taught to schoolchildren about the US in some non US countires? about US imperialists? Why would they be teaching that?
Maybe the next generation will have weapons that will be able to reach the US? Probably its just too far away technically to be achievable?
So most in the US will never really know what it is like to be liberated or invaded or aided or whatever the term is for having a country, foreign in every respecti (culture, language, goegraphy) bomb them with a show of strength and think they are justified in doing so?
This board has caused me way too much distress. I just keep getting drawn back here by alter posters who stary here ..like TEEJAY ands DECLAN ..and them get themselved banned.. mainly for having an opposing point of view to the pro-Bush side... and they are not Nth-American ..either of them.But I do realise that all US citizens do not think identically and will never hold the views and actions of some against all of the US individually..as seemed to be done with the Germans in Germany after WWII ..and even now.
There was a strong desire there to make them see what had been doen.
I really do like most of the posters here as individuals and realise some in the US are concerned.
I also know people who voted for Hitler that I liked and respected. They explained to me how, at the time, he seeemed like he was doing so much for the country... taking them out of a great depression that did hit Germany worse than most countries(due to the opressing rules put on germany after losing WW1), giving the workers paid holidays every year, affordable reliable cars (the VW), full employment etc.Please don't take this personally! I have met many nice people on this board, but staying on the politics boards make me realise how great the rift has become. I hope it is only here!!
I sincerely wish people can discuss their views openly in other places in the hope of achieving some understanding on all sides, for the whole world sake.Jan
poster:tealady
thread:617262
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/poli/20060304/msgs/618181.html