Is it fair for moderators to be promoting politics here?

[Diogenes]

We've got a long wait in front of us for news WB8, so it's only natural to discuss other subjects, especially with everything else that happens in the world. If I might suggest, perhaps we could use a humour section just to balance things out a little.

That's my thinking as well. In the words of an old friend..."We've beat it to death." (Meaning Polywell theory)

At this point, we are all just waiting for data. I think many of us have tired of theoretical speculation and just want to see what reality has to say on the issue.

With that, I turn to other subjects like the Mach-Lorentz Thruster and Politics etc.

I like to do humor in many of my posts, but sometimes I think i'm too subtle, like in this post.


viewtopic.php?p=15313&highlight=relatives#15313

[MSimon]

Aren't mods supposed to be neutral and objective?

Who made that rule?

If I was deleting posts that might be good. But I don't delete.

Unless Joe has given me permission for a particular miscreant. It has only happened once and it was for crap so bad that the verdict was unanimous. No one ever said unban. And it was no secret ban. It was announced.

Otherwise I'm just a regular poster around here. Light housekeeping is my only duty.

My duties as moderator:

Fix too long urls. Fix urls that are not working properly. Help people get in touch with Joe. He is pretty quick when I e-mail him. Help people with other technical problems [I have done a lot with people who have trouble posting images.].

===

Otherwise I'm just a regular poster around here.

[MSimon]

UM,

I'm just a regular poster around here. I have no special privileges.

I do have the power to do what you imagine. But Joe wouldn't like that. And Joe is my friend. Despite the fact that we are probably in total disagreement about politics.

We have a job we want to do. Educate and agitate for Polywell. And other things. Discuss energy technology. etc.

This board was started by engineers and physicists. With engineers predominating. It came as an outgrowth of a NASA Spaceflight discussion.

I have spent a considerable amount of time around engineers. They tend to be libertarian to right very predominantly. So any where they concentrate you are going to feel outnumbered if you are on the left. Generally.

You find the opposite on other topics. I'm for drug legalization. All drugs. My position is based on science. It is no secret around here. We have discussed it. When I'm on a left site discussing that I'm outnumbered politically. When I'm with libertarians - no problem. In general I have found that the lefty sites are more prone to the kind of moderation you imagine going on here.

[Betruger]

He probably picked it up from the couple of other guys ragging on MSimon. Shubedube and a couple of other posters that check in every other month to repeat that same "MSimon still spamming right wing rhetoric" complaint.

Ni, I "picked it up" from the inappropriate thread jacking that MSimon likes to constantly engage in to promote his politics. The proof of this is posted for all to see, and its not very defendable.

Wouldn't it be better to have a site where we focus on the subject matter and not on things like politics? There are plenty of sites for that kind of thing, I guess the people who read THIS forum will have to decide if they want the polywell forum to degrade into shouting matches and food fights over politics, or if they want to discuss science and technology...

Even better. Everyone says whatever they want. If enough people object to their conversation, conversationalist in question either wises up or gets booted. It's happened before and it'll happen again.

Now show evidence of excessive biased moderation by MSimon or retract your accusation. Separately show how MSimon's arguments are so polluting and impossible to ignore not just to you but a significant enough number of users, and such not because MSimon is especially articulate and opinionated and argumentative by nature, but from some intent unavoidably harmful to the forum. This is your accusation. Back it up. Let's see you demonstrate that you're not just too susceptible to whatever rash of bad chemistry you're getting from MSimon in particular, but actually right that MSimon is abusing his mod powers, or somehow has a vulcan mind grip on others forcing them (or just you) to read his arguments.

I guess the people who read THIS forum will have to decide if they want the polywell forum to degrade into shouting matches and food fights over politics, or if they want to discuss science and technology...

Horsepucky. In fact MSimon injects a lot of pertinent rhetoric in what technical conversation he can, and that keeps the irrelevance of decadent shouting tactics to a minimum; on this forum where the ambient quality is already very good.

Then you show up and start rocking the boat because it doesn't suit your sensibilities.

Ni, I "picked it up" from the inappropriate thread jacking that MSimon likes to constantly engage in to promote his politics.

This is what you accuse MSimon of. You're doing it yourself. Going so far as to demand administrative changes, after (if your reg date is any clue) being here just one month, on a forum where some users have been acquainted for years, against someone who doesn't even do what you accuse him of. MSimon doesn't hijack threads, and what "hijacking" (as you put it) there is, doesn't happen to promote his politics.

[MSimon]

Even better. Everyone says whatever they want. If enough people object to their conversation, conversationalist in question either wises up or gets booted. It's happened before and it'll happen again.

No one has ever been booted from here for conversation. And I there have been very few admonishments.

One guy was posting really really ugly pictures and wouldn't stop. And that was it. Had he stopped he would still be here.

[Josh Cryer]

I banned politics on my site because it resulted in people taking things personally and being overall abrasive. I lurk here occasionally but don't post anymore because of the political stuff.

[AcesHigh]

I am just curious if anyone else has an objection to MSimons constant right wing politics being spouted all over the general forum here. Aren't mods supposed to be neutral and objective? MSimon is anything BUT that. Hijacking threads to promote your political agenda belongs on the myspace news and politics forum, not on a website that is supposed to be centered on polywell and technology.

Thoughts?

Comments?

Keep your politics OUT of this thread please!

yes, I have. This forum looks like a wing of the republican party.

probably the only science forum where people believe in the universal deluge and the 6000 yrs old Earth.

[Betruger]

Even better. Everyone says whatever they want. If enough people object to their conversation, conversationalist in question either wises up or gets booted. It's happened before and it'll happen again.

No one has ever been booted from here for conversation. And I there have been very few admonishments.

One guy was posting really really ugly pictures and wouldn't stop. And that was it. Had he stopped he would still be here.

Yep, that's what I was referring to. That was the essence of his conversation. Everyone else knows better than to go there and wises up. Like you said, all UM and others have to do is refute. They think you're wrong? Then let's see them demonstrate it. Instead they cry shenanigans. In the name of fairness. Or because it reminds them too much of some american political party that's completely meaningless in the grand scheme of things. What a joke.

yes, I have. This forum looks like a wing of the republican party.

probably the only science forum where people believe in the universal deluge and the 6000 yrs old Earth.

Get real!

[MSimon]

I am just curious if anyone else has an objection to MSimons constant right wing politics being spouted all over the general forum here. Aren't mods supposed to be neutral and objective? MSimon is anything BUT that. Hijacking threads to promote your political agenda belongs on the myspace news and politics forum, not on a website that is supposed to be centered on polywell and technology.

Thoughts?

Comments?

Keep your politics OUT of this thread please!

yes, I have. This forum looks like a wing of the republican party.

probably the only science forum where people believe in the universal deluge and the 6000 yrs old Earth.

Well engineers are mostly on the right. And this is a predominantly engineer occupied board.

The simple thing to do is: if you don't like engineering culture don't hang out with engineers.

Aces,

Most engineers tend to the libertarian segment of the right. Which is different from the right you imagine.

As to young earthers. I doubt if you would find many engineers in that category. The evidence doesn't support it.

[MSimon]

Even better. Everyone says whatever they want. If enough people object to their conversation, conversationalist in question either wises up or gets booted. It's happened before and it'll happen again.

No one has ever been booted from here for conversation. And I there have been very few admonishments.

One guy was posting really really ugly pictures and wouldn't stop. And that was it. Had he stopped he would still be here.

Yep, that's what I was referring to. That was the essence of his conversation. Everyone else knows better than to go there and wises up. Like you said, all UM and others have to do is refute. They think you're wrong? Then let's see them demonstrate it. Instead they cry shenanigans. In the name of fairness. Or because it reminds them too much of some american political party that's completely meaningless in the grand scheme of things. What a joke.

Yeah!

[Betruger]

So you have a forum filled with especially lucid and articulate people with a taste for debate, all in good intentions. What do you do? Contribute to its stirring of as many ideas as possible or demand it obey some starchy stilted intellectually prude rulebook?
The more fuel on the fire of debate, the better. If your feelings are getting hurt over dissent and the diversity and "adversity" of healthy debate, who's fault is it?

[taniwha]

"If you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen".

Not much more to say than that.

[JLawson]

yes, I have. This forum looks like a wing of the republican party.

probably the only science forum where people believe in the universal deluge and the 6000 yrs old Earth.

Oh, bullshit. Post your links as proof if you've got them.

I'm really getting tired of any deviation from liberal orthodoxy being treated as if the dissenters haven't evolved as far as knuckle-dragging, much less being able to form coherent thoughts. One VERY real problem we have in politics any more is that it's no longer acceptable to disagree, instead it's becomes a blood sport with the purposeful goal of destroying those you disagree with.

And how darn far are you going to get doing THAT?

(On preview - this software's editing out my cussing! Help! Help! I'm being repressed! )

[IntLibber]

Generally people who wish to squelch free speech are themselves incapable of articulating a logical argument without a half dozen fallacies of logic and argumentation per paragraph.

FYI: MSimon isn't right wing that I can tell, he's more libertarian like myself, which as anybody who isn't an idiot knows, is NOT right wing. Libertarians are upper wing (i.e. diametrically opposed to authoritarianism, while conservatives and liberals/socialists tolerate a degree of authoritarianism to enforce their respective social and economic agendas).

[IntLibber]

He probably picked it up from the couple of other guys ragging on MSimon. Shubedube and a couple of other posters that check in every other month to repeat that same "MSimon still spamming right wing rhetoric" complaint.

Ni, I "picked it up" from the inappropriate thread jacking that MSimon likes to constantly engage in to promote his politics. The proof of this is posted for all to see, and its not very defendable.

Wouldn't it be better to have a site where we focus on the subject matter and not on things like politics? There are plenty of sites for that kind of thing, I guess the people who read THIS forum will have to decide if they want the polywell forum to degrade into shouting matches and food fights over politics, or if they want to discuss science and technology...

I suppose you would rather this forum descended into a massive hugfest of carebears using Alinsky methods to reach 'consensus' in organizing the "community", and wind up driving out anyone of any technical competence with disgust with politically correct witch hunts.