Originally posted by MaynardisGod
I think that the owners of the site are more likely owned by those people in the media we all distrust
I don't think so...I've been with the ATS forums a looong time & never seen any indications to which you're referring. But you also have to realize that ATS is not a nation, the Staff are not pretending to be a government (board administrators yes, government officers no) & the T&C's are the closest thing you're going to get to having a Constitution here...Under the T&C's, when someone steps out of line, they need to get slapped. Just like America in the sense that when the Constitution gets violated, someone needs to get slapped (In comparison to the reality that it's increasingly the ones who are violating the Constitution are the ones doing the slapping).
Notice that Democracy is not an option. Democracies have always broken down to mob rule or weakening enough to invite invasion, all throughout history: So I'm glad it's not Democracy here on ATS. Neither should the USA be promoting the "spread of Democracy" either, because it should always have remained a Republic under inviolable laws by its Constitution...But that's beside the point...
reply to post by MaynardisGod
(in reply mostly to the last paragraph, in bold)
You make strong & valid points there, but the single most important point for anyone in Office...Will they uphold their Oath to defend the Constitution? Bush has done a real bang-up job of that so far, hasn't he? And also the same from nearly every single office holder (with extremely few individual exceptions) from both parties, back to the turning of the 20th century! It's the violators of that Oath that have run the USA into the ground, dragging the People with it into a "national grave."
Besides, isn't this a post/reply that should be more fitting to appear in the kind of threads that Intrepid talks about in the OP? Should this thread get derailed form its original purpose that Intrepid indicates that those political threads need strengthened with intelligence & thought-provoking debate...Rather than the constant mud-slinging tactics that derail important issues.
Originally posted by Ahabstar
Some days it really pays to not be a mod that HAS to wade through them.
And that's a fault in that being a Mod literally doesn't pay...This is the main reason why I've turned down the offer to become a Mod twice over the years. I'd rather "tiptoe through the tulips" & enjoy the scenery than to be tasked with digging through the dirt to weed the garden. In short, I do not envy the Mods, but I respect that they willingly take on the tasks that they're charged with. More honesty than the average politician, I must admit.
That's also the same reason I'd never again willingly enter any kind of government office (I was in the military once, which is a government "office," but boy did that open my eyes)!
Originally posted by sos37
Are moderators supposed to be unbiased in their opinions or can they actively participate in discussions where there is clearly two or more sides?
From my understanding, Mods should be able to fully participate as they desire...As long as they can keep their heads together & the T&C's enforced. Tough job even without the emotional content typically accompanied with the mud-slinging. It seems, from my observations, that many Mods are reluctant to trust their own judgment & participate, because too often they catch flak from members who all-too-easily accuse them of being biased with enforcing the T&C's too. This is another reason why I don't envy the job, but respect those who handle it well. I fully understand that the Mods are human too (at least I think they are...It's sometimes hard to tell with only the internet to show me the clues
) & can make
mistakes like anyone else. But I think it's hard on them when, for example, a political pundit (who, by definition, has zero tolerance for anything outside their own bias-ness) are so quick to fling accusations at Mods as hard as they sling the mud in their "debates."
See that Intrepid, you crazy canuck? There's still somebody here who's been around long enough to really understand what Mods go through, even having never been one himself...And understands what it means to go through it voluntarily!
