Hard Horse Sense Series: My Utmost Apologies

I was recently invited to partake in the bully pulpit I wish to express my apologies to all as to why I refuse to enter the forum.

I ask the owners and forum moderators to not take this as an insult. I am posting my own opinion and the experience it is based on.

With your indulgence I will carry on.

ATS thread, bully pulpit rules

Please read the 'WHOLE THREAD' before you respond. Your opinion might differ from mine and thus your interpretation....

Those who wish to participate in the forum will post a public acceptance of this pledge: "I, _____________, an ATS member concerned about real and important political issues in this 2008 election season promise to do my best to elevate the tone of political debate through my participation in the ATS Bully Pulpit Forum. I will not post insults. I will not engage in divisive political rhetoric. I will focus on the issues important to the American public and the world at large. I will support my statements with confirmed facts. I will conduct myself in the best example of superior participation and fully embrace the spirit of 'deny ignornace.'" Acceptance of this pledge affords a member with the ability to post in the Bully Pulpit Forum... where only few can post, but all can read.

I am a member of the site in good standing (yea I am sound like a politician already )

I see no need to take or post an oath. I follow this theorem when I post here.

I am in somebody else's house and they have their castle's rules. Its their kingdom not mine. With this in mine I try to behave like I want them to behave in mine. Its called good manners.

In good faith the owners and administrators have allowed me to join and post. I know I told them when I joined I'd behave . So far I have. I have received no warnings or have I been banned.

As a freeman who thinks for myself, in good conscious I can not take a second oath to make promises for something I already do. My first reaction is to be insulted, but once again I am in SOMEONE else's house. I behave as I see fit. It shows I am on here a lot, but my post do not reflect it.

Why?

I edit my own post before I respond. 80% of my post and responses do not make it on this site. I insult for no reason, I become cruel to the idiots I do not agree with, and honestly think some should be culled from the human gene pool. I do not post those because I vent then go to recent post never posting them.

Next...

I am glad I am trusted to post in general but I will not give this point for I do all this already. I believe in debate being uncivilized, rude, and at times quite cruel.

If someone cant stand personal attacks do not get into the debate! The only rule to apply is the person is giving a chance to answer and respond.

Natural Selection

Natural selection is the process by which genetically heritable traits become more or less common in a population over successive generations. It is a key mechanism of evolution.

Experiences:

I learned the hard way to not give an inch. Even when told to in the name of fair play.

US Navy I was directly ordered to inform my LPO what I was doing. He did not like me and he showed it. I did as ordered and it took me six months to recover.

I learned fair play does not exist. I decided that it was a lesson on being quiet and learning to think for my self. I never again communicated to the people everything. Personal agendas and pricks interfered with getting the job done.

The moderators and owners here believe in the fair play and they enforce it to the best of their ability. A few times unfortunately they fail. I posted a video in one of my threads and had it removed by a mod... Later in the same thread it was reposted by someone else and it still sits there to my knowledge.

apparently it offended a female mod. I took it as a cheap lesson that fiefdoms exist even here. I cant get away from it so I do my best to hide my efforts and thoughts to the best of my ability. It did hurt feelings, but not my house.

This leads to my next points.

I see the results and punishments for violating the rules, why this is my problem.

One mans insult is another's belly laugh.

I could say some pretty insulting things to get my point across but that is all it is to me. A means to insure someone understands what I am saying...

After all it is for our children....


The other part is who decides is what.

If I take a very emotional issue and try to argue with what I see as horse sense others here decide I am this or I am that.

Look at the holocaust thread or 9/11...

I had never considered the capacities of the furnaces before and now am curious on what they actually where.

I have never heard of a reasonable explanation for the insurance being maxed out the day before....

Yet if I where to ask I am labeled a believer of this or that. I know because several individual do go from thread to thread and have stated knowledge from earlier threads in a main attempt to dispute the poster and shut down threads.

Subtle axe work... another thread for another day...

Yet in the process I hear of no process by which a member is allowed to defend themselves should they encounter an "over zealous" mod.

I would propose a trial thread for those wishing to defend themselves... Just a thought...

Due to this I do not share all I can. Its because ignorance runs very high... I am learning to accept my brothers and sister in this but I have learned to keep my hedges up....

*****continued next post *******

****** continuation*******

so far....

invited to bully pulpit-

wont take second oath

I am guest in some one elses house

experience as to why...


I hope I have explained somewhat the why. I love coming here and posting and reading the various threads. Good job on the site I do love it. I get information sometimes before others do and end up in possession of knowledge of circumstances that is left out by mainstream media.

I follow my own code of manners as I stated.

Now why did I post it in the political issues thread?

I feel is covers a lot of ground in how we communicate. A lot of the issues debated here follow the same paradigm of this discussion. The only difference is that it seems the owners and the majority of the mods actually do their job fairly and evenly.

I have a feeling the rules in our present day world pre internet started out with the same idea in mind. They are good rules and are attempts to behave much in the same way.

This is where my OPINION differs from most, hence its the road less traveled.

You lose the yeast. The debates for various offices over political issues are stiff events where no one gets to know the real canidates.

Then the politicians run from and do not like the open forums because they would have to answer questions that they consider 'inappropriate'.

"Why did you agree to spend billions of dollars on nazi-care"

see its bad manners they way its phrased but it still does not remove the validity of the question.

I hope we can continue to agree to disagree on this matter. For respect reasons of the owner I will not join the bully pulpit due to the rules...

I am open to full disclosure on what I have stated.. Thank yall listening to my rant..

reply to post by ripcontrol


No apologies necessary.

Not everyone can or will commit to tighter or stricter restrictions.

But then again not everyone abides by them to begin with.

For myself, my commitment to tighter and stricter restrictions, was an easy step.

That is no judgment against anyone, yourself, or anyone else for that matter.

I have simply lived my life according to policy, procedure, and protocol since I was 6 years old, so rules are not hard for me to follow, nor are they difficult to interpret.

I can see where you're coming from trust me.

I could have seen the rules, terms and conditions, tighter and stricter as a slight.

I chose not to do so.

Whether the gene pool needs to be cleansed or not the Darwin Awards are there for that.

However, I am in no place to judge my fellow human, I used to do that.

I stopped doing it a long time ago with a few exceptions.

Usually people who ignorantly try to take me on thinking I will back down.

When I most certainly will not.

Never back down, never surrender, and never give your enemy a chance to recover.

Take them to the mat, nail them in submission, and make them miserable.

Someone declares war on you then you reciprocate in like-kind and never give in.

That is the Art of War however having turned it into the Art of Peace I know many different ways to take an enemy down, without ever raising a hand, and by making them slit their own throat, or hang themselves, or give up trying.

However, the Bully Pulpit is where I see a strong commitment towards serious political discussion, towards losing all political nonsense, towards leaving behind standards, as in politically ignorant flag-waving, and partisan bickering.

I guess this is where you and I differ a whole lot, still considering we are friends.

I see rules as not just what cannot be done, but as what can be done.

Meaning, there is something to be said for having extra rules, terms and conditions, tighter and stricter, it makes a challenge to live to a higher standard.

While I understand your ideas shared here and in some regards I fully agree, in others I do not, but this is what makes the dichotomy of our friendship that much more interesting, we come to a head on some things, and on others we see eye to eye, yet we talk as comrades in arms still the same.

I would be interested in hearing about your Navy experiences.

As for fiefdoms here or elsewhere.

They happen whether it is seen, admitted to, or even recognized by those doing it.

Rise above it.

I treat everyone the same.

Either you like me or you do not.

If you do, great, if you do not, great.

Speaking on politics is easy for me seeing as I'm a registered Independent.

I see both the Republican and Democratic party as playing games.

I am no game player.

People try playing games with me and I go on the warpath with tactics.

And I always win.

Well, I hate to do this but I am being told.

My girlfriend advised me to go into the bully pulpit. She said I was invited by a friend so it was more an insult to him not to.



So it appears I have been advised to play nice with the bully pulpit....





Her opinion it would sharpen my manners