I'm going to paste in dialog from several PM's that started with my message to Reggie (Jackleg) last night when I deleted his thread entitles Economic Stimulus in the Other Topics Forum. I agree with Steve's last PM to me -- we need to clarify our definition of "political". Here's the PM's:
Originally Posted by
McRabbet
Reggie,
I'm sorry, but your thread had to be closed as it is definitely political. While I understand your frustration with the economy, our forums are just not the place to express your political views. I hope you understand.
Response Posted by JackLeg
I would appreciate your showing me exactly what is POLITICAL about this thread. No offense taken here, Rob, but, I don't see where this qualifys as being political.
I'm not frustrated with our economy, just concerned, very concerned. Not trying to begin a debate, as I know who holds the cards here. I'm done.
Follow-up Posted by McRabbet (sent to ScottM, TracyP, DaveO, SteveColes)
I haven't answered him yet, but the thread is political from start to end ... He's obviously angry about the state of the US economy, but it just doesn't belong here. I'll answer it tomorrow after I've thought about it some more.
Response Posted by SteveColes
I've thought about this before when other people have questioned the same thing. I think that the problem is people's perception of the definition of the word political. I have always given it a very broad meaning. Perhaps we need to either clarify our meaning of the word or add a category that more clearly defines our intention.
-----------End PM
To me, a thread is in the political realm if it discusses any issue that involves our government decision making -- war, taxes, economy, voting, etc. In other words, issues like the economic stimulus package versus tax cuts should be prohibited and frankly, I think the Buy American issue is borderline... We may find some issues that relate to woodworking may get close -- e.g., discussions about the new Consumer Product Safety Information Act should be allowed because they impact the woodworking industry. It should be okay to talk about one's personal plight (some members have been laid off), but not to the extent that it is so-and-so's [insert political party] fault.
I came close this morning to posting a thread in the Off Topic Forum called "Political Threads" and starting it with the words: "are not appropriate here". Then I'd ask our members to remember that we are here to enjoy the world of woodworking and our discussions should remain focused there.
IHMO, If we cannot get the membership to understand that 100%, our only other choice is to close the Off Topic Forum.