posted on Jul, 13 2012 @ 02:11 PM
And That's The Ball Game
In the long history of this forum, we've been down this road many times. The problem with threads like these is that they invariably devolve into
tedious flame wars. While spirited debate is the bread and butter of ATS, that's only the case when it applies to the topics themselves, and never
when it's about other members.
A Note On Personal Commentary, Straw Men And Call-Outs
All opinions are welcome, provided they are expressed in accordance with the
AboveTopSecret.com Terms And Conditions Of Use. Key among them is topical
relevance (15f), and as can be seen at the top of every page of every thread in this forum:
9/11 Conspiracies: This forum is dedicated to the discussion and speculation of cover-ups, scandals, and other conspiracies surrounding the
events of 9/11/2001. Participants should be aware that this forum is under close staff scrutiny due to general rudeness by some. Discussion topics
and follow-up responses in this forum will likely tend to lean in favor of conspiracies, scandals, and cover-ups. Members who would seek to refute
such theories should be mindful of AboveTopSecret.com's tradition of focusing on conspiracy theory, cover-ups, and scandals.
Emphasis mine. Intentionally absent is any mention of the attributes of other members. The statement about rudeness is also worth noting, because it
has led to a lot of unfortunate account terminations that could have been prevented with nothing more than a little
courtesy.
Again, there's nothing wrong with expressing strong disagreement regarding relevant topics, but the right place for that is in threads about relevant
topics, and with the notable exception of the Members forum, ATSers themselves are never a relevant topic for discussion.
As always, if anyone disagrees with my closing this thread, please don't hesitate to
send me a private message. But I hope it's clear enough from
the content of the thread itself -- and all the numerous other threads closed for the same reason over the years -- why it's going to stay closed.