Friday, March 11, 2005
Open Forum
In an attempt to stimulate open debate and discussion, I’ve decided to open this place up a bit. In order to do this in some kind of organized way I’ve decided on a few rules.
1: Anybody can choose to participate in the Open Forum provided they are addressing something I’ve posted, or post a comment or send an e-mail that piques my attention and interest.
2: A willing participant can initiate entry into the Open Forum by either e-mailing me (see link in the navigation bar) or posting a comment, subject to rule #1. The e-mail or comment must express an interest in being considered for an Open Forum debate.
3: Keep your intended subject matter(s) specific. If I do not entirely understand what you’ve said I will propose a synopsis of what I think you’re saying and offer you the chance to clarify or correct before we proceed to the Open Forum.
4: Once agreement has been reached about the point or points under debate, stay on topic. Don’t go sliding about in the tall grass changing the subject and “shoot & move”-ing to avoid getting nailed on a point. Example: You state that George Bush “lied” about WMDs in Iraq. If I come back with some slamdunk rebuttal, don’t return fire with, “but Bushitler stole money from Social Security!” Stay on topic until the issue is settled or abandoned.
5: Propose debate only on things that can be proved or disproved. “I think Bushitler stinks!” is not a valid debating point. And no, I’m not interested in debating the existence/non-existence of God, unless He has a website heretofore unknown to me.
6: If you and your proposed point qualify for the Open Forum your argument will appear as posts here on the main site with proper credit given. The format shall be:
Open Forum: (WMDs in Syria) – Posted by John Q. Public
(argument follows after title)
7: You have the option of participating in the Open Forum anonymously. However, submit an appropriate web-name. Otherwise I shall invent one for you (e.g. AnonLeftistAsshat).
8: Don’t ramble. I retain the right to edit your comments for the sake of sanity (mine). I will not change the substance of what you’re saying, and I will be extremely reluctant to edit (and may never do so). But rambling screeds tend to make me bored. And that’s probably true of the other two people who read this blog regularly. If you believe I’ve changed the intent or meaning of your comment then e-mail me, or post irate comments in reply to the post. Take me to task, flame me, whatever. If I think you’re right then I’ll fix it to your satisfaction, if possible.
9: Try not to use too much profanity. I know, that’s a weird thing to hear from me. But profanity has a purpose, and that purpose is emphasis, goddamn it. Don’t wear out all the good words. I want to be able to use them too.
10: Commit to a willingness to back up what you say with some kind of objective or believable evidence. Why should I waste my time Googleing you into a smoking ruin if you just reply with “F*** You!!”? Suitable forms of evidence include news stories from Main Stream Media (MSM) publications (online, please!) or material originated by sources (e.g. thinktanks) that generally oppose your political philosophy. Make your intent to convince me you’re right. I’ll play by the same rules: It wouldn’t be very convincing to you if I constantly reference Fox News, right?
11: It is the height of talent and sophistication to “art up” your comments with hotlinks to informational or impactful imagery. If you need a hosting server, try www.bestupload.com. It’s free, loads any file extension, and is usually reliable. Max file size is 600kb.
...
Okay? So bring it on, badass.
In an attempt to stimulate open debate and discussion, I’ve decided to open this place up a bit. In order to do this in some kind of organized way I’ve decided on a few rules.
1: Anybody can choose to participate in the Open Forum provided they are addressing something I’ve posted, or post a comment or send an e-mail that piques my attention and interest.
2: A willing participant can initiate entry into the Open Forum by either e-mailing me (see link in the navigation bar) or posting a comment, subject to rule #1. The e-mail or comment must express an interest in being considered for an Open Forum debate.
3: Keep your intended subject matter(s) specific. If I do not entirely understand what you’ve said I will propose a synopsis of what I think you’re saying and offer you the chance to clarify or correct before we proceed to the Open Forum.
4: Once agreement has been reached about the point or points under debate, stay on topic. Don’t go sliding about in the tall grass changing the subject and “shoot & move”-ing to avoid getting nailed on a point. Example: You state that George Bush “lied” about WMDs in Iraq. If I come back with some slamdunk rebuttal, don’t return fire with, “but Bushitler stole money from Social Security!” Stay on topic until the issue is settled or abandoned.
5: Propose debate only on things that can be proved or disproved. “I think Bushitler stinks!” is not a valid debating point. And no, I’m not interested in debating the existence/non-existence of God, unless He has a website heretofore unknown to me.
6: If you and your proposed point qualify for the Open Forum your argument will appear as posts here on the main site with proper credit given. The format shall be:
Open Forum: (WMDs in Syria) – Posted by John Q. Public
(argument follows after title)
7: You have the option of participating in the Open Forum anonymously. However, submit an appropriate web-name. Otherwise I shall invent one for you (e.g. AnonLeftistAsshat).
8: Don’t ramble. I retain the right to edit your comments for the sake of sanity (mine). I will not change the substance of what you’re saying, and I will be extremely reluctant to edit (and may never do so). But rambling screeds tend to make me bored. And that’s probably true of the other two people who read this blog regularly. If you believe I’ve changed the intent or meaning of your comment then e-mail me, or post irate comments in reply to the post. Take me to task, flame me, whatever. If I think you’re right then I’ll fix it to your satisfaction, if possible.
9: Try not to use too much profanity. I know, that’s a weird thing to hear from me. But profanity has a purpose, and that purpose is emphasis, goddamn it. Don’t wear out all the good words. I want to be able to use them too.
10: Commit to a willingness to back up what you say with some kind of objective or believable evidence. Why should I waste my time Googleing you into a smoking ruin if you just reply with “F*** You!!”? Suitable forms of evidence include news stories from Main Stream Media (MSM) publications (online, please!) or material originated by sources (e.g. thinktanks) that generally oppose your political philosophy. Make your intent to convince me you’re right. I’ll play by the same rules: It wouldn’t be very convincing to you if I constantly reference Fox News, right?
11: It is the height of talent and sophistication to “art up” your comments with hotlinks to informational or impactful imagery. If you need a hosting server, try www.bestupload.com. It’s free, loads any file extension, and is usually reliable. Max file size is 600kb.
...
Okay? So bring it on, badass.
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