I just stopped in for my "farewell address", so to speak..

When I first started posting on this board quite a few years back, it was a lively place where people had thick skins and weren't afraid to "mix it up" a little. A few folks even occasionally referred to one another as "twerps", "jerks", "idiots", "fools", or other non-obscene "terms of reference." But it seems that lately, the old "Sweetie Syndrome," as I now term it (re,Obama's referring to a female reporter as "sweetie" causing outrage-The HORROR!) has taken root around here..

I remember more than a few heated exchanges with different people here, and the differences were patched up and forgotten.I've been called all the things above,and more, by different people who have held positions other than mine on certain issues, yet never once did I complain or whine about it.And I'm not doing that now, only saying so long to all the good folks I've enjoyed talking with and debating. Even most of those here that I don't happen to agree with politically. I've enjoyed conversing with all of you with one exception, and he knows who he is..

I was suspended for a week and told to "cool off", because I referred to a board member as a "simp." Seems this particular member is quick to dole out the "flag waving bad boy" rhetoric when it suits him, yet is even quicker to whine the loudest when his "fragile little feelers get hurted.."I won't mention any names, so draw your own conclusions..

I decided that this is bullshit, pure and simple. I've never complained to the mods about being hammered or called names here, yet this particular individual can't seem to handle the slightest bit of roughness, which, after all, is what happens with political discussions at times when they are heated. It's not like I called him an SOB or something. It sure as HELL didn't rate a suspension. But, when you are the mods' pet, as he evidently is, you get special treatment, obviously. I'll be damned if I'll walk on eggshells around here because he can't handle a little heated conversation on a message board. I mean, how lame is that?

And I won't be told to go "stand in the corner", so to speak, for a week because somebody can't handle my posts and goes whining about "name calling."I can't help it if the truth hurts.. Hell, this isn't high school any more, not for me, anyway. I've been there and done that. Farewell, to all the truly cool folks here.

BTW, Ed Schultz himself, whom I enjoy listening to, isn't above a little "name calling" once in awhile when discussions get a little hot..Funny, seems strange to me that members of his board should be scolded (or suspended) for doing a little of the same..

If anybody wants to check out a new place, just for a change of pace once in awhile, I'll post a link to my new "hangout."I'll be there , under the same screen name..

So long, it's been good to know ya...

if you had just stop the name calling I guess you wouldn't have been suspended now would you...but its all my fault and you are just the victim here right? sorry but actions have consequences but hey its all my fault, so have a good time somewhere else if thats what you want to do....

I frequent this place and depend on you and some others to put some sanity to this place. I hope you come back by here once in awhile. I can't spend all the time needed to hold off the righties.

You have been a value to me and others to let you know and thanks.

See, you can't even keep a secret can you? Thanks for proving my point, about the "simp" deal.. Your problem is, you can't take the heat, and your skin is thin. Yet, you have no problem supporting an SOB who is responsible for thousands of needless deaths in Iraq. Your screen name galls me, and offends me, as a veteran of Vietnam. You ARE a chicken-hawk, and that's not name-calling, that's a fact. So stick that in your pipe and smoke it. You are also a cry-baby, and that's a fact. I can't help it if the truth hurts. Nobody had to know who you were, because I didn't mention your name. Now everybody knows. Brilliant move on your part, genius..

REAL men don't whine. That's about all you do. There was no need for you to even respond to my post, but you don't have enough sense to leave it alone, do you? Ya big lug.


Wahhh,mr plunderer, he's name-callin' again...Wahhhhhhhhhh!!

Hell ,now I KNOW I'm outta here!

Thanks Fox, I'll miss this forum, but you know the old saying about the "squeaky wheel getting the grease?" Well, you can see who's squeaking the loudest around here.. around here... I'll probably be monitoring the place here every once in awhile, and that will probably be about it..

you think people here don't know how to do a search on the word "simp" on this board?

you don't need to name names with statements like this

"I was suspended for a week and told to "cool off", because I referred to a board member as a "simp." Seems this particular member is quick to dole out the "flag waving bad boy" rhetoric when it suits him, yet is even quicker to whine the loudest when his "fragile little feelers get hurted.."I won't mention any names, so draw your own conclusions.."


I can take all the heat you can dish out but the name calling gets old and is useless except for people like you...

even on your way out you have to revert to name calling, you are such an adult.... c-ya VV have a nice trip to the other side.....

actually you know its funny because I predicted that you would blame me for your suspension because you after all are just the victim here....

It's not name-calling if it's based in reality. My oh, my, aren't we dainty?! I called you a "simp," How terribly inconsiderate of me. Grow a pair.

I'm outta here.

I thought you were leaving.....but your still typing....how strange.....

I, for one, will miss you around here VV. I do hope you will stop by once in a while and give us a little of your particular slant on topics under discussion. Be well old friend. I am sure our paths will cross again in the future.

VV was not permanently suspended here, Mike. He was given a one week time out. I don't know what you mean by "you won't last long there either..." because VV has been around here over 2-1/2 years.

You posted in another post that you thought VV was leaving but was still typing. Could that be because you are such a big man that you can't give it up and keep egging things on? Remember that it takes two to tango and you are sure proving yourself to be a fine partner indeed!

We have lost manyvery fine and insightful members over the last couple of years because of just this type of petty bickering. Man up big guy and prove to us all that you are above this level of BS!

In lies the problem with boards like this where words don't convey the entire message where face to face exchanges are lost, it becomes impersonal, often resulting in heated banter and ego's are bruised. It's unfortunate that two veterans had to square off and one of you was literally cornored or chaired, whatever occured, it was preventable. I'm not without my own bones surrounding these events and each time I see fellow veterans face off, take aim, and fire at eachother, it reminds me to take a step back, reflect that we all served under the same flag or fight for freedom, and remember we are brothers, whether we like it not, we should be supporting eachother or take it out of the room to cool off. Or, take care of it in a PM.

So, what do say? Can we drop the ego's and apologize in a PM and move on? It happens. Let's forget it and move forward.

(Geez, vets, the civies are looking at this wondering what a bunch of winers! Stand up now, brush off that dirt, wipe away the blood, and tell them we were training-- hand to hand combat, yea, they'll believe it. Okay? Hooah!)

Nothing going on here, folks, move along. Just hand to hand combat training. Cya later.

You talkin aboute me? YOU TALKING ABOUT ME? Oh, okay. It's cool. Righties rule - lefties drool! Ha! Ha!



Hey, VietVet, while you cool your jets, I'll keep your spot warm -- with a CONSERVATIVE agenda!

I feel your pain, you and I joined the board about the same time

I too have been told to be nice to Ilovegeorge, Im not suppose to call him sn@%s anymore, I cant call him the "house Tr@!l" even tho that is my opinion

even tho he came here (admittedly) with a screen name that would "piss leftys off", we are told to "respect" a man that touts us by just being here

Eddy is big on this board being "the place America comes to talk" ... rule #1 ... but I think even Ed would call him a troll some days, some days you just cant take any more ... it happens

I would say goodbye but I know you better, you are way too much of a fighter to give up this easy

just get used to the backspace button for a while .(I just used it a bunch)

hard times, they are a comin ... we need you here

waah! wah! waaaah! waaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!.........

DITTO!!!!!!!!!

he's a republican chickenhawk...look at his name.....thay dont have the physicality or capability to 'Man up'....


(and I'll probably be suspended too now like vietvet....).....

What everyone needs to do is 'man up' and accept the reality that their personal opinions on politics, religion, or whatever do not afford them license to pass moral judgments on others. Additionally, some only further exacerbate the divisiveness with their reliance on logical fallacies, e.g. the 'chickenhawk argument.'

Isn't it strange how many really interesting threads find their way into the Dumpster?
I'll miss Vietvet - a good and long-time friend (and neighbor). I'm sure I'll find him somewhere, where we can resume our favorite sport....
Sallie

No, I won't suspend you (this time), but I do have to ask you this question: are you here to discuss the issues of our times or are you here to toss insults at those with whom you disagree? Methinks it's time for a little self-examination, because there is a distinct difference between those two approaches.

AM

It's become increasingly apparent that ILGWB has deliberately baited many of us into tossing insults his way. I know that he's a good guy, but he hasn't been acting like one lately....
Sallie

Yep

He calls folks trolls not a thing said...
You ask him for proof and you are a troll...
It makes no sense...
It's ok everyone knows what he is...

Don't worry Vietvet there are places where Anonymous is not allowed... He tried he lied he failed...

Don't forget why he came.

I just came across this thread, and I just want to say this, VV -- DON'T STAY AWAY!! Please! You are not alone in this experience. We all had a HUGE BLOW OUT last year with "management" when Anna Nicole Smith died and .. well, I don't want to go into it, but some people got suspended over it and others quit the place in sympathetic anger. But we have all or most come back to the board after various lengths of self-imposed time outs. You could do the same. You are such a great part of this board -- one of my all time favorites! And we NEED your perspective as a vet as well. I know that the rules can be incredibly annoying at times, and being reprimanded brings everybody's back up, but what we discuss here and what we learn from each other here is SO MUCH MORE IMPORTANT than that little prick to our egos and pride. Please, just think about it. Take a "time out" and then come back -- and avoid those who piss you off. But the rest of us will be SO glad to interact with you again...

I never said he was permanently suspended.... he says he is going to another board but their #1 rule is no personal attacks and that is all VV seems to know how to do....man up? why don't you tell him to grow up and drop the name calling and personal attacks.....

Hey Mike! Looks like you got another Obama supporter "arrested"! I think the best thing is for both of you to AVOID EACH OTHER like the plague. Could you help with that?

I'm not in to the name calling like he is and that is pretty evident...

But you could cease and desist egging him on in his own thread about getting suspended, forcryinoutloud. OBVIOUSLY, you guys need to stay away from each other. Could you help out with that?

he did everything short of putting my name in his little tirade / pity party so I felt the need to call him on it ....

http://edschultz.invisionzone.com/index.ph...st&p=590197


after all hes the victim here I made him do the things he did he had no control.....

maybe a little self-introspection is needed matt since like Vietvet or NEM, i refuse to wimp out like the rest of the dems here and in the real world and am tired of the 'civilized, play nice' approach you people advocate...no matter how much you guys try to be 'civil' and reasonable with these kool-aide drinkers, the dammed republicans and thier buttkissers here take your approach as weakness and unlike you all, i was raised to give as good as i get and will continue to do so until some apologist undoubtedly bans me. these G-D'ed republicans have had 8 YEARS of rubbing your noses in dogsh*t while people like Vietvet, NEM and I stood by and watched and wondered when the dem would grow a pair but one must first have the 'Y' chromosome i guess before that can happen. so have at it and go ahead an banish me for standing up to these neo-con cretins...at least Vietvet, NEM and I sleep well knowing our two are intact...

Introspect yourself.

I don't care how mad you are at the way things in this country are, we've had rules that we've enforced since the inception of this board. Just because you, or some other random member, suddenly decides not to follow them doesn't mean they won't be enforced.

They are there for a reason, and the insinuation that any of us is an apologist is more than insulting.

Take a hard look at whether you want to stick around here, because we are not changing the rules...and I refuse to be bullied by the concept that someone's tenure makes them immutable.

Regards,

-P

Always sad to see dissenting opinions silenced, either involuntary or in this case, voluntary. I wouldn't want to crack cyber bread in a mirror house of my own viewpoints. I have some right-leaning beliefs and left-leaning and find this place rather tolerant of both. Certainly more than HuffPo, where I finally gave up after three years. 'Vet and I got off to a rocky start a few months ago when I returned to the site in a more active role and yes, I believe he did get personal questioning my military experience but after a few posts where I detailed it, he seemed to accept that yes, even veterans can have different political beliefs and we both chilled. Truth be told, politically, we have more in common than probably both of us would like to admit.

I try to keep my disagreements somewhat factual or at the very minimum, strongly worded sentiments about my own beliefs. I usually feel compelled to only attack when attacked and herein lies the maze to which all forum moderators must navigate daily. "Who fired the first personal salvo?" To their credit, the mods here do outstanding work and have a keen eye for when things get out of hand. I can't recall the rift between the two in question but regret 'Vet's departure.

If you think about it, I bet if 40 or 50 of the forum "regulars" all got together for some pizza and frosty libation, we would find most of these issues inconsequential and would actually enjoy the company. I use Big Ed as an example. Love the guy but won't hesitate to disagree with him if the situation or his actions call for it and frankly writing, isn't that what "straight talk" and this forum is all about? If my pontifications on McCain turn out to be incorrect, I'll be the first one to report in on Wednesday morning in November with a decent helping of crow and congratulate Obamanation for a "job well done." Truly there are important things in one's life to take personally....jib jabs in political forums needn't be one of them.

Is it true that VietVet is now PERMANENTLY BANNED?

As I said earlier, it takes two to tango and you have proven yourself to be a willing partner for any type of dance. Name-calling is not the only way to egg things on and you are living proof of that!

Exactly! I am beginning to believe that ILGWB is receiving preferential treatment from the mods on this board. I don't know why, other than the fact that he claims not to "call names." Calling names is not as infuriating as are threads like "I got an Obama supporter arrested today."
If I recall, correctly, StarWarsBob was banned for beginning inflammatory threads. We're seeing double standards here.
It's like the puny kid who "nah-nah-nahs" bigger kids and they react - perhaps inappropriately, but understandably, and the bigger kids get punished and the puny kid gets to "nah-nah-nah" another day.
Passions are high and I'd rather be called a jerk, a simp, or even a rotten SOB, than be arrested, mugged, fingerprinted, brought into court, and perhaps fined for doing something stupid, but far from life-threatening. IMHO: This is getting totally out of hand. Our own host calls people ass-holes and jerks from 12 to 3 pm every day. His board members, however, are banned forever or are thrown into the penalty box for doing the same.
We can't have rules enforced for one particular poster and other rules for the rest of us. I have no power here, no way to change what's been done. I might have to go back to the elsewhere to which I fled after the ANS debacle, except this time, it won't be Ed's fault.
BTW: If I get banned from this board, will I still be able to watch the video stream, or will my subscription be cancelled?
Sallie

sorry sallie but I have been suspended before as well so I don't think I get any different treatment....

but I did not come back to the board and start a I'm the victim thread and start tossing other people under the bus....after all actions have consequences.....and now VV has learned that lesson....but after all he is the victim here and as such he should be allowed to commit personal attacks time after time after time with out punishment.... right?

may-be so

but I don't lower my self to name calling or ad hominem attacks during debates....

Can I get an answer? I heard this from an independent source...

No, you just railroad other people's threads and reply and reply and reply, even when asked to cool it...

when ?

don't know...

FYI:
VietVet has found a home elsewhere (by invitation).


Mac

you mean to a echo chamber.......you mean to a echo chamber.......you mean to a echo chamber.......you mean to a echo chamber.......

NO. There are righties there, too. Just not those who sometimes get mistaken for trolls...

Wow, a secret clubhouse. Just like back in grade school.

Not a "secret clubhouse", a "message board for adults".
Who act like adults and are treated like adults.
No supervision required.


Mac

Accepting applications from adult moderates?

I just read your fine OP here. Sorry we never got to exchange vibes back and forth in here, I feel we would have understood each other very well. If you ever make it back in, PM me with some details.

Good luck in all.

Now there's the ticket!!

I will miss you vietviet!
I have always enjoyed reading your posts...