Comments Decorum
If you wish to participate in the comments section of this blog, we can’t wait to hear what you have to say. We want the blog to be a wide-open forum for a range of discussions and debates. Please just observe these few rules:
- Do not bait or taunt other commenters or bloggers
If someone doesn’t want to have a dialog with you, that’s his/her prerogative. Get over it. This goes for deliberately starting conflicts, as well. - Do not use this forum as your own blog
We will occasionally post “open threads” where any topic goes. Outside of such threads, stick to the topic, be concise, and do not try to hijack the blog or the conversation. If you can’t bear this rule, then you are always welcome to get your own blog. They’re free! - Hate speech will not be tolerated
You are allowed to hate, and you’re allowed to make arguments against anything or anybody, but this will not be a forum for speech that denigrates groups of people. There are many other places you’ll be welcome doing that, just don’t confuse PBB as such a place - Incivility will not be tolerated
Treat your fellow commenters and bloggers with respect, and watch them reciprocate. - Do not use heavy quotes or plagiarism
If you want to relay an idea, put it in your own words or link us to someone else saying it. If you want to quote a short paragraph or three, that’s fine, once in a while. But we don’t want to scroll through endless quotation of words from non-PBBers/PBMers. - Exhibit tolerance of others’ views
We know it is particularly hard to be tolerant of intolerant views, but let’s all try to set an example of tolerance here. - Post infrequently
This may seem hard to believe, but people probably aren’t hear just to read your comments. This goes along with Rule 2,about not hijacking the blog. If five people respond to one of your comments, use one comment to reply to them all. Take significant time between posts. Ask yourself if you really need to respond right now. If not, take a break and come back to it.
That may seem like a lot of rules, and we wish they were not necessary, but as with so many things in life, a few people who do not respect common-sense decency have been able to really sour this blog in the past. A little bit of respect will go a long way. Those who do not follow the rules will find themselves banned from commenting. If most readers show respect for the blog, we’ll do fine.
You are free to comment on these rules below. They are not written in stone. But follow them, as they stand, while commenting, please. There should be no reason to violate the rules to have a free and fair discussion of them.
Wonderful! A nanny blog site. Big Bro, let me preface my criticism by saying that even though you and I are at different points on the Independent political spectrum, I think your opinions are worth reading and considering once I get to the real message you are trying to convey.
I do think you can be an independent thinker and still arrive at either traditonally conservative or liberal beliefs. I know you hate to hear those two words, maybe better words are traditonal vs. progressive, I don’t know but you hopefully get my point. The Democrat and Republican parties are simply organizations whose goal is to consolidate power by whoring themselves out to a certain set of political beliefs. Inevitably they become demagogic, corrupt machines with no purpose other than to sustain themselves. That is why, in this age of unprecedented access to information, so many people can see right through them and hate them as a consequence. That’s exactly why we’re here, on Pete’s Big Blog, and listening to Indie Talk on SIRIUS.
Anyway, what I’m afraid of is that your bias is getting the best of you. You do tend to go on the attack against people you don’t agree with. Don’t delude yourself into thinking you have infinitely more wisdom than us folks out here. I could point out examples but why start an argument here. That’s not what I want to do. I would just ask you to be careful to analyze your rational before banning anyone from the boards. But as you have said, it is your site, your time, and your prerogative. I just think you would get bored if everyone is scared to say global warming is a scam (I firmly believe it is), that Bill Ayers is a terrorist (I believe he is), that Obama is as dishonest as any other politician(indeed he is), etc. Thanks…. shaneInTX
For the record, Shane, I CAN’T STAND Barrack Obama.
I am pleased to see some ground rules set for this blog. I’m sure I will enjoy reading it again if comments are written according to the rules. I feel other women might actually want to read the blog if we don’t have to read about what some of the men have written about their genitals and what they suggest others do to them. If you want women to read and write comments, men need to be a bit more mature and much less whiny. I already see a difference! Great idea! Shane, why wouldn’t you be able to say those things you listed? Noone says we all have to agree. We just have to support our comments with real evidence or explain why we feel a particular way and we should all do it in a civil manner w/o namecalling and anger.
Bravo Mama M,ary, Bravo
Pete;
Just wanted to make you aware that the word "hear" in rule #7 should be "here".
Love,
Leone
About time we have rules. I stopped reading for awile because I was tired of reading chat room type comments from boys!
I love the show but sometimes I really feel like it seems a bit frat like if you know what I mean.
The woman who was on yesterday or wrote the book so you want to be president was great! Would love to hear her and Pete talk again. She is funny and listening to the 2 of them play off each other was very entertaining! I was laughing out loud!
Lisa, as a regular listener, caller, and blogger, it is refreshing to read what you have stated here. I agree with you that this should be a place for intelligent people to voice their opinions without being subjected to rhetoric, and profanity. I read what you wrote to my wife. She said "good for her." I agree.
Obama’s detractors find reasons in the sky, and not facts, for their disapproval. I’m not against nor for Obama as president on the issues or in his character and race doesn’t surprise me at all, but flag pins and terrorist connections are so weak and disingenuous to say the least.
At least Lynn Samuels make up a reason every week. Clintonistas, understandably are panicked and worried, and woman are no different then anyone else when it come to wanting their own to ascend to the White house. But the silliness is becoming too much to observe without becoming terribly concerned on so many levels. National salubrity and unity, thoughtful policy choices and implementations, real economic and healthcare change, I feel will be sacraficed in order to keep pure the image of head-of-state. The Presidency is just that, among other things, the image of history and power and that is "whiteness".
Colin Powell, Condeleeza Rice and Clarance Thomas have helmed or participated in the various power structures, in varigated capacities in the upper eschelons of government for the last twenty-five years. Prominent as they may be, it understood that they derived their positions under the auspice of others and not from the most sacred of rituals; the American vote. From them acceptance isn’t given but received by proxy. I do think race relations is this country has and is improving, I think it’s too much for some white American’s conscious to handle and along with back-handed compliments toward him, they must come up with the most fascile and inane excuses to not like him, let alone supprot him. That said, I do recognized his standing elsewhere.
I’ve been most impressed with the wide-ranging and genuine support he has garnered from whites, which to me is the most hopeful sign I’ve seen from Euro-Americans and gives me hope for my childrens future. On campus,at work and life in general, my wife and I are ever more hopeful that our children will be given the chance to be realistically hopeful themselves. This is my hope.
I won’t be jumping on the white giult bus to vote for Obama. I would consider Colin Powell if he would ever run.
Quote of the Day……..”My friends, we live in the greatest nation in the history of the world. I hope you’ll join with me as we try to change it.” — Barack Obama