Richie has not had an original point in years. He only posts crap he found elsewhere and offers hate and insults to anyone who disagrees with him.
You realize , that I seldom disagreed with him politically.
I didn't want him gone , I don't want anyone gone, we have achieved a pretty good group , but it is too small to give up its fringe elements without an impact on the veracity of the sample.
I realize that Plane, and I (think) that I understand your reasoning for it. My issue with Rich was never his politics, there are some aspects to conservativism that I'm in agreement with, and there are conservatives here that while I don't agree with them, I can respect as people, such as you and sirs and a few others. My issue with Rich was personality, and the inability to separate the political from the personal. There are some on the left in here that I
really disagree with, but I've yet to endure a personal attack from one of them. And yes, I realize that a couple of them have come pretty close to the line that Rich crossed, but I haven't seen any of them cross that line as systematically and with such blatant disregard to other people as he felt compelled to do. If they had, I'd be calling for their removal as well.
With all of that said, I hope that he doesn't come back (a futile hope, but a hope nonetheless). His political beliefs aside, the behavior is predictable - fine for a couple of weeks, then the personal assaults make a comeback, and this forum devolves into the ensuing lunacy. I think that the points of view that he adds should be balanced against the civility that he detracts from (and yes, I know that this isn't a one way street), and to me, if that were tallied he'd be in the red. Further, if I were a conservative (which like I said, I like some aspects of conservatism, but I'm definitely not a conservative, nor a liberal for that matter), I'd cringe every time he sat at the keyboard. The kind and form of rhetoric that he engages in is not only non-objective, it's generally insulting and off-putting. That's not who I'd want for the poster boy of my political beliefs. Most people, I think, are intelligent and objective enough to see it for what it is, but there are a lot of "guests" that hit this board too, and maybe they aren't (or are and I'm just being cynical).
In the end Plane I believe that you made the right call. I don't applaud the removal of other members here, but there comes a time when certain people need to be dealt with - that time is usually in regard to a breakdown in civility that detracts from the ability of other members to enjoy their engagement here. I'm not a moderator and have no wish to be one, and I normally respect the decisions that moderators make, because that's your job, not mine. It's easy to be an armchair general, it's harder to make the actual call. Your attention to the matter at hand, your resolution to it, and your call for the other parties involved to take a look at their own actions, is greatly valued and appreciated Plane.
