Speaking for myself, brian has a point. I prefer not to engage in political arguments, even though I don’t agree w/some posts and would oppose what’s said, I would not post anything. brian has taken on to be the voice of some who do not respond.[/quote]
Jp: Except that Brian isn’t that voice. If Brian’s accusation is that right-wing partisanship provoked his various sorties, in truth there are several excellent liberal and center-left posters like Gandalf, SK in CV, and afx114, who have proven more than capable in responding and who do so in thoughtful and meaningful fashion.
What’s proven corrosive is exactly what you pointed out: The ad hominem, the bullying, and the pointless arguments (i.e. those without any factual basis and employed for no reason other than provocation). Framing everything as “Right is wrong and Left is right” is not only nonsensical, but it detracts from this board as a place for intelligent posters. Yeah, the political threads might be overdone, but there have been some excellent discussions between liberals and conservatives and I’ve learned quite a bit from posters like Arraya, SK and Gandalf, and I’ve also gotten a new perspective on quite a few issues. I personally find that invaluable.
