My resignation

[Lashlarue]

Being a member of half dozen gun sites, I find the statement, we don't do politics ludicrous. The protection of the second amendment of our constitution is by it's very nature political, and no doubt the basis of at least my membership and of great importance to most of the members here.The coming election may create a government more dangerous than Hitlers Germany. In 1935 he pushed through gun registration, followed shortly therafter by the SS confiscating all privately owned guns.Don't say it can't happen here because unfortunately history seems inevitibly to repeat itself.One only needs to look at recent history in Canada, England and Australia. Taking guns away from law abiding citizens has done nothing for the crime problems in those countries, but leaves them at the mercy of their governments and the criminals who arent going to turn in their guns anyway.Adios and good luck, but dont come crying to me when they come knocking on your door and take away your guns.

 

[vito]

I share your concern and ever since this website has eliminated "political" posts I find I only come to it occasionally. The "Activism" category does not really replace the opportunity to voice political views and actively try to get other gun owners to think about their choices and challenges. I find I go to other websites, particularly The Firing Line, for this type of discussion. I do get depressed reading the comments of so many so-called adherents of the 2nd Amendment who will waste their vote on fringe candidates who have no chance of winning an election, or justify their non-voting since no candidate is pure enough for them. I am 64, have served in uniform for my country for 24 years, and have seen a steady erosion of both patriotism and understanding of what makes this country what it is. I have grown children who believe that the government is the answer for their problems, who think "global warming" is a real and imminent threat, and that islamic terrorism is a myth perpetuated by an evil George Bush. God help America.

 

[hankdatank1362]

I hear ya, but the dozen or so daily anti Democrat threads started and the other dozen or so Ron Paul (savior though he may be) threads that were started daily were beginning to wear thin.

 

[macadore]

Unfortunately, extremists on both ends have made it impossible to have a reasonable discussion on the Second Amendment. I don’t think all arms should be banned. However, I don’t think individuals should have the right to own nuclear weapons either. The common sense approach lies somewhere in between.

 

[Rick O'Shea]

Political discussions were not restricted because the owner and moderators of this site failed to understand the connection between politics and 2nd amendment rights.

Far from it.

They were restricted because of a persistent tendency for the discussions to degenerate below the standards that this site has set for itself.

The solution? I don't know.
You know what they say about polite conversation and the subjects of sex, politics and religion...

The Activism forum allows discussion of what we are actually doing to further our 2nd amendment rights, and as such, is a better use of our member's political energies, if you will, than simply ranting and name-calling in a Politics forum.

Lashlarue and Vito, you are gentlemen of passionate and worthy opinion. I would encourage you to browse the Activism forum, see what measures others have taken to protect our freedoms, and apply yourselves accordingly.

If the need to discuss politics simply as a matter of conversation compels you, then, as you say, there are other forums.
But THR is a special place, and can use men and women who feel as strongly as you seem to.
Please reconsider your resignation.

The Blessings of the Season to One and All,
Rick

 

[baz]

We can, and do, discuss and take action on 2nd Amendment issues without getting "political." I guess it all depends on what you mean by "political." If discussions of political candidates and political parties could be limited to their impact on 2nd Amendment (and possibly 4th Amendment) rights, I imagine they'd be welcome here. But the site owner and mods have learned too well that partisan politics can rarely be circumscribed that narrowly. I.e., we cannot "politely" discuss the 2nd Amendment positions of the various candidates without the discussion turning partisan -- as in "your candidate sucks, while mine walks on water." So it is the partisan politics that we don't do here, not the "practical" politics of discussing and acting on 2nd Amendment issues (for which there are even dedicated forums).

If you haven't found here what you were looking for, then you were looking for something else than what this site has to offer, and its best that you look elsewhere for it.

 

[BridgeWalker]

I do find that the Activism forum is pretty good at encouraging action over chatter, and that's a good thing. But the, I only lurked back in the L&P days and so can't really compare the dynamics.

 

[Walkalong]

Adios, goodbye, and farewell. See ya on the flip side. I have zero problems with "we don't do politics here". We talk about guns here. If you want to talk politics, there are places to do so, and they will probably be glad to have you. We will miss any gun knowledge you take with you.

I too am seriously concerned about where our country is going.

 

[beaucoup ammo]

Take care, Lash. Carry your message far and wide..there's a ton of sights out in cyberland!

IMHO, it's nice to escape "politics" and just talk about my favorite topic..guns and related items.

And Merry Christmas to all here at THR! Let's make a resolution to get to the range more often in '08!

 

[SaxonPig]

I miss the opportunity for some political discussion, as well as discussion on non-firearm related matters, but this site is privately owned, the owner(s) makes the rules, and the 1st Amendment doesn't apply. Participation is optional.

 

[22-rimfire]

Ahhh... politics. If the only reason you spend time here on THR is politics and 2A rights, I think you are missing out on a lot of good information that is passed around here. The common unifying element is firearms. We talk about firearms. I have strong political beliefs. It is a rare soul that does not get a little over excited about what they have passionate beliefs about and it comes out here and on other sites as flames against individuals. When it happens, I try to let it roll off my back and return to the reason for being here in the first place, firearms. I rarely even participate in political discussions anymore. Too much smoke.

 

[TexasRifleman]

So it is the partisan politics that we don't do here, not the "practical" politics of discussing and acting on 2nd Amendment issues (for which there are even dedicated forums).

In a Presidential election year, with potentially anti gun candidates running on both tickets, that is a pretty naive approach. I hope it does not backfire.

THR has a collection of some of the clearest thinkers and speakers on this subject I've seen. Blocking partisan discussions during a critical election period is certainly the privilege of the site owner, but it's a bit like fiddling while Rome burns.

Discussing "A Human Right" as Oleg puts it, while trying to pretend that partisan politics have no bearing on that right is like running with blinders on.

I just don't see how you can discuss guns without discussing the fight to keep them. We'll see how that works out.

 

[XavierBreath]

From the rules we use to govern this forum:

The First Amendment is greatly respected here on The High Road, as are all other Amendments that the Second Amendment defends. However, The High Road is private property and requests that members adhere to all forum policies. It is a contract agreed to by all who become members of The High Road. Those who break forum rules cannot invoke censorship or freedom of speech - a contract broken is a contract broken. If you do not like the rules of conduct or the acceptable topics, seek out a new venue to frequent or start your own board.

If you feel you can stay within the boundaries set forth by the owners, administrators and moderators of this forum, we hope you stay and participate. We will even take the time to help you understand why we have the policies we do. We will listen to suggestions for change, and on occasion, agree and make the changes. We will, however, stay in control of the direction of this forum.

Sometimes, a member feels they can not abide by the rules set forth by the owner of the forum. If you feel you can not comfortably participate within those confines, we bid thee well. There are many other options available. Perhaps we will see you there.

Oh, "bye bye threads" generally get closed here too.

 

[ArfinGreebly]

Additionally . . .

Oleg -- the owner of this forum -- HAS provided a place for political discussion.

Lives on the same box as THR.

It's on Armed Polite Society.

Many of the same people you see here daily also contribute over there.

That's where politics went when it left THR.

No one said "thou shalt discuss politics no more" but instead, "thou shalt discuss politics in the other room."

Here, you're in the "gun room." The "politics room" is down the hall.

Why is that so hard?

 

[hso]

The L&P forum became a morass of complaints and paranoia where people wasted their energy endlessly bickering over their pet issues. Anyone that expressed an opinion was eventually attacked by someone on the other side or no side.

Activism was created so that people could discuss what they are doing and what we might do instead of just kvetch and whine.

APS, see upper right of your screen, is where open discussions of anything can take place.

Do we need to explain that when folks sign up?