************************************************** ************************
If you would like to make rec.boats an enjoyable place to discuss
boating, please do not respond to the political and inflammatory
off- topic posts and flames.
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"Harry Krause" wrote in message
...
FREDO wrote:
I sent this message to news.announce.newgroups to request a new
newsgroup called rec.boats.politics but they need someone who can put
together a "proper" presentation to request a new newsgroup. OBTW I went
to rec.backcountry the other day and they also have some serious OT
political banter going on!
Anyone out there want to tackle this?
:
It has been discussed several times in the past on rec.boats
(unmoderated)
that we have a new newsgroup called rec.boats.politics (unmoderated) to
help
eliminate the political off topic posts in this newsgroup. We have taken
steps voluntarily to keep the political posts out of rec.boats (sort of a
"gentleman's agreement").Can you assist me with a formal request to
create
this new newsgroup as I feel it would help eliminate the off topic
posting
that many individuals participate in. I think this would give the people
with strong political views a forum they could use which would also be
close
to their common recreational love of boating.


wrote in message
oups.com...
Today has been really disappointing.

Some of the guys who were doing so well are back to making personal
remarks, and getting easily snagged by the couple of persistent,
totally self-absorbed offenders who insist on trolling their political
junk and years-old feuds through here.

None of my actual business, but from the perspective of a guy who is
generally not (currently) participating in the politics and personal
remarks I'm here to tell you we're about halfway back to "normal". If
we slip just a bit more, we'll have Harry screwing with everybody once
again- everybody screwing with Harry- and we'll be back to a group that
is primarily engaged in name-calling, pig piling, and politics. Boats
be damned. And why not? The non-boaters (or those who at least never
participate in boating discussions) seem to be among the worst
offenders.

But if the majority want a bitchfest, that's certainly what we'll have.
We can cut 'n paste political crap, call one another names, cut 'n
paste counter propaganda, call one another names, dredge up something
somebody allegedly said in 1995 and make a big issue of it, call some
more names, pig pile on the nearest liberal or conservative, etc etc
etc.

We're at a critical moment. Things have been much improved, but it only
takes a few ex-adults to break the cycle. I make no pretense of being
in a position to cast stones, but I can count the number of rocks in
the air and make a note of where they're landing. I guess if we go back
into the toilet it's no real loss, that's where this group apparently
prefers to be and where it has been for years- the laughing stock of
all boating sites. It's a shame, because we almost demonstrated we
could fix it, if we wanted to.

I would like to suggest that my fellow worst offenders ( I needn't name
names, you know darn well who you are) join me in a recommitment to
ignore trolls, refrain from launching political threads, etc. Anybody
among my fellow worst offenders who still gives a schlitz about the
dynamics of the group? This could be the last actual chance to stop
slipping back into the pit before the old sick and destructive momentum
takes over once again.....

We have proven we can do it if we want to. Do we want to? If so, this
is the hour for my fellow worst offenders to stay the recently improved
course.





You don't have t bother with a new group. Every other day, Chuck will post
a 250-word treatise on "proper" behavior, and the Rev. Jim will chime in
with a few Hail Marys and mea culpas. Immediately afterwards, Chuck will
tell us that those festering pustules on the bottom of the boat you're
thinking of buying don't really retract from its value, and Jim will tell
us that no matter what computer you have, *his* is faster.
Or some such nonsense.

If you happen to bring up any of the verboten subjects here, you'll
increase the frequency of their self-flagellations, confessions, and vows
of chastity.