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Due to the often contentious nature of politics
and policy debates, there are a number of guidelines and rules
which must be followed to ensure the Republican Forum remains
a friendly place. In general, respect and simple courtesy towards
others will prevent the vast majority of problems.
Each message writer is responsible for what he
or she writes; neither the forum nor the staff assume responsibility,
legal or otherwise, for what is written here.
The staff will attempt to catch all rule-breaking
messages, and we appreciate being told of any we miss or haven’t
yet seen. Please remember that messages are posted as soon as
you enter them. The staff watches for rule-breaking messages,
but may not see them before you do.
While
participating in the Republican Forum, please observe the following
rules:
- The general
guideline is that participants here must treat each other
with respect and dignity, attacking ideas and issues rather
than each other.
- Impersonation
of another user or a public figure living or dead is illegal
and against the forum rules as is the use of obscene or otherwise
offensive handles. This forum requres that members use their
real first and last names. We have discovered over the years
that the forum is a friendlier place when you feel you’re
talking to a real person. If for any reason you do not feel
comfortable using your real name, the use of a pseudonym is
permitted provided that it is your own, sounds like a real
name, and does not violate any forum rules. "Handles"
are not permitted.
- Messages
that call for illegal action or might result in harm to others
are not allowed on this forum.
- In general,
we accept language that is commonly heard on network television
evening news. Gratuitous obscenity and/or explicit or implicit
descriptions of sex do not belong in this forum. Messages
containing vulgar language or profanity are not allowed. Partially
masking unacceptable words with asterisks or other symbols
does not make the word acceptable if it is still recognizable.
- Every user
is free to read and respond to every message on the board.
If you dislike a correspondent, you are free to ignore him
or her, but not to insist that he or she not write to you
on the board.
- Respect toward
other subscribers is required at all times. Personal disparagement
(insulting another participant’s intellect, physical appearance,
personal habits, etc.), libel, slander, inappropriate familiarity
(alluding to another person’s private life or asking personal
questions of a person whom the questioner doesn’t know well)
or any other form of direct or indirect "personal attack"
are not permitted.
- Deliberate
disruption of forum discussion, harassment of other users,
attacks on specific groups represented in the forum, offensiveness
in subject matter or diction (choice of words) and/or disrespect
for the forum rules will not be tolerated.
- Messages
that seem to have no other object than to disrupt forum discussion
and/or attack individuals or groups are not allowed in this
forum. Such disruption can include one-liners, multiple postings
of the same offensive msg, and other forms of harassment.
- Persistent
attacks on forum policy or staffers simply doing their jobs
are not welcome. Attempts to undermine forum policy through
campaigns on the board or in e-mail are against the forum
rules. We will also not allow continuous rehashing of alleged
grievances or disagreements.
- Duplicate,
reprinted and/or blank messages should never be placed on
the message board. Blank messages will be deleted by forum
staff (this is the only time forum staff will delete a message
from a member). Although quotation of previous messages is
effective and even necessary in some cases, users should be
moderate in this as in all things. Most people do not wish
to read the same message twice, so keep your quotations as
brief as possible. A general rule is, if the quotation is
longer than your message, it is too long.
- Messages
and library files from other forums, private e-mail, messages
from private sections such as the forum staff section, and
other privileged information may not be posted in public without
the specific written permission of the original author. Messages
from this forum may not be reposted elsewhere without the
author’s permission.
- The staff
reserves the right to move messages from one section of the
forum to another in order to make sure that each thread is
in the appropriate section for its topic and tone.
- Messages
that are of questionable taste or which might be construed
as a personal attack on another forum member or which otherwise
violate forum rules will be moved from the general discussion
area. Depending on the seriousness of the offense (and the
users’ prior posting history), the user may get a friendly
warning or a more formal warning.
- We’re sure
that you expect people to treat you fairly, and we believe
in enforcing such fairness as a policy. Therefore, the forum
rules listed above cannot be modified by or for individual
users.
- The Republican
Forum respects copyright law. Copyrighted material may not
be used here without the specific written permission of the
copyright holder. Brief "fair use" excerpts are allowed as
exceptions, but the staff must make final determinations of
where "fair use" ends and infringement begins. Roughly, "fair
use" allows less than 10% of the total of the work copied,
or 500 words, whichever is less. No more than 1 stanza of
a song or poem may be posted, without such a grant of permission.
Remember, even a "fair use" excerpt should be properly attributed.
- Disregard
for forum policy or disrespect for forum staff members performing
assigned tasks are grounds for disciplinary action. If a user
responds inappropriately to any warnings by SysOps, or continues
to violate the rules after being warned, he or she will be
locked out, either temporarily or permanently depending on
the nature of the offense and the type of response given to
the warning.
Participation
in this forum is by sole discretion of the management and based
on adherence to the above rules.
If
you have any questions or comments regarding the forum rules,
please post an email to message to SysOp.
Thank
you for your cooperation in helping to make the Republican Forum
a pleasant place to visit.
Bruce
Patterson, Forum Administrator
Worldwide Harvest LLC
d.b.a. RepublicanForum.com
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