Martinez and the Magicians Horse

[Merlyn_LeRoy]

That's two wrong, Ed, and you're still not right. But keep pretending.

[evmori]

Not pretending at all Merlyn. And this really isn't a right or wrong thing even though you think it is.

[Merlyn_LeRoy]

No Ed, you're really wrong. If you were right, refusing to serve blacks at a lunch counter wouldn't be discrimination, because they aren't being required to eat there.

[skeptic]

Moderators: Please pull the plug, permanently!!!!!

[evmori]

Again, Merlyn, different. There are no membership requirements for a lunch counter.

[frank10]

PULL IT!

[jdsmerud]

If you feed trolls they will get bigger. Mods, this merlyn has stated no interest in Scouting and is disruptive and counterproductive to the spirit of this site. I would suggest you remove him and allow this board to get back on track. To my fellow Scouters, ignore the troll and it will go away.

[Trevorum]

FWIW, Merlyn is not a Scouter and so is not obligated to abide by the Scout Oath and Law; to expect him to be courteous is as naive as expecting him to be reverent. Merlyn does not (generally) post in any forum other than "Issues and Politics". This forum is expressly for the purpose of talking about these problematic issues, which are of keen interest to him. If anyone does not want to be exposed to Merlyn's content, or style, or both, then just don't come to this forum.

 

OGE, I think your moderation has the light touch which is appropriate in this forum. OTOH, I trust you are also sending private messages to persons who occasionally resort to unnecessary rudeness. (I admit to that failing myself, with ol' Rooster.) Even thoough our forums are inclusive to all, blatant rudenesss should be activerly discouraged.

[Merlyn_LeRoy]

I'll just note the distinct lack of protests against people namecalling me. But I would expect such hypocrisy.

[sherminator505]

Why are you guys so bothered by this particular thread? Keep in mind this is Merlyn we're talking about here. He/she/they is a known quantity, and even though Merlyn called Ed a moron (which is not cool, BTW), that's no reason to call for Merlyn's immediate ban or anything.

 

Instead, let's concentrate on what we've learned about Merlyn just from this thread. We've learned that Merlyn is a single-issue entity, whose intention is to make the BSA change its policies not because Merlyn wants to better the BSA but because Merlyn wants to topple the tower. We've learned that Merlyn is not above name-calling, even in a forum predominated by Scouters where he/she/they really should know better. And we've learned in an emotional slip that Merlyn's musings on athiesm are not consistent and my not mesh with his/her/their personal views.

 

None of this makes me want to jump on the "Let's ban Merlyn!" bandwagon. But it does serve to illustrate just what we're dealing with so we can react appropriately.

[Merlyn_LeRoy]

So namecalling is bad, but badmouthing people is OK? Had to keep track of the unwritten rules, much like the BSA and their unwritten membership policies.

[sherminator505]

I made some observations and you call it badmouthing? If my observations are somehow off, please, tell me how. Otherwise, quit whining! It's just not fitting for someone who comes riding in on a high horse.

[WAKWIB]

Like a moth drawn to a flame, I still read these I&P threads from time to time. After about 6 posts or so, it eventually dissolves into the same cast of characters reading from the same poor script.

 

If you come here to find facts, forget it.

 

If you even think you might find a well formed opinion, you'll only discover it by accident after wading through a lot of BS.

 

It just comes down to a whizzing contest in the end.

 

I often wonder how many new folks come to this site and find a lot of good stuff in the other departments, eventually work their way to I&P and get turned off by the nonsense.

 

Even if one would like to share an opinion on a particular topic, the "discussion" is already in the ditch after page 1, and beyond redemption.

 

I know, "If you don't like it, WAKWIB, stay away." True. But I wonder if it ever occurs to us that this site is something of a public face for the Scouting program.

[Merlyn_LeRoy]

Sherminator writes:

I made some observations and you call it badmouthing? If my observations are somehow off, please, tell me how.

 

Easily. I'm not a single-issue entity (oddly enough, you prefaced that with "let's concentrate on what we've learned about Merlyn just from this thread," which, if you think about it for a moment, pretty much guarantees that anyone you "learn" about from a single thread will appear to be a "single-issue entity." As Gomer Pyle would say, "Surprise, surprise, surprise!" And, of course, if I hadn't kept to one topic in a single thread, I could be accused of posting off-topic. So it's a no-win situation). If you check other threads, you'll find me posting about more issues, but since this is a forum on scouting issues & politics, I generally stick topics related to that, but you could still accuse me of being a "single-issue entity" if you have a sufficiently broad definition of "single-issue."

 

Plus it's pretty evident to me that you posted your "observations" to badmouth me, as you "protested" using mock sincerity.

[Scoutfish]

WAKWIB, I almost agree with you about people getting turned off, but then, If they do, I can't say I feel a loss.

 

Now what do I mean by that: Well, my thougts are this: This is an Issues and politics thread.

 

Maybe it should be more acurately described as " Politics : If you don't agree, I have an issue with that!"

 

Whch pretty much sums up politics for me>

 

If I had to write a definition for politics...

 

Politics: n; A condition of steadfastly and hardheadedly sticking to an ideal or thought, without any "real" proof as to why, and relentlessly arguing with those who do not support that ideal for the same reasons.

 

I mean, politics. What more is there to say?

 

So people might get turned off, but that is the nature of politics.