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I get profiled every time I snap a railfan picture, yet they hand an entrance visa to a terrorist...
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<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT size=3><FONT face=georgia,palatino>While the language of the <I>NO POLITICS</I> rule is plain spoken enough, the definition of politics is completely lacking.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>In its most obvious meaning, politics refers to the preference and promotion of a political figure or party.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>It may or may not include the positions advocated by that figure or party.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>This is the classic embodiment of politics that people argue and even fight over from entrenched, uncompromising positions.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN></FONT></FONT></P><FONT size=3><FONT face=georgia,palatino> <?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p></o:p></FONT></FONT> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face=georgia,palatino size=3>At this level, politics is like religion in that reasoning cannot influence political beliefs and preferences.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Therefore, the only possible outcome of political discussions at this fundamental level is disagreement and acrimony.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>I can understand why the forum would want to prohibit that type of discussion.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>I have no interest in engaging in that kind of juvenile approach to politics.</FONT></P><FONT size=3><FONT face=georgia,palatino> <o:p></o:p></FONT></FONT> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT size=3><FONT face=georgia,palatino>At another level, however, there are topics of government policies that have large effects on the railroad industry.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Discussions at this level need not even mention the politicians who are for or against such policies.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>The policies are merely ideas that become laws regulating how to do things.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Is a discussion about whether these policies are right or wrong considered politics?<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>When we talk about the border being like a screen door, why is that politics?<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>It seems to me that it is only about border security.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN></FONT></FONT></P><FONT size=3><FONT face=georgia,palatino> <o:p></o:p></FONT></FONT> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT size=3><FONT face=georgia,palatino>If someone chooses to be offended because he or she associates the border status with the position of his or her favorite politician, then that is problem of his or her own perception.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>An objective forum prohibition on politics cannot be defined merely by the perception of each individual who might or might not see a policy discussion as offensive to their own politics for some reason.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN></FONT></FONT></P> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA"><FONT face=georgia,palatino></FONT></SPAN> </P> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA"><FONT face=georgia,palatino>Discussions at this level of policy-only can be entirely analytical and limited to the policies and their effects.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Public spending on High Speed Rail, and how to make locomotives comply with possible new CO2 emissions regulations are examples of such discussions.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN><I>Trains</I> magazine freely delves into these types of discussions with no apparent worry about offending the political sensibilities of its readers.</FONT></SPAN></P>
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