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Ed, Please don't fall into that old rhetorical trap of trying to make a point by reducing an opponent's argument to the absurd. I think there's a significant difference between having folks over for dinner and conducting a forum. If I invited folks over for dinner I'd expect and encourage a lively debate on a wide range of topics. Of course I'd also expect that they'd refrain from personal attacks, stick to facts as much as possible, and express themselves as clearly as they possibly can. Remember: table manners. However, different rules apply when you're participating in a public forum such as this. In conducting a public forum, the host, in this case Kalmbach, has the right to decide what subjects will be talked about in these forums. In the case of this forum, talk is limited to "all aspects of railroading, from the freight railroads to Amtrak to museums and tourist lines. Post questions about the railfan hobby, comments on recent train trips, or anything else about railroading." That's a rule here. If you want to talk about something else, go to another forum. In any event, the purpose of any forum is not to see how many participants can be attracted to the discussion. Rather, it is to shed additional light on some topic of mutual concern. The only requirement for participation is to accept the rules, which in any forum I'm familiar with are the ones I've mentioned: 1) no personalities; 2) stick to facts; 3) use commonly accepted patterns of language. You say that you "dont think its possible to edit a on going conversation, but it is possible to moderate one, just as a debate has a moderator." Perhaps we agree on this point, if by moderate you mean seeing that the minimal rules I've stated above are adhered to. And I would add that the responsibility for moderating a forum is the responsibility of the one who's hosting it, in this case Kalmbach. Look, all I'm trying to do is introduce a little civility and honesty in these postings, something I see as horribly lacking in some of them. I'm sure we can all agree that attacking people is out of line (despite what they do on talk radio and on the Sunday morning talk shows.) And I think some of us can agree that we have to get beyond the intellectual falsehood of having to agree with and respect as gospel everything a person says just because it's their opinion. That's nonsense! If you want to say that orange is your favorite color, go ahead. That's a fact. If you want to say the GG-1 is your favorite electric locomotive, go ahead. That's a fact, too. But when you say orange is the best color or the GG-1 is the best electric locomotive ever built, offer facts and sound logic with your point or, as admiralh said in a posting on this subject awhile back, "it is perfectly acceptable and necessary to challenge folks on their conclusions if they don't back up what they say with facts." Don't expect the right to be taken at your word just because you said it, but expect to be challenged on your point. That's what a forum is all about. As for language, I hope my point would be self-evident. How can we ever hope to communicate unless we agree to the meaning of the symbols we use to communicate (words) and the way we use them (grammar)? I don't agree with you at all when you say that "Nor do I think the Kings English is a requirement to convey ones point of view." I think it is. Otherwise, what you said about Kevin's posting is true: "Often, because of his lack of english skills, Kevins posting require a lot of thought on the readers part to see what he was trying to say." It is the writer's responsibility to express themselves as clearly as possible, clearly enough so that the reader doesn't have to use "a lot of thought...to see what he was trying to say." It's downright aggravating, not fun, to take what a writer has written several ways, not knowing which way is the way they intended. (Let me hasten to add here that I'm not putting anyone down for any lack of competency with the language they may have. I'm sure each of us, Kevin included, do the best we can at everything we do, including language. However, it is my hope that we can all see that the better we use the language,the better we can be understood. If we think we're being consistently misunderstood, perhaps that's a sign to improve our language skills a tad bit.) This does not mean that Mookie can't do his "yellow thingies" postings, Jim can't do his funny postings, and Quinton his dry humor and comments. It just means they have to be free of personal attack, on subject, and expressed well enough to be understood by the average reader. I really don't think that's too much to ask. Thanks for letting me share.
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