[Myrtle]

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While you're creating this over-50 forum can you create a forum for People Who Think Just Like Me? Thanks.

Come on, MMMMMMMMMMMM. This is a message board, not a womb. If you want to participate in a forum where people look up to you and your ideas aren't questioned go teach at a nursery school.

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I don't want my ideas not to be questioned. I just don't see a need for the forum to be clogged with countless petty pissing contests.

Why would you even think that it has anything to do with agreeing with my ideas or not? It has everything to do with civility and respect and signal-to-noise ratio, and nothing whatsoever to do with whether people agree with me politically or not.

Why can't people here discuss, disagree and debate like mature adults, instead of like junior high-schoolers?

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...I'll try to answer your questions.

- Because YOUR idea of civility, respect et al may not be shared, as distasteful as you might find that, by others.

- Because YOUR idea of a mature adult is YOUR opinion, which you are entitled to, but you are NOT entitled to impose your opinion upon anyone else.

- ANY arbitrary standard imposed in a debate surrounding issues such as these imposes a 'glass ceiling' upon those involved in the debate.

- You continue to focus on the trappings of debate; not the substance.

A debate is supposed to be an exchange of ideas, ideology or points-of-view with an intent to come to some kind of resolution. How can any meaningful resolution ever be arrived at if there is some sort of arbitrary limit set in such an exchange?

Setting ANY standards also has one other incredibly dangerous effect....

It prevents the debators from knowing the FULL extent of each others point of view, i.e., it forces some to be deceptive.

Let it rip.....Let it roar. Let people get emotional....Let them get passionate.

Let EVERYONE reveal the full extent of their point of view. Then, judge them by what they say....an uncensored 'what they say'.

Sensibilites will get offended, but SO WHAT!?

It is only under these conditions that any of us will truly be able to fairly evaluate anothers' point of view.