I made a suggestion to Dave a few months ago that could fix the problem by allowing the thread readers to rate comments and essentially lock certain posters out of specific threads for going off topic. But he said it wasnt feasible due to either forum technology limitations, or development costs.

I understand Dave's reluctance to interject himself into a 1st Amendment debate. And I think he thought he was helping the situation by shelving "Misfires." But all it really did was move the personal politics into every other thread.

To me this isnt about free speech...it's about relevance, and staying ON THREAD TOPIC or having the self control to NOT needlessly interject other stuff.

This forum has degraded from its intended purpose, and the user base -- and Dave -- have a right to yank the microphone away from anyone who is repeatedly incapable of STAYING ON TOPIC.

If someone is rude I think one has the right to defend themselves, but if people STAY ON TOPIC it's much less likely that it will get rude.

Otherwise, what's the point? It's no longer about doubleguns...

NDG