This is not the article planned for today, as the original writer is displeased with me because I canned his article. Unfortunately, after writing for nearly three years, he has quit and will not be writing articles any longer. I can say that he has generated some superb and thought-provoking articles and is a personal friend of mine, which makes it even more painful to me. Why, you ask, is this happening, and why have so many other contributors in the comments left the site recently?
Because I will not let them state their political views on this site, and if they cannot, then they tell me that they’re outta here!
You all know the routine on my rules, and the percentage of comments I delete is always under 1% of the total, hence why I focus on protecting the 99% from even having to read the offending material. Unlike other sites where they say they are going to clamp down (and give up after a month or so), this site is nearly three years into these rules being in effect.
This is not an experiment, as it has proven to work. Although I have had to clarify and specify many rules due to the antics of a few people … the majority of our rules can be summarized by the following:
1) Be polite and respectful.
2) Keep it clean for the grandchildren reading?
3) No reference to politics.
That third component is one that is difficult for many people these days, as staying away from politics has become almost impossible in the current climate.
Can we as fans even discuss the COVID-19 crisis and its effect upon Oregon sports without delving into politics?
It seems to be pretty hard to avoid politics since everyone is questioning what is or is not being done regarding testing, treatments and strategies going forward. I’ve been able to keep the political comments snipped, but it has become a major challenge to maintain a civilized site. I have no choice but to prohibit any political discussion in articles or comments because of the massive on-line fight that would break out between people on both sides whom I care about.
But how do you avoid politics when commenting on a virus that is going to be part of our lives and impacting Oregon sports for years?
