Questions for Management of POA

Bill Greenwood

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Bill Greenwood
On Wed night last, Jack Fleetwood posted "Trump Came To See Me", about Trump visiting an Apple computer factory in Austin. Interesting in one other way as I didn't even know Apple had a factory there and Dell is the big presence in their hometown. By the way it is even a bit aviation related as Dell bought what was then Austin Executive airport in NW Austin and closed it to build his warehouse.
Anyway, other pilots chimed in, including several who say manger or supporter of POA. There were 33 posts before I made my short post, and in total 39 posts.
But I received a message that I am violating the rules because of "politics". So I'd like to have the rule explained. Obviously the topic was of a politically related nature, and through 33 post no one seemed to object. So why was I singled out? Is everybody equal under the rules or is it like 1984 where everybody is equal, but some are more equal than others? Is anything politically related acceptable as long as it is on one side of the spectrum? Is it a personal thing, though as far as I know I don't even know the management and never met them.

Question 2: What is the focus if any of POA? Is it all aviation or homebuilding or corporate etc.I notice a lot of posters seem to be controllers.

Question 3. What type of pilot are you looking for as posters. There are parts of flying that I am a novice at, jets, multiengine, high tech glass panels, etc., but I do have 50 years of experience in perhaps 40 types of airplanes all over the U S and some of Canada, England, and Caribbean. I might know some things fairly well on one side of aviation.

PS as for a forum subject, I have never run a forum on line, but I think freedom of speech is one the great things our country espouses and one of the first things to be censored when tyrants take over anywhere, throughout history. I realize that I others don't share my view and live in fear of ever reading an opposing belief or idea. I wouldn't let them run my forum, I'd aim it towards adults.
Thanks, Bill Greenwood, sorry I don't have a cute alias, guess I'm old fashioned about that.
 
PS as for a forum subject, I have never run a forum on line, but I think freedom of speech is one the great things our country espouses and one of the first things to be censored when tyrants take over anywhere, throughout history. I realize that I others don't share my view and live in fear of ever reading an opposing belief or idea. I wouldn't let them run my forum, I'd aim it towards adults.
Thanks, Bill Greenwood, sorry I don't have a cute alias, guess I'm old fashioned about that.
I'll be interested in hearing the replies you get.

But as much as a proponent of "free speech"as I am, I still recognize that right does not apply to individual or business interactions. The management council has made clear that they will let things go only so far, then put the hammer down. I have the marks to prove it. But it is their front porch and we are guests.

But I would still like to hear the reasoning for their intervention in the thread you mention. It is hard to form an opinion when all of the offending posts have been removed.
 
As JOhnH alludes to, it is not free speech to paint a message on your neighbors garage door. The owners of this site allow us to post, and they can set the rules on what they allow and what they don't, just as your neighbor doesn't have to allow you to paint a message on his garage door if he doesn't approve of it. It doesn't have to be fair either, because we have no "right" to post here.
 
Salty, as I asked what the rules are and why do they apply selectively? It would be more of a fair comparison if we were in a neighborhood with rules from a homeowners association and they said all garage doors must be solid beige colors and then 33 people paint his bright orange with a go Miami banner.
And don't confuse rights in the legal sense with what is the best way to run a forum. It seems you don't have much respect for the concept of freedom of speech. Go look at places where they don't have it and see how that feels to the people. Same with right to trial by jury etc.
John ,all of the posts were not removed, mine was and maybe a few others, but at least 39 are there.
And in quoted in me you picked out 4 lines from the 17 I wrote.
 
Salty, as I asked what the rules are and why do they apply selectively? It would be more of a fair comparison if we were in a neighborhood with rules from a homeowners association and they said all garage doors must be solid beige colors and then 33 people paint his bright orange with a go Miami banner.
And don't confuse rights in the legal sense with what is the best way to run a forum. It seems you don't have much respect for the concept of freedom of speech. Go look at places where they don't have it and see how that feels to the people. Same with right to trial by jury etc.
John ,all of the posts were not removed, mine was and maybe a few others, but at least 39 are there.
I have a great deal of understanding of freedom of speech. I also have a great deal of understanding of freedom to control private property.

You can't paint anything on my garage unless I agree because it's my property. I don't have to be fair about my judgement on who I allow to paint on my garage. It's my garage.

You can't post anything on this site unless the owners agree, because it's their property. They don't have to be fair about their judgements on who they allow to post on their site. It's their site.

You have total freedom over what you post on any site you own. Your freedom of speech is not being restricted.

You say don't confuse legality with the best way to run a site, but you cite freedom of speech. I think you are the one confused. It is up to the owners to decide what is the "best way to run their site".

To be clear, I don't always agree with the management, I've been banned in the past. I have owned and managed very large sites in the past (bigger than this one) and I know there will always be someone that thinks you run the site badly. You make your judgements and stick to your principles best you can, and you will always have people that complain about it.

First world problems.
 
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On Wed night last, Jack Fleetwood posted "Trump Came To See Me", about Trump visiting an Apple computer factory in Austin.
8<...
Obviously the topic was of a politically related nature
Not necessarily. If the current or a former President of the US shows up at my house, can't I tell people about it without it being a political topic? There is one sitting and several former Presidents alive. All are welcome here, regardless of whether I agree with their political views or now, simply based on their unique status. Just like family members and neighbors... I don't care how you vote.

Not everything has to be political, even if it involves people who have prominent political backgrounds.
 
So why was I singled out?
Other people have answered the rest of your question regarding free speech better than I could. POA is not the government. You have no guarantee of free speech here. But just to let you know, you were not "singled out". There were warnings given to at least 5, and maybe more, posters in that thread. The thread was about a presidential visit to someone's company. It was within the Rules of Conduct until it deteriorated into predictable tribalism, with insults being hurled on both sides. In fact, we made the decision to do a thread clean-up and reopened the thread, but it went spinning again, so we closed it. It was a great example of why we don't allow political discussion here.
 
Salty, as I asked what the rules are and why do they apply selectively? It would be more of a fair comparison if we were in a neighborhood with rules from a homeowners association and they said all garage doors must be solid beige colors and then 33 people paint his bright orange with a go Miami banner.
And don't confuse rights in the legal sense with what is the best way to run a forum. It seems you don't have much respect for the concept of freedom of speech. Go look at places where they don't have it and see how that feels to the people. Same with right to trial by jury etc.
John ,all of the posts were not removed, mine was and maybe a few others, but at least 39 are there.
And in quoted in me you picked out 4 lines from the 17 I wrote.
I saw no reason to respond to your other comments, other than to say that I too wanted to hear the MC reply. When you make a multi point post, it is unrealistic to expect everyone to address every point.

Reminds me of the old song "Why is everybody always pickin on me".
 
The problem is.. it goes from replies like:

"that's cool, I didn't know Apple made products in the US" and things of that nature to Nazi comparisons.. I really don't think it takes more than a modicum of common sense to figure out the difference in a reply that's not incendiary vs one that is

This thread for example.. I'm not totally sure the point of it, it's not aviation related and seems it would be more appropriate as a personal message direct to the MC.. which you can easily do through the messenger feature. Opening a thread about it seems like it's disguised as genuine question but really geared more towards stoking anti MC debate over a personal grievance that more of your posts were removed than some others

My $0.02

and for the record, low wings are better
 
Everskyward, I never claimed that POA was the government or that I had any "right" in the legal sense to post anything. But after 33 other people post on the topic, I naturally assumed it was within the realm of discussion for me to do so. And I obviously made another assumption that went to far, that whatever substantial effort goes into doing this forum and MAKING IT A VALUEABLE PLACE FOR PILOTS TO EXCHANGE, would include the unspoken idea that all would be treated equally and a rule applied to all the same. Of course, like you say, I are any other reader have no right to that, and POA Is not the govt and can be run however you see fit. But is closing, to drop one little fact here, it was not just about him visiting a factory, it had moved to other areas before I wrote my one post.

P S I still did not get an answer to what the focus of POA is or what kind of pilots you are looking for on here.
 
Bill, I see that you are only a member for a little over a month. The discussion you are putting forth has been going on for years. There is a lot of history about this topic that you have not been a part of.

Basically, there are two types of people that get their posts deleted and receive warnings. A-Those that don't know any better and B-Those that do know better but choose to push the rules to the limits.

I have been guilty of the latter. Until proven otherwise, I assume you are one of the former. But the MC has been down this road long enough that they no longer really care which type you are. You step over the line, you get slapped. And if others violated the rules prior to you, then perhaps the MC was just trying to be lenient, until it went to far. Like Everskyward said, they closed the thread, but re-opened it with a warning, which some people chose to ignore again.
 
Everskyward, I never claimed that POA was the government or that I had any "right" in the legal sense to post anything. But after 33 other people post on the topic, I naturally assumed it was within the realm of discussion for me to do so. And I obviously made another assumption that went to far, that whatever substantial effort goes into doing this forum and MAKING IT A VALUEABLE PLACE FOR PILOTS TO EXCHANGE, would include the unspoken idea that all would be treated equally and a rule applied to all the same. Of course, like you say, I are any other reader have no right to that, and POA Is not the govt and can be run however you see fit. But is closing, to drop one little fact here, it was not just about him visiting a factory, it had moved to other areas before I wrote my one post.
You're right, it had "moved on to other areas" that were political, and against our Rules of Conduct. To let you, and others know, just because you see posts that are contrary to the Rules of Conduct, does not mean that we find them appropriate, and you should join in. We do not monitor these threads, so some of them might get out of hand without us knowing about it. In part, we rely on other members to report bad posts, using the "Report" link at the bottom of each post. The bad post reports are subsequently voted on by moderators who have lives apart from POA and might not do it instantly. Moderators cannot warn posters unilaterally, so warnings and deletions often take some time.
 
...Question 2: What is the focus if any of POA? Is it all aviation or homebuilding or corporate etc.I notice a lot of posters seem to be controllers.

Question 3. What type of pilot are you looking for as posters. There are parts of flying that I am a novice at, jets, multiengine, high tech glass panels, etc., but I do have 50 years of experience in perhaps 40 types of airplanes all over the U S and some of Canada, England, and Caribbean. I might know some things fairly well on one side of aviation....

...This thread for example.. I'm not totally sure the point of it, it's not aviation related...
My understanding:

Unlike the former AOPA Forum, the Rules of Conduct posted above for this board do not have a blanket prohibition on non-aviation topics. In particular, on the home page of the forum, note the banner on the Pilot's Lounge section:

Forums in this category are not necessarily aviation specific. These forums are our "Virtual Pilot's Lounge" where you can come in, chat, have a cup of (virtual) coffee and a (virtual) donut and talk about just about anything you like. :)

As for what type of posters are desired, I have to assume that they are looking for the type who are willing to adhere to the Rules of Conduct (within reason). I haven't seen anything more specific than that. I, for one, enjoy the mix of professionals, amateurs (in the positive sense of the word), pilots, controllers, old hands, and newcomers here.
 
The following is just an opinion from SGOTI who doesn't deserve to have one.

Jack's thread was indeed non-political and quite appropriate/acceptable.

...and yes

...I'll bring it up AGAIN!

and my joke stating that Tiger didn't receive "the presidential medal of freedom" rather he received "the presidential medal of freedom to boink more porn stars than even Trump has" wasn't political either. My joke was simply in reference to two guys who are well known to have boinked numerous pornstars each...married guys even. There is no politics in that joke, rather just a reference to the personal scum-baggery on both men's parts. Their occupation is irrelevant to the joke.

Whether it's viewed as political here or not, and the resulting butt-hurt, definitely depends on which side of the aisle the comment comes from...been witnessing that for almost a dozen years now.

and, Bill, don't feel like the Lone Ranger. I can't tell you how many times I've been banned.

for the record, I didn't see your post, don't know if you deserved to be banned or not. I had purposely been avoiding that thread and then, one day, I saw it was locked. So I thought to myself "oh what the hell" and checked it out. By that time your post was gone.

sincerely,
Another Person Who Doesn't Use a Cutesy Handle
 
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I guess it is from my childhood, but unless some post is really racist or slander or otherwise awful, I cant imagine wanting to "tattle" to Big Brother about how bad it is. I would just pass on if I didn't want to read it. Seems like an adult way to live to my simple brain.
 
I guess it is from my childhood, but unless some post is really racist or slander or otherwise awful, I cant imagine wanting to "tattle" to Big Brother about how bad it is. I would just pass on if I didn't want to read it. Seems like an adult way to live to my simple brain.
In my opinion, the moderators here do not deserve to be compared to a tyrant who exercised absolute control over every aspect of people's lives.
 
I guess it is from my childhood, but unless some post is really racist or slander or otherwise awful, I cant imagine wanting to "tattle" to Big Brother about how bad it is. I would just pass on if I didn't want to read it. Seems like an adult way to live to my simple brain.
There are plenty of other forums that allow political discussion. You weren’t here when we had The Spin Zone which was the political sub forum. The reason (from what I understand) they got rid of the spin zone was it was getting out of hand.
 
Most successful forums have management (not including myself here though I'm a moderator on a couple of other forums) that has learned that a little slack is good, but if you let it go too far the forum devolves into bickering and becomes an unfun place to hang out and people move elsewhere. As such, it has to be damped down with warnings and/or post removal occasionally. Where to draw the line, when to let it slide or when to take action is always a judgement call and not always completely consistent, but with human moderators who have lives offline that's just the way it goes.
 
the Rules of Conduct posted above for this board do not have a blanket prohibition on non-aviation topics
My point was, given the full context, this seemed like something the OP should be asking the MC directly via messenger.. we weren't the ones that removed messages, so stirring public debate doesn't seem like it will have a productive value other than hurt feelings. This type of thread is much different from "Hey guys, did you see Nissan's new variable compression engine, it's an industry first!"

(deleted a bunch of stuff)

Politics/religion has a way of making things personal, I appreciate what the MC does to that capacity in keeping this place clean and avoids it from falling into the depths of YouTube comment hell

PS - FWIW the first comment that made me go "wow, this just escalated!" came from the OP
 
Other people have answered the rest of your question regarding free speech better than I could. POA is not the government. You have no guarantee of free speech here. But just to let you know, you were not "singled out". There were warnings given to at least 5, and maybe more, posters in that thread. The thread was about a presidential visit to someone's company. It was within the Rules of Conduct until it deteriorated into predictable tribalism, with insults being hurled on both sides. In fact, we made the decision to do a thread clean-up and reopened the thread, but it went spinning again, so we closed it. It was a great example of why we don't allow political discussion here.
The MC here do a pretty good job, too, IMO. Thanks for an otherwise thankless job!
 
I guess it is from my childhood, but unless some post is really racist or slander or otherwise awful, I cant imagine wanting to "tattle" to Big Brother about how bad it is. I would just pass on if I didn't want to read it. Seems like an adult way to live to my simple brain.

As others have referenced, there is a very long history that extends way prior to this forum, as many of the core members of this forum came from other forums as early as the 1990s.

I get your point about free speech. You're not trying to say we have a constitutional right to free speech on private forums. You're trying to point out a pervasive and disturbing cultural change, if I read you right.

This forum and its policy is but a microcosm of the general breakdown of communication between the right and the left. Not only has communication between the two sides broken down, each side is constructing its own version of reality, and since cross-talk is not allowed, is censored or stifled, the two versions become ever more alien to each other.

How can two opposing camps ever be reconciled if there is a total ban on communication about relevant issues? This forum? No problem. It is the right of the owners to run it how they want. But the general divide everywhere - BIG problem. When you can no longer discuss politics among your friends, people tend to self sort and only associate with their like kind. And that leads to ever differing cultural divisions, and that, ultimately, is prelude to war.

The progression of the matter on these forums since the 90s has run parallel to the deepening divide in our nation. I hope that clears it up for you. :)
 
each side is constructing its own version of reality
YES! And in the age of customized news feeds, ads, AI that sends us specific stories, and less and less fact checking and greater and greater hyperbole it's scary how things have slipped

How can two opposing camps ever be reconciled if there is a total ban on communication about relevant issues?
It's too bad really.. we're taught from an early age that certain topics are taboo and not to be discussed, however this also means as a population we lose some basic conflict resolution skills and defer to more primitive tools like anger, name calling, and hate

**I recently saw a YouTube video between Malcolm X and someone else (I forget who, but they were CLEARLY on complete opposite ends of the spectrum), and they were remarkably civil in their whole debate.. it was nice to see, but also sad that that type of debate seems to have died

Ultimately it's up to everyone though to raise future generations that are better at this.. or to find party leaders and members who don't resort to name calling and attacks
 
There are plenty of other forums that allow political discussion. You weren’t here when we had The Spin Zone which was the political sub forum. The reason (from what I understand) they got rid of the spin zone was it was getting out of hand.
The strife of the Spin Zone was leaking into the non-political sections of the forum. I had mixed feelings about the change, but within a year, I noticed that the tone of the discussions had improved, and also that a lot of new members were showing up.
 
The MC here do a pretty good job, too, IMO. Thanks for an otherwise thankless job!
Ditto. It's not an easy job, and I don't envy them for it. Sure, there are some cases where the application of policy seems to waver, but that sort of thing will happen unless you're willing to put up with a draconian level of control.

Back in the distant past, I was a radio DJ. We had a response for complainers that just couldn't be satisfied:

"Your radio has two knobs. One to change the station, one to turn it off. If using the first knob doesn't help, I suggest you try the other...."

Ron Wanttaja
 
After the Spin Zone (which was mostly unmoderated) closed, the moderators experimented a few times with allowing polite, adult, political discussion. The problem is that is does not ever stay polite. There is always someone ready to throw the first punch or make some snarky remark. Then each "side" goes to their respective corners. I think polite political discussion among friends is still possible, but it is not possible here on our forum.
 
The answer here is really simple. Politics is whatever the moderators say it is. Period. If you don't like it you know where the door is. It really is that simple.
 
After the Spin Zone (which was mostly unmoderated) closed, the moderators experimented a few times with allowing polite, adult, political discussion. The problem is that is does not ever stay polite. There is always someone ready to throw the first punch or make some snarky remark. Then each "side" goes to their respective corners. I think polite political discussion among friends is still possible, but it is not possible here on our forum.

The "Spin Zone" closing was, I think, the reason www.pilotspin.com was created. It was a "spin off" :) pun intended - where those who wanted to debate politics (politely or otherwise) could go and have at it unmolested. Except by each other. Over there we can even cuss like adults.
 
Back in the olden days, before I joined POA, I participated in totally unmoderated aviation forums (usenet). That worked for a while, but then, gradually, it didn't. Not at all. Too many individuals with either an ax to grind or who were just set on being disruptive for the sake of being disruptive. Turned good resources into total **** holes. So, yea, moderation sucks. But non-moderation sucks about 1000% more.

One topic that tends to bring out the *******s, or the ******* in otherwise reasonable people is online discussions of partisan politics. That's just the way it is. So, that is one of the things that gets shut down. (Not saying that any particular post from the O.P. fell into that category or not - just a general observation.)

On the what kind of pilot question, I don't recall there ever (at least since I came here) being any stated official preference. There can be a tendency to pick nits. Some of us can tend to be more towards the smart ass side. But in general, we be talk'n 'bout flying. Most of the time.
 
@Bill Greenwood

May I suggest you check out purpleboard.net.

there are lots of good people over there. Many of them used to be here but tired of the heavy-handed stifling here (or they still are here but rarely, if ever, participate).

it has a political forum you can opt into separately if so desired (I haven't).

and the best part is that it is not a public forum so you have to be far less careful about what you discuss there. No worries about an FAA pinhead running across your post about buzzing your buddies house (or whatever). ;)

and you can cuss over there like an adult also!
 
The "Spin Zone" closing was, I think, the reason www.pilotspin.com was created. It was a "spin off" :) pun intended - where those who wanted to debate politics (politely or otherwise) could go and have at it unmolested. Except by each other. Over there we can even cuss like adults.
Yes, I think that it's a good thing that there is a forum for everyone. If you don't like our moderation and don't want to play by our rules, there are always other options.
 
After the Spin Zone (which was mostly unmoderated) closed, the moderators experimented a few times with allowing polite, adult, political discussion. The problem is that is does not ever stay polite. There is always someone ready to throw the first punch or make some snarky remark. Then each "side" goes to their respective corners. I think polite political discussion among friends is still possible, but it is not possible here on our forum.

so, I'll ask again since I don't think I ever received an answer.

...why did you always dive into those rogue conversations head first until such time as they got shut down?

hmmmmmmm?

(yeah, this whole topic is a pet peeve of mine).

as an aside, in the MC message in Jack's "got a visit from Trump", it talked about how even MC members need to refrain from diving in. I got a big smile on my face and said "it musta been Mari!" LOL! (It doesn't reference an MC member any longer...musta been edited...or maybe it was another recent warning I'm recalling)
 
so, I'll ask again since I don't think I ever received an answer.

...why did you always dive into those rogue conversations head first until such time as they got shut down?
I sometimes participated in previous threads before they went over the line. I did not participate in the thread in question. You are misremembering.

I don't know why you feel you need to constantly complain about the moderation here when you have obviously found another forum home. I can only conclude you enjoy stirring the pot. We call it trolling. ;)
 
For Everskys and all: I have seen other forums. It is common to claim "politics" is off limits. Sounds clear on the surface, if a bit immature, but I have never seen it honestly applied. There seemed to be no problem with this "Trump visit" topic to the moderators as long as all the "politics" were on one side, as long as they were puff pieces about kissing the ring. What people mostly mean it that politics is off limits unless it agrees with their version of politics. And I don't think I "hurled any insults" to anyone on this forum, though I have received some.
Thanks for the suggestion about the purple board, I actually did try it and the technological hoops you have to jump through just to register was too much. The people seemed nice.
 
Salty, thanks for the heads up about someone writing on my garage door. I will forever more get up every morning and check my door. Maybe I live in a different type neighborhood than you, but I haven't had that happen, you never know however.
 
This gets brought up every so often. Summary:

1) The MC does our best to apply the rules fairly and equally
2) We are human, we do not read every post, and frankly people have a tendency to get butthurt because they think we favor the other side of what they're on, so then complaints are lodged we apply moderation inconsistently
2a) Both sides think we favor the other side and only get after their side, which tells us we're probably apply pretty evenly
3) The Spin Zone is not coming back. We talk about it from time to time, and nobody ever thinks it's a good idea. The people who are most vocal about reinstating it are the problem folk that caused it to get shut down in the first place
4) "Freedom of Speech" does not apply to an internet forum. Nobody's rights are being violated if we delete or otherwise don't allow certain speech. We do tend to allow as much leway as we can while still keeping things civil.
5) There are many different flavors of forums out there, just like there are different flavors of personality for TV shows, news, YouTubers, etc. We do not claim to be perfect or the best, but we do provide the flavor we do and aim to keep things civil. We don't try to please everyone and if members think that this is a rotten place to be, we don't begrudge people leaving.
 
On Wed night last, Jack Fleetwood posted "Trump Came To See Me", about Trump visiting an Apple computer factory in Austin. Interesting in one other way as I didn't even know Apple had a factory there and Dell is the big presence in their hometown. By the way it is even a bit aviation related as Dell bought what was then Austin Executive airport in NW Austin and closed it to build his warehouse.
Anyway, other pilots chimed in, including several who say manger or supporter of POA. There were 33 posts before I made my short post, and in total 39 posts.
But I received a message that I am violating the rules because of "politics". So I'd like to have the rule explained. Obviously the topic was of a politically related nature, and through 33 post no one seemed to object. So why was I singled out? Is everybody equal under the rules or is it like 1984 where everybody is equal, but some are more equal than others? Is anything politically related acceptable as long as it is on one side of the spectrum? Is it a personal thing, though as far as I know I don't even know the management and never met them.

Question 2: What is the focus if any of POA? Is it all aviation or homebuilding or corporate etc.I notice a lot of posters seem to be controllers.

Question 3. What type of pilot are you looking for as posters. There are parts of flying that I am a novice at, jets, multiengine, high tech glass panels, etc., but I do have 50 years of experience in perhaps 40 types of airplanes all over the U S and some of Canada, England, and Caribbean. I might know some things fairly well on one side of aviation.

PS as for a forum subject, I have never run a forum on line, but I think freedom of speech is one the great things our country espouses and one of the first things to be censored when tyrants take over anywhere, throughout history. I realize that I others don't share my view and live in fear of ever reading an opposing belief or idea. I wouldn't let them run my forum, I'd aim it towards adults.
Thanks, Bill Greenwood, sorry I don't have a cute alias, guess I'm old fashioned about that.
The rule on every internet forum I've been on is that "no politics" means "no politics unless it's conservative politics". I've just learned to live with it.
 
There seemed to be no problem with this "Trump visit" topic to the moderators as long as all the "politics" were on one side,
Yes, conservatives have long complained about the moderators liberal bias. And, some have left (ohhh - perhaps that is the wrong word) because of it.

On the other hand, those of the liberal persuasion are not happy with what the conservatives get away with.
 
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