.....and noticed that someone has finally gotten fed up with the pointless abusive posts. discussions on politics, like those concerning religion, are apt to become heated because of the passions they evoke, but common abuse relays nothing and disrupts the give and take of rational discussion. one of the main reasons my posts here have slowed down to an almost imperceptible trickle (aside from having little time to just sit and relax lately) is that i grew bored with responses that amounted to little more than an only slightly more literate version of "you're a big fat doody head".
cannabis related forums represent a relatively accurate, though slightly liberal leaning, cross-section of the public at large. weeds calming effect renders us less likely to yield to the violent nature of the society around us and, bound by a common respect, if not love, for the venerable herb, we should be able to air our differences without resorting to the vicious tendencies so prevalent in the world of politics. i might suggest that everyone attempt to follow a very simple rule that i adhere to religiously. never enter the forum without at least a couple of bong hit to relieve the tensions of the day and soften the rough edges we seem to accumulate by existing in this savage world. a joint before posting seems to lessen the urgency of the world's dilemmas and provides a more philosophical outlook on even the weightiest of problems.
many folks that post in this sub-forum have succumbed to that childish desire to engage in meaningless invective at one time or another (i know i have) and i'm sure that no amount of moderation will do away with it completely, but it's nice to see that someone is going to at least attempt to tone it down a bit. most forums that i have frequented that are not strictly concerning politics consider the political forum a sort of free fire zone where tempers are allowed to flare a bit beyond the bounds of common civility. with restrictions loosened, they are usually not a place for the faint hearted or thin skinned and that's probably as it should be. it can be hard to remember that the true scumbags of this world are few and far between and the anonymity of an online community makes it easy to imagine that your opponent represents the worst of an ideology that you are dead set against. i do hope that any new restrictions won't completely do away with the fervor inherent political debate and look forward to the time when i have the leisure to renew my association with y'all.