The Buck Stops Here

Just a quick note from El Commandante...


It's a shame it feels necessary to have to write this, but I want to stop a snowball before it starts.

On posting here.

On what is ok, how much of it is ok, and how this group is going to be.



As a person, and as an occassional writer of opinion pieces, I reserve the right to be biased.  Like anyone else, I have an opinion.  All of us here are free to express our opinions.

As a moderator in this group, my pledge is to deliver impartiality and accountability - this is why there is a strong team of diverse administrators.  If I behave unfairly, I trust them to relieve me of my duties if it is ever necessary.  Democracy.

Because I happen to be a left-leaning atheist, there will inevitably be those (usually of the American Christian Conservative NObama brigade) who will cry "liberal bias", whatever we do.  The worst of them, many of whom I've had to remove from here already because they had no interest in contributing meaningfully, will simply make it their sport to try and derail or undermine this project, maybe coming back with fake accounts or staying here and deliberately burying other posts with their paranoia about their black Muslim Commie President - but this is short sighted for a variety of reasons.


First, we have created a platform here which can be used for building bridges and cultivating a better understanding between religions and races, between political or philosophical schools of thought.  It can be more than just a news group, if you let it be.  Those who are too hostile to fathom that, and would attempt to sabotage it, are not welcome.  One by one...

Second, it exhibits a failure to comprehend what this group is about.  'Geopolitics' is largely - though not exclusively - international.  I post on a wide variety of topics, as do others here.  I post about American imperialism because it's true.  I tend not to slander individuals or make, for example, anti-Semitic remarks.  To those of you who are guilty of what I outline here, why don't you try adding to the diversity?  What do you think about Thaksin Shinawatra, Armenia, Steven Harper, David Miliband, Kashmir, Jacob Zuma or Gloria Macapagal Arroyo?  Stop being so predictable and juvenile or shut up and go away.  I don't care if we lose 100 members overnight... you know who you are.  Just the trolls... there aren't many left. 

Third - we, the world outside your cocoon, don't care that you hate the guy your own people elected.  You're a closet racist.  At least be honest!

There are however, a few on that side of the political spectrum who do seem to get the gist of what can be acheived here.  You know who you are also.  Please continue as you have been...  personally, the Friedrich Hayek stuff was of great interest, thanks.

I do understand that you cannot have political debate without some conflict.

The kind of nonsense I'm on about here isn't even trying to be a debate.  It's preaching.  When I see the same prejudice from the same person one too many times, I'll just knock them out.  No warning.  I trust my team of administrators to do likewise across the whole range of opinions. 


Please make sure your posts, particularly the blogs, are informational and / or springboards for open discussion.  Discuss policy and events, refer to academic sources and journalism, by all means - personality politics, racism, phobics and slander we do not need, thanks.

"I hate Obama because he is Communist / Muslim / Black" etc

"I hate Israel and we should nuke the Zionist infidels"

Ditto Iran or any other nation, but particularly those two 'usual suspects'. And France.

"I hate America, they're all fat and eat McDonalds, the war pigs"

"I hate Islam..." (without any attempt at intelligent discourse - this is just hate-posting and bashing).

...and so on

Normally, we find that somebody who dives straight in with one of the above, is likely to post that same mantra over and over and over again.  It's boring, negative, destructive, adds nothing of value to this group and we don't want it here.  Come and see me if you want to do that - I'll give you some links to a few groups where that is much more appropriate.


I've been looking at this group from the point of view of a new member today, who just arrived... and at present it looks like another of those Obama-hate fests.  That's disappointing.  I'll be keeping an eye on whether newcomers leave quickly, and if I conclude that there are too many negative posts, and these are putting people off, I will quickly weed out those responsible, for the greater good.  This is an opportunity they don't deserve.


Yes, I take this all probably way too seriously. 

You're welcome to think that.  I don't care.

I've put a lot of my time and effort into making this project as good as it is, and  it's got a long way to go yet; a few clowns are not going to get in the way of that progress.

And to those fifty or so new members who joined us during the last week - a warm welcome.  We hope you will feel free to join in, and help create something genuinely different. 

Yours,


Commandante Nopigeonhole