I wish to apologize to all on this Forum.

[modsforme]

Hi all.

I wish to apologize to the Forum at large for my outburst and rant in the “Depleted Uranium” thread, it was wrong of me to flip out like that and I am sorry.

That said please let me explain why that thread pulled my chain the way it did.

I really like this site and I do not want to see it go the way of other forums that I liked.

I have seen first hand forums that started out as non political with members that openly shared and chatted and seemed to like each other and then someone would post a divisive and purely political topic and that would open the door for others to post their “view” of a political topic that was near and dear to them and that would prompt others to do the same and in a few months that site would become polarized along politically ideological lines and the trust, caring and friendship among its members would be gone.

On my first reading of the question that thread started with it was like a knife in my back.

Oh no, not again, was my first thought and I lost it.

So to all on this forum I say that I am sorry that I went on that rant.

[Ryanhabs]

Mods,

I may only speak for myself but I feel that 99.9% of the members here that I have personally interacted with are open-minded enough to be able to disagree with one another and yet still hold the belief of "to each his /her own". While I did not at first see any harm that could come out of answering that thread, after I began to type a simple statement, it was only after I looked up to see I had gone about 3000 words in to an answer and realized it would be more like forum spam than an answer. I deleted my initial typings and made a very short response and left it at that.

 

On a side note: Having served 4 years of my life for this country and having lost friends and family in many of the wars this country has been in, I can honestly say that it was refreshing to read your "rant" as it was originally that passion that can exist in people that I decided to serve to protect in the first place. So, Thank you. I know you were probably not expecting someone to thank you in this thread but I thank you for showing me that the passion I decided to protect is still alive in some people and that adds a sense of a job well done for my actions and the actions of many others around the world that are serving their respective countries right now.

 

Salute,

-Ryan (Former Marine SGT.)

[modsforme]

Mods' date='

I may only speak for myself but I feel that 99.9% of the members here that I have personally interacted with are open-minded enough to be able to disagree with one another and yet still hold the belief of "to each his /her own". While I did not at first see any harm that could come out of answering that thread, after I began to type a simple statement, it was only after I looked up to see I had gone about 3000 words in to an answer and realized it would be more like forum spam than an answer. I deleted my initial typings and made a very short response and left it at that.

 

On a side note: Having served 4 years of my life for this country and having lost friends and family in many of the wars this country has been in, I can honestly say that it was refreshing to read your "rant" as it was originally that passion that can exist in people that I decided to serve to protect in the first place. So, Thank you. I know you were probably not expecting someone to thank you in this thread but I thank you for showing me that the passion I decided to protect is still alive in some people and that adds a sense of a job well done for my actions and the actions of many others around the world that are serving their respective countries right now.

 

Salute,

-Ryan (Former Marine SGT.)

[/quote']

 

I thank you for your reply but more for your service to America, you and all that serve or have served in any branch of the U.S. military are the true heroes.

[roninvoid]

While I can recognize and appreciate your passion and patriotism for your country, as I stated in the aforementioned thread, my only complaint was the way in which you went about it. It's good to have that passion - healthy, even - but you should try to be more constructive rather than destructive. Perhaps things could have gone more smoothly if you had, rather than letting that passion blind you, taken a deep, calming breath and requested that either the political points behind it be removed (I doubt it was intended to be political, after all), or simply ask that it be removed.

 

Ryan, I share your opinion that the people here should be open-minded enough to discuss this without getting too caught up in it... Without being divided by their opinions, but, instead, united by them. It is the differences of opinions and the calm discussions, the weighing of pros and cons in a calm manner that allows us to reach decisions constructively. It shouldn't divide people.

 

Besides, if this stays restrained simply to the thread it is being discussed in, it shouldn't harm the rest of the forum... In theory.

 

I feel that there's no need for you to apologize, Mod. Just try to be more constructive and calm in your approach and there shouldn't be any more problems.

[Slammer64]

I was a member of the USAF during 78-82, and while I consider myself as patriotic as the next person, I don't feel that putting up a politically charged topic like that was appropriate to a gaming forum. We are an international community with a wide range of political opinions so toes are bound to be stepped on and feelings hurt. It used to be that there were 3 things you never discussed in public, sex, religion and politics. We've matured enough so we can discuss the sex part here, but we still have a ways to go with religion and politics. Please be considerate with your fellow forum members and remember that there is a person behind that monitor.

[roninvoid]

I was a member of the USAF during 78-82' date=' and while I consider myself as patriotic as the next person, I don't feel that putting up a politically charged topic like that was appropriate to a gaming forum. We are an international community with a wide range of political opinions so toes are bound to be stepped on and feelings hurt. It used to be that there were 3 things you never discussed in public, sex, religion and politics. We've matured enough so we can discuss the sex part here, but we still have a ways to go with religion and politics. Please be considerate with your fellow forum members and remember that there is a person behind that monitor.

[/quote']

 

Yeah... I was thinking the same thing... That it was a bit strange/inappropriate to discuss politics here (on a forum for gaming, regardless of the fact that this is the off-topic section).

 

It just seems like there would be more appropriate venues for that.