The nuclear option

Written by: puddle on Jul 13, 2008 3:33 AM EDT

Linked to groups: Blog For America

- Two options really

By Charles Chamberlain on Jul 13, 2008 10:44 AM

Either the Watercooler continues forever or we treat off-topic comments like all other successful blogs in the world do and delete them completely. Which would you prefer?

I would rather keep the community we have here together and allow for open discussions on an open thread. But if no one who comes to the Watercooler is willing to respect the concept of this open thread community then.. perhaps you are right and we should no longer "persist in this nonsense" and just delete stuff instead. Is that what you want to see?

Odd, really to see the tactics of a HQ who has had  George Lakoff blog here.  The difference is between authoritarianism and consensus building.  What you're saying Charles, is that the howitzers haven't worked, and now you're promising the nuclear option.  Reminds me of the parents you hear in public places threatening their children thusly: You want something to cry about?  I'll give you something to cry about.


We've had guest bloggers, and have been asked to keep their threads on topic, and run a parallel open thread alongside the book thread, and exactly *that* happened.  The difference between that and this is: the open thread was on the front page, and in no way different than the book discussion thread.  What you are offering us is so called "separate but equal"  -- and if you know your history, you know how well that worked *in practice.*


You are being deeply dishonest with yourself if you have convinced yourself that the watercloset is anything but a place to flush bloggers who won't obey you.  THAT is what we are feeling: a profound insult that goes way beyond name calling.  A deep disrespect for who we are, have been, what we have done, and what we do.


No person of color was ever fooled by being told that their separate water fountain was "just as good" as the white water fountain.  That the ride in the back of the bus got you where you wanted to go just as did the ride in the front.

I don't know how to ask you to rethink what you have accoomplished -- perhaps the request is bigger than the soul you possess?  But I do ask.

And thank you for listening.

p.s.  ~~ in my personal view, a DFA leader from Florida or N.J. asking you not to front page their local news and projects makes sense ~~  this is, or was, a national blog.  That  would not seem to mean, to me, that they wished for a change in the national blog. . . .  I do know that Chris Chapman came to this blog, often, blogging about what we in West Virginia were doing.  He was roundly insulted by a former blogger, protested, left, and has never returned.  That former blogger continued, unabated for a good long while afterwards.  HQ took zero steps then for  the good of the blog.  I personally like to hear of what the local chapters are doing.  But if that means no comments not pertaining to that post may be made, that's simply nuts.  Run parallel threads.  But get rid of the watercloset in the third basement down. Please open your eyes before this blog is totally destroyed.

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