Iraq - info and American input

[Magic_Sailor]

With reference to **** posting and my other Iraq posting

Listening to Radio 4 yesterday I heard an interview with the American writer and commentator Gore Vidal. He said something that I had not previously realised; not only is George W an oil baron but he has surrounded himself with other oil barons. Namely Condolisa Rice and Donald Rumsfeld - both of whom are Directors of a number of oil companies - all of them household names. He did mention other people in the administration but I can't remember them now.

I'd be interested to hear from any American contributors to the forum. What's your take on what's happening?

Magic

 

[Magic_Sailor]

It was of course Claymore\'s posting

Sorry Claymore - I wrote it in "word" and forgot to check your name before posting!

Magic

 

[Gunfleet]

Listen, the world is full of places where you can flex your political muscles about Iraq. Let's stick to boating here. If you want to get involved in all this c**p with Americans usenet is the place for you, not ybw.com

 

[Magic_Sailor]

You can post you CV to Kim Hollamby and mention to him that you're after his job.

Perhaps we should ban posts on pubs, restaurants, wives, husbands, children, oil, dolphins, wildlife ......... as well.

It would be a good idea, until you have achieved that status, for you to lay off the aggressive postings. An aggression which I suspect would not translate into reality in the flesh.

Magic

 

[Forbsie]

I wish I had caught that. I am a great fan of Gore Vidal since I read an article on Timothy McVeigh and terrorism in America just three days after 9/11.

You can read many of his essays My Project

 

[graham]

I can see where John B is coming from.

I go sailing to get away from everyday stress and worry,these forums are like an extension to my sailing hobby so personally I dont really want to find worrying aspects of world politics posted on here.

 

[aod]

Horses for Courses

I must say that I kind of look at this forum and I suppose sailing in general
as an escape from the pressures of political life.

It's a fact that politics move in every sphere of life but there are differing facets i.e. Iraqi crisis v's RYA yachtmaster stuff and while understanding that the Iraqi issue and looming war is very worrying. I do hope that this specialised forum doesn't degrade into one of a general nature covering everything from social decay to toothpaste.

My submission would be that this is a sailing forum for sailing issues and if in future I seek information or views about Fiat cars I will go to a motoring forum, Iraqi oil the political forums etc.

 

[ccscott49]

Then don't read a post with Iraq in it's heading, simple really!

 

[Gunfleet]

humble apology to Magic

My mistake. I get it now. You're just a troller. Sorry to have taken your post seriously

 

[Strathglass]

Re: Horses for Courses

<font color=red>What I cannot understand is why the non boating things are not posted and indeed not shifted </font color=red> <font color=orange> (moderator ?) </font color=orange> <font color=red>to the non boating parts of the forum </font color=red>

Whilst all the political arguments affect all of us and I do not object to posters airing their views, whether I agree with them or not.

<font color=purple>I think it is wrong that such topics are overburdening the boaty parts of the forums and IMHO this is degrading the objectivity of the forums</font color=purple>

This is intended to be a boating form not a political form or is it?

Iain


<P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1>Edited by iainsimpson on 26/01/2003 12:45 (server time).</FONT></P>

 

[chippie]

Re: Horses for Courses

I dont think a few posts amongst the fifty displayed on my screen is overburdening the forum. I agree with CCScott that if you dont want to see certain topics , avoid those ones with them in the title.
Another forum I go to [wooden boat] has a general forum that covers all sorts of things other than boats.
Whether we like it or not, all of our boating is done in the geopolitical environment provided by bush,blair and the like.

Cheers.

 

[Strathglass]

Re: Horses for Courses

I have no objection to whatever subjects people wish being published on the boards, It is up to themselves (and Kim).

But, I used to work in a very sensitive military defence area and at that time looked to sailing as an escape from day to day pressures. I am quite sure that many others feel the same today.
I am very aware that Joe Public is never told anything like the truth by the politicans and this is certain to be the case in current day events. Some of the real truths may come out in fifty years hence.

There are many other boat forums outwith YBW where all sorts of non boat related subjects form the majority of the postings much to the detriment of those forums. (even Ebay now although this is not a forum)

I quite enjoy reading the diverse range of subjects posted.
I also realise that, as CCScott has said, one can select which postings to open.

But this group of forums already has a slot for non boaty items and this appears to be a more appropriate place to post such subjects.

The last thing anyone wants is for there to be nowhere for people to vent their opinions of the present geopolitical environment under which everything we wish or try to do is controlled in some way or other.

All I am saying is that I personally think that some of the postings could, with advantage, be posted on other areas of the forms and I (IMHO) consider that the forum would benifit from this.

One possible way, perhaps, would be to combine the PBO and YM forms together as a ask, answer and discuss boaty form then have another one called something like Yachty Chat with a fairly open remit for tackling virtually any subject.

I don't think this would generate any segregation of posters but might make the boards appear more user friendly to some of the posters.

Iain

 

[Tantalus]

As a British subject who is a long time resident of the US and am terribly dismayed by the rise of GW and his cabal I am in sympathy with the original post, however... I am also in agreement with those who posted their feelings that such posts are out of place in a forum such as this.
Let's talk about boating issues...perhaps how the new emphasis on security is affecting our ability to cruise...etc.
In the meantime, I personally will view posts, such as the original post, as ,erely informative and not needing a reply until things get out of hand.

 

[Twister_Ken]

Yacht club

I nipped into a sailing club yesterday lunchtime for a bit of R&R after splicing some new halyards. Beleive it or not they were talking about Iraq. As I've always viewed Scuttlebutt as a sort of online YC, i don't see why we should ask for restrictions on subjects here. After all, if you don't like one conversation at the YC bar, you can always wander away and join another.

It seems to me that Scuttlebutt is the chatroom of the YBW fora, if we can't chat here among friends, then where?

BTW, Iraq was also being discussed in parts at the Rosslyn Park rugby club on Saturday after the match, despite the fact that the match in question may turn-out to be the one which wins us promotion.

 

[kimhollamby]

Forum drift

Reading through the posts here:

a) Scuttlebutt is here to host discussions on boating matters; that's also the reason for ybw.com's existence. Nothing will fundamentally change on that policy.

b) I've noticed the occasional general thread and not much worried about it in the past - the balance has always stayed safely on the side of nautical matters;

c) I've also noticed the increase in Iraq-underpinned posts and understand the motives but also understand that there are those who might want to escape a subject that is pretty much all enveloping at the moment.

d) contrary to some comments there is no other forum here specifically set up for general posts - a kind of discussion lounge for affairs of the heart (and just plain affairs as well I suppose, provided you all avoid libel). I could look at setting one up of there was enough interest - it would be registered users eyes only.

+++

That's my woolly response - feedback welcome. Now here's a specific edict...macho gesturing is a complete waste of everyones' bandwidth here so please no more of that with regard to Iraq, or anything else.

Ta
Kim

kim_hollamby@ipcmedia.com

 

[tcm]

Re: Macho gesturing

Don't quite unnerstand the curb on macho gesturing. Does that mean

a) people should stop trying to tell others what they can or can't post of the forum

b) people shouldn't post inflammatory comments regarding bombing campaigns.

c) The US should just let rip with nukes, if they think they're that hard.

 

[tcm]

Re: Yacht club

You were lucky. The after-match discussion at Blackheath involved watching West Ham v ManU. I tried to pretend that the only entusiastically cheering person in the bar, a 10-year old, was not mine.

 

[NigeCh]

Don\'t understand d)

because there is a sailing BB (French) that revels in non-sailing discussions as well as sailing matters.

 

[claymore]

Re: Horses for Courses

As the perpetrator of the original post on Iraq I feel a response coming on here.
When I am away sailing with people we discuss all topics under the sun. It contributes to the fulfillment I get from sailing, particularly as I get older and perhaps the expansion of the mind is a natural successor to the physical challenges I met in younger days.
From time to time I sail with my nephew who'se conversation is solely focussed on issues of sail set, trim, course made good and balance and I find that an hour or two of this is normally enough for me - dedicated sailor though I am. In a similar vein, I can only deal with so many posts on technical boating issues and then I need to talk about something else. The Forum offers the opportunity for discourse amongst a group of people with a common interest and a variety of opinion on all issues. I would suggest from the wide variety of topics on these forums that this is a commonly held view and I don't see that it threatens the integrity of the forum as a 'boaty' environment at all. Quite the reverse - and how could you expect a moderator to decide what is 'boaty' and what is not - the margins are too indistinct and the grey areas too abundant.


regards
Claymore

 

[kimhollamby]

Re: Don\'t understand d)

In d) I'm not stating what I am going to do - I am outlining the options of what we could do if there was demand for an area set aside for general discussion.

kim_hollamby@ipcmedia.com