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Moderators note: off-topic posts
2007-11-28
We're getting more and more posts that are off-topic to the purpose of Rantburg. This post is to remind us all of what that purpose is, and what's off-topic.

Rantburg is about the war on terror: America's need to fight and win that war, what our allies and enemies are doing, who the terrorists are, and how they fight. Whatever is germane to the WoT is on-topic at Rantburg. That includes the nitty-gritty, day-in and out details of terrorist attacks, battles and crossfires encounters, but also includes the politics, background, strategy, new weapons and tactics, and areas related to the WoT.

Certain areas of the world aren't necessarily involved in the WoT but have potential to do so if they go bad, and so places like Zimbabwe, Sri Lanka and Venezuela are of interest to us.

We've traditionally had certain allowed off-topic genres of posts. Those are listed in the topic headers. We generally cover the elections but try to do this from the standpoint of what the candidates say and mean about the WoT. We have a fair number of humorous posts about the various idiots and idiotic situations in the world -- all work and no fun make us dull, after all, and they're opportunities for snark. Britney, Paris and the like are germane because they show us what the MSM considers to be news.

Snarky animal antics are always welcome.

But there are things we're getting that are really off-topic. Science news unrelated to the WoT shouldn't be here, even if it's cool. Politics, particularly local politics, unrelated to the WoT shouldn't be here. Cultural stories and critiques are not germane unless they illustrate a problem with our (e.g., western) society in defending itself from the assault on our liberties.

We're getting over 100 posts a day on average. We're in danger of diluting the hard-core WoT news in favor of the fluff. So please, if it's not on-topic and not an opportunity for truly outstanding snark, consider not posting it to the Burg. Whether it's 40, or 60, or 110 posts a day, what matters is how we cover the WoT, the quality of the posts, the comments, and of course the snark.

If you're new to the Burg, please read us a while and then go ahead and post using the Poster web-page. You'll see what we like and what generates interesting comments. And please observe the posting guidelines.

Thanks again for all your support.
Posted by:Steve White

#36  go to tickerforum.org for financial gossip with high quality posts (mainly (just like RB)).
Posted by: Bright Pebbles   2007-11-28 21:04  

#35  lotp, thanks for the clear answer.

I have a shorter one.

No.
Posted by: Pappy   2007-11-28 20:33  

#34  A rule of thumb for such topics is:

the further away from directly dealing with the GWOT an article is, the more you should a) consider posting only a link, not the full article and b) ask yourself if it provides really new GWOT-affecting information for regular Rantburg readers.

For instance, at this point I am not posting any articles about the ripple effect of the sub prime mortgage meltdown to other financial securities. We've all got the basics down: arcane financial derivatives are difficult to value and therefore the markets are panicked.

OTOH, a decision by the Saudis to depeg oil prices from the US dollar as a result of that panic might have a real effect on our ability to fund the GWOT. That would definitely be worth posting, especially as it would suggest a shift in the Kingdom's support in other ways.
Posted by: lotp   2007-11-28 20:06  

#33  I hope we can still post articles about the Global Warming hysteria. It seems relevant to me in that most of the folks that are against the WoT also seem to be the ones that are the most alarmed about anthropogenic GW. Posting GW articles helps to illustrate those folks' lack of capacity for logical reasoning and critical thinking.
Posted by: Abu Chuck al Ameriki   2007-11-28 18:38  

#32  Oh, clearly it's Art, wxjames. Or fairies. But if it's fairies all bets are off on a great many things, as they aren't nice creatures at all, albeit some choose to appear to us as heartbreakingly beautiful. So I'll continue to posit Art until proven otherwise -- I'm not ready to add the cruelty of fairies to a world that already contains Islamo-fascists.
Posted by: trailing wife   2007-11-28 18:23  

#31  lotp, thanks for the clear answer.

TW, aren't they awesome ? What could the profit motive be ? Or, perhaps those who circle don't need profit. Also, I believe that's mostly England.
Posted by: wxjames   2007-11-28 17:41  

#30  Those are gorgeous, wxjames. There's some serious artistry going on in the farm belt. (Is it a belt? That's one of those geography issues I leave to Mr. Wife.)

But I'm not terribly good at all that secret agent stuff (I can't keep all the names straight) so I'd rather stick with the machinations of Al Qaeda and their colleagues, if nobody minds. I just read an article at NIMH that some scientists at the Weizmann Institute discovered a chemical critical to forming and retaining long-term memories, but until they figure out how to how to administer it effectively, my memory will perforce retain its current porosity.
Posted by: trailing wife   2007-11-28 17:09  

#29  Where to draw the line re: on topic vs. too far off topic is a judgement call. But the moderators agreed that we're getting too many articles whose connection to the GWOT is a stretch.

Re: NAFTA etc. - germane when the article exposes a particular policy decision or action that has clearly articulated security impacts. Non-germane if the concern is about what one believes to be a generalized reduction of sovereignty for the US.
Posted by: lotp   2007-11-28 17:08  

#28  OldSpook, had I known you would be reading this, I would have included something with pictures.
Posted by: wxjames   2007-11-28 16:39  

#27  I got yer Amero right here. In fact, this guy will sell you one.

But, that's not even the scariest new coin. Check out this one!

Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket

A demilitarized zone between North and South Dakota! Ack!
Posted by: Mike N.   2007-11-28 16:38  

#26  Hey, man, leave Cthulu out of this.
Posted by: Ebbang Uluque6305   2007-11-28 16:27  

#25  So, Steve, I guess cricket is off-topic unless the Pakistan team is used to infiltrate and blow up the Taj Mahal during their test with India, right?

And Hillary, isn't she on-topic when the discussion turns to forms of terror?
Posted by: Jack is Back!   2007-11-28 16:13  

#24  What, no CFR and Tri-Lateral References? Where did the Bilderburgers and their "live sacrifices" go - they fall out of favor in the conspiracy world? Are Black Helicopters passe now? Is it gauche to speak of the chip implants anymore?

Guys you have to substantiate stuff, not accept fabricated and questionable things at face value. Otherwise you end up beliving things like "The Protocols of the Elders of Zion" are real, and make about as much sense as a Cthulu story.

Posted by: OldSpook   2007-11-28 15:58  

#23  This may be some of the same people behind the EU and the euro. Now, there may be nothing wrong with a single currency, but has any country's population accepted the EU yet ? The European countries are in danger of losing local control over their lives to the jerks in Brussles who never met an immigrant they couldn't give lots of handouts to. Some warn that the NAU will follow the EU (down the drain).

Oh, and Mike, if you have a problem, just spit it out.
Posted by: wxjames   2007-11-28 15:24  

#22  Slineque, you can start by reading this, then to replace the falling dollar, the Amero, and related secret security meetings, all seem to be related to the same political insiders.
Posted by: wxjames   2007-11-28 15:15  

#21  Tinfoil hattery. Perhaps some sort of net to scoop the metallics out would be nice.
Posted by: Mike N.   2007-11-28 15:00  

#20  ~<:)
Posted by: Red Dawg   2007-11-28 14:55  

#19   Bright Pebbles.. made my day!
Posted by: Red Dawg   2007-11-28 14:54  

#18  First!
Posted by: Bright Pebbles   2007-11-28 14:33  

#17  That is the North American Union agenda and it's impact on the border fence. There is much to say about the candidates and their immigration dance which can help Americans understand the big picture before the 2008 elections. This subject is covered on other forums, but Rantburgers deserve a shot at the sercet agenda politicians.

Would you mind posting a link or two? Thanks. One or two links and I'll hunt down the rest from there.
Posted by: Slineque Black9594   2007-11-28 14:18  

#16  Rantburgers deserve a shot at the sercet agenda politicians.

Personally speaking—and as we all saw with the immigration amnesty bill—political agendas, secret or not, retain a strong pertinence here if only because they reflect upon the soundness of any given politician or candidate's judgment and overall dedication to America's security.
Posted by: Zenster   2007-11-28 13:55  

#15  Maybe I will create a Triz matrix of everything impacting the war on terror. Then Steve can just delete it as in appropriate.
Posted by: 3dc   2007-11-28 13:08  

#14  How about a link drop page, like

http://linkdump.be/

No commentary, just "check 'em out" links by the regulars.
Posted by: Anonymoose   2007-11-28 12:49  

#13  I don't want to put any more on Fred's back - he's got enough just handling Rantburg, Thugburg, et. al. Still, I wish there were a place online where I could get some non-WOT news with the honesty and brevity - plus the snark - of Rantburg. Maybe the Army of Steves would like to take on the chore? Of course, a cover page is a MUST!
Posted by: Old Patriot   2007-11-28 12:30  

#12  When posts go bad... a new special on fox. sunday at 8:00.
Posted by: Abu do you love   2007-11-28 12:28  

#11  I found a topic which can be related to terrorism and therefore the war on terror, and can be related to American politics, but is mostly related to treasonous activity. That is the North American Union agenda and it's impact on the border fence. There is much to say about the candidates and their immigration dance which can help Americans understand the big picture before the 2008 elections. This subject is covered on other forums, but Rantburgers deserve a shot at the sercet agenda politicians. One also wonders if those who write the secret agenda also pull the strings in the war on terror.
Please advise.
Posted by: wxjames   2007-11-28 12:26  

#10  I just told Harley, my horse, no, you can not be the star in the "Local" category. He'll be OK, after served a little alfalfa.
Posted by: Sonny Flineth5685   2007-11-28 12:03  

#9  I doubt they will be relevant until they can muster an army that can feed itself.
Posted by: OldSpook   2007-11-28 11:59  

#8  too bad. I rather enjoyed the drivel at the bottom of the page.....
Posted by: Percy Chugum9616   2007-11-28 11:57  

#7  Zimbabwe is a disaster but they're not hosting Al Qaeda or one of the Salafist groups at this point.

When they do, their relevance increases here.
Posted by: lotp   2007-11-28 11:12  

#6  Is it out of line to post an on-topic comment along with a personal note ala my Thanksgiving post here I mentioned some good fortune of my own last week?

If so, I stand guilty-as-charged and submit to the flogging with wet noodles by the Army of Steve.

Posted by: FOTSGreg   2007-11-28 11:10  

#5  Besoeker, good point. Ya got me!
Posted by: Steve White   2007-11-28 10:36  

#4  AoS cracking down?

I've got a new pair of steel-toed boots and I'm ready to break them in.
Posted by: Steve   2007-11-28 07:36  

#3  Ahhh...the problems of being popular!
Posted by: Bobby   2007-11-28 06:17  

#2  Certain areas of the world aren't necessarily involved in the WoT but have potential to do so if they go bad, and so places like Zimbabwe....are of interest to us

"If they go bad" ..... whahaha. Sorry Steve.

Posted by: Besoeker   2007-11-28 01:22  

#1  AoS cracking down?
Posted by: OldSpook   2007-11-28 00:48  

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