Got a gripe or complaint or just want to get something off your chest about the website or life in general?  Well, here's your chance.....tell us all about it.  Hopefully we can give you explanations and not excuses. 

Former President George W. Bush said it best, "'If this were a dictatorship, it'd be a heck of a lot easier, just so long as I'm the dictator."

I think it would help understand my position on maintaining some decorum on certain discussions if you could take a look at a site which has practically no controls whatsoever when it comes to discussions/debates:

Click on this link for a thread on the Arkansas Times from 20 Jan 10:

www.arktimes.com/blogs/arkansasblog/2010/01/now_its_your_turn.aspx#comments

See what I mean?  It gets downright ugly and nasty.  Notice the negative comments about the nature of this kind of dialogue.   Notice the vicious attacks made upon other participants. 

And, these nasty interchanges are common on most blogs, especially political ones.  Civil discourse is thrown out the window.  Facts are few and far between.  Name-calling and parroting of propaganda are the norm rather than the exception.  It's like going to a restaurant and having garbage tossed all around you while you dine.  Not pleasant and certainly doesn't make you want to return to that restaurant.

Anyway, that's my story and I'm sticking to it. 

Don't have a complaint, but I have something to say.  The quickest way to lose friendships and split families is to discuss politics and religion.  And I won't even say what happens if you lend money to a family member or go into business with them.  My Gosh!  And I am talking about the majority of friends and family.  I know there are exceptions.

When the time comes for me to be counted on in my religion or my politics, I will be there.  I will also defend a persons right to speak and have an opinion.  But I don't think the Forum is the place for these discussions.  I thought the Forum was a place to renew old friendships and make new friends.  To share joys and disappointments.  To keep in touch.  Though many of us do come from dysfunctional families, there is no reason to turn the Forum Family into one.  And though we consider ourselves a family, there are things you can say to blood kin and get away with it.  These same words spoken to friends who are like family would be considered rude. 

I know I don't post often (I am trying to improve) but I love reading all the day to day activities of the Lions.   And I am not trying to live in a "Sunshine World."  We all have enough problems with day to day living without the added complications of quarrels with friends.  So let's treat our friends here on the Forum better than we treat our families. 

 Sallie

Well said Sallie!

... I totally agree Sallie!

Ditto for me Sallie.....very well said!  Thanks for wise advice!

I agree with Sallie.  Please keep this a fun, friendly, relaxing forum.  There is so much turmoil in the world that I enjoy reading what is taking place in everyday life of my classmates.

Jake, thank you for all the hard work you put into this website.

We will keep trying to do just that, Jeanie.  You guys have said it far better than I could. 

As Ecclesiastes says, a time and a place for everything under heaven.

It was Fate, I guess, that brought a passage before me while I was reading that spoke to this issue.  The topic was our freedom.  It has been a mantra for a few of those wanting unfettered discussion on the Forum.  To begin with, total freedom is a dungeon -- by that I mean, you get nothing but chaos and disorder, everyone doing exactly as he or she pleases, regardless of the consequences.  It's anarchy and descends into a Darwinian hell in which the strongest oppress the weakest, all in the name of freedom.

What we actually have is freedom with boundaries.  Most of our Declaration of Independence and our Constitution is not about the extent of our freedom but where the boundaries are for our freedoms.  We grow up in homes and go to schools that set boundaries for us while they teach us about freedom.  The workplace has boundaries.  Church has boundaries.  Marriage has boundaries.  The list goes on and on.  Everyday life is full of boundaries.  Yet, many freedoms still remain.

We have a rather simple boundary here - keep the Forum free of politics and religion, allow it on the Lounge.  It's an Ecclesiastical judgment. 

I'm not very good with analogies, but I think that how one uses fire comes closest to showing the difference between our two venues.  The Forum represents using fire as a hearth in one's home.  It is there for warmth and comfort.  It helps keep out the cold and dreariness.  The Lounge represents using fire outside the home.  It's to battle the darkness that surrounds us or to protect us from predators or to send a signal to someone.

Whether you enjoy the warmth, comfort and camaraderie of the Forum's hearth or the blazing heat and light of the Lounge's bonfires, you are a most welcome member of our tribe and clan. 

Jake

When I first got onto the website, it was like a window opening up to me to my home town. I had been gone from Tyler since 1969, with only a few years back in the early to mid 70's. I felt like I had truly come home, even though I was in Michigan. But right away, I had a whole bunch of friends, that were my age, had experiences like mine, and were willing to share them with me, and the extra special thing about all these friends was, I already knew them. And already felt close to them. I laughed everytime I got on and read the things people were saying. I found out that some friends that I thought I knew were truly funny, very smart, very worldly, great grandparents and parents. It was like a kid opening each christmas present. It was such joy to me. Then we had our first loss of a classmate, and the feelings of care that were shown on the forum, touched me like nothing I have ever known. That is what pushed me to volunteer to be an administrator for the site, I especially wanted to work the Joys and Concerns. My hope and prayer is that this site can continue to make us laugh and comfort us when we are in need. When I was going through all those tests in December, I wanted my classmates to know how scared I was, but as I sat and waited for each test or was getting IV's put in, I kept thinking about all ya'll and knew you were wishing me good results and for the ones of us that pray, they worked. I cherish each of you and hope that you feel the same about me. Let's keep the forum fun and comforting, and remember we all need friends. And that is what the JT Class of 1968 is all about.

Thanks for being my friend!

Susan/Willie Wildeisen