[Summit] political discussions

[barfootjim]

I agree that discussions of political issues that we have in common  
in this neighborhood should have a place in our discussions in  
general - on the main list.

However, let's agree to a few politeness rules:

1) no personal attacks, name-calling, or disparaging personal remarks  
aimed at ANY individual - keep it to what they say or do, not who  
they are;
2) if you use statistics, or other facts, to bolster your point of  
view, identify where you got them from;
3) no requests for contributions;
4) if you think a politician's approach is wrong, try to state why,  
and if possible, suggest a better way to solve a problem
5) you are free to have an opinion based on nothing specific, but if  
it's just that, say so.

This can be a useful tool to help us all consider the alternatives,  
the plusses and minuses, and make informed decisions.


> Let the whole list weigh in, if it chooses, on whether political  
> issues and questions are or are not appropriate for the main Summit  
> list.  Speaking for myself, I think that they are appropriate, and  
> that this bears directly on the kind of community we want to have  
> in Summit.
> ...

> ... it is a question of how we wish to be governed -- and only  
> incidentally, which candidate might be more apt to govern us in the  
> way we wish to be governed.