OK, we have had time to vent or get it off our chests, etc., but it is time for the forum to return to homesteading-related topics. Dave and I have been fairly tolerant as to various threads, but... It is not as if you don't have any alternatives since off-shoot forums seem to be appearing on Lucenet on a regular basis.

-- Ken S. in WC TN (scharabo@aol.com), October 04, 2001

Answers

Excuse me, but didn't you post one earlier today!??!! You crack me up.

-- Lily (lily123@lily.com), October 04, 2001.

Ken, baby, what is up? Huge article this morning, over it this evening? There's no religion, no arguing, no praying and now stop talking about current events or I'll take my ball and go home? The people on this forum are my friends and confidants. I trust their opinions and am interested in their input. Homesteading is the act of making a home what you want it to be...I'd say what is happening in the arena of current events could affect my home and homelife quite directly and if my friends know something that I might want to know, why not let them tell me? It's been said over and over, if someone isn't interested, they don't have to read....I'm interested. By the way, I'm very busy these days, three small children, work is tricky in a slowing economy so I don't get as much news as some. I really enjoyed the article you posted earlier today. It was informative and brought me up to date, thanks. Can you not put one on tomorrow now, because of your new edict??? Keep being tolerant, I don't WANT to go to another forum. thanks, g.

-- gilly (wayoutfarm@skybest.com), October 04, 2001.

Yup, I'm guilty as accused. However, I will not created any new threads on this area or respond to any past threads on this area. I fully retain my delete capability. Next higher authority is dbelanger@tds.net.

-- Ken S. in WC TN (scharabo@aol.com), October 04, 2001.

Yep got to agree on this one...enough is enough.Lets get back to homesteading at least that way we can all figure out how we will get through what ever happens.

-- renee oneill{md.} (oneillsr@home.com), October 04, 2001.

Another note: 21 postings so far today. 3 not about homesteading,(not including the joke) 2 of those are yours. Lighten up.

-- gilly (wayoutfarm@skybest.com), October 04, 2001.

Gilly: OK, your post appeared as I was typing my response. I'll leave it up to the forum on this issue. What say you? I can live with keeping it basically current events related since I know some on the forum don't have access to TV or major newspapers. However, I still retain deleting rights at my (or Dave's) discretion.

-- Ken S. in WC TN (scharabo@aol.com), October 04, 2001.

Ken, I agree with you. Let's get back to non-political homesteading topics. It's not like virtually every discussion forum on the Internet isn't discussing our war on "terrorism". I was glad to see it go on the poultry discussion groups I sub to as well.

FWIW I talk about our war all the time but it's nice to be able to get away from it too.

={(Oak)-

-- Live Oak (oneliveoak@yahoo.com), October 04, 2001.

Hey thar Ken an Dave ... how in the heck are ya today? I tell ya whut ... takes a mighty big man ta speak his mind (or lady .. ladies, don't git mad at ol Cap now - not over this anyways!) and to do yer best to be fair. I knows you all know pretty much bout me and could find out more, and I be okay with that .. I'm not too touchy like some other folks on here. Either way you all go you will have my thumbs up ... this here forum is one heck of a place to visit, learn share, and git a good laugh on a daily (hell, even an hourly) basis. My mullin it over goes somethin like this ... ya got a good bunch a folks on this forum ... one of the best I've ever seen or had the privlidge of being a part of. Most of em know their minds and don't get too carried away with the mud slingin and don't stay too worked up bout it fer long. Even ifn they does, they keeps comin back, so there must be something they likes bout it. This terrorist thang ... I think folks need to joke, laugh, cry, yell, cuss, discuss, and type their little fingers off about it. This is yer forum, however, and as I said earlier, ya got my backin whatever ya decide!

Take one more pat on the back ... on helluva good job you all do here and with the magazine! All you other folks out there ... yer gettin to know Cap'n and I'm gettin to know you ... and I like what I see (even if some of you talk mean and nasty bout my bigut)! God bless you all and happy dreamin!

-- Cap'n (cptnktal@yahoo.com), October 04, 2001.

Ken, I have to let you know that I don't agree with you on this one. I personally will not have had "enough" of this topic until the guilty parties are brought to some kind of justice, one way or another. We are located in somewhat of a news glutch here in Central Wisconsin and our radio and television reception, and newspaper delivery is pretty inadequate at most times. I appreciate the various opinions and views expressed here on the CS forum. Please let us "Police" ourselves on this one. The regular posters and responders seem to have been doing this fairly well lately regarding several recent inappropriate posts (re: several topics). Other than the Osama Bin Jr. post the other night and a couple of the "jokes" I didn't get the humor of, I've appreciated all the information and opinions expressed herein regarding the 9/11 events.

-- Rose Marie Wild (wintersongfarm@yahoo.com), October 04, 2001.

Okay, I'll behave now. I think we all needed a few laughs and a lot of fellowship during these last three weeks and thank goodness we had this forum. Now, let's get on with it...whatever that is!

-- Ardie from WI (ardie54965@hotmail.com), October 04, 2001.

There are going to be alot more going on in the months to come .I vote we let it continue.Alot of folks here don't have close neighbors,friends or families to voice there fears and concerns .This forum is a forum of therapy for alot of us.

-- Patty {NY State} (fodfarms@slic.com), October 04, 2001.

I don't come by here often enough to be a regular -- last time I visited, there was some adolescent troll calling himself bin jr. causing a ruckus; what happened to that thread? -- but I admit I don't see the need to start banning current events threads. Just a quick glance down the new threads list shows only a couple or three among a wide variety of homesteading issues. If the war or whatever we're calling this situation starts to dominate the board, then I can see that action may be called for, but otherwise Ken I just don't see a problem letting people talk about this stuff. It's as much a part of our lives right now as harvesting the apples and splitting the last of the firewood.

-- Cash (Cash@andcarry.com), October 04, 2001.

Ken, for some reason, I think you maybe doing a lot of deleting before it's all over with!

-- r.h. in okla. (rhays@sstelco.com), October 04, 2001.

Just my 2 cents ~ I personally think it is nice to hear the views on the current events from like minded people.

There are alot of forums on the topic of 9/11, but few (if any), have the concentration of down to earth people like we have here! There is a big difference how people in large cities deal with this sort of thing compared to how country people deal with it. Different concerns and so forth.

I vote to keep it, though I was completely against the crap being slung around in the bin jr posting. Id like to see it stay as long as it is supportive, informational, and generally good natured.

That's all :)

-- Primitive Passion (oldquiltlover@hotmail.com), October 04, 2001.

Homesteading posts only PLEASE!!!

Granted, this event does touch our lives, but this is a HOMESTEADING forum. Read and reread the the Countryside "philosophy".

I have posted and responded to posts that were "other than homesteading".....but I feel the need to get back to the real forum issues.

There, my 1/2 cents worth (2 cents adjusted for inflation and taxes)

-- Jason (AJAMA5@netscape.net), October 05, 2001.

Ok Ken, let's get back to the core subject. Just one thing though, is 'Pigs as biological weapons' a homesteading subject?

-- john hill (john@cnd.co.nz), October 05, 2001.

Ken I say keep the current events posts. The Pig Poo post still has me (and everyone I tell it to) laughing my tummy sore. I think we should pass that one on to GW!

-- Dianne (yankeeterrier@hotmail.com), October 05, 2001.

The return of humor ( no matter how dark or morbid) is one of the classical examples of a person regaining control after a bout with depression or PDSD; its a sign mental healing and is desirable.

-- mitch hearn (moopups@citlink.net), October 05, 2001.

What's wrong with just putting "current events" in the subject line? Then those who want to read about the crisis can do so, and the rest of us can skip it. Ken, most often I agree with you & the way you monitor the forum, but I think that deleting items on this topic is not the way to handle it. What's happening in our country & world right now DOES pertain to homesteading, I believe.

-- Shannon at Grateful Acres Animal Sanctuary (gratacres@aol.com), October 05, 2001.

The countryside site I love it but you are getting out of hand sending folks to other sites how many folks do you want to lose and you also got a magizine to consider you lost folks the last time you done this .There is more of us out there than you think! I love this site dont ruin it if you see a post you dont think is homesteading dont read it . Indiana Country Friend Jack Bunyard

-- Jack Bunyard (bunyard@cnz.com), October 05, 2001.

Homesteading is the topic here! It is a great place to go to get answers to various questions. That is one reason that I recently started the Country Families site, not to detract from this one but to give women and men who perhaps want to talk about things that are not strictly homesteading (gardening, animals etc..) a place to bond and ask questions. Granted you could in a round-about way make anything a homesteading issue, but maybe they wish to focus more on the basics here. Anyone who wishes to visit the new site can find some good info already. I will still keep my subscription, the controversy that arises here has little to do with the new site I started. It isn't meant as a political or religious forum although they won't be discouraged. Just the focus is more on home and family life.

-- Melissa (cmnorris@1st.net), October 05, 2001.

I agree with Shannon, simply put "current events" in the topic line, then those that don't want to bother with it can move on. World events are part of everybodies lives, no matter where you live, and affect everything from the stock market to cattle futures, so it DOES affect us all as homesteaders.

"No man is an island", especially true after the events of 9-11.

Keep the forum open to current events, we are not ostrich with our heads in the sand. We are homesteaders, and need to know.

-- Annie Miller in SE OH (annie@1st.net), October 05, 2001.

I agree with Annie & Shannon. I don't have a TV, don't subscribe to newspapers, and radio newscasters all sound robotic to me, so I like to read what REAL people have to say about current events. Please keep the current events on.

-- Bonnie (chilton@stateline-isp.com), October 05, 2001.

I vote to keep the current events on. As long as they are clearly marked in the title line which I believe they have been so far. That way, those that don't want to read about them can skip and those that do can stop and read. Just like we do for all of our topics. I too value the thoughts of those on the forum on these issues and they may have experience with some of these things particularly if we move into more biological problems nationwide. It could also serve as a place to find out more "truth" when the mainstream media is covering it up.

-- Colleen (pyramidgreatdanes@erols.com), October 05, 2001.

Coleen: Your logic has carried the day. Just keep current issues suitable for a family-oriented forum (meaning some people let their kids surf the forum) and make your thread title very specific as to what your thread is about - which is requested on all threads anyway.

Actually, Dave and I are very sparing with the delete function. Only three have been deleted recently. The two by bin, Jr. and one which said, in my opinion a bit graphic detail, why Osana bin Laden's right hand should be taken off.

I don't think we are driving people to other forums. Just letting them know they exist. Hey, if we were territorial we could have deleted references to these other forums or, at least, not allowing them to advertise their availability on Countryside's forum.

-- Ken S. in WC TN (scharabo@aol.com), October 05, 2001.

I think everyone who has responded to this has missed the point! We are a FREE NATION! We have the right to discuss politics or anything else we want, Whenever, Wherever! For the people who are 'bored' with hearing our thoughts about this tragedy I suggest they go live in Afghanistan & find out how pricless our freedom of speech really is. Discussing these worrisome details is helping all of us recover from the shock & depression that this tragedy has brought to our homesteads. When something affects us personally, it DOES CONCERN our chosen lifestyle [if you think a national tragedy isn't homestead- related then you need a shrink!] Gee guys, we appreciate your 'tolerance to our various threads' but please don't tell us we shouldn't speak openly about this world-shattering event. I shudder to think what the firemen, police & military people who DAILY put their lives on the line for all of us, think of your 'boredom' concerning what may develop into WW3. Shame on you! I pray that you are the only 2 people who feel that way.

-- Jane Gauch (sewbearz@cs.com), October 05, 2001.

This is a copy of Ken's email to me yesterday:

I'm deleting your thread from the Countryside forum because, basically, enough is enough. Let's get back to homesteading topics where we can.

For clarity, here's your original posting:

SUBJECT: bin Laden's Punishment

BODY: Should we capture bin Laden and imprison him? Probably only want those rag heads in Afghanistan to take hostages for some kind of exchange. Should we kill him? Probably only make a martyr of him.

What we should do is capture him, have the best doctors in the world do a sex change operation and send HER back to Afghanistan.

-- Joe (CactusJoe001@AOL.com), October 05, 2001.

Good evening,

I've read a lot of responses to the 'keep it or delete it' current events subject, and haven't responded to much in the current events arena until today, i.e. post bioterrorism thread (and hope I was helpful there).

I think that as long as the posts are titled current events, this thread should be allowed to remain. Many people are having a very difficult time dealing with the idea that someone/some country would attack the U.S and kill a great number of people. Couple that with the declining economy and everyone has great concern not only with their own livlihood, but with the future of the American lifestyle as well. Many of the people here have become neighbors of sorts, and this this their way of communicating their concerns and fears. I vote to leave it as is. It won't hurt anyone and might help a few deal with the uncertainty of our current situation. Just my two cents, Cindy

-- Cindy (colawson@mindspring.com), October 05, 2001.

"We have the right to discuss politics or anything else we want, Whenever, Wherever!"

No...you don't.

If the web masters of this forum decide that it's for "Homesteading" topics only...they can filter the posts as they see fit.

Plenty of other sites to give opinions about anything and everything....whatever and whenever....but maybe not here if they think it's not homesteading-related.

-- Jason (AJAMA5@netscape.net), October 05, 2001.

There are a lot of good points to comment on here, and many good sensible posts. First let me cast my vote ... please keep the current events posts! I think it helps us all in our own way. And Jane, you are absolutely right ... this is a free country (STILL!!!) and we do have the right to say what we like whenever we like in the appropriate arena. Ken and Dave have every right as moderators of the CS forum to maintain the content as they see fit. It is, after all thier forum we are lucky to be a part of. I think we are all real protective of our freedoms during this disturbing time, and this forum doesn't detract from that. Point and case: anyone wanting to carry on a conversation about any topic (allowed on here or not) may do so via email and privately ... the email addresses are right there on each post. Actually, if I read correctly, Ken and Dave have agreed to contiune the current events posts anyway. In any event, we need to remember we're all on the same team! I appreciate each and every one of you here at CS (yes ... even Cap'n) and wish all the very best!

That may be slightly more than two cents worthbut I figure what the heck ... live large :-)!

-- Phil in KS (pemccoy@yahoo.com), October 06, 2001.