I recently had to drop out of another board I contribute to because of politcal bleed-over, which may begin to explain some of my paranoia on this issue.

This was a sailing board, subscription only, similar in arrangement and layout to this one, concerned mostly with issues of interest to the boating community, particularly the products of one manufacturer I especially admire. But there was a lot of community chat and fellowship, too. The board also had an OFF-TOPIC section, which soon started filling up with anti-Obama agitprop, mostly of the sort you see in viral emails from bored Texas housewives. The liberals retaliated, and the management was powerless to intervene because the belligerents insisted on getting the last word, both sides complained it was impossible to "separate politics from boating", the usual arguments and excuses and accusations of attempts to "restrict freedom of speech". You know, the same crap you hear here.

At any rate, the brawl soon spilled over to other sub-boards, and it was usually the same personalities, picking at each other's every word, looking for the slightest advantage. So I quit posting there.

This place has been like this from the start, and heaven knows, I've tried often enough to stop posting here. And sooner or later I will. I don't feel the need to look for a target-rich environment. I don't want to shoot anybody.