Periodically we admins here at the Treehouse feel it would be helpful to review some basic guidelines and courtesies we observe, especially when we are welcoming a number of new Treepers to our ranks. Sometimes it coincides with a need to let the dust settle and remind a few veterans also. At any rate, in the interest of making our jobs easier and bringing a better experience to all who share our branches, we will revisit some basic expectations.
Also remember the most important point please. We are here to make a difference. We are here to wake people up, to make them dig a little deeper, so that they no longer accept the so called party line, but begin to look for the truth and use that as the basis for decision making. When necessary, we expose agendas and deceit. We educate, we hope to inspire, we aspire to action, as individuals and as community.
Community, that is an important word, and one that seems not as real in the lives of people today as it has been in times past. We are indeed a community here at The Conservative Treehouse, and as we welcome you to join us, we ask you to respect us, our fellow Treepers, and what we are all trying to do here. The vast majority of you realize from reading prior posts and comments that we do not allow filth and profanity and that is usually not an issue, except to the single cell life mechanisms that you guys never see. Be glad for that. We admins now have what might equal a college degree in filth and degradation. Some people are simply unable to master the English language and apparently speak only in profane four letter words, and various combinations thereof. We appreciate your ideas and your thoughts and how well you articulate them, and we will not insult you by allowing idiots to comment.
Show respect to those who share this site with you. We welcome debate, and we are willing to examine ideas, but it can be done respectfully. The internet is full of sites where insults are a part of the character of the site, and those who cut the deepest are the favored of the many. This is not such a place, and never will be.
If you have an agenda and a cause, other than seeking the truth in line with the content we cover, this is not the best place for you. The paragraphs of your comments do not conceal the ending flourish you feel compelled to include, where you associate any given action with global warming, failure to bathe daily, or that women were actually (hiss!) given the vote. I’m being facetious on two of these.
Use the search function to find deeper background and answer questions. This site has been here for over two years, and we probably have some posts that will bring you up to speed.
Remember that your comments can and will be taken out of context in order to discredit this site and the work we do. No, we do not let that keep us from the truth, and we do not censor our ideas, but we should use common sense in our comments.
We are just a group of like minded bloggers who share some concerns and a desire to leave a better country for our kids. We have no professional services to offer, nor have we ever portrayed that here. If you have serious concerns about issues that need direct intervention from public officials, attorneys, the medical field, etc. we are not equipped to provide guidance or actions. We write about truth, we seek it out, but in doing so, we are unable to provide a social safety net that would be the first stop for action. That is not our mission.
Last, but not least, let us address the elephant in the room. We are providing a forum for discussion of the George Zimmerman trial. Thankfully, you are not seeing a great deal of the crap that these threads attract. We do. We go through these threads over and over to be sure we are keeping things on track and following standards. Which means most of us are treating this like a full time job, in addition to any and all responsibilities we already have. You guys know how many comments are in these threads, and those are just the ones you actually get to see. I’ll bet you have become familiar with the xxxxx’s we are replacing some text with. Before you pop off with that zinger, think! Is it necessary? Does it contribute? How does it help the actions and goals we are working on? How can it be used?
This is not a food fight in the lunch room in seventh grade and it is not nearly so cute when you have waded through thousands of rapier wit opinions that have nothing to do with the trial. No, we are not asking you to not express yourselves, but after these weeks of coverage, you have seen what we allow, and what we remove. How about making it a little easier on us. Instead of seeing just how far out on the limb you can go, show courtesy and don’t go there. You are the only one who thinks that is brilliant.
Frankly, several of the admins do not feel moderating these free-for-alls is a good use of our time, and before you knock down the door with offers of your services, please think. We are not changing the Tree to suit the furor of the moment.
I once had a priest who gave a sermon on all the people who had criticisms and complaints in the parish. His point was that they almost never came forward with a solution to what they didn’t like. He closed that sermon with this question. Think before you take action. Will your actions build up, or will they tear down? If they tear down, how will you (yes you) rebuild?