I get what you're saying and I imagine it is tricky from a moderators standpoint, but I don't think we as a community can stand for or tolerate that type of ideology. If they and others want to actually discuss COVID-19 that's one thing, but I cannot stand by and do nothing in 2020.

The Terms of Service mostly focus on copyright, spam, and liability but do say the moderators can remove any material they find objectionable or harmful. "Objectionable or harmful" I think is reasonably well understood in polite society but is ultimately subjective. Perhaps insensitivity comes from a place of misunderstanding expectations and an articulated community standard could clear up what is acceptable in a more objective manner. The OT board doesn't need to be like an HR convention, but shouldn't be Reddit either. There are some interesting discussions here so I wouldn't want the moderator to just lock the thread.

We're on the same page, CA Forever. I was just acknowledging the balance that the moderators must consider carefully before taking any action.

Years ago, aggie6thman sent me a PM asking me if I would consider becoming a moderator. I had just been flamed in a very vulgar manner by a new member who had just joined the forum and had posted that he had inside knowledge that a star Aggie athlete was suspended for some sort of sexual assault. He had no factual information and so I called him out on it and said there was no place for that kind of rumor mongering on a public forum like this. Stuff like that can spread like wild fire and have lasting damage on an innocent person. He angrily replied to me and, even though he was way out line with his comments, it didn't feel good to have that kind of misguided anger directed at me.

I sent a PM to 6th asking if the member's comments could be taken down. He said that he, and the other moderators, really did not want to get into any form of censorship. That's when he asked me if I'd like to be a moderator since he appreciated the way I had handled the inflammatory comments in the thread. I was still upset at the level of anger that had been directed towards me so I told him that I didn't feel like it was something that I wanted to do at the moment. He said he understood fully.

One thing the BLM movement has reawakened in me is that to be silent about issues of bigotry, unfairness and injustice is to be part of the problem. I'll be appropriately respectful to others within reason but I won't be silent. I can't live that way. We need fair minded people continually speak up.

Personally, I find bigotry, racism and sexism extremely objectionable. The TOS also states:

Aggie Sports Talk has the right (though not the obligation) to, at the sole discretion of Aggie Sports Talk ... terminate or deny access to and use of the Website to any individual or entity for any reason, at the sole discretion of Aggie Sports Talk.

That being said, I don't think he should be banned, but rather given a warning that posting something like that again could lead to a banning. He can post whatever he wants about Trump or COVID, however true or untrue and we can disagree with him (and he can disagree with us). But he definitely crossed a line with that post.

I think we are in alignment that the comment in question is inappropriate and a warning is in order.

My point is that perhaps we better define what this community considers inappropriate. For example, a few years ago opponent look-alike photo threads were common. Probably wouldn't be a good idea by today's standard.

Have you actually read anything these Marxists have said or written?

"BLM leader: If change doesn’t happen, then ‘we will burn down this system’ "

Anti family, anti police, anti capitalism. Hundreds of people have been killed, upwards of eight children murdered (most of the victims people of color), and roughly a dozen cities in various stages of anarchy. Shootings up 100%, I've read up to 200% in some areas. Statutes of Frederick Douglass & Abolitionists toppled.

A confusing mix when you add in Antifa, random Agitators, Anarchists, an extended Covid19 lockdown, etc. Thousands of businesses in urban areas closed forever when in reality, police violence is at record lows. Put Chauvin on trial, end the knee on the neck ghastly procedure (taught by his black commanding officer), but don't ruin the historic progress achieved for the African American community (lowest unemployment rate ever pre-Covid).

It will be interesting to see if AG Bill Barr's DOJ indicts any of these anarchist groups, and does George Soros support them.

I moderated my comment. Maybe its wise if you moderated your comment to remove the name of a young African American alum - who isn't a national political figure and wasn't charged with a crime.

I am aware of the beliefs of the various groups throughout this country. I would consider myself very liberal, but I have lived in the rural south for the last couple of years and have witnessed firsthand the deep roots of racism, homophobia, and other forms of prejudice that are very much still alive in the United States. In fact, the small rural town that I lived in just recently had a cross burned into a young black man's front yard after he led a BLM event. I'm afraid that we just have fundamental differences in our perception of this country's status and unfortunately neither of us are going to change each other's opinions.

I did go back and edit my post and removed the athlete's actual name. You're right that I didn't need to state the athlete's name in order to make my point about possible forum censorship. I should have thought more carefully about that.

Nice pivot though, movie, and just like Trump's Press Secretaries have done on a nearly daily basis, you are now deflecting, spinning and blaming, however overtly or thinly veiled, in order to divert attention away from the fact that your original comment was racist, homophobic and sexist.

.

Your hypocrisy is rich.

You've got the Trump playbook down to a science...when you are wrong and been have been called out for it and will not own up and take any responsibility...just fire off a snide remark...

Brother (sister), just trying to save you from a potential libel suit.

Brother (sister), just trying to save you from a potential libel suit. — movielover

Your comments aren't even rational anymore...unbelievable...

How Covid19 statistical methods are totally... whacked?

Paul Sperry@paulsperry_ Jul 17

"BREAKING: Health officials from dozen states have mistakenly lumped (+) results from antibody tests in w viral tests for COVID-19 in reporting to CDC, inflating new cases. A (+) antibody test could mean you were infected w virus from same corona family that causes the common cold"

So there is potential double counting (from a +Covid test and then an antibody test, as reported elsewhere) and lumping CV19 with the common cold.

Then this.

Motorcycle deaths counted as CV19 deaths?

https://twitter.com/M2Madness/status/1284196679286239236?s=20

Dr. Scott Atlas from Stanford on Covid19. Abbreviated:

- American Academy of Pediatrics has recommended that children go back to school.
- More "social mingling" - [riots, eating out, nightclubs] - & more testing - you'll see more cases.
- the overwhelming percentage of young people who get it don't have the complications and don't die.
- we're in good shape... approaching herd immunity... hospital stays cut in half.
- "the most irrational public policy in modern history".
- zero science for young children staying home, social distancing, and wearing a mask.

https://youtu.be/GwACv6LZr-I

Oh now I get it: COVID-19 is no problem at all! This is “The Big Lie” propaganda method. Tell such a colossal lie that no one would ever believe it could be anything but the truth. Coined by none other than Adolf Hitler in Mein Kampf 1925. And it works.
Movie: one question: if this virus had hit in the last year of Obama’s presidency would Tucker Carlson and Fox all be singing the same tune to protect Obama from blame for his “mishandling the virus”? Try and be honest.

Exaggeration doesn't further attempts at enlightenment. I wouldn't expect an Aggie to play the Nazi Card - Reductio ad Hitlerum - but I guess Godwin's Law holds here as well. But are you aware Dinesh Desouza claims the Democrat Klan gave the Nazi's their roadmap?

If President Obama were in office when the CCP Covid virus hit, he'd still be hamstrung by Governor Cuomo (didn't order ventilators), Governor Jerry Brown (sold off emergency equipment), and the Democrat Govs disastrous plans of placing infected seniors back into nursing homes. So that's not on Obama or Trump.

Given he is of similar thinking to Pelosi & Newsom, Obama would have let Chinese visitors still in (not citizens or legal residents), so that would have been an utter disaster. We'd have 4-5 New Yorks. He likely wouldn't commander the private sector so swiftly & authoritatively.

The liberal daytime Fox hosts would cut Obama slack, not the Hannity crowd. The difference with Fox News is, they'll have 2 Democrats on simultaneously - not MSDNC or CNN with 6 Democrats to one weakling pretend conservative.

Obama couldn't even get up a simple website with roughly $850 Million and 3.5 years time. The Inspector General blamed "extreme government incompetence", disastrous management decisions, and politics.

Posted a response but decided to edit it out because it's not worth it.

Five pediatricians on MSNBC answer if they'd send their children back to school. Watch until the end. 25 seconds.

https://twitter.com/ITGuy1959/status/1284687884575035392?s=20

Legitimate question. Why are you continuing to try to convince people here that COVID-19 is not a big deal? It's painfully obvious that most people here are not buying what you are selling and are very unlikely change their opinion. I'm not saying that you can't have your opinion and voice it, but what are you gaining from all of this?

CA, we're in California, the Big Sky Conference is in the Western US. Not New York or New Jersey. Here is a comparison of New Jersey deaths per million vs California (graph #2, the salmon colored line).

https://twitter.com/Trinhnomics/status/1284678426167660549?s=20

Several states comparison, deaths per million.

https://twitter.com/Trinhnomics/status/1284769942928150528?s=20

CA, where have I stated Covid 19 isn't a big deal?

We can use logic, reason, and facts to deal with problems - not hyperbole & hysteria. New York exacerbated our problems, as did the disastrous strategies governors used to put senior citizens at risk.

Notice how virtually all social interaction was locked down, yet protesting face to face, screaming, spitting, sharing drugs/vaping / booze for 3-4-5 hours was A OK? Often for weeks straight. No one in the hookup culture is going to tell me that after months of isolation, many of these youngsters weren't flirting, kissing, or hooking up.

We have more deaths than many due to our size and demographics. Six European countries have higher death rates, and several more have comparable numbers. Imagine our mortality rate if Pelosi & Biden were in charge and they allowed tourist travel from China. Disaster.

The Atlantic recently reported (article, “How Could the CDC Make That Mistake?”) that the U.S. CDC and its controversial director Robert Redfield are conflating antibody tests with antigen (viral) tests. Many reports of shady data.

Edit

Don't feed the troll.

I said this a couple months ago and couldn't follow my own advice. I fully intend to now though.

Covid mortality update (daily)

July 20 - 390
May 6 - 2701

Victor Davis Hanson from Stanford University tonight said our current mortality rate equals the mortality rate of one year ago. (3rd week of July, 2020 to 2019)

VDH also said the Covid death rate of New York is 8x that of California.

13 members of Miami Marlins test positive after first road trip. That doesn’t bode well for a successful completion of the baseball season.

And baseball is about as physically distant as you could be for a team sport.

Yes, and this was a situation with adult professional baseball players with a union that agreed to play under these conditions with full knowledge of the possible bad health consequences. And look what happened. Not good at all. I cannot imagine that any university would subject its student athletes to the known serious dangers of this virus just to play football. The liability exposure for this is just beyond anything I can imagine. Maybe the asbestus lawsuits of the 2 past decades or so would be somewhat close, but these Victims were old guys who worked at Mare Island, Sausalito etc. in the ‘40’s and ‘50’s and were then in their 70’s, 80’s and even their ‘90’s with minimal life expectancies. And still their families won millions in damages at trial. I was there and I know. They were not kids killed or disabled at age 18-22. That was WW1. WW2. Korea. We have now lost more people to the virus than we lost in Vietnam Nam. Do we want to try for WW2 numbers? I would love for football to be played in the fall or even the spring, but I just don't think we should expect this at this point.