My instinct is: troll. Because she pops in to rile us up and never joins in any of the ongoing conversations. And she also complains that she is being suppressed, which is like the preface to the Troll Manifesto. Maybe she'll talk to herself like Zoe.

FWIW, I'm perfectly fine with the discussion that was sparked off, and the way it stayed interesting and civil. None of my highly advanced Troll Detectors(tm) went off. I'm just sorry that I didn't get on the board when it was going on so that I could have added my own cents.

I haven't commented on because the AZ law makes me incoherent with rage. But I agree, Theo. I especially love reading everyone's immigrant family stories.

I think erica is reacting because it's not the first time.

I got the same feeling, frankly.

There was some door-showing. And not enough transition. Every time I hear the words "status report" or "financials" I get a clutching feeling.

New Guy didn't sound much like transition guy anyway. Didn't he turn meetings over to you without any notice or preparation?

I don't necessarily think that Shari is a troll, although I do think that the hyperbole is a bit reactionary to being the lone republican voice on the board. Sometimes, it's good to be forced to articulate your argument to someone who does not agree with you.

Shari, I just went and re-read your post in the delurking thread from last year. You lead a very interesting life! 6 kids? Orthodox Jew? Conservative Republican? There are so many stories you could tell, and interesting topics of discussion that you could chime in on. So it's weird to me that you only engage on the controversial stuff. So it comes out of the blue without a lot of everyday life context.

Didn't he turn meetings over to you without any notice or preparation?

More than once. Man, I have so many files to go through, and a status report to complete for EOB today and I don't even understand the format. What am I doing here? Oh, right. Panicking.

Shari's not a troll. She's a time-challenged poster with very inflammatory views. But I don't see anything to imply she doesn't believe them. I disagree quite wholeheartedly, but that doesn't a troll make.

I don't think she's a troll as much as someone who knows she's got an unpopular view. She is being suppressed to a degrees. She's being called a troll.

Shari's not a troll. She's a time-challenged poster with very inflammatory views. But I don't see anything to imply she doesn't believe them. I disagree quite wholeheartedly, but that doesn't a troll make.

Yes, this. I don't think that Shari's picking and choosing what she posts about is indicative of her feeling of this community. We all skip topics and don't post if the current conversation doesn't interest us. In Shari's case, she's interested in the hot-button stuff. She's into politics. She's in the minority on this board as far as political views are concerned. But just because she knows that doesn't mean she shouldn't post. Lord knows not everyone always agrees with me - though they totally should! I think calling a dissenter a troll is a bit much.

I agree with erika and DJ. Call her a troll or not, but she paid no attention to the very knowledgeable comments from Stephanie or megan or Strega anyone else; she dismissed them glibly and continued to reiterate her position using ad hominem and straw man attacks. She clearly came here to discuss this inflammatory topic with us but I didn't find much substance, if any, in her posts.

It's not the dissension that bothers me, it's the lack of intelligent argument. Illegal immigration is bad because it's illegal? Really?