Ban them?

Gandalfe, you're treading a very thin line here. That's the second time in five hours that you've thrown out the word "ban." It's not amusing. It's insulting and offensive and, personally, I'm more than a little tired of it.

Oh, is that a word I'm not allowed to use?

Did I say that? No. I said you're being insulting and offensive.

I think we're just going to say "sorry. you can bring it up all you like but nothing's going to happen for 6 months, see this link".

And if they keep bringing it up? Keep doing the same, and then ignore? I mean, that's a reasonable response, but someone who is determined enough can keep bringing it up, and will.

What is insulting or offensive about it?

Oh, is that a word I'm not allowed to use?

You can use any words you want.

I think we're just going to say "sorry. you can bring it up all you like but nothing's going to happen for 6 months, see this link".

But this is what's going to happen.

See, the idea of telling someone that THEY CANNOT SAY SOMETHING is utterly and absolutely abhorant to me. Browbeating them is fine, I have no problem with that, but free speech is fairly important to me, strange as that might seem.

You know if I were Nilly I could pull up literally thousands of posts among the Buffistas defending free speech. Can you trust me if I say this is so? You're not the only person on this board with a passion for this subject. We're talking about how to convert that free speech into functionality. We're balancing it against the meta.

Balance. Moderation. Good things.

Oh, is that a word I'm not allowed to use?

Use it if you want, Gandalfe. You won't be banned for using the word "banned", even if you are literally--if jokingly--asking to be banned. Just realize that rhetorically, it is not very effective unless the desired effect was to anger others.

Likewise, I have a similar reaction to someone saying that the board is squelching their free speech. This is a private board with an international membership. We are not constitutionally bound to uphold the 4th Amendment.

What is insulting or offensive about it?

The implied presumption that you're the sole defender of free speech here.

Gandalfe, I think the issue is not whether or not someone brings it up, but whether or not the community feels compelled to act on it.

Also, using words like banning here is akin to using the word lynching in order to scour up an emotional response. It's, to quote you, "absolutely abhorant" and a weak rhetorical device.

In discussions where someone waves the first ammendment flag, I'm always intrigued by the lack of understanding that a freedom to do something is hogtied with a responsibility. In the case of free speech, IMO, the freedom to say what you want is tied to the responsibility of understanding what impact your words and your desire to ram something down the throat of the community will have on the community itself.

Freedom comes with responsibity. And I'm not just saying that because I have a Spider-Man phone.

ETA: Or you know, what everyone else said cause they're always less longwinded than I.

What is insulting or offensive about it?

Because you made a banning crack earlier this evening and you saw, first hand, that the reaction was not one of amusement. So choosing to poke people again and continue this implication that we ban people willy-nilly insults this community and offends me, one of its members.