Our blog posting guidelines

1.  We welcome input and opinions from all perspectives.  We reserve the right to reject any content whatsoever based on our sole judgment of its value and propriety.  We reserve the right to terminate any account for any reason.  That said, we offer these additional posting policies and guidelines:

2.  No abusive, slanderous or defamatory messages will be tolerated.  This site is about a hot topic and some people may get pretty upset that it is even being considered.  Curb your emotions. Do not call anyone names. It's juvenile and non-productive, and your post will be trashed. 

Our policy is to state the facts, then state our opinion about the facts.  Here are some practical considerations regarding abusive language, slander, and defamation:  Do not call anyone a criminal.  Do not call anyone's associates a criminal.  Avoid implying someone is a criminal.   Use extreme caution if you find yourself  stating someone's motivation.  Do not say "XYZ wanted to cheat, and may have lied to the IRS.  You can say that they were convicted if this is a matter of fact and you site your source, but please avoid the trap of becoming judge and jury.  If you do not know something, consider asking a question:  "Is Congressperson XYZ really guilty of hiring an illegal housekeeper and failing to pay taxes and social security?" Do not express malice.  That's when you say "I hope someone gets the bastard."  If you don't understand what these things mean, we encourage you to learn.  Put "slander and defamation" into your search engine and read for a few hours.

3.  Stick to the topic.  This blog is about how our high officials can raise the bar for financial integrity by being audited annually for tax compliance.  NAFTA is interesting, and so is Global Warming.  You won't see doodley-squat about those here.  If what you say relates to our  topic, please post.  If not, please reconsider or post elsewhere.

4.  Public statements of fact (or quotes of primary sources) are encouraged.  If you wish to quote another blogger, a newspaper, or other media outlet, please do so directly.  Do not offer secondary sources as fact.  That's how rumors get started.  Consider the quality of even primary resources.  

5.  Do not harass others.  If you harass someone, you may earn the opportunity to explain it to a judge.  Don't let your ego get the best of you.

6.  We will discard the entire message if any part meets fails to meet these criteria.  We cannot and will not be your editors.  We cannot return a copy of your bad post.  Consider it gone.

7.  At some point, someone will come up with something that causes a problem, that we have not considered here.  We will ammend our policy then.  We all learn and grow.

8.  If for some reason we miss something that violates these policies, and it gets posted, please notify us.  We will both take it down as quickly as possible, and we will likely cooperate in identifying the offender to those who may be wronged.  We are not treading on the wrong side of the law, and won't support those who cross that line.

9.  We encourage thoughtful courtesy and civility.  Act with respect, and error on the side of these ideals.  Disagree, but don't be disagreeable.

10.  Your words are your words.

If this policy sounds a bit hard and authoritarian, that's because it is.  It's our rear ends on the line.  We are trying to get something done here, and cleaning up bad posts just delays the goal.