OK, time to toss my own 1/50th of a standard American dollar in...
My primary purpose in coming here is to do SEIV business (mods, PBW, new shipsets, ad infinitum). But that's hardly the ONLY reason. What veteran among us would say this board would have been the same without the various manifestations of the good ol' Phong's Head cantina? Or David's avatar thread? The jokes and comics threads? The thread where everyone posted their pet pictures? Or even that monstrously annoying Badger film?
The problem, as I see it, is when the political/religious discussions get out of hand. This is a particular problem for me (being a staunch conservative of orthodox faith), so my solution is to avoid the political threads entirely. I come here to unwind, not pick a fight. But I'd rather see the political threads remain than have a top-down gag order on all non-SEIV discussions. Despite the problems with those threads, the rest of the board is a shining beacon in the dark space of gaming communities, all alone in the night. Aside from the politics, this is still the friendliest, most newbie-friendly, and most informative board out there.
We've got a good thing going here, Mr. Parker. Don't ruin it over a couple of political/religious discussions that occasionally get out of joint. THOSE can be backed-off from. They usually die off on their own anyways. A gag-order would be throwing the baby out with the bathwater.
[ May 29, 2004, 14:30: Message edited by: General Woundwort ]