casooner90:  you have every right to wonder.  And by the way, I had been wondering, too. 

All I asked was what happened to absent and bako dodger dude (and why they got removed).  Wow, this is like a telephone game.   

This thread has degenerated.  But what can you expect from a bunch of ......... oh, I won't say it.  (Not everybody falls into the category, though.)

Catpaw, if you go to Hart Park this Sunday, (Mother's Day), you'll be the only "cracker" among a few thousand "residents."

Catpaw, never ever go to Hart Park with Crackers...it can be downright dangerous.

randomfactor: "Thought we were all supposed to be used to following orders?  Maybe we're just smarter than your side is".

I needn't be a great order taker to be able to follow rules..and no RF..You're not!

And what did this post have to do with gay marriage? Isn't one of the items listed on the homepage terms of use to stay on point? YES, it is, but if Jason tried to keep up with those unable to do so, that's all he'd ever do!

Bwaaahahahaha

With the nicer weather, I'll probably spend less time blogging and more time going to Hart Park with a box of crackers. I'm the one who calls the meeting to order when a quorum of ducks show up.

I'm always objective and fair minded. I even quit calling Sarah Palin "fundie girl." I don't denigrate Ron Paul. Matter of fact, I admire the man. He has the largest following of people not allowed to have sharp objects than anyone else on the political scene, including the president.

I'm sorry, I checked and I have never called anyone on the blogs "Stupid". I do not bash other people's beliefs because that implies that I mock them, or ridicule the belief itself. What I may do from time to time is to point out logical fallicies, irrationalitites, and misapplication of religious doctrine/dogma as I see it.  I feel that it is healthy to question one's beliefs and opinions. I feel it is healthy to question authority and the written word; whether it be religious, the law, or literature. To never question anything potentially results in the abuse of power over the self. The examples that come to mind are Hitler's Germany, the Roman Emperor Nero, and Orwell's 1984. To question is a stress test upon the belief system, and your personal foundation. If what we believe and build our lives on cannot stand up to scrutiny, then it is weak and libal to fail. My friend and I were discussing this yesterday because of an editorial in the paper. What truth do you answer to? He answers to the Bible, and he said I answer to Science and Logic. I didn't think that was right because if we have different truths then they must be mutually exclusive. I can never answer or use the Bible, and he can never answer or use Science? Religion does have free use of science and logic, so what truth do I answer to? I don't, I find truth where it exists. It may be as a result of science and logic, but those are only tools to find truth, not truth itself.

We live in a country that we all believe in, a country that was founded on the freedom of religion. The unfourtunate result is that because we must make laws that govern all religions and modes of belief, no one religion can take precedence. How odd then that our fourfathers that were of one religion would put that tenet as the first article in the Bill of Rights. If they can do it, so can we.

it doesnt matter to me what anyone else's opinion is, unless it is something that is directly affecting that person and me, like at work, and how to accomplish a task....if we are on the same page, it makes it easier.

we are not in a relationship like that, AND individually, these opinions mean nothing, especially when there are more important issues that deal with the safety of us and our families, rather than gay marriage.

seperate us on that, we will argue that until we are conquered

im just putting indifferent differences aside

Weedhopper?  And that would be who?

what i am more concerned with is how you feel you are able to get away with it, but bash others not sharing your viewpoint who do it.

"Get away with" what?  I follow the same rules of conduct here that you do.   

I can answer the question:  Same-sex marriage does not harm the country in any measureable way.  it does not harm *YOU* in any measurable way.  It does not alter your status as either single or married when someone else marries.  If same-sex marriage were to *REPLACE* heterosexual marriage, then you'd have a legitimate concern, and I'd join you in it, even though I expect I won't ever be walking down the aisle again. 

On the contrary, I believe that denying same-sex couples the right to marry harms the country, because marriage is a good thing in many, many ways.  As a matter of fairness, granting a privilege to some and denying it arbitrarily to others is a bad thing.

The failure of the US banking system and economy (which appears to be the Republican answer to Obama's policies) *WOULD* harm the US in a multitude of ways, and take the rest of the world down with us.   The Republicans claimed to have a better way and revealed it to quite-appropriate laughter.  It was silly--full of graphs that didn't say anything,  missing any numbers that could be checked.

There are lots of constructive things you can say about problems with the job-stimulus bill, but "no" is not one of them.

Obama's budget has been submitted, and if the Republicans want to remain as a viable party past 2010 they'll work *WITH* him to make it a better budget.   But saying "no" isn't an option.

its my opinion, which i no longer wear on my sleeve...its a personal thing for me now

what i am more concerned with is how you feel you are able to get away with it, but bash others not sharing your viewpoint who do it.

.....what IS that word.........right on the tip of my tongue too.....

yes....hypocritical...thats it.....that is the word that reminds me of your actions

whew.....i thought i was having a senior moment there

I'm actually *QUOTING* them, zapped.

Same-sex marriage hurts the country how, exactly?

Those people do *NOT* want to see the country thrive and survive, regardless of what it says on their campaign literature.

For someone who doesn't care for conservative talk radio, you seem to like using the same inflammatory rhetoric

and i suppose youre not putting your interests ahead of the country?

You suppose correctly, weedhopper.   I do not. 

Same-sex marriage hurts the country how?   Be specific, this will be on the final.

and i suppose youre not putting your interests ahead of the country? (gay marriage)?  the things you hate about your opposite sides, you mimick

if we are all citizens of this great country, and would like to see it thrive and survive, how can there be "sides"  here

There are "sides" as long as one major faction of the country ("major" being defined here as about 21 percent of the population) puts its partisan interest ahead of the country.    Those people do *NOT* want to see the country thrive and survive, regardless of what it says on their campaign literature.

and to learn from others and their point of view.

and you learn from others by criticising their point of view and calling them and others with same belief patterns stupid?

interesting

i personally find blogs like this for like-minded individauls with narrow views to meet and discuss what they think is right, then shout down others who dont agree by calling them and theirs stupid, racist, xenophobes (insert your word of the day here)

Virgil, have a great trip.  Thanks for the walk down memory lane with those great old cartoons :o) 

AbsentDave could have been a great asset to the blog, if only he could have cut out the name calling...so with that, I'm not sorry he's gone. 

I agree with Shwaine, if you don't want to get baited, then it's best to just ignore the blogger & his/her posts. 

Perhaps it is just me, but I find the fact that some on this blog are not here to discuss disheartening. Blogs of this nature are not just a soapbox for you to shout from, they are for educated discussion, the sharing of thoughts and opinions, and to learn from others and their point of view. Please come with an open mind and some humbleness, otherwise why would anybody want to listen to you? 

Virgil~ irony escapes some....Have fun !

I am, for sure,  ain't no wienie tattletale.

See you guys in a couple days. ( unless there's Internet access where I'm going )

--virgil

Thought we were all supposed to be used to following orders?  Maybe we're just smarter than your side is.

if we are all citizens of this great country, and would like to see it thrive and survive, how can there be "sides"  here

Sioux,

You got know idea how straight I am.

--virgil

by by dodgerfan..thank you Jason

VIrgil ya need to try blogging straight sometime and you will understand appropriate debating from just plain malicious baiting.

Anytime you mess with nature--nature will win in the end....but to get upset with others points of view is a no win fight....

We've slipped into the 21st century---MANY things have changed since the 20th century---some for the good--some for the bad...but it's up to the individual as to which path he or she wants to walk--but don't put down others for not taking the same path...

Now if you all don't mind--I FOUND my tabasco sauce.....

"Those that agrees with me are good, but not as interesting and fun as those that tend to get abrasive.  dave / dodger fan was abrasive and therefore entertaining."

This is entertaining:  http://www.youtube.com/watc...

--virgil

It's a DNA/chromosome thing.  People with left of center views are much more likely to be unable to follow simple rules like the terms of service here

How many times have I been banned, dril? 

Thought we were all supposed to be used to following orders?  Maybe we're just smarter than your side is.

I'm not here for an educational dialog either (perhaps you have me confused with DirtyShirt). I just don't see the amusement in "poking caged animals with sticks". I'm here for the conversation, not arguments. That's not to say I won't get into an argument with a regular, but that's because I know they're not here just to bait flamewars. Flamewars are pointless, although there's always people who get sucked into them and then use some excuse along the lines you just gave Casooner.

Shwaine, I'm really not here for an educational dialog.  I'm merely here during my lunch hour or on my free time to entertain myself.  Those that agrees with me are good, but not as interesting and fun as those that tend to get abrasive.  dave / dodger fan was abrasive and therefore entertaining.  Kind of like poking a stick at a caged animal.   It's fun to see these folks go off the edge - hence the curiosity over the last straw that finally pushed them over.

There was some good dialogue in many of those posts.

Bait, or not ...

--virgil

If a user's public profile (if they had a public profile to begin with) is still visible (if you're spelling it correctly), then you can see the last date of log-in.

If an account either has been suspended for whatever reason (disciplinary or at the user's request, as we don't technically have account deletion) or they have registered an acount but haven't completed confirmation via the link in their confirmation email, you see this if you try to go to that user's profile:

http://people.bakersfield.c...

If an account is still active but has been made private (no public profile page), you see this;

http://people.bakersfield.c...

Jason, thanks for the clarification.  Those guidelines seems pretty straight forward.   I guess you're the admin for this site. 

BITE YOUR TONGUE ~VIRGIL~...that sounds alot like communism, comrade....now where did I put that tabasco sauce...

What I want to know is why do people keep falling for this sort of baiting? I saw people claiming to not like Dodgerfan, Dave, etc, yet they have posts 50+ or 100+ comments long. If you don't like them, ignore them. Eventually they'll go away and in the meantime, your blood pressure will be much lower. There's an old adage from the Usenet days, "Don't feed the troll", that some people could bear to repeat to themselves when they find themselves falling for the baiting.

Does that mean we can't drink beer and blog anymore ?

--virgil

And there it is in a nut shell---I don't think ~Jason~ left any gray areas....so beware of the Transporter Beam..or Scotty will dispatch your atoms into oblivion... :-))...I'll play nice...

What happened to Ray Hardwick?  Did he get booted or just go away? 

First, yes, if an account is suspended, the blogposts and public profile associated with said account become unavailable for viewing.

Second, let me reiterate what I've said in other places at other times.  The first level of discipline here are friendly email warnings—when a quick edit is needed, for example.  Usually that's enough, and the user writes back and apologizes (even if they don't agree with me or the rules), says they forgot or got heated or whatever, won't do it again, etc.  If said user, after those warnings, shows a pattern of behavior that needs addressing OR a particular incident is deserving of special attention, a temporary suspension is offered.  After a period of a week or so, the user's account will be reactivated if I am in receipt at that time of an email from the user pledging to follow the rules and terms upon their return.

Now where's where the problems begin.  In those emails, I always explain the following:

A temporary suspension converts to a permanent one if any of the following occurs: If the user ignores my email; if the user rejects the terms of return; if the user accepts the terms of return but continues to violate those terms after reactivation (even after the passage of some time); and if the user attempts to circumvent the suspension by creating new accounts.

If you've been permanently suspended, then no matter how nice your "new" persona is, if I figure out it's you, you're not welcome back here.  You burned that bridge.  You're probably thinking, hey, look, I'm nice, I'm constructive, I didn't break any rules!  Well, you should've thought of that and acted like that the first time then.  Some of you are probably shouting out suspected names of such people at your screens right now, but again, I act only when I can be reasonable certain of a user's identity.

Those of you who've known me here since I started here probably can tell that I didn't start out with these procedures in place.  Nope, this community's activities taught me to do that.

It's Friday, Ling !

And it's about damn time.

--virgil

spm. code: kaeaf

Here..Here..~Virgil~...I'll drink to THAT.... :-))

kneeslappers are annoying ...

--virgil

spm code: betim

 Dodgerfan was not insulting. In fact he was well behaved.

I bet someone lesser violated that guy ( that sort  of thing is a popular btown exercise ).

I agree. Let's not name names ...

--virgil

LOL~ drill that's funny! Shall we name names? no let's not~ but I am willing to bet it is pretty evenly divided. Many come back with new nicks,new ISP's and quickly repeat their previous behaviors.Some come back and have learned their lesson.

They come,they go.

Well, absent / vacant dave said he was neutral.  But, most of his posts were against the right so go figure.  I really think abasent dave and bako dodger fan were the same person as they both tended to attack right on regular basis.  Like I said, I won't miss him / they as that kind of posts are entertaining at best.   My only curiosity was that (and rwestfall answered this) when they are removed / banned, all their prior posts goes away in a poof.

It's a DNA/chromosome thing.  People with left of center views are much more likely to be unable to follow simple rules like the terms of service here.  It is a terrible thing, really.  With a little HOPE, this will CHANGE with a government takeover of the health care system.

Or maybe B.com just needs to change their rules so they do not discriminate against the left so much.

I'm thinking the same. Some of VacantDave's post were abusive and they seemed like he was looking for a fight. To me some of VacantDave's posts could be taken as attacks. But that is only my opinion.  

I meant 'Vacant' dave.  Actually, I thought vacant dave and the bakersfield dodger fan were one in the same.  I would be interested in what him / they said that got them kicked off of this site.  But then again...