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Not me.  There were some good discussions and exposure to other points of view and occasionally rationale.  If it weren’t so popular a thread, it would not have gotten attention.  And, while it was extant, the political side never crossed over into baseball threads, in which someone slings an arrow and then requests a moderator to stop the discussion.  

Moreover, no one was forced to post or to read the thread.  The problem began with name-calling rather than discussion from a single poster who subsequently left the forum.  I would argue that without that single poster, two other posters would still be here.  But, it is likely not surprising to you that I am against limiting speech, speakers, or platforms for speech.  I don’t mind parameters, like no name calling.  I don’t see that as much of a restriction, rather as a guide for civility to encourage more speech.

From my perspective, ideally we would have a platform where anything can be discussed. But we don't live in an ideal world. For whatever reason, politics brings out a lot of ill feelings. I'd say the whole mood of the board has been better since we banned politics. I'm not happy that restrictions had to be put in place but it was the better option to keep things running smooth and lighthearted. Most other Yankee forums do not allow political discussion or have a separate board devoted to it. From what I've heard, most of our posters are happy that the thread is gone.

I am probably the odd ball, which is nothing new.  Perhaps because I stay away from social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook and do not watch television news, I didn't feel as bombarded with politics as others.  

Talk about an oddball:  Half of my family watches Fox News and the other half watches MSNBC.  Both sides regard me with suspicion.  I miss my friends that have passed away, as we could have passionate discussions without personal emotionality. Not so with either side of my family.  

Something that resonated with me was the idea to keep your heart on fire and and you brain on ice, which I always attributed to George Orwell, but is supposedly a quote from Lenin.  Orwell had a book of essays titled Facing Unpleasant Facts, which I believe he wanted to call The Power of Facing.  Christopher Hitchens wrote a book on Orwell called Why Orwell Matters that I recommend.  Orwell was as clear of a writer (and thinker) as anyone in the history of English letters.  

Speaking of clear writers and thinkers and Gin and Tonics, where has Pipps gone to now?  

Indeed, it's difficult to lose the Most Interesting Man in the World for extended periods.  He's probably in the Ukraine right now, attempting to put an end to the incursion while sampling the best borscht, garlic fritters, potato pancakes, and Chicken Kiev.

Hi gang -- I must admit Ukraine is one of the handful of European countries I've never been to (although there could be some irresistible deals coming up soon.) After leaving Phoenix we spent some time in remote parts of Arizona along the Arizona Trail, where men are men but WiFi is erratic. So as I explained elsewhere I am working furiously to catch back up here.

Hope this doesn't go down as an unexcused absence!