Censorship at Candle

[Guest bbridges51]

I'm truely disappointed that the "lawyer arrest" thread was frozen. this is another form of censorship designed at halting debate between two opinions and is JUST the sort of crime committed by the mall police. If you don't like what you see or hear, just arrest the offender or freeze the thread.

 

that, my friends, is no better than the status in China. We all say we love our freedoms here in the US, but when y ou start chiseling away at them "in the name of security", then you're erasing words from the constitution.

 

Yes, the debate was heated, but without sheading LIGHT on a subject, how can you ever create change.

 

Brian

[tonado]

I close the topic for two reasons:

 

1. A member suggests that we close the topic

2. We don't want to start criticizing communism, socialism or the Chinese government. We don't want Candle to be blocked in China.

 

From Candle's Policy:

 

"Flaming, name-calling, or slandering elected government officials and government organizations is forbidden. "

[Myles]

Aloha from Hawaii,

I agree with Brian. Open discussions are important to our American way of life.

It is very important to me because my wife was at Tienanmien on June 1989.

Thousands of Chinese died in one night for what we consider to be a god given

right. As a moderator you should set the rules for discussion not the topics.

Myles aka Annakuen'GG

[kkimm]

Aloha from Hawaii,

I agree with Brian.  Open discussions are important to our American way of life.

It is very important to me because my wife was at Tienanmien on June 1989.

Thousands of Chinese died in one night for what we consider to be a god given

right.  As a moderator you should set the rules for discussion not the topics.

Myles aka Annakuen'GG

I disagree, because you don't know who will be reading these posts.

 

From what I have experienced:

 

In America, a student in class can literally interrupt the lecturer and ask a question, and the lecturer would be grateful if he did not explain anything clear and the student helped.

 

In China, a student in class will raise his hand to get the permission to ask a question. It is impolite to speak without asking.

[tparrent]

It doesn't seem like the lawyer thread violated the candle policy. If it did, please explain.

 

I also don't think the exchange was heated. I felt the tone was fairly civil. Just a disagreement based on different perspectives.

 

We are kowtowing to the Chinese government now? For crying out loud....

In any case, I highly doubt the Chinese government cares what we say.

 

Someone asked to close the thread. Fine, so you just close it? Can anyone here ask that ANY thread be closed and expect the same? Personally I have found some of threads on Chinese and AMerican women offensive and bordering on racism but I would never ask for them to closed. What's offensive to me may be informative to others.

 

Lighten up. Just my humble opinion.

[tonado]

It doesn't seem like the lawyer thread violated the candle policy.  If it did, please explain.

 

I also don't think the exchange was heated.  I felt the tone was fairly civil.  Just a disagreement based on different perspectives.

 

We are kowtowing to the Chinese government now?  For crying out loud....

In any case, I highly doubt the Chinese government cares what we say.

 

Someone asked to close the thread.  Fine, so you just close it?  Can anyone here ask that ANY thread be closed and expect the same?  Personally I have found some of threads on Chinese and AMerican women offensive and bordering on racism but I would never ask for them to closed.  What's offensive to me may be informative to others.

 

Lighten up.  Just my humble opinion.

It is a judgement call. You can't please every members. I admit that I closed the thread too soon before issuing a warning. There are so many sites that China blocks. If we continue criticizing communism at Candle, they will definitely start blocking this site. Criticizing China won't help our cause.

 

If people really want to continue discussing the Lawyer's case, just start a new thread.

[floyd]

I close the topic for two reasons:

 

1.  A member suggests that we close the topic

2.  We don't want to start criticizing communism, socialism or the Chinese government.  We don't want Candle to be blocked in China.

 

From Candle's Policy:

 

"Flaming, name-calling, or slandering elected government officials and government organizations is forbidden. "

Number one is a lousy reason, perhaps is a plethora of members complained, but 'a' member is a bad reason.

 

The second makes sense, how about adding a area that is readable by members only that is more open to full discusions about more areas of China and our own government? Make is ssl only to prevent snoopers at the great firewall of china, and open it just to memebers with a bit of a posting history.

 

As for Candle's policy, it also states no copyrighted materials may be posted yet I see this often with cartoons and such and people not only do not close the threads they encorage them.

[manhattanmoon]

I agree with ttlee that we should not spend too much time on political issues that really have no direct impact on what we are all here for in the first place. We certainly do not want Chinese cersorship to block the Candle!

[Robert S.]

There are thousands of other sites where one may discuss all kinds of political and otherwise extraneous issues. Candle is supposed to be a specialized site with a focused range of topics. If it has nothing to do with visa delays, visa processing, or relationships with Chinese loved ones then it is OFF TOPIC and I am sick of all the off topic material that has been posted here lately. I have never complained about a thread before, though I have wanted to.

 

Is this so difficult, to stick to the subject? It is highly disappointing to me that even the subject of a thread gets changed. Can't we at least make the effort to post only threads that are on the topic for which Candle for Love was started?

[juz]

There are thousands of other sites where one may discuss all kinds of political and otherwise extraneous issues.  Candle is supposed to be a specialized site with a focused range of topics.  If it has nothing to do with visa delays, visa processing, or relationships with Chinese loved ones then it is OFF TOPIC

Ditto.

 

Great post, Robert!

[tparrent]

I second Juz's ditto

[Joseph-1]

There are many forums to carry on political discussions in,ones that are better suited to the cause and direction. The Chinese are not the cause of our visa delay problem,our own government has been. They are changing that for the better thank God,but we cant really help those who are still waiting in China if we get blocked. God knows those still suffering dont need another problem.

[AZwolfman]

There are many forums to carry on political discussions in,ones that are better suited to the cause and direction. The Chinese are not the cause of our visa delay problem,our own government has been. They are changing that for the better thank God,but we cant really help those who are still waiting in China if we get blocked. God knows those still suffering dont need another problem.

Well said, Joeseph.

 

I do believe there has been too much political posting recently. I think it best to keep politics out of this forum, for reasons already stated by moderators, and also because discussing politics is not the purpose of this forum.

 

I don't even think posting news articles of items such as the one recently posted about N. Korea serves a useful purpose here. I can always read these news items on my browser homepage. Perhaps one of us would like to install such a political forum on his own website?

[OrionM31]

I myself never seen the point of posting news articles that have nothing remotely to do with what this place is about. It's about asking questions about Visa requirements and China/Russia/US Husbands/wives/boyfriends/girlfriends. It has nothing to do with somebody wearing a shirt and getting kicked out of a mall! I can read about that elsewhere. Just my two cents.

 

Phil

[AZwolfman]

I myself never seen the point of posting news articles that have nothing remotely to do with what this place is about. It's about asking questions about Visa requirements and China/Russia/US Husbands/wives/boyfriends/girlfriends. It has nothing to do with somebody wearing a shirt and getting kicked out of a mall! I can read about that elsewhere. Just my two cents.

 

Phil

Right Phil, finally someone managed to put into words what I have been trying to express. Even I have views on these issues, but I do not believe they belong in this forum for the reasons you stated.