A little bit of clarity on the situation in Georgia.

[ja_va]

First, I think some history is needed

Comments

[phamos818]

I was under the impression that ONTD_political was supposed to contain articles and stuff, not random editorial opinions of various LJ-ers. One-sentence quotes from BBC articles don't seem to fit the bill, IMHO. I appreciate this take on the subject; I even agree with some of it. But there are better forums for it. This post is trying to position itself as the One Tru Fax about the war in South Ossetia, which it isn't. I think watching how the situation progresses over the next few days will give a better indication of whether Russia is content to protect the self-determination of the two regions, or if there might be some other strategic motivations going on here. And I look forward to reading actual articles about these developments along with the reactions of community members in the comments. OK, I'm done whining now.

Re: "so I will stop being a backseat mod" Yah... really?

[phamos818]

OK, so you do realize you're completely fucking nuts, right? You may not have been responding to me in that first comment, but you proceded to instigate a giant useless thread that consists almost entirely of you screaming and shouting at me - for what purpose, exactly? I may be passive agressive in your eyes, but I am personally impressed by your ability to be aggressive and defensive simultaneously. That takes skillz. And if we're going all in on the personal attacks, let me just say that for someone who supposedly subscribes to Zen philosophies, you certainly have a problem keeping your temper.

In the middle of all this, my keyboard broke, and typing this out on my iPhone makes the whole process even more tedious than it was to begin with. So, good night, sleep tight, and maybe try some meditation. Or quaaludes. Or something.

Re: "so I will stop being a backseat mod" Yah... really?

[ja_va]

I think he's obviously blatantly biased towards the Russian side

You are totally wrong here.
If you could read my journal, you'd see that I critisized Russia on almost every single issue so far and am infinately annoyed at its current foreign policy position. Looks like you simply assume that since I am Russian defending Russian position I must be biased. Believe me, I am not.

Re: "so I will stop being a backseat mod" Yah... really?

[phamos818]

The main part of your post that seemed, to me, to spotlight a bias, was the sentence, "As a natural response, Russia has moved its regular troops into the region in order to STOP THE BLOODSHED and to restore peace." I agree that it is a natural response for Russia to move into the region, but it was fairly obvious from the beginning that they had grander motivations than simply stopping the bloodshed. Unfortunately, I can't read your journal to see if you have been criticizing Russia on other points, because I can't read Russian. Since all I had to go on was this post, in which there is no criticism of Russia at all and is actually mostly about how the US media has unfairly criticized Russia throughout this whole event. All I can judge here is this post, which, in my eyes, presents a bias in Russia's favor. I don't assume that just because you're Russian you will support the Russian government any more that I assume Americans on here will support everything Bush does. I based my opinions completely on what you wrote.

Re: "so I will stop being a backseat mod" Yah... really?

[ja_va]

Motivations or not, Georgia started the whole thing and it is hard to blame Russia for doing something IN RESPONSE. I think the "who stroke first" issue is the most important, and no matter how hard western news try to muzzle the fact, they also have to agree that IT WAS GEORGIA.
Now, the second most important question is- WHY? Ask yourself, WHY did Georgia moved it's troops and attacked, knowing perfecly well that, first, there will be bloodshed, second, Russia is sure to do SOMETHING?

Ask yourself this questions and you will understand where I am coming from.

Re: Let's just get rid of that... and let's break this down for simplicity's sake.

[phamos818]

Your post was written 15 minutes after the mod and I had cleared up the issue. Given that your comment agreed with the mod's take on this issue, it seemed to me that your comment was a reaction to my opinion, not hers. That's why it seemed like it was "All About Me" -- because I was the one who started the thread and you obviously disagreed with me, not the mod. That's all.

And seriously, you don't think you're being unnecessarily snarky here? I didn't make any snide comments about you, only disagreed and took offense to your rudeness to me. I've kept things civil. You've made personal attacks. I'm not sure where the need for this kind of escalation came from. I'm glad you take sheer amusement in jumping down people's throats. I look forward to reading more of you in the future.

Re: Let's just get rid of that... and let's break this down for simplicity'

[phamos818]

I understand that you said that you were replying to the mod. I accept that. I believed, based on the content of your comment, that you were replying to me. You then proceeded to reply to me many, many times, getting obviously more and more "peeved", and I'm still not sure why. I don't give a shit about victimhood, and I'm certainly not beyond snark under the right circumstances. You're just behaving incredibly childishly for no apparent reason, which is rapidly becoming more and more amusing to me. Although I don't see how insulting me over and over and over again is "keeping it light", regardless of whether or not you out-and-out call me a fuckwad. I don't feel victimized, and I don't need wound-dressing. I'm just perplexed as to why you're throwing a total hissyfit. But whatever. We should probably stop this soon to avoid pissing off the mods any more than necessary.

Re: "so I will stop being a backseat mod" Yah... really?

[bluetooth16]

It seems like people who agree with the OP think it's perfectly OK to allow a post like this; I wonder if those same people would be equivalently OK with a similar post submitted by someone like heroandthief that gets jumped on a lot for relatively unpopular views.

As far as the mods are concerned, as long as the entry itself meets the guidelines set up, the OP has the freedom to voice their opinion. Individual members may gripe about unpopular opinions (and be hypocritical), but the mods will only take action if community rules are being violated. I've had my fair share of attacks because I'm the token Conservative Republican, but people do allow me and others with unpopular views to chip in their two cents.

Re: "so I will stop being a backseat mod" Yah... really?

[phamos818]

Yeah, honestly, you guys do a great job modding this place. And even though I almost always disagree with your take on things, I think you present your views very well. I appreciate difference of opinion on here -- that's what makes it fun!

[ja_va]

I appreciate that you do not like to see my opinion in here, but it is based on facts, and all the facts I give are double checked from various sources. According to the rules, editorial opinions are allowed if they are supported by the sources.
Besides, post was premoderated.

[bluetooth16]

I don't think you completely understand my previous comment. While I personally disagree with your opinion, as a moderator I am allowing it because it fits the rules and I also believe in open discussion. The issue here is the potential for posts in this format to become out of control flame wars.

[ja_va]

I am sorry, I was responding to the comment left by phamos818.
I would not like to see any flame wars, either. Thank you for allowing my post.

[bluetooth16]

This is what happens when I'm checking comments via my iPod touch instead of my laptop. I don't see threads properly.

[phamos818]

I'm perfectly happy to see your opinion here -- thrilled, in fact, because most Americans have no clue about any of this and as such your voice is incredibly useful when it comes to creating a dialogue. What bugged me was seeing your opinion, based though it is on facts, presented as though it WERE fact, or even a published editorial. It wasn't until I had read a few sentences that I realized it wasn't a published article but instead your own take on events. I personally prefer to see the opinions of community members in the comment discussion. But like you said, the post was approved by the mods and she has explained her logic to me. We're all good here.