Well I guess I either confused the moderator, or she just didnt like me from the beginning. I posted a fairly narrow topic for debate, but it was considered to broad. Then I see questions that ask, whats your opinion on George Bush?

That is a broad question. Its not defined. And its sort of boring. Mine was through and involved a relevant question. Perhaps this is only a stop over for internet browers that dont really want to debate.

I don't know which post you are referring to. I'm not a moderator, either.
Did you try to send a Personal Message to the moderator involved? That's the policy we use when we disagree with what is done with our threads. It goes like this, you first P.M. the moderator involved, and if you are dissatisfied with what the moderator has to say, you contact an administrator, either Jaime or Mike, who can bring it up with the committee members, a fairly diverse group.

We have approached the subject of George W. Bush in many ways, including "What would it take for you to like GWB" and subjects dealing with whether he should be impeached, whether he is an idiot, whether he is fairly compared to Hitler, etc. Some of these threads are older, but many of them can be resurrected. Does that help?

One thing we don't do is have arguments with each other in threads as far as procedures go. If you stick around, I'm sure you will find that our debates become quite spirited. I hope you will like it here.

Regarding your two postings in the Constitutional Debate, femme de sol, it was explained in closing the first as follows:

The same reason was offered for closing your second posting with the same request to contact the staff member responsible, should you have had any questions about the closing.

While I am not a moderator, I have taken the time to view your postings and agree with the administration that the subject you wished to debate was rather vague. While you do have questions, your wording is unclear as to what specifically you wished to debate. Yours are not the first posts to be closed for being vague, and I assure you they will not be the last. Having a topic closed does not mean the moderation dislikes you or that any members here do not really wish to debate.

If any member of moderation closes a topic, you are free and encouraged to contact them to try and further clarify the question you wish to debate. If and when the topic is clarified, a topic may be re-instated for further debate, but not before. My advice to you would be to PM the staff member responsible for the closing and attempt to work through any confusion or other issues taken with a particular post or topic.

Hi femme de sol,

As of my response, you have posted 3 times on America's Debate. No one here has really had a chance yet to not like you. The link to the Rules and Guidelines are posted at the top of every page. If you haven't read them yet, please do.

For most of us, this is a Luxurious Resort on the Internet, where people listen to our opinions and respond. I have friends here who will never realize how wise I am, and how poorly formed their opinions are. I also have many friends here who are wise enough to send me an occasional PM and say, "Bravo! Keep on fighting!" Positive feedback like that causes the body to produce endorphins. Debating here is addictive!

Your post would indicate that you have made at least two attempts to start a new thread. Have you taken the time to see if you're asking a new question or not? Have you dipped your toes in the water and responded in other threads? When I am more familiar with your "voice" and the side of the arena I expect to see you come from; I may look at your name and react positively ("I'll need to jump in and defend her!"), negatively ("The windmills are turning again! Honey, have you seen my Don Quixote Quote-book? I have to talk to the wind until it stops blowing!"), or I may notice that you're asking for an opinion on an upcoming horse race and butt in just long enough to say something totally inane. ("Did you know that according to urban legend, the Japanese feel that horse races prove only that one horse will always be faster than the rest of the pack.")

The Rules and Guidelines are strictly enforced. That is, they are as impersonal as an umpire behind home plate calling strikes, balls, and deciding who made it to home plate first. No one really keeps score, so no one ever "wins" a debate here, but no one "loses" a debate here either. I'm not apt to convince johnlocke to vote for Carol Moseley Braun for President in 2004; but someone who is neither joining America's Debate, nor responding to these posts on line may read an opinion aloud, mention it at work, or discuss it from a pulpit.

Beyond myself, I never know whose mind I might be changing by debating here.

Thanks for the explanation, Abs. It is exactly correct.

femme del sol, I also suggest you take the time to use proper grammar. That was 99% of the staff's confusion when it came to trying to help you clarify your question. I even had to change the title of this thread because you originally called it, "How you dont close this post too" I'm sorry, that is not the English with which most of us are familiar (even those who don't speak it as a first language). It confused me and likely many of our members. There is no reason to be in such a rush to post that you don't take the time to proofread what you are saying.

And no, this has nothing to do with whether I like you or not. Don't internalize this. I have little time to get emotionally involved with questions to debate. It will either fit our protocol or it won't. I think your rude commentary about the forum will do nothing for your credibility with many of us.

PE & Curmudgeon were right - refrain a week or two from starting any new debates. Perhaps you should participate in some others until you get an idea for the flow of this forum. We're really nice, just strict.

Oh yeah, I am closing this - not much else to discuss