"Political Debate" forum should be renamed "Angry Right-Wing Bubbas"

[jriley1349]

I'm a new member and would like to refer family and friends to this site because it's a great source of history as told by a wide range of military men and women. For sure, the partnership with the Library of Congress is a big “cred” and my hat is off to those who built and administer this site.

But the site has a problem if it wants to be seen as inclusive of all Americans and representing all veterans. The "Latest Posts" section on the home page is often dominated by angry right-wing political rhetoric. Scrolling through the full-list of postings on the "Political Debate" as well as "General Posts" forums reveals that there are two or three people who monopolize it daily with what is often political-hate commentary masked as news. The first impression that this gives of the "Patriot Files" website is that it is only for "real" Americans, you know, the red-meat Republican base that hates anything Obama or "lubberal" – the folks who constantly warn us of impending doom.

Yeah, I voted for the "O" man, and so did a lot of veterans. And speaking for my own family (Grandfather:Army WWI, Father:Navy WWII, myself:Marines, Vietnam era, daughter:Navy, Gulf-war era) our ideologies have been a centrist mixture of conservative AND liberal. I can offer that we generally distrust ALL politicians, especially chickenhawks - you know, those who had "other priorities" when it came to military service, but are still "American-enough" to eagerly send the children of others off to fight.

Sure, the hot-heads will wrap themselves in the flag, claim free-speech and want to take me on - dare me to respond with centrist or left-view arguments that, regardless of any logic or facts presented, will always be slandered as "un-American" and heading us for certain catastrophe. No, I'm not going to engage in that. Not here. It's not why I (and I think MOST people) come to this website. I'd like to believe that it's a place where the stores of many American heroes are archived - heroes who represent every gender, race, religion AND POLITICAL PERSUASION! News-Flash guys: NOT ALL VETERANS ARE RIGHT-WINGERS!

My advice to the Administrators: Free speech and all that, I don't advocate shutting down the "Political Debate" forum or mess with "who" can post what. God knows the bubbas need a place to vent or they might burst an artery or accidently shoot themselves with that loaded 357 laying somewhere under all of those empty beer cans. Instead, remove the news feed for "Political Debate” and "General Posts" from appearing on the home page. "Latest Posts" should be actual postings of military history stories - not the equivalent of a Fox News ticker, and that goes for arguments that are both right and left. In my opinion, the site should be politically neutral if its goal is to provide a credible source of military history for everyone and honor the stories of ALL veterans.