As long as a poster is not breaking the forum guidelines, they are welcome to post. They do not have to adhere to anyone’s demands that they debate in a particular way or present particular evidence in order to participate. It’s up to each of us to accept or reject an argument based on its merits. No one has to ‘go away’ until they produce what some individual thinks is appropriate evidence.

It’s obvious to anyone who has been a member for any length of time that there will be repetition. In a forum with high member turnover, it’s the nature of the beast. Yes, it can get tedious for some, but, overall, the benefits are likely worth it. If you don’t want to participate in a discussion because you’ve been there, done that, then don’t. You’re neither forced to participate nor forced to read it.

Bullying is against the forum guidelines. Bullying includes unnecessary name-calling, personal ridicule, and discriminatory remarks about a person’s age, gender, education, etc. Again, it’s up to each of us to accept or reject an ARGUMENT based on its merits.

And what’s with all the “do as I say, not as I do,” crap? I’d say those who engage in it regularly will know who they are but that may not be the case. I’ll ask you all to be mindful that you aren’t the pot calling the kettle black.

What is plagiarism? If it is plagiarism when a poster puts forth a commonly used used argument in their own words without citing the name of the originator then a lot of research is going to be required to ensure that ALL arguments are cited by the first person ever to utter them. This is different than pulling a copy/paste of someone else’s writing. Copyright violations are illegal.

The bottom line is that we are all here (hopefully) to exchange and challenge ideas. If you want to have exchanges only with like-minded folk then your presence in a debate forum is profoundly silly.