No worries, Dave Irons. I will make sure my id questions get to you and
your responses get to OBOL. :-)
And I am putting every link to rallies, how to help, etc., on both
yamhillbirders and midvalleybirders. And I presume others are sending to
their local lists. I can't get kicked off yamhillbirders because I *am*
the moderator. :-)
Thanks to all on this list for keeping the info and links coming. I cut
and paste to "public" on facebook when it's something everyone needs to
know about... like the Jan. 30 rally date. Is anything planned for Salem
again? Portland? (Remember not to engage with counter protestors. Just
keep cool and let them show their ugliness.)
I don't know what the FBI strategy is but I suspect it has to do with
the fact that there have apparently been children at the refuge
headquarters from the beginning. And now there are two more. I guess the
militants are willing to let children be martyrs, too.
Linda
On 1/25/2016 1:36 AM, David Irons wrote:
I agree completely with Mike, that "it's all politics." Trying to ignore
this inarguable reality and then trying to create a community devoid of
potentially political discussions, seems a bit oxymoronic.
I knowingly tested OBOL's limits of free speech and the bounds of what
might be deemed "too political" and quickly learned that the playing
field is postage stamp small as it relates to current events at Malheur.
I found it a bit comical, albeit predictable that absolutely no one
seemed to be much ruffled by my post until Dave Lauten resigned as
moderator in protest over the my statement of rather simple facts.
First, I pointed out that the moderators had made it known that no
discussion of the Malheur occupation would be okay on OBOL. They did. I
didn't, as Harv Schubothe attempted to assert, suggest that the
moderators were the ones arbitrarily making the rules. Then, I wondered
aloud if my personal account of a set of life experiences at Malheur
would cross the uncertain boundary of what constitutes "too political"
for OBOL. Apparently it did.
I got my answers, which ultimately made me realize that what we think of
as a community, really isn't one. It's a community where folks with
shared concerns are asked to refrain from discussing those concerns if
they might be too emotional charged or if there is any chance that an
unpleasant disagreement could arise. People in real community talk to
each other and real communities are prone to facing differences of
opinion among members. Since OBOL is not that sort of community, I
decided that it no longer meets any important needs in my life, thus
I've unsubscribed. I will miss the occasional opportunity to answer an
ID question or explain yet again how to sort out Cackling Geese or Fox
Sparrows subspecies groups, but there are other places where I can find
that sort of mental exercise. My question to those who insist that there
can be no discussion on OBOL of this unprecedented threat to public
lands and a beloved iconic national wildlife refuge in our own backyard
continues to be, If not here and now, when?
While this alternative forum does provide a place for us to meet,
express our anger, share ideas for positive action, and to grieve at
times, it shouldn't have been necessary. OBOL was already there, with
all 1000+ subscribers. We could reach out to a much larger slice of the
Oregon birding community than we can in this forum of roughly 150
subscribers. Should we assume that the other 850 or so OBOL subscribers
are too wrapped in waiting for the next rare bird report or too busy
chasing a county year bird to give a damn about what's happening out at
Malheur at a time of year when none of us go there anyway? Of course
not. There might be a few for whom this is no big deal. Not everyone
goes to Malheur for Memorial Day Weekend. I know of a number of Oregon
birders who have either never been there or have only been there once of
twice. This includes one recently retired OBOL moderator, who has made a
point of telling us over and over that he doesn't chase rarities outside
of his home county and that he has rarely ventured east of the Cascades.
This is not a value judgment and I am not suggesting that he is any less
distressed about the developments at Malheur than we are, as I don't
know how he feels. However, I suspect that if these same thugs turned up
at Bandon Marsh NWR next week, his emotional response would ratchet up a
bit and his first reaction might be, "I need to get on OBOL and let
folks know what's going on here." How quickly would the remaining
moderator, jump in and say, "Hey now, that is not an appropriate
discussion topic on OBOL." It's a virtual certainty that more than 150
OBOL subscribers are frustrated by this occupation and perhaps many
would like to be able to vent a little bit among friends who are feeling
similarly. Further, at a time like this shouldn't we be able to take
advantage every available channel to rally support for Malheur and
Harney County residents and using our influence to spur decision makers
into desired responses. I am for the tsunami warning approach, by all
means available.
Dave Irons
Portland, OR
