site standards

So, some may have noticed some goings on, including an offensive diary that has been removed and some comments directed at one particular site participant who seems to think he has more of idea of how things should be done around here than those of us who put far more time into it than he. So it is worth once again to mention some standards.

This is a progressive blog. That means several things. It means we welcome a wide variety of viewpoints, even some non-progressive ones if they are well argued. It means we do our best to give voice to minorities and to openly discuss issues of race, gender, ethnicity and just about anything else even if it makes some white liberals in my neighborhood of Park Slope uncomfortable. And, for the record, we have gotten some praise for being one of the most welcoming blog when it comes to discussing race issues. It also means religion is an open topic of discussion and we welcome points of views that include just about everything from atheism through agnosticism, gnosticism, Manichaeism, Arianism, Unitarianism, Shi'a, Sunni, Sufi, Hassid, Reconstructionist, Mitnagdim, Mahayana, Ch'an, Zen, Wicca, Satanism, Catholicism, Protestantism and good old fashioned morality unconnected with the concept of a deity. What we really are not interested in is advocacy of a deity unconnected with morality. Jihadists, Crusaders of the traditional "kill the unbelievers" variety and people who claim god wants to kill people so a particular candidate can be president are NOT WELCOME HERE. These are things that need to be discussed with your therapist (if you want help), or with Osama bin Laden and Pat Robertson (if you want agreement), not people on a progressive site.