Ruleset For The HOLYSMOKE Echo 
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Moderator: Ross Cassell {at} 1:123/500 Co-Moderator: Dan Ceppa {at} 1:138/666

--Purpose Of Echo

freely discuss both for and against the validity of religion or belief in 
same.

--Swear Words

The usage of swear words are not prohibited for purposes of exclaimation, 
however the usage of swear words:

* To insult, flame or inflame if directed towards a member of this echo

* As the sole or only content of your message or reply.

* For only the sake of using them.

Are prohibited, if in doubt dont do it, else when you cross this line, you
will be cautioned.

--Name Calling/Personal Attacks

Messages that are designed to deliberately insult without conveying 
any relevant information are included as forbidden.

Additionally echo participants are not to be made the subject matter of 
any message:

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--The "I Hate You" Rule

Disputes and personality conflicts that originated in other echoes or elsewhere
are not welcome here. Do not use or enter this echo for the sole purpose of 
carrying out existing grudges. 

--The "Persona Non Grata" Rule

Individuals banned or suspended from this echo are not to be included in debate
within this echo, for purposes of this echo, if a person does get banned or 
suspended, they do not exist for as long as any ban or suspension is in force.
If a banned or suspended person comes into the echo, do not respond to that 
person if their ban or suspension is still in effect. Violation of this rule
can result in being sustended or banned. 

Explaination:

If a person is prohibited from posting in the echo, be that prohibition short
term, long term or permanent, then there should be nothing coming from this
echo to compel that person to want to or have to defend themselves.

--The "I Twit Thee" Rule

The usage of twit filters, assuming your message reader supports it, is 
encouraged in the event you encounter a individual whom otherwise causes you
great irritation. 

However if you do decide on this course of action and you publically announce
that you are twitting someone, you better be sure you live by that 
proclaimation, which includes up to you treating the irritant as if s/he doesnt
exist.

If you announce that you have twit filtered someone and in turn take pot shots
at them in messages to others, either out of the blue or by seeing that persons
messages quoted by others, you are as guilty of being annoying as the person 
you twitted, and may face risk of being suspended from the echo if not worse.

--The "Liar" Rule

If you are asking for someones opinion on something and they give it, do not 
proclaim it to be a lie, an opinion is what it is. If you can have an opinion
on something, so can others, see how that works?

Someone disagreeing with your viewpoint does not a liar make, if you proclaim
someone to be a liar, be prepared to prove it as such or hold thy tongue by 
not proclaiming someone to be a liar.

--The Posting A Lie Rule

Do not post anything about another participant which is a deliberate 
misrepresentation of what they said or whom they are. If you post 
anything of this nature, it best be worded as an opinion unless proven 
or admitted to, if it cannot pass the test of proof, then do not 
present these things as factual.

DO NOT POST LIES ABOUT ANYONE!

--Real Names

This is a real names only echo, no handles, aliases without moderator 
approval.

As of 04/22/09 only one user has this approval, Judith Bandsma may 
continue to use the handle of Chinacat, in order to alleviate confusion 
that has surrounded her initials with the initials of another poster.

--The To All Rule

Do not post messages addressed to all, unless it is to introduce 
subject matter you wish to have debated. 

Do not post any message to All, which is in fact a reply to a message 
written in the echo by another participant. Doing so by inference makes 
the person whom wrote the message as topic for debate, echo 
participants are not topics for debate.

--Quoting and Quotations

Do not over-quote your message replies, quote back that which is needed 
to specify those points in which your reply is addressing.

Do not alter message quotes to change the meaning of the original 
posters points, this is not to say you are required to quote back every 
single thing the person said if you are not addressing every single 
thing they said, just dont make your quote back look as if the person 
said something they did not.

No one is required to address every single point you made in any 
message.

Continually harassing a echo participant with a message quote of what 
they may have said in a earlier point in time regardless of context, will 
be regarded as harassing a participant if done to excess. If the person 
refuses to acknowledge, concede or retract, dont think baraging them 
with said quote multiple times is going to change the status quo.

--Moderation.

Moderators may not reply to a message as part of topic flow if they are 
going to turn around and moderate the original poster for anything 
within said message, it matters not if the moderator replies in a 
second additional message or within one single reply.

Moderator messages are not open for debate nor are they negotiable, disagree 
then take it private.

Leave the moderating to the moderators.

The moderator of this echo reserves the right to add, subtract or otherwise
amend these rules as necessary up to and including taking action against an
individual for something not currently spelled out within the current rule set.

-The Moderators-
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