# Protesting this warning to me and Smapti **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [February 2, 2026, 6:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/protesting-this-warning-to-me-and-smapti/1027299 "2026-02-02T06:22:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 1\ **Showing post:** 9
**Author:** ![ParallelLines](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/parallellines/32/3575_2.png) [@ParallelLines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ParallelLines)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2026, 7:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/protesting-this-warning-to-me-and-smapti/1027299/9 "2026-02-02T07:18:04Z")
@Peter_Morris, for whatever reason, posters have been unable to stop themselves from going off topic in that thread. I actually got tired trying to count from the beginning when there were over 10 in the first 100 posts (mostly Noem’s HAT of all things!). We also had doxxing, trolling, suggestions for illegal actions, personal attacks as well as multiple cases **in-thread** of moderation disputes. Threads spun off to to KEEP the topic from going off topic: > [@Is the US already post Democracy spin-off from Ice Shooting thread](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-us-already-post-democracy-spin-off-from-ice-shooting-thread/1026535): > > He’s probably the next leader when Trump finally dies and he’s much more dangerous, younger and smarter than Trump. He’s also completely amoral. What he says becomes the official party doctrine and thus our reality, so, like the statements made by mouthpieces in any authoritarian state, residents of that state have to take it seriously. > [@Not understanding the American system of government. Elected officials can just decide who to investigate or not?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-understanding-the-american-system-of-government-elected-officials-can-just-decide-who-to-investigate-or-not/1026696/41): > > I’ll tease this out some more. Let’s get into the different types of prosecutors and where the authority flows from: Normal Prosecutor = Executive branch Independent Counsel = Legislative branch (1970s - 1990s) Special Counsel = Executive branch (created after Independent Counsel Act expired) I think the Independent Prosecutor is the closest solution to the problem of making norms stick since the DOJ/Executive cannot just pull the plug on them. They are laws. Everyone will have to decide… > [@Discussion regarding Democrats forcing a shutdown over ICE overreach (2026 ICE shootings)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-regarding-democrats-forcing-a-shutdown-over-ice-overreach-2026-ice-shootings/1027058): > > Continuing the discussion from [The ICE shootings in Minneapolis (1/7/2026)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ice-shootings-in-minneapolis-1-7-2026/1026461/1121): I mentioned that I supported this in the above thread, but am spinning it off as to not hijack the parent. In short - ICE actions in MN have been extremely unpopular., despite endless lies from the Administration, propaganda by Fox, and sanewashing from mass-media. The House recently passed legislation to fund the government but it’s heading to the Senate. While I deeply care about the major losses of income and tric… > [@One of the signs of the great sickness of our society is that news and current event comedians are more honest and more real about what’s going on than any sort of news station or anyone else is in the mainstream public discourse](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-of-the-signs-of-the-great-sickness-of-our-society-is-that-news-and-current-event-comedians-are-more-honest-and-more-real-about-what-s-going-on-than-any-sort-of-news-station-or-anyone-else-is-in-the-mainstream-public-discourse/1027162): > > I watch very little TV news (only when clips make the sdmb or reddit, basically) and not much more in terms of talk shows or other sort of current events entertainment on TV. So I may be wrong about this. But I used to watch more TV and I suspect it’s only worse since years ago. One of the signs of the great sickness of our society is that news and current event comedians are more honest and more real about what’s going on than any sort of news station or anyone else is in the mainstream public… As for moderator notes and or warnings for just going off topic? > [@The ICE shootings in Minneapolis (1/7/2026)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ice-shootings-in-minneapolis-1-7-2026/1026461/410): > > Moderating: Trump’s election was driving by Biden’s open border policy which was not addressed by Harris’s campaign. Particularly since she was the “Border Czar”. Both of these points, especially the latter are going off topic. Drop this now. The thread is about the events of the shooting, not about Immigration control, except so far as the current administration is using ICE as law enforcement. This topic is closed but will reopen in ten minutes to make sure everyone has a chance to re… > [@The ICE shootings in Minneapolis (1/7/2026)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ice-shootings-in-minneapolis-1-7-2026/1026461/1020): > > Moderating: Thread is drifting off the topic of The ICE shootings in Minneapolis with the last several posts. Please get back on topic or spin-off your topic. Thank you. > [@The ICE shootings in Minneapolis (1/7/2026)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ice-shootings-in-minneapolis-1-7-2026/1026461/1028): > > I repeat: play_button How to Reply as a linked Topic Moderating: > [@The ICE shootings in Minneapolis (1/7/2026)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ice-shootings-in-minneapolis-1-7-2026/1026461/1054): > > Moderating: This thread won’t stay on topic any more. 3rd time: Warnings will have to be issued after this one. FYI: @Aspenglow, @ParallelLines [note - this is where @What_Exit made it clear that further off topic poster would invite Warnings] > [@The ICE shootings in Minneapolis (1/7/2026)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ice-shootings-in-minneapolis-1-7-2026/1026461/1066): > > Is this on-topic? No warning but awfully close. Stay on topic! Moderating: > [@The ICE shootings in Minneapolis (1/7/2026)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ice-shootings-in-minneapolis-1-7-2026/1026461/1170): > > Moderating: Once again, going off-topic. I’m hiding the above link. Enough with T-Monk and TACO stuff in this thread. Drop it or take it elsewhere. Looks like this was the start of this hijack: You should have seen my earlier modnotes with 29 posts in this thread. YOu want to compalin about an off-topic term, start a new thread. play_button How to Reply as a linked Topic > [@The ICE shootings in Minneapolis (1/7/2026)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ice-shootings-in-minneapolis-1-7-2026/1026461/1191): > > Moderating: @Duckster - your post continued a hijack that had already been moderated a mere 5 posts after the one you quoted. I’m giving the benefit of the doubt, that you jumped and replied without reading the rest of the thread, but that’s not a best practice either - especially a charged thread with a great deal of moderation to keep it on track. I’ve hidden the post in question, and repeat @What_Exit’s instruction to take discussion on alternate phrases for Trump’s actions to another or n… [that’s _three_ more hijacks after we said Warnings were coming, without actually giving one] > [@The ICE shootings in Minneapolis (1/7/2026)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ice-shootings-in-minneapolis-1-7-2026/1026461/1223): > > Moderating: The sidebar on Miller, who at this point in time shows no mention of being held liable for the ICE shootings is probably better suited to it’s own thread, the schadenfreude thread, or one of the other P&E Trump Administration threads. No warnings, but a strong suggestion until we see an actual link. [this is where we get our First ATMB thread on the subject, admittedly after too much moderation discussion in thread, and NOT for the first time, and I modified the guidance slightly to be a bit more open, which was possibly a mistake in hindsight] > [@The ICE shootings in Minneapolis (1/7/2026)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ice-shootings-in-minneapolis-1-7-2026/1026461/1248): > > Moderating: Off Topic, take it to a new thread or drop it. So many modnotes along this line in this thread. No warning but mostly as only your second post in this thread. I hid your post instead. > [@The ICE shootings in Minneapolis (1/7/2026)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ice-shootings-in-minneapolis-1-7-2026/1026461/1273): > > Moderating: Stop now. These comments aren’t related to the ICE shootings in any way. Time to take it to a different thread. > [@The ICE shootings in Minneapolis (1/7/2026)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ice-shootings-in-minneapolis-1-7-2026/1026461/1289): > > Moderating: And… this is enough discussion about whether or not to watch videos. @ThelmaLou, in future, either watch or don’t, but refrain from asking for summaries unless there is zero information about what the video shows. This is yet another useless hijack in this thread. > [@The ICE shootings in Minneapolis (1/7/2026)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ice-shootings-in-minneapolis-1-7-2026/1026461/1295): > > Moderating and debating if it is time for a warning. This thread won’t stop going off-topic. I’m going to stick to a moderator note and spin-off. And there’s, what 2.5 ATMB topics from this thread, not counting this one? And then we get to the warnings for @MikeF, @Peter_Morris, and @Smapti, because after ALL of the above, the hijacks continued. We kept offering notes in hope the posters would, if nothing else, follow the suggestions in the ATMB threads about the “reply as linked topic”, a parallel thread in a less restrictive forum (IMHO or the Pit), or just flag rather than contribute to the hijacks. I even linked the _existing_ Pit thread on ICE and their actions, but… For whatever individual reasons, different posters don’t want to stay on topic, and don’t want to spin off their own threads (oh wait, that’s _another_ ATMB thread from this one spark!), and in many forums (see paragraph immediately above) it’s fine and even enjoyed. But P&E/GD is specifically low tolerance for hijacks. We’ve sadly used all the available tolerance for it up, and at some point I’m wondering if we’ll just have to close the entire thread. Which would be a shame, there’s a ton of useful information as the investigation and efforts to thwart it continued, not to mention the additional killing and blatant legal overstep. --- _[View the full topic](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/protesting-this-warning-to-me-and-smapti/1027299)._