I would point out once again that the OP is a minority of one on this point.
All of this sturm und drung over a thread being moved. No one was warned. No one was mod noted. So what if we can’t have crystal clear rubrics to determine where exactly the line is between a debate, a discussion, a rant etc? Vagueness? What exactly do you expect?
All the OP has to do now is craft a new OP, maybe run it by a mod first if he’s concerned, and start the thread he wants in GD!
Oh, no, Colibri said I had no business being in GD. With the latitude of moderator authority here, I can only interpret that to mean that any thread I attempt to start there will be moved without meaningful review. 
How many cites would you like, of people dissatisfied with the vagueness of the rules here? I’m not saying that they all pertain to “what belongs in GD”, but inconsistency is a very common theme in ATMB.
Look, I’m not saying that uptight rules are the only way to go. Basically, you have rules, and you have enforcement - and if both are laid back, you’re cool. If both are uptight, you’re cool. If one is uptight and the other laidback, the consistency of moderation goes to hell. RPG.net has a sizable forum, and they don’t have nearly the volume of problems that you guys seem to have. But they’ve got fairly tight rules coupled with fairly tight moderation. Other boards do the opposite, and they get more consistent moderation, too.
Do you actually feel like it’s working? Are you not aware of other boards that calibrate their rules and enforcement more effectively, leading to fewer headaches? I swear to you, you guys can make your jobs easier by tweaking this stuff. It doesn’t seem you’re willing to try, and I certainly can’t make you all try, but the stubborn refusal to acknowledge that it’s even a possibility is what seems to piss a lot of people off here.
No, you fucking won’t.
If this thread were in a physical place it would be the La Brea Tarits. :eek:
Oh for God’s sake. I’ve been posting on this message board since the AOL days. Every once in a while, someone gets a bee in their bonnet over something that the mods decide to do, usually complaining about how vague the guidelines are. The number of people who have ranted about this, compared to the total number of posters on the board (not to mention the total number of members and/or registered guests), is so small as to be close to statistically insignificant. The poster with the bee then eventually quiets down and everything goes back to its usual inefficient quietude.
“piss a lot of people off here.” For very small values of “a lot”. :rolleyes:
Oddly, some people complain about the vagueness of the rules and claim that they can’t possibly understand them. But then by some mysterious process, they somehow don’t end up violating the rule in the future that they claimed was utterly incomprehensible. It’s quite astonishing how they comply with a rule they claim they swear up and down can’t possibly be understood.
Something like 99.9% of posts on this board are made within the rules and receive no moderation. Seems like most posters understand them.
We could make our jobs easier and have fewer headaches if we didn’t permit trivial complaints. 
Well, if you’re going to caricature my argument with a hyperbolic strawman, you can’t possibly expect me to seriously engage you.
Yeah, we’ve known about Republicans being evil since Reagan.
I have yet to see a serious argument for your position.
I think this is a bit melodramatic. Just in case you actually hold this view, let me be clear, you, as well as all posters, are welcome to start threads in GD. At times some threads may not be appropriate for GD, and that’s okay. Part of the role of moderators is to direct traffic. It’s really not a big deal.
Just to be clear, this is what Colibri said: “Sorry, if you think that was “framed as a proper debate,” then you have no business posting in Great Debates.”
Emphasis added. Your paraphrase is simply not accurate, leaving out the important conditional. You make it sound like he said you don’t belong in GD, period. Not so.
Appears we are done here.
Might I offer a suggestion on how to properly make this a GD post? Go easy on the pejoratives. Don’t pass off strong opinions as established facts. Be more objective.
GD version:
217 House Republicans voted for passage of the AHCA, which could potentially deprive millions of American citizens of healthcare coverage. This ties in with their agenda to lower taxes for upper-income earners.
This part isn’t necessary. It doesn’t support the first paragraph with facts or data. It essentially repeats the first paragraph and relies purely on emotion.
Again, repetitive and emotionally charged. You could have mentioned the parts of the bill that would be potentially hazardous to low-income earners. Does the bill actually include lowering taxes for the rich? You imply that it does, but perhaps you meant as a consequence, but that isn’t clear.
I think the mods did the right thing and didn’t show any inconsistency. You weren’t exactly inviting differing viewpoints and expected universal agreement. The Pit was definitely more appropriate.
I followed the template of hundreds of posts that had preceded mine.
False.
I do think it was framed as a proper debate (by the standards of this board), so…
Shrug
If Colibri will confirm that in writing, then we can lay that point aside. He’s been particularly scornful in this thread, leading me to suspect personal animus.
Just to be clear, are you saying that your think Colibri has, as a moderator, instructed you not to post in GD going forward? That is, you face receiving a warning for not following moderator instructions if you post in GD again?