I support this proposal. June Matthews
From: Lincoln <lincoln-boun...@lincolntalk.org> On Behalf Of Jonathan Sheffi Sent: Thursday, January 2, 2025 10:34 PM To: Lincoln Talk <lincoln@lincolntalk.org> Subject: [LincolnTalk] Moving geopolitics off of Lincoln Talk – permanently When discussions about Israel and the rights of Jewish people started, I was personally quite reluctant to engage. I did not believe that politics belonged on Lincoln Talk, especially political issues that happen outside the borders of the town of Lincoln. I miss the emails about bake sales and animal sightings and used couches. Heck, I even miss the HCA discussions. I would like us to bring this list back to its original purpose: to serve the residents of Lincoln. Not Israel, Gaza, Syria, Iran, Russia, Ukraine, China, or Taiwan. In my personal opinion, not US politics either. I therefore would like to make a specific policy proposal to the owners and moderators of Lincoln Talk. 1. A permanent ban on all discussion of geopolitical issues. This would apply equally to the rest of the world, and perhaps even the parts of the USA outside our 7,000 person town. 2. This would include invitations to events in Lincoln if they focus on matters outside of the town. Ergo, no invitations to organize for a presidential candidate, no invitations to discuss the Middle East or Ukraine or anywhere else. Implementation of this policy requires two things as far as I can tell: 1. The consent of the moderators to enforce this ban uniformly across all non-Lincoln political matters. 1. Updates to the Lincoln Talk FAQ<https://5a55e4ca.streaklinks.com/CQnB7pxOjvIKmH9_lATsVewz/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.lincolntalk.org%2Ffaq> and Rules & Policies<https://5a55e4ca.streaklinks.com/CQnB7pxNDef5uqkdvQ809zEB/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.lincolntalk.org%2Frules-and-policies>. May I suggest the following amendments: Is my message an attempt to draw on the resources of my community? In other words, if you live in Lincoln and you’re asking for help from or providing information to your community, then your message is probably on topic even if the focus isn't on Lincoln itself. For example, if you’re inviting people to a national political event, asking your neighbors how they’re handling some aspect of the state tax form, or looking for the best route to Logan Airport, it's probably on topic even if the focus is not Lincoln. Does my message avoid changing the subject? When you reply to a message and you change the focus substantially, you may be going off topic. For example, if a list member posts a message inviting neighbors to a national political event, and you reply with a message that focuses on national politics instead of neighbors, you may not be staying on topic. I recognize that for some people, there is a genuine desire for virtual and in-person discussions about national and global politics. I suggest that we start a second mailing list from scratch, and everyone who wants to talk about politics opts into it. Call it lincoln-geopolitics perhaps. All event invitations and discussions of non-Lincoln politics go there, with the LT moderators redirecting as necessary. I realize this is a change, and not everyone may be comfortable with it, but I believe that moving our geopolitical event invitations and discussions to a new dedicated forum will help us restore the Lincoln Talk we all love. Jonathan [Image removed by sender.]ᐧ
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