A message to members of this board

[rdonnay]

Recently, there was a verbal exchange between two long-time eXpress++ users and members of this board. That exchange turned political, which caused one member to request that the discussion be taken offline, which it was. Apparently, their discussion, which was continued by email, caused much disagreement over a highly contentious subject which can have grave consequences for many countries of the world. If you are reading this, you probably have guessed which world conflict I am referring to.

I too, have strong opinions about this, however I have resisted making them known to this board, with the exception of a posting about 1 year ago in the “Zen..” forum. Since then, I realized that I should keep my opinions to myself so that this forum can continue to serve the technical needs of its members.

In today’s divided world, it is not easy to always maintain a courteous attitude towards others, yet I strive to do so. Even my own family members are strongly divided about many issues right here in America, yet I resist having any conversations about political and social matters that would cause conflict. As a Vietnam War veteran, I have been through times like this when I was a young man, and after I served my time during that conflict, I came home and did not talk about it. Even my own daughter was surprised when I told her that I was going to a Navy reunion back in 2010. She said she did not know I was in the Navy, even though I served for 9 years.

Now, I am forced to make a decision about what to do in this case related to our two incompatible members. I have had nothing but a cordial and respectful relationship with both of these men which has been entirely professional. One of them, I consider to be a very good friend, going back 23 years.

It was brought to my attention, by one of these men, that he could no longer participate in this board as long as the other man was still a member, and so I had to decide whether this was an ultimatum in which I must make a choice.

After much thought about this, I realize that it is not my duty to reconcile disputes about political and social problems unless they interfere with the rights of other members to associate with each other in a peaceful and productive environment. Therefore, I will not ban either of these members, nor will I encourage them to make peace with each other. It is their choice to decide whether they wish to continue participation in this board. However, the choice to depart this board, because of a privately held political or social opinion from another member, would be equivalent to cancelling all of us and would be a great loss to our community and those of us who have benefited from this person’s contributions over the years.