See other All is Vanity Articles
Title: The New jury system at Democratic Underground that has replaced volunteer moderators
Source:
Democratic Underground
URL Source: http://www.democraticunderground.com/100241148
Published: Dec 19, 2011
Author: mike mcCarthy
Post Date: 2011-12-19 12:57:29 by Ferret
Keywords: None
Views: 1343
Comments: 16
I thought I would share how Democratic Underground 3.0 does moderation with a jury for questioned mostings. Here is a thread I served on a six person jury for:http://www.democraticunderground.com/100241148 The thread text: "Not all churches or all ministers are rich, but some of them are very rich indeed. And that's no surprise, because society subsidizes them through a constellation of generous tax breaks that aren't available to any other institution, even non-profits. For example, religious organizations can opt out of Social Security and Medicare withholding. Religious employers are exempt from unemployment taxes, and in some states, from sales tax. Religious ministers -- and no other profession; the law specifies that only "ministers of the gospel" are eligible for this benefit -- can receive part of their salary as a "housing allowance" on which they pay no taxes. (Compounding the absurdity, they can then turn around and double-dip, deducting their mortgage interest from their taxes, even when their mortgage is being paid with tax-free money in the first place.) And, of course, churches are exempt from property tax and from federal income tax. We're all paying for the special privileges afforded to religion. Your taxes and mine have to be higher to make up the revenue shortfall that the government isn't taking in because these huge, wealthy churches don't pay their own way". The jury results in my Pmail box after we were done. (I'm juror #5) At Mon Dec 19, 2011, 04:10 PM an alert was sent on the following post: REASON FOR ALERT: This post is disruptive, hurtful, rude, insensitive, over-the-top, or otherwise inappropriate. (See Community Standards.) ALERTER'S COMMENTS: Oh, I've called out this prejudice so many times it's hardly worth it anymore. I know this kind of bigotry is completely acceptable to the moderators and administrators of this site, even if they aren't opening warming centers in their homes, handing over space on their own lawns for a community garden, or allowing other people to share their homes. Tax those "wealthy" churches, and end the scourge! You served on a randomly-selected Jury of DU members which reviewed this post. The review was completed at Mon Dec 19, 2011, 05:02 PM, and the Jury voted 1-5 to LEAVE IT. Juror #1 voted to LEAVE IT ALONE and said: This is in GD, not a safe-haven group from opinions you don't like. Juror #2 voted to LEAVE IT ALONE and said: This post posits a change in the tax code regarding churches. There's no bigoted language in it at all. Juror #3 voted to LEAVE IT ALONE and said: No explanation given Juror #4 voted to LEAVE IT ALONE and said: Neither post attacks an individual. The first one complains of the current tax structure and the second post complains that changing said tax structure is bigoted toward churches. No big deal. Juror #5 voted to LEAVE IT ALONE and said: The post makes no ad hominem attacks and presents a point of view that is a legitimate part of the dialog of this question. I in fact do not agree with the author of it either. But we cannot have civil discourse of concepts and ideas if we allow mechanisms of moderation to be the device we use to quiet dissenting voices. That is not nor should ever be their function. Juror #6 voted to HIDE IT and said: I'm voting to hide this, not because of the reasons the alerter gave. The post is against the SOP of General Discussion: No posts about Israel/Palestine, religion, guns, showbiz, or sports unless there is really big news. No conspiracy theories. No whining about DU. Religion is on the list. Thank you very much for participating in our Jury system, and we hope you will be able to participate again in the future. t's Time to Tax the Church
Post Comment Private Reply Ignore Thread
Top • Page Up • Full Thread • Page Down • Bottom/Latest
#1. To: All (#0)
And of course this is just a sample case. I have served on several juries already there.
"It does not take a majority to prevail, but rather an irate, tireless minority, keen on setting brush fires of freedom in the minds of men." -- Samuel Adams (1722-1803)‡ "Resistance to tyrants is obedience to God." -- Thomas Jefferson
Why not? I've been at DU since the 1990s. I'm not a Democrat any longer, but I still have many good friends there. Wow. The history of America is a conspiracy theory. I'll never understand how both Rs and Ds can swallow this propAgenda we're fed whole hog. It must suck to be them. I have surfed over there from time to time to look for reaction to certain bits of news. I'm not surprised to see these restrictions. There is a pretty chickenshit attitude abroad there that I can't take for very long. They do seem to like their 2nd Amendment over there though, which kind of distinguishes them from the KOSsacks.
DU us much more blue collar than KOS. And I like this system better because the Israeli firsters can no longer work the volunteer moderator slots to ban anti Israeli - even not so very anti-Israeli stuff like they have been doing. Now I notice I get get much more leeway in saying positive things on Ron Paul and do better neutralizing posts when they go off on him. Something they will do an increasing amount of times now he is doing so well. It is a choir forum that one has to stay in an envelope of viewpoint to be there. But I have been there at DU and at Free Republic, and DU is nowhere near the posting tyranny FR is. I have had many posts on Israel pulled there. Especially when a hot news item is out the the Israeli First moderator(s) were on duty. This is a better moderation system, and DU ver 3.0 a much more user friendly inteface. DU is going to be doing much better in terms of traffic with it. This post is disruptive, hurtful, rude, insensitive, over-the-top, or otherwise inappropriate. Heaven forefend that the little babies read some of the posts here!! They'd bawl like babies when their oxes got gored around here. 
#2. To: Ferret (#0)
#3. To: ghostdogtxn (#2)
#4. To: Ferret, 4 (#0)
Juror #6 voted to HIDE IT and said: I'm voting to hide this, not because of the reasons the alerter gave. The post is against the SOP of General Discussion: No posts about Israel/Palestine, religion, guns, showbiz, or sports unless there is really big news. No conspiracy theories
#5. To: Jethro Tull (#4)
No posts about Israel/Palestine, religion, guns, showbiz, or sports unless there is really big news. No conspiracy theories
#6. To: randge, Jethro Tull (#5)
(Edited)
#7. To: Ferret (#0)
REASON FOR ALERT:
-Alex Kurtagic
#8. To: Ferret (#6)
Thanks for your perspectives, Ferret. As for what you say about FR, yes, that place is one ignorant neo-con playground. I don't think I've poked my nose in there since they threw me out years ago.
#9. To: Ferret (#3)
"It does not take a majority to prevail, but rather an irate, tireless minority, keen on setting brush fires of freedom in the minds of men." -- Samuel Adams (1722-1803)‡
"Resistance to tyrants is obedience to God." -- Thomas Jefferson
#10. To: ghostdogtxn (#9)
My sentiments exactly. I have never been registered "R", but the Demoncrat Party left me about 1990 if not before. I didn't leave the Democratic Party, they left me.
#11. To: ghostdogtxn (#9)
Same here. I was a Precinct Committee Person in the Democratic Party. I left because it was no longer a comfortable role for me. Not to mention I really did not like the new president at the time, Bill Clinton.
#12. To: Original_Intent (#10)
I supported Nixon in 1968 and intended to join the Republican party like my Mom, but I smelled something funny in the Koolaid and when it was time to actually vote I went Democrat. McGovern got my first vote, and it was frustrating to see how bad he did when the Eagleton fiasco unraveled his campaign.
#13. To: Ferret (#12)
That was my first election as well. I went in intending to vote for Nixon, but could not make myself do it. I am proud to say I voted for McGovern as the better man.
#14. To: Original_Intent, Ferret, 4 (#13)
Post JFK, RP is the only man who would give orders, rather than follow them.
Break the Conventions - Keep the Commandments - G.K.Chesterson
#15. To: Ferret (#0)
doesn't leave much to discuss, does it? No posts about Israel/Palestine, religion, guns, showbiz, or sports unless there is really big news. No conspiracy theories.
#16. To: christine (#15)
I believe that verbiage os for the particular sub-forum that thread was started in. There is subcategories of forums. Which brings up the tactic the Israel Firsters that ensconced themselves into volunteer moderator roles to protect Israel. They would take touchy for Israel stories that should be kept in breaking news and bury them in the Israel/Palestine sub forum leaving only a hot link scar in the deleted post in breaking news. They knew most who were not onto this trick would lose interest and not click through to the story incorrectly thinking that it must actually not be breaking news. I am excited by this change, as it has removed some of these nasty games by a seemingly well organized and large contingent of people who have deleted many of my posts and gotten me suspended before for unkind words about Zionism. I know many of the Zionist loving Israel firsters there, and I don't like a one of them.
Top • Page Up • Full Thread • Page Down • Bottom/Latest