MODERATORS a request to lock

[lizajane]

i would like to publicly request that a moderator lock the gay marriage threads. i was concerned that i was opening a can of worms in the beginning, and it appears as though said worms are starting to slither their way into all of our brains. what started off civil to many has now begun to get ugly for all.

thank you all for not bashing my brain in for starting this hot discussion. you are all incredible people with amazing and diverse ideas. i appreciate every one of your points of view and i appreciate your sharing them with me and others.

but i think the horse is dead.

let's decide that freedom of speech has now begun to violate many's right for quiet and return the quiet to those who have been offended.

i politely request that NO ONE reply to this post, with the exception of a moderator. do feel free to email me directly if you care to speak to me. thanks.

[Rachels]

Okay, I'll lock all the relevant threads. Since I did post my opinions, though, I'm waiting for Beth's input before doing anything else. FWIW, I'm sad to see that things turned nasty, or that this went beyond civil disagreement. I think stating opinions and arguing points is okay. I think flaming is not.

I regret that there are hurt feelings, but don't think it would have been wise to censor this from the beginning. Anyone was free to post, and there were lots of opinions lodged on both sides of the issue. I'd like to thank everyone who felt there was something to say and then said it.b Regardless of your views, it takes courage to do that on a hot-button topic.

-Rachel
Mom to Abigail Rose
5/18/02