The darkforum Moderation staff first of all reserves the right to terminate your posting abilities with or without notice within this Forum for any reason we see fit. Though we will usually and without bias follow the rules as set forth below when deciding if that should be the answer to a problem which has arisen within this Forum.

Respectful debate is expected within this forum regardless of view and opinion. You will show due respect to all other posters even if thier opinions and views do not match your own stance toward a subject. Ad Hominem arguments will not be allowed in any form and will be taken seriously. That which follows is an excellent example and definition of Ad Hominem arguments.

""Argumentum ad hominem (argument directed at the person). This is the error of attacking the character or motives of a person who has stated an idea, rather than the idea itself. The most obvious example of this fallacy is when one debater maligns the character of another debater (e.g, "The members of the opposition are a couple of fascists!"), but this is actually not that common. A more typical manifestation of argumentum ad hominem is attacking a source of information -- for example, responding to a quotation from Richard Nixon on the subject of free trade with China by saying, "We all know Nixon was a liar and a cheat, so why should we believe anything he says?" Argumentum ad hominem also occurs when someone's arguments are discounted merely because they stand to benefit from the policy they advocate -- such as Bill Gates arguing against antitrust, rich people arguing for lower taxes, white people arguing against affirmative action, minorities arguing for affirmative action, etc. In all of these cases, the relevant question is not who makes the argument, but whether the argument is valid.

It is always bad form to use the fallacy of argumentum ad hominem. But there are some cases when it is not really a fallacy, such as when one needs to evaluate the truth of factual statements (as opposed to lines of argument or statements of value) made by interested parties. If someone has an incentive to lie about something, then it would be naive to accept his statements about that subject without question. It is also possible to restate many ad hominem arguments so as to redirect them toward ideas rather than people, such as by replacing "My opponents are fascists" with "My opponents' arguments are fascist.""""

When starting a thread we ask that you present a viable statement or argument using your own language which may or may not be directly backed up by either a link or a cut and paste. We will no longer allow SPAM which we consider to be a direct cut and paste without any statement or valid argument which uses the article or articles as a direct source of evidence or enunciation. If you use an article and do not use it in the correct manner your thread will be closed and sent to the Limbo of darkforum deleted threads with or without notice immediately upon our noticing it. You may be warned if you consistently SPAM the Forum with threads of no value.

When replying to a thread please use common sense and debate with respect. If you disagree with a thread topic please use a valid argument to evince your opinion and do not resort to hostile tactics of engagement. When discussing Politics the Moderators understand that people will have a great passion for thier stance and sometimes this will lead to heated discussion. This is fine if the discussion surrounds the ideals brought up within the thread and do not degrade into personal insults or implicit or implied threats.

Darkforum supplies its Members with the use of many humorous and wonderful Emoticons/Smilies. Yet sometimes when used within a serious thread of discussion they can be wrongfully used just as effectively as words to degrade or attack a person directly causing the entire discussion to degrade into hate filled rhetoric. If such a case is found within the Political Forum you may be warned or banned as the offense justifies.

If you find a loophole within this body of rules of engagement and use it to benefit a hostile stance and cause the degradation of a thread topic and/or set a hostile personal tone within a thread you may be warned or banned as is justified by the offense. Do not use this as a defense.

If you are warned by a Moderator please respond to the PM so the Moderation Staff knows that you understand why you have been warned and we can be assured you will not repeat the offense.

Thank you,
Dyshade & The darkforum Moderation Staff