Posted on Feb 7, 2015
SFC Mark Merino
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Prepare to have the ban hammer brought down upon you  85d0fb40aa97cb09efc2bf3133ba069b
My inbox is about to burst! Religious threads bring out strong emotions on every side. There is a strong difference between respectful discussion/disagreement and what is actually continuing to transpire. PLEASE familiarize yourself with the published rules and regs and you will see that there is a difference between freedom of speech and the proper behavior and respect of members in a privately owned and regulated forum. Member Administrators do NOT make RallyPoint policy, we do our best to enforce the established guidelines given to all members. The problem is not the posting of religion threads. The problem is disrespect and intolerance. RallyPoint has spent considerable time, effort, and money to set it up. It is not meant for us to convert, alienate, persecute, and disrespect. I urge you to take responsibility for your postings. I urge you to disengage from disrespecting member's beliefs. RallyPoint is NOT a Christian, Muslim, Athiest, heterosexual/homosexual, Left Wing/Right Wing forum, or your own political platform. It is a PROFESSIONAL military forum. For those members who continue to go against the established guidelines, your activities are quickly reported to the owners and your continued presence on RallyPoint is being evaluated. For those of you who have been personally affected by these disrespectful actions, I apologize for everything you have endured and urge you to remain as active members.

9-3 Inappropriate Responses and Comments
a. Personal attacks on question poster or other members if the RallyPoint community.
Debate is encouraged, but it should remain professional.
b. Responses that do not add to and promote conversation.
c. Responses that consist solely not be “yes,” “no” or similar answer.
d. Responses that include disrespectful, vulgar, slanderous, hateful, or prejudice
language.

Reference: RP 3-1 Ÿ dtd 27 June 2014.
Edited >1 y ago
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Responses: 20
CPT Aaron Kletzing
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Thanks for posting this, SFC Mark Merino. Given that RallyPoint's member base continues to grow quite fast overall, there are occasions where a new member joins and chooses to act like a bull in a China shop...to put it lightly. Thankfully these situations are rare overall, but I am particularly bothered by personal disrespectful attacks from one SM/Veteran toward another. That just can't happen, everyone. We are better than that. We have to remember that we share the strongest bond in the world: military service.

Please familiarize yourself with the guidelines in RP 3-1 or reach out if you have questions. Also, thanks to outstanding member admins like SFC Mark Merino who graciously volunteers a ton of his personal time checking into these issues for the good of us all. Thanks!
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SFC Joe S. Davis Jr., MSM, DSL
SFC Joe S. Davis Jr., MSM, DSL
10 y
SFC Mark Merino, thanks for being the consummate professional! Now let the dialogues begin with dignity and respect for all!
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Capt Richard I P.
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SFC Mark Merino thanks for fighting the good fight. I kick in from time to time when I see them, but you're by far the Member Admin MVP.
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SFC Mark Merino
SFC Mark Merino
10 y
To God Be The Glory.....(oops) LOL :)
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MSgt Electrical Power Production
MSgt (Join to see)
>1 y
Amen Captain!
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SSG Parachute Rigger
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It is unfortunate that you had to publish this SFC Mark Merino.

I do not understand why some get so hateful on the internet. If you can control yourself then you should just not post.

There is absolutely no need to become hateful on a Professional forum. Everyone is entitled to an opinion.
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SFC Mark Merino
SFC Mark Merino
10 y
I had a bit of selfish intent. I miss just being able to join in on the discussions and camaraderie without having to put out so many fires. There are some REALLY angry people on here that just hover over religious threads ready to dive in.
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SSG Parachute Rigger
SSG (Join to see)
10 y
That is just Silliness.
I Dislike that you have to deal with that stuff.
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CPT Hhc Company Commander
CPT (Join to see)
10 y
SSG (Join to see) - Because it's the internet. Anonymity (or "relative" anonymity) seems to inspire the worst in people. Since you do not see them face to face, your ability to demonstrate the respect is diminished. I see it time and time again from Facebook to the forums.

One additional problem is that not everyone has the same ability to distribute their feelings. As such, misinterpretations lead to assumptions, which leads to hurt feelings. Once one person is on the defensive, the conversation's productive value is essentially over.

It's sad.....but most people lack the maturity to request clarification before going on the attack. Civilian or military.
v/r,
CPT Butler
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