Should public communications forums like FaceBook and RallyPoint be able to delete/control topics if they are communicated with respect?

It seems to me that we do have free speech, PO1 Steven Kuhn. Can't speak for Facebook, but my experience here on RallyPoint is that all viewpoints are allowed. And I think if you posted respectfully, as you said, you should see your post.

There may be a specific reason why your post was deleted or removed. Duplicate post? I'd recommend checking with one of the admins (the folks with the stars on their profiles). If they don't know, they can probably find out why your post was removed.

As one of "them" that does remove posts from time to time, I can tell you that we take careful consideration before taking any action on any post. We do not remove posts as a way to limited one's freedom of speech. We remove posts that do not follow the published standards set forth by RallyPoint and that are available to any member at any time through the Support Portal. If you feel that your post was wrongly removed, you can contact any four-star user admin like myself, SSG James J. Palmer IV aka "JP4" and SSG Carlos Madden for a review.

Great points CW5 (Join to see) and PO1 Steven Kuhn I understand your frustration as well. The first several times I had omments or entire threads removed I felt like it was a personal attack, but that wasn't the case. Sometimes, as previously stated, the thread is almost identical in content with another and it is the responsibility of the administrator to determine which started first and then merge the two together. Pictures can be offensive for some people more than others. Profanity is watched like a hawk and there is NO wiggle room for the F-bomb, but there is a little wiggle room for other spicy verbage if it is a thread that is designed to be "entertaining" only. It has been addressed that it is frustrating to not receive feedback when something gets deleted. Human naturekicks in and we scratch our heads wondering if we "did something wrong." Check out the guidelines on RP 3-1 and see if your question has been addressed.
V/R, Mark
https://docs.google.com/file/d/0BwGCGf-BJVo-V2dWSVdvMXRQX0E/edit

They aren't public, as much as you'd like to think so. They are corporations. If they believe something you have posted will damage their bottom line more than pulling it will, then they will pull it.

It's the same as when a radio talk show host gets fired for some comment or another...it isn't free speech, it's a corporation weighing which will be a better bet for their profits.

Not having all the information on this topic, I feel that I need to ask the following questions:

>> When RallyPoint removes a comment, do they have the courtesy to notify the author of that comment about the action taken and the reason for it, and if not, why not?

>> If the answer to the first question is "NO", then does RallyPoint remove so many comments that such a courtesy is too financially or practically possible to do so?

I tend to agree with the CW5 Montgomery, in regard to corporations setting rules for their opinion organizations, since without such rules there is always someone who will take advantage of an offered situation and do damage either as a prank or with deliberate intent! This possibility must be considered in all such organizations. In regard to the term "freedom of speech" each person in the world takes that comment in a slightly different context, and mature comments, having considered both sides of the question, and using civil language is not often understood by all. Added to the confusion, any one of the three preceding standards will differ in the understanding of different people. What Civil Language is to Peter, may not agree with John's View, and Joe's idea of a mature comment may not meet Susan's standard, Geraldine's view of considering both sides of a question, may well differ significantly from Richard's view! So care should be used in the speech that you use or select for additional publishing, together with the permission of the original author. I believe all of the above should be followed in making personal views here. I cannot speak to Facebook since I do not understand the other side of that particular story, fully as yet. When a mistake is made an apology is normally the proper thing to do, and again, that idea surely will have differing opinions among a wide variety of people!

You're using someone else's intellectual property to communicate over. The 1A only states the police cannot come and arrest you for speaking your mind, it does not state business owners must let you use their platform as a bully pulpit.

Free speech does not mean that you can propagate lies and/or misinformation... that’s how you dumb down the populace!

Are RP and FB public forums or are they privately owned sites?

Therein lies the answer.

Play by the rules or the owner has the right to not allow you to play.

If it's owned/produced by an individual or company, YES. This is America! IF someone /organization deletes a thread or topic you are communicating on, SIMPLY CREATE A BLOG or find another site to participate with.
You have the right to FREE SPEECH AND EXPRESSION OF POLITICAL VIEWS. THEY HAVE THE RIGHT TO DELETE OR discontinue any thread on their SITE!
To be a FREE COUNTRY IT MUST GO BOTH WAYS- NOT JUST OUR OWN!

Contrary to what most people think, "freedom of speech" is not what they imagine it is. I recommend to research the true legal basis in freedom of speech and you will find that you truly dont have freedom of speech.