This thread is now closed. The site will remain closed to politics. Please do not start a new topic on politics, or your membership will be put on hold.
I publish this site so that we can all talk about the sport we love. I’ve tried to differentiate CTF from other fishing sites by allowing people to talk about many topics (within reason), provided they’ve proven they’re here to mainly talk about fishing. CTF will never become some stuffy website where fishermen feel they can’t say what’s on their mind in between all the fishing talk.
I started and allowed this thread to continue for as long as it did for three main reasons:
1. I think this election and the future of our country are worth talking about.
2. I wanted this thread to serve as an example of why I’ve discouraged ongoing, multiple political discussions. (this may sound contradictory to #1, but hear me out.)
I kept this recent political discussion to just one thread, which made it easy to ignore or participate in -- your choice. If the site were to have multiple, ongoing political discussions it can get distracting. Inevitably, online political discussions often result in name calling, arguments, and sometimes downright nastiness. Especially in this election, undecided voters were rare. The end result is usually one side battling the other, with very few minds changed.
Name calling, continued arguing, and hearing from the same people gets old fast. However, even with the downsides that go along with political discussions, I do think there is a time and place for them -- such as when there is a presidential election and when there are timely fishing/outdoors-related issues.
However, if talking politics or anything else non-fishing is your main goal, you’ve found the wrong website. If you have no interest in picking up a fishing rod, getting away from your computer and actually fishing, quit this website today. “Do it, do it now”! (said like Arnold.)
And please remember, it’s easy to talk mainly about fishing -- no matter how often you get to fish. Whether you fish once a week, once a month, or once a year, if you love fishing, I publish this site for you.
3. Like it or not, politics can effect fishing now and for future generations.
Whether or not you’re pissed at me for allowing this thread, I feel it’s important for fishermen to keep up with politics, as it can directly affect the sport we love.
I know there are some who don’t even want to see politics on a fishing site, but I feel that kind of thinking is like burying your head in the sand.
The issue of politics and the election inevitably came up on most fishing sites. Some made our CTF discussions seem very tame (check out some of the many discussions on stripersonline.com). Search many of the outdoors sites and you’ll find all kinds of discussions. Here are links to just a few:
Here's a quote to think about from the bow hunting site (referring to the ability/privilege to go hunting):
Quote:
We must preserve our heritage and we cannot keep our heads buried in the sand and ignore what is going on in our state capitols and Washington that will put an end to our getting to DO it.
I now return you to your regularly scheduled fishing site. Enjoy!
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