John and all, I understand that these topics will necessarily come up as part of the discussion of families and their historical conext. It is in fact the historical context and times of our ancestors that interests me the most. Informed commentary on such historical topics is certainly allowed and encouraged, but personal opinions on contemporary topics don't really advance the purpose of the list. If my private emails are any indication, most list members would strongly prefer that folks stick to the topic of the list. Gregg Gregg D. Kimball Director, Education and Outreach Library of Virginia 804-692-3722 [log in to unmask] -----Original Message----- From: Research and writing about Virginia genealogy and family history. [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of john Hogg Sent: Tuesday, March 29, 2011 12:40 PM To: [log in to unmask] Subject: Re: [VA-ROOTS] A note from your moderator regarding: [VA-ROOTS] War between the 'STATS' I thought Religion, Politics and the Civil War were off limits except under narrow genealogical / historical limits. John -----Original Message----- From: Research and writing about Virginia genealogy and family history. [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Kimball, Gregg (LVA) Sent: Tuesday, March 29, 2011 9:33 AM To: [log in to unmask] Subject: A note from your moderator regarding: [VA-ROOTS] War between the 'STATS' Dear List Members: I have received several private emails regarding recent exchanges on VA-ROOTS. Let me make two points: Several members have asked about the message that they receive regarding approval. Others have asked why their messages have not gone through immediately, although (hopefully) these messages do subsequently appear. This is simply because the list is moderated, and all messages must be approved by the moderator: me. As some of you may have noticed, I do sometimes have the time and computer connection to approve messages on the weekends and in the evenings, but that is not always possible. I am the only moderator, so I beg your forbearance. On occasion, I will simply miss a message or technology fails. Please feel free to contact me if this is the case or re-post your message. VA-ROOTS and VA-HIST are moderated because of past problems with overheated rhetoric, personal attacks, and name-calling. I am loath to intervene and I have erred on the side of allowing the broadest possible discussion. To this date I have generally found VA-ROOTS to be a collegial, welcoming place with fine contributors. I have never had to reject a post to this list, but this morning I find several in my inbox that not only have nothing to do with Virginia genealogy but also paint "Yankees" as "foreigners" (I thought that we lived in the United States) and others that reduce a complex event--secession--to the level of a bumper sticker slogan. As one poster asked: "OK, now that we have a start for the next FLAME war on the VA-ROOTS/HIST listserv, could the administrator create a 'Civil War Redux' section so the rest of us can converse about 'history' and 'geneaology'?" I concur. Gregg Gregg D. Kimball Director, Education and Outreach Library of Virginia 804-692-3722 [log in to unmask] To subscribe, change options, or unsubscribe, please see the instructions at http://listlva.lib.va.us/archives/va-roots.html To subscribe, change options, or unsubscribe, please see the instructions at http://listlva.lib.va.us/archives/va-roots.html To subscribe, change options, or unsubscribe, please see the instructions at http://listlva.lib.va.us/archives/va-roots.html