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darin
11-12-2010, 07:00 AM
To answer issues which arise from misunderstandings...

On occasion users tout freedoms guaranteed them by the United States Constitution when confronted with their participation on this board.

The Freedoms guaranteed in the constitution regarding free speech restrict the GOVERNMENT from censoring speech, or creating laws which quell freedoms. Because this board is owned by a private citizen, that guarantee does not apply. In fact, the ownership of this board can remove any user from participation for any reason.

Good reading:


(Absolute) Freedom of Speech and Press

The Constitution does protect the freedom of speech of every citizen, and even of non-citizens — but only from restriction by the Congress (and, by virtue of the 14th Amendment, by state legislatures, too). There are plenty of other places where you could speak but where speech can and is suppressed. For example, freedom of speech can be and often is restricted in a work place, for example: employers can restrict your right to speak in the work place about politics, about religion, about legal issues, even about Desperate Housewives. The same restrictions that apply to the government do not apply to private persons, employers, or establishments. For another example, the government could not prohibit the sale of any newspaper lest it breech the freedom of the press. No newsstand, however, must carry every paper against its owners' wishes.

http://www.usconstitution.net/constnot.html#sppr



So, please, spare us the threats of a lawsuit - if you or your posts have been edited/banned/deleted, it's because you violated, in some capacity, the terms of your agreement to participate.

Thanks for your support.