Civility

[Bob Carlitz <bob@giotto.info-ren.org>]

As we try to broaden the discussion in the National Dialogue
on Social Security, I would like to remind you of the Rules
of the Road that were posted early in the Dialogue.  These
Rules are now linked from the home page of the National
Dialogue,
	http://www.social-security.org
Please note our new, easier to type address.  The original address,
	http://www.network-democracy.org/social-security
is also still functional.

The key element in the Rules of the Road is simple civility.
I fear that the tendency of many posters to use aggressive
and hyperbolic language may have two negative effects:
	* it may discourage others from posting
	* it may dilute the effectiveness of your arguments

While there is a tendency of rude language to escalate, I
hope we can reverse this tendency in the final two weeks
of the National Dialgoue.  To this end I would like to make
two requests of our audience:
	* if you haven't sent in a posting, please do
	* if you have been energetically contributing to
	  the discussion, please continue to participate,
	  but try to avoid disparaging people with whom you
	  disagree, and try to avoid using overblown language
	  to make your points
All posters are asked to keep your remarks brief, preferably
to no more than one screen in length and to avoid repeating
yourself in successive postings.  

The online archive will provide a long-term record of this
event.  In it people will be able to read something about
each of you - did you participate;  were you thoughtful;
were you someone who sought to broaden the discussion and
encourage new viewpoints?  I hope we'll each be able to
answer all of these questions in the affirmative.

Thanks for your participation.  And don't forget to tell your
friends to join as well.

Bob Carlitz
Information Renaissance