State of this forum...and me! *LONG*

[Murco]

Earlier this week I had a few situations with individuals on AF that tested my patience beyond what I was willing to accept from an internet message board. 1 member was a noob that, in hindsight, was probably a little too enthusiastic for his own good. He got a little carried away so I PM'ed him in an effort to keep him in check before someone really took issue with him. He took it out of context and blew it way out of proportion and I decided to remove myself after that. But V-noob was only the last member to prod me that day, and the only one on the model forum.
What had really been the final straw was making the sorry mistake of venturing into the "off-topic" section and finding myself a little overwhelmed by the anti-war, anti-Bush, and even anti-American sigs that some members were displaying. I PM'ed a couple of those folks and was truly assaulted with some of the most disgusting tirades I have ever been subject too. One member was lamenting how Lee Harvey Oswald wasn't around to "do his thing" today!
If you do not agree with the United States taking action against Iraq in response to their violation of UN treaty 1441, so be it. If you do not agree that Palistinian and other Terrorists being funded by Iraq doesn't present a clear and present danger to the world, so be it. If you feel that Saddam can be trusted by the world with weapons of mass destruction, even though he used them on his own countrymen, so be it.
As a founding member of the Marine Corps' first anti-terrorism unit I worked with countries the world over and am still an advisor to the US goverment on this issue. I am also a Gulf War vet and have a pretty good idea what we are getting into with Iraq. I really cannot understand why so many are parading the "moral justification" arguement of this intended action when those who claim such morals rarely live moral lives. The US government officials in charge are not taking this action lightly and are taking whatever steps are nessessary to keep the action contained. We do not do this without stress, concern, and anxiety. This isn't about oil, colonization, empire building, or greed. Those who claim it is have no knowledge of the Marshall Plan or the nation-building that the US has done in the past, at our own expense.
AF forums are not the place for politics, and I'm sorry for going into this here but I wanted those of you who were interested to know why I chose to remove myself from the board.... temporarily.
After a couple of days off I've put things into perspective, taken a deep breath, and decided that I enjoyed this forum too much to leave at this point.
As for the health of AF's modeling forum (the only place I will be participating) I think we are simply going through some growning pains like any other popular forum. I read the "This board is going to crap" post earlier and had a feeling some of that may have stemmed from my actions this week. Sure enough, I was mentioned at the end. So, here is what I intend to do to help the board grow smoothly...
1 - Be more patient with noobs! Many times they are just plain excited and it's up to us to turn them into the modelers they want to be. Yes, they will annoy on occasion but let's give them the benefit of the doubt. They are the future of this hobby and more builders means more models in the future!!
2 - Continue to share my knowledge with those who are interested in my experience.
3 - Re-introduce the "Ultimate Camaro" in a new thread. I wasn't pleased with the old one, that's why I deleted it.
4 - Be specific with the headings of my posts. I wont get you into reading something you aren't expecting.
5 - Let the pretenders go about their business. Those who do not build won't be around long.
Here, IMHO is what others should do...
1 - Learn to spell!! My god, people, some of your writings are barely readable!
2 - PM someone if you have a question not related to a posting.
3 - Keep politics off of AF in general, even in the "off topic" forum. This is an international forum but we do not need to fight here.
4 - Offer solutions instead of pointing to problems.

P-man, 64 Chevy, Tonioseven, John, and Lowryda - Thanks for the encouraging words...
Now I know this goes against the intentions I just listed, but I have to go and Rambo some left-wing folks in the "Off Topic" forum... just once!
The Camaro thread will be back Sunday
Thanks,
Russ

[Ghost_9418]

Those are wise words.

[magicmanjk808]

very glad to see you aren't leaving. i was disappointed when i read the "ignore lists" thread. looking forward to seeing the ultimate camaro

[primera man]

Good to see you back :flash:
Some very thoughtful words to your post.

We will get to the bottom of this probem and make this the place were people want to come and enjoy them selfs

[Wishmaster]

Well said man, it was a long thread, but reading it was all worth it. Great to see you coming back here and looking forward to your models.
And allthough I'm not such a fanatic modeler (others words, haven't build for months..) I'm still here because it is fantastic to see other models and the ambience here is great. And even I get annoyed sometimes by questions of newcomers, while I am even worse at modelling than them. And even then if I know where the answer is (like the FAQ or the SEARCh button) I will help those. Maybe not in such a nice way as I can on a normal day, but it works.

Again great to have you back here!!!

Greetz
Stefan

[tonioseven]

Back!!!

[daggerlee]

Welcome back!!

[clatescivicr]

Hey Murco, I'm glad your staying! It would have been a big loss without you. You do make very valid points and I think all of us should starting following them too! It would just clean up the board and make this a better place

[COZMO6476]

glad to have you back. you stated your opinions very clearly. looking forward to your ultimate camaro thread version 2.

[Forhod]

WELCOME BACK!!! :flash:
Glad you have stayed. :flash:

[Shortbus]

Murco, I am very happy to see you back, and look forward to seeing you posting here again.

This place can be frustrating at times, but the trouble makers generally tire and go away after their intent is clear and ignored by our members, its the real enthusiast's who stay and make AF a very worthwhile place to spend time.

Ok that said, Lets build some models! Welcome Back!!

[Guido]

Welcome Back? He never left! He took the time to think about it, looked at the good pints dealed with the bad ones and had the courage to put that into writing and made us think a bit!! BRAVO!

It's good that you are staying around Murco!

Guido
ps. about the language, as you said, we are international but you should forgive the people who don't master your mother language as good as native english speakers. But if you are referring to native english speakers, then you are right.

[Jay!]

Sorry, but I don't have time to reply with all my reactions, ut I'll give you the short version:

Russ, GOOD FORM!!! :coolguy: Good to have you back onboard!

[Dorikin]

Well said Murco. Glad to know someone else feels the same way as me.

Awesome sig man!

My grandpa used to be chaplain for the US forces in germany and Western Europe.

[fatboyslim]

Well said that man!!
Murco I agree entirely with what you said and it's not very often you gat an American talking sense !!
I well remember the Gulf War as we had a load of Americans posted (or do you guys say 'billeted'?) at RAF Cranwell as they were running the MedEvac Hospital at Nocton Hall, luckily it was NEVER used! but they had all sorts of equipment there for various chemical/biological injuries, they wre great guys, couldn't drink enough to beat us though!! Oh but I did get a nice desert camouflage cap off one guy!!