Sue,

May all of us disagree but live together in peace.  I am sorry your understanding is insufficient to know what I wrote.

Gran

I think, and now this is just my opinion, that I am thankful to live in the greatest country in the world and we have men and women fighting for our freedom to have whatever set of morals we choose to have, and whether someone sends a young man or woman pictures that are seminude(cause obviously outright porn isnt in question here) that is there right to do so until further notice when mens magazines are also banned. I think this also has more to do with bridging the generation gap than just morals. So what I think "Do as you will as long as it harms no one else!"  This shouldnt even be a question of someones morals or right or wrong feelings being questioned I think the rules need to be made plainly clear. These magazines are allowed, these are too risque to send. And if you do sent "contraband" (laughing to myself) then its no ones fault but your own if you get caught. However if you wish to do so then it's not anyone elses business they will not be their paying a fine when customs gets ahold of ya! Now that is all said and done I know one thing, this is a country built on these young men and their sacrifice so if that is what they want to look at then who are we to tell them no? I certainly cant, although I wouldnt send anything illegal only for fear of my own neck. But until then spoiled or not I will continue to send them what they want or need, because that is what we are here for to help give them what they want and need, regardless of my religion or theirs, what ethnicity they are, or what morals they believe in as long as I am breaking no laws, because after all who am I to judge someone else? This is just my honest opinion and hope that it covers everything and doesnt hurt anyones feelings!

Very respectfully,

Amy

I completely agree with the majority of AS members who replied to this.   This was posted under chit-chat because I knew that many people may want to express their personal opinions and I didn't want that to get in the way of our primary goal of supporting our troops. 

Three main reasons I posted this:

1.  It was in the Marine newsletter yesterday  which certainly qualifies it as a "current event" that will affect our troops.  Rep, Paul Broun (R-GA) introduced a bill to "close loopholes" this past April.  CSM Callaghan is right, a DoD review board did, about 5? years ago, determine that nudity in itself is not lascivious (definition - horrible, revolting, gruesome...).  Pornography is a very subjective interpretation, just take a look at the etymology and definitions.   (I really could go on much more about the subject of legislators taking their own religious or personal opinions and trying to censor many others by legal means...., but I won't!)  I agree that there are many, many more issues regarding physical safety, real support of our soldiers and domestic issues that he should spend his time on!!

2.  This affects all bases around the world, including many countries that are not Muslim, have even more open attitudes about nudity and sex, and sell all "men's magazines" like Maxim, Playboy, etc.  I CHOSE to use the words specifically, because  they arre mostly men's magazines and the word "porn" is so much a matter of personal opinion and judgements. 

3.  The MAIN REASON is to determine if calendars, special SI editions, hot rod, biker mags, and other things that have pictures of scantily clad women, (which are most likely to be arousing to at least a few soldiers - LOL) can be sent without breaking the rules.  Like someone said above, most women's everyday mags usually have articles about sex, and other sensual matters.  As well as a large majority of fictional novels.  One of the definitions of pornography includes writing, depictions and images that have "no artistic merit".  Art is inherently subjective.  Should we consider classic paintings and sculptures of nudes to be porn?  Should we censor Salvadore Dali, who included many nude images in his paintings, yet widely recognized to be an incredible and prolific artist.  Photography is also an art!

Of course, everyone in AS certainly has the right to choose what they decide to send, or not!  That is NOT the issue that I was asking about. Chit- chat about these strong issues does not normally change others opinion and can unfortunately become personal and divisive. They seem to polarize even more.  Enough said (on my part), because I do feel strongly about my opinions, too!

Warmly, sincerely and respectfully,  Kaylynn

Kaylynn:

Chit- chat about these strong issues does not normally change others opinion and can unfortunately become personal and divisive. They seem to polarize even more.  Enough said

Kaylynn:

  Art is inherently subjective

 

Kaylynn,

I totally agree I think this web site was based on reaching out to the soldiers and giving them what they want and need, I also think its the individuals right to send whatever they choose(as long as they arent sending contraband) and as a large and extended family sometimes we should know we are going to step on each others toes but the least we all deserve to do is respect the men and women who are fighting for our right to have an opinion. And like I said before I think it is a matter of doing what you want as long as you are harming no one else. I am glad though this whole discussion was brought up because honestly I was unsure which magazines to send when my contact asked for them, now I know! Thanks all!

 

 

ALittleIrishFairy:

I also think its the individuals right to send whatever they choose(as long as they arent sending contraband)

 

 

"Have you considered the possibility that the SOLDIERS may get into trouble for possessing such things?  From what my contacts have told me, that is the case. So by sending prohibited items, even if requested by the contact, you are in effect putting that individual in jeopardy. "

 

 I got the PM from a PMC......???? That has never posted before! Anyone know who this is? It was marked with my comment "However if you choose to send things.."statement. Apparently I was the only one who got the message I was trying to say. Simply  if you send contraband thats on you, theres NOTHING ANYONE ELSE CAN DO ABOUT IT!  Yes its against the laws but us little peons cant do a darn thing about it.  I naturally would not do it, but if there are magazines that arent against the law to send and my guys want them I'm sending them. Too bad, sorry for everyones morals and dilemmas but getting snide remarks without reading the entire comment was ludicrous! 

Kaylynn:

3.  The MAIN REASON is to determine if calendars, special SI editions, hot rod, biker mags, and other things that have pictures of scantily clad women...can be sent without breaking the rules.  Like someone said above, most women's everyday mags usually have articles about sex, and other sensual matters. 

Warmly, sincerely and respectfully,  Kaylynn

 

Kaylynn:

This is a good question, and something I have wondered about.  I'm glad you posed it, though I'm not sure the discussion here has shed any light. As you point out, this question is entirely unrelated to choices made by individual supporters.

Pam 

A Little Irish Fairy ~  I clearly understood what you meant.  It is so sad and extremely pathetic for an "anonymous" person to send you a private message that was truly ignorant and insulting!  I even feel rude and intrusive when I send anyone a positive and complimentary PM without first asking the person if it is Ok with them!

Wouldn't waste a bit of energy or emotion worrying about such a cowardly and presumptive message!  People who do not have the courage to stand behind their convictions or to respect others opinions are...well, I have too many not-so-nice thoughts of them! 

I also do not like false, backhanded apologies that are made to further insult!

Brush it off, smile and move on, 

{{{{ hugs }}}}, Kaylynn

Alittleirishfairy, 

 Yes, I got one of the cowardly PMs from the same person. I guess this means that they can't state their opinions publicly because they don't have the courage to.  Just brushing this off with my delete button.

Best, 

Just a comment here...I wouldn't do this for someone who simply disagreed with my opinions but if anyone is sending truly rude or insulting private messages, you should feel free to contact Marty Horn and report this.   (marty@anysoldier.com)   He can get to the bottom of it and will deal with it appropriately. 

Kathy 

Who is sending the PMs?

Never mind, PMS met the 'delete' button.

Marty 

pmc

Best, 

This is the best advice I've seen since 1986 (yes before the internet in the world of BBS's). 

http://www.imdb.com/help/show_leaf?boardstrolls 

What is a troll?

A `troll' is an individual who enjoys creating conflict on the internet. He or she creates and fuels arguments which upset other members of the online community.

Trolls thrive in the anonymous space that is the internet. Trolls crave attention from others, and they don't care whether the attention is positive or negative. For trolls, other users are not quite real people; they are abstract characters on the other side of a computer screen. Trolls don't feel bad about hurting the feelings of other people in the digital space.

Trolls view chat rooms and newsgroups as a challenge where the winner is the user who creates the biggest argument, the user who upsets the most people in the most dramatic way. A troll wants to be the user getting the most attention.

Troll behavior discourages many users and makes for a less vibrant online community. New users may not post because they fear ridicule. Established posters may leave an online community because the noise has overwhelmed the real discussion. Trolls can make an entire community paranoid, leading users to become negative or to accuse a user engaged in normal criticism as a troll.

 

What should I do (and not do) about trolls?

Remember, trolls feel rewarded by creating the biggest altercation possible. They want to get a reaction out of you. When you fight with a troll, he wins. When you reason with a troll, he wins. Any time that you give a troll attention, he gets exactly what he wants.

The best way to deal with trolls is to ignore them. When you ignore a troll, he doesn't get the satisfaction of creating an escalated conflict.

If you decide to leave a discussion because of the negative tone, do not dramatically announce that you are leaving. While that message may make you feel better, it only convinces the troll that he is winning.

the best way to deal with trolls is to ignore them.

I did not see that anyone provided this earlier in the thread. Below is the link to the orginal story--Newsweek, April 25, 2008.

Bonnie

http://www.newsweek.com/id/134035

bonster:

I did not see that anyone provided this earlier in the thread. Below is the link to the orginal story--Newsweek, April 25, 2008.

Bonnie

http://www.newsweek.com/id/134035

 

Hi Bonnie,

Thanks for the link. I also posted a link near the beginning of this thread to the ArmyTimes story I read. I think it's a good rule of thumb for people to include links to a story they'd like to discuss. There is a lot of discussion about this particular issue out on the net and in the blogosphere, and some of the articles are based more on opinions than facts, so if we all could see the original article referenced, it would make things more clear.

I think the original poster was mainly wondering what magazines we were allowed to send, and I think that question was answered, but looking back through the posts I'm not sure. So in answer to that, this is my advice: if I have doubts about sending something, and can't find a concrete answer, then I don't send it. I think it's always better to err on the side of caution.

 

EDIT: If anyone is unsure of how to post links, send me a PM or an e-mail, and I'll walk you through it. It's really easy!