The problem with the "debates" here is that if the right people get involved, they often become a continuation of a personal spat that's more about their opponent than the subject, and which shut out everybody else. Despite Jim's continued reference to Mudcat as a "debate" forum, it's not. We don't have the setup to nurture these debates, and like ACME said, when it becomes too hard to weed the posts, closing the thread is the only option we have.

In other words, we don't appreciate people shitting in the house, but we can clean up a small amount. Too much, and the doors get locked.

So what happens is the right individuals sink their teeth in, and don't have the self-editing capability to NOT go after people.

I'd guess there's a home somewhere on the internet that's more hospitable to fighting about same shit, different day.