I fully agree with your sentiment on your last paragraph and agree quite a bit with the rest as well. And thanks for the compliment, it means a lot. The job in general is not always easy and only recently I tried to throw the towel. Only the team didn't let me…Marcel, firstly, I want to thank you and the other mods (particularly @DerAdlerIstGelandet) for your patience with us on this challenging thread. You do an amazing job managing a thread that clearly sets emotions running.
I also think you do yourself a disservice. I can't recall a single post of yours that has been deliberately offensive or factually incorrect. You've always posted content that has sought to inform and enlighten rather than tear down.
I have no problems debating with people who think America should pull out of Europe, stop getting involved in international affairs, spend more money CONUS etc etc. I get frustrated when folk won't engage reasonably to discuss those topics, even when couched in historical precedents (e.g. appeasement, isolationism etc.).
The nub of the problem is that we're in an era of (to quote Rudy Giuliani) "alternative facts" and there's no willingness, in certain quarters, to even debate whether information is accurate or not. In this case, there was an article posted that was full of inaccuracies and misrepresentations. Efforts were made to point out the fallacies but instead of engaging in the discussion, Bill just turned and ran. We could have done a better job articulating our concerns with the content but, equally, there has to be a willingness by the other party to listen...and, frankly, they aren't.
My biggest fear for civilized society is that we seem increasingly incapable of discussing facts, let alone striving to find common ground. The internet has become a megaphone for people to scream their preconceived perceptions at ever greater volumes and, unfortunately, the sheeple are following blindly.
and accept it if the other does not bend to your point of view. 
I do much the same. I might check out the first 30 seconds or so ..... if that doesn't get me interested, on I go
Putin will be happy
US intel ban leads to heavy Ukrainian losses
The recent decision by the United States to suspend military intelligence sharing with Ukraine has reportedly resulted in significant setbacks for Ukrainian forces, allowing Russian troops to advance along a critical segment of the frontline, according to TIME. “As adefence-blog.com
I fully agree with your sentiment on your last paragraph and agree quite a bit with the rest as well. And thanks for the compliment, it means a lot. The job in general is not always easy and only recently I tried to throw the towel. Only the team didn't let me…
But my point is this: we cannot control what the other side is doing. We can only control what we do ourselves. The only thing I am asking is to keep respect. This can be in small things, like adding "I think" to the sentence "you're wrong"
If someone wants to run they will and there is no stopping them. We cannot force someone to listen.
drgondog and
Peter Gunn , and countless others who already have left leave because we cannot communicate peacefully.
Marcel , you are going nowhere. You are my Dutch brother here. Besides the World Cup is coming up next year, we have to continue our friendly football rivalry. 
I completely agree. Well done, contributors, and thanks to the dedicated moderators
I love the thread.
drgondog or
Peter Gunn, I've got too much respect for them. There's also #3, that this thread is very informational and I don't want to be the dickweed that gets it shut down.
Well said, sir! OK, 'Well written' actually.......I could rip some new ones if I let my politics fly. I don't, because 1) I love this forum too much to earn a ban over such tawdry crap, and 2) even when I disagree with guys like
I'm happy to speak my piece. I'm also happy to walk the chalk line.
I've never said it is. Read my post again, I said I would like this debate to be respectful and always remember that what's obviously false to you is not always so obvious for someone else. And to accept that one or two posts from you will probably not be enough to bridge that difference.
Oh, I would never want to miss the opportunity to make fun of you when we beat the German teamAnd
