Guidelines for Forum Discussions:

First rule – iPeace is not a political platform. If you want to debate politics, we are sure that you can find more suitable platforms.

iPeace believes in freedom of speech.

We are not censors, nor do we want to be. We have no wish to be nannies or policemen either.

One of iPeace objectives is to bring people from opposite sides of warring zones to talk to each other and see that they are not that different.

We realize that some discussions will be passionate and full of emotions. We realize and accept the fact that people might hold and believe their own 'version' of truth. We realize how hard it can be sometimes to read somebody else's truth.

We realize and expect that there will be frictions. But hey, you don't make peace with your friends, you make it with your enemy, so what do you expect.

We want to give you leeway, but we don't want you to abuse it. We want it to be constructive.

All that said.

WE WILL NOT TOLERATE DISRESPECT

WE WILL NOT TOLERATE PERSONAL ATTACKS

WE WILL NOT TOLERATE ABUSIVE LANGUAGE

We expect all discussions to be conducted in a civilized manner.

We expect you to show respect to others.

If you believe that someone is breaking these simple rules, and if you feel offended, please let one of the admins know.

Any member does not live up to these expectations will be warned first, and then BANNED!

Thank you for your cooperation,

iPeace administration team

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Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Roni Segoly on September 20, 2008 at 10:37am

David

While most guidelines can be covered by common sense and effective enforcement I think there is a definition that is missing here, and it better be clarified.
What is 'political'? A serious discussion about one state solution in Middle east (Israel Palestine) will fall into such category? Or is dependant on the nature of the discussion (discussion Vs debate)?

Permalink Reply by David Califa on September 20, 2008 at 10:44am

Roni Segoly said:

David

While most guidelines can be covered by common sense and effective enforcement I think there is a definition that is missing here, and it better be clarified.
What is 'political'? A serious discussion about one state solution in Middle east (Israel Palestine) will fall into such category? Or is dependant on the nature of the discussion (discussion Vs debate)?

No it will not . But debating that Obama is better or worse for world peace is.

Permalink Reply by chen yehezkely on September 21, 2008 at 2:34pm

Dear Mr. Califa
Allow me to ask:
1. Is this an oficial statement on behalf of iPeace?
2. How do you settle the contradiction between the first statement (First rule – iPeace is not a political platform. If you want to debate politics, we are sure that you can find more suitable platforms) and the second (iPeace believes in freedom of speech)?
3. Since the need for peace is political (it is a need that is shared by all) - how can anyone talk of peace without this being political?
4. In light of the above - will you be willing to reconsider?
Thank you in advance
Chen Yehezkely

Permalink Reply by David Califa on September 21, 2008 at 3:58pm

Dear Mr. Yehezkely. I thought that i've already explained it above.

Permalink Reply by chen yehezkely on September 21, 2008 at 11:19pm

I suppose you are refering to your answer to Rony Segoly. Mr. Segoly asked:
What is 'political'? A serious discussion about one state solution in Middle east (Israel Palestine) will fall into such category?
And you answered:
No it will not . But debating that Obama is better or worse for world peace is.
This is a confused and a confusing view of what the word 'political' means. 'Political' means, that which belongs to the public sphere. Segoly's example is paradigmatially political. The question about Obama is also political - but less so: for it borders on the personal.
Given the importance of this issue, and in the interest of having iPeace bear true hope, I strongly urge you to reconsider. The strength of the anti-peace forces in this world is largely (not entirely) derived from the way in which the pro-peace forces shunn politics: for this way they leave the monopoly over politics in the hands of the anti-peace forces. Declaring iPeace an arena for friendly and pertinent discussion of controversial political question is, in my view, the best service that you can make for the interest of peace. Of course, this invites the question of the guidelines - or the protocol - for such discussions. I recommend that this question too will be up for discussion.
Best,
Chen Yehezkely..

Permalink Reply by Yigal D. Kahana on October 13, 2008 at 9:01pm

Sorry David,
Chen is absolutely correct.
ipeace is too political. Like it or not.
People here are advocating to free Tibet. That is a good thing, but it is also political.
People are advocating peace.
That too is political. And desirable as well.
Anything to do with how people organize themselves is necessarily political.
Without that this will become a cooking site.

Permalink Reply by Dr. Amy Eisenberg on October 9, 2008 at 1:38am

Dear Friends,

Please help Tibet and support Tibetan exile communities in your nations.

The International Campaign for Tibet is one of the few places that helps Tibetans tell their stories of persecution to the world. They desperately need our voice in order to make theirs heard. Together, we bear witness to the injustice they face each day.

“…the nuns were arrested on the spot, many got severely beaten up and stains of blood were seen on the street, with nuns’ robes and shoes scattered everywhere. The nuns were seen being taken away in trucks. People were too scared to pick up the nuns’ robes for fear of being detained themselves.”
- Eyewitness to peaceful protests in Kardze, Tibet, on May 14, 2008

The ability to communicate is critically important in the struggle for rights.

With increased communication comes increased activism—something ICT has known since our founding. We are stronger when we can communicate freely.

It’s very important to share those truths, too, because the Chinese crackdown is only growing worse for the people of Tibet.

By early April, many monks across Tibet were suffering “political re-education” for their peaceful protests in March. They were forced to stand in front of a video camera set up in their monasteries and told to repeat the following eight points:

I oppose the Dalai clique
I will not keep the Dalai’s photo in my house
My thinking is not influenced by the Dalai clique
I will not follow splittism
The conspiracy to split nationalities cannot succeed
I love the Communist Party
I will follow the Party no matter what
I recognize the Party’s great kindness
Those who refused were threatened with imprisonment.
The repressions go far beyond the monasteries and nunneries. A Tibetan source in Lhasa told a contact:
“At the schools and in the offices people have to write stories about March 14th and they have to speak ill of His Holiness the Dalai Lama...My child already had to write such stories several times.”
Under these incredibly repressive circumstances, who will speak truth to power? Tibetans can only dare to whisper the truth, fearful of the very real dangers they risk.

But you and I can shout the truth. We can—and must—continue to shout it together for the world to hear.

Your generous contribution today will help ICT continue to amplify and spread the truth about life in Tibet today...to governments, human rights activists and to ordinary Chinese citizens.

I’ll close with one more eyewitness account, from a man who was arrested during the protests in March. Armed soldiers broke down the door to his family’s home, ransacked the property, and beat members of his family.
“I was arrested and they took me with them, tied my thumbs behind my back very tightly. At first I thought that they were going to kill me, they hit my head a lot. They took me to prison, for four days they didn’t ask me anything, they just threw us here.

“One day a policeman told me 'Kneel down here!' I had my thumbs tied behind my back. He sat down on a chair in front of me, put his foot on my head and kicked my forehead with his foot, pushed my head back and slapped my face over and over again. It was really terrible. I can’t believe that we are in the 21st century.”
Simply for sharing his story with ICT, this man risked a return to prison. And yet he told his tale because the world needs to know what’s going on.

Your support helps the International Campaign for Tibet get the word out. Thank you for your contribution. We couldn’t be as effective without you.

Sincerely,

John Ackerly
President

P.S. I am especially grateful for your support during these difficult financial times. I know all of us are feeling the effects of our economy, including ICT. I want you to know that even a small gift at this time will help ICT continue to get the word out for our Tibetan friends. Thank you for whatever you can give.

International Campaign for Tibet
1825 Jefferson Place, NW, Washington, DC 20036
http://www.savetibet.org/

Please stand with our Tibetan sisters and brothers. They really need our help.
Shalom Rav
Amy Eisenberg, Ph.D.
World Care Project Manager for Tibetan Projects www.worldcare.org, www.pbase.com/jamato8
Center for World Indigenous Studies www.cwis.org

Permalink Reply by Dr. Amy Eisenberg on October 13, 2008 at 8:25pm

"Peace is of little value to someone who is dying of hunger or cold. It will not remove the pain of torture inflicted on a prisoner of conscience. It does not comfort those who have lost their loved ones in floods caused by senseless deforestation in a neighboring country.....Peace can only last where human rights are respected, where the people are fed, and where individuals and nations are free......"
-Dalai Lama

Permalink Reply by Eddie Matienzo on October 16, 2008 at 1:19am

Cool !!!! But i was brought up in the Sixties and the Computer that you use now was invented by a Hippie, and we are Americans and still are and beleive in Justice for all. We still are a part of our Country and our voice must be heard.
Peace

Permalink Reply by Dave Streater on October 28, 2008 at 9:26pm

It's hard to talk about peace without 'politics' seeping in! Peace is great, but is such a difficult dream to realize, that I tend to at least have one foot (keep I might be a centipede..or maybe a millipede....) in the "by any means possible" camp.
Of course if you go to war to bring about peace, you've lost the 'battle' before you've even begun! Thus I play music and practice buddhism-- that's perhaps the way to keep the 'politics' beast at bay. In 'amerika', "politics" is totally a placebo, as we know, anyhow! So I will do my best to avoid the politics!!!
Love to all,
BCDave

Permalink Reply by roy on October 29, 2008 at 11:17pm

You say:
"iPeace is not a political platform. If you want to debate politics, we are sure that you can find more suitable platforms."
&
"One of iPeace objectives is to bring people from opposite sides of warring zones to talk to each other and see that they are not that different."

How can this objective not be "political"? I would be interested to read your definition of "politics".
Whether you like the word or not (and speaking personally I detest most "politicians") this is about politics.

Permalink Reply by David Califa on November 5, 2008 at 12:00pm

It is not with no reason that we left the comment box open here.

Don't forget, these guidelines were written when iPeace was a few days old (it is still less than 2 months old)

iPeace is evolving and developing all the time.

We are in a process of re-writing the guidelines.

Thank you all for your comments and contribution