Those in my inner circle tell me I'm very good at stating the obvious. Since I have no travel advice to dispense, I'll just state the obvious (and ask a few questions while I'm at it)...

1. This is a community. As with any community, physical or virtual, there are desirables and undesirables. Can you ban a jerk at work? Can you walk away from rude passenger on your flight? Do you spend hours trying to turn a straight man gay (or vice versa)? What is it about the virtual world that makes people believe these things are possible, yet they know better in the real world? Why would a cyber world be more peaceful than the real world if both are made up of the same people?

2. Some people thrive on attention. For the really desperate, even notoriety is better than being on the sideline. They join a community and right away want to be known as an authority, to be the elder statesman. To gain such status for the FT community, they accumulate a high post count, dispense propaganda-laden advice, associate with other members of authority to use as reference, and make select key appearances. Once the foundation is established, they attack those with different beliefs, citing the credentials established, and fight tooth and nail to stay in that authoritative position. We see this in the political world, we see this in the work place, and we see this in the virtual world. What makes people think they can talk sense in the virtual world, while ignoring those in the real world with the "what are you gonna do?" shrug?

3. We are so politically correct these days that the middle ground has all but disappeared. Everyone is so afraid to say the wrong thing that silence replaces everything else between the polarized ends. Then one day, when everything boils over, you take one side or the other, or just get fed up and leave. Then everyone asks, "why can't we all get along?" We can learn a lot from a gate agent - they have to decide who gets upgraded and who doesn't, because obviously everyone cannot be included.

4. The price of freedom is high. We continue to fight for the right to speak so freely ourselves, yet we keep asking to control what others can or cannot say. I served in the US Air Force so you have the freedom to burn the American flag. Why do we blame to authorities when someone burns a flag in cyberworld, but allow them to do it in the real world? What makes you think that control you asked for will not moderate what you have to say in the future? How will you feel then?

5. Communication is difficult. Communications among family members, spouse, co-workers, and friends are never without misunderstandings and frustration. Communications across national boundries and cultural differences are that much more difficult. Take away non-verbal actions and restrict communications to the written word, and we're lucky to get a point across unmolested. Add to all this the probability you're audience has a stubborn mind, and the chance of making a simple point in cyberspace becomes a monumental task. What makes you think you will win/convince/convert/silence someone online, especially if that person comes from (2) above?

I don't usually say much because I don't have much useful to say. Those who know me know that when I do say something it comes from the heart. I hope what I've written here is a little more useful than wasted bandwidth.