From time to time, we get many people on these forums who like to troll or attack people or just make bigoted statements and as soon as they're called on it, they start going on about the "right to free speech."

So I wanted to clear this up in a definitive way. The GOTH.NET forums are privately owned (by me), and as such, I have the right to set any rules I like (as long as they are not illegal in the US, where the server is located) regarding the usage of what is essentially my server and bandwidth. The US constitution's first amendment (which, by the way, only applies on US soil and US military installations) only applies to government censorship, not individual.

Or to quote a post on the ExpertLaw.com forums (thanks to Nephele for finding this):



So while on GOTH.NET we DO respect different opinions and try to encourage as wide and diverse a range of discussion and discourse as possible, there are some things we don't allow on these forums. You should most certainly avail yourself to The Rules (tm) which are viewable by just clicking the FAQ link at the top of the page which are fairly complete on what we do and don't allow.

And if a moderator or administrator decides to call you on something you've said, take your licks and don't do it again. But 'freedom of speech' is not a valid argument here - after all, if I decided that every post must have the word 'goth' in it at least once, and wished to make it a rule (which, by the way, it is not), then that would then be required to post here without being banned.

Thanks for bringing this up, Prez, and thanks to Nephele for the link also!

Sometimes people think because they have freedoms they can do and say whatever they which and not get told off because it's the internet. It couldn't be further from the truth- at least for me. I would think people would be more mindful and respectful of what they say and post as you are posting on the internet where just about anyone and find and read your behavior and mannerisms.

Thanks again for this thread, Prez!