My initial response was to a staff member who claimed that:
Then I referenced the site founder who clearly stated that this site would do whatever is necessary to keep the site online, regadless of the law.
I'm not claiming that privately owned forums are subject to freedom of speech laws or policies as we know them, and I'm not suggesting that they should be. I'm just pointing out the clear hypocrisy of the people who run this place. They claim to be a haven for free speech, claim they would willingly disregard state and federal law to allow such discussion if necessary, and simultaneously disallow certain subject matter that is 100% legal to discuss everywhere in north america and most of the free world.
What part isn't clear to you folks?
You can't claim to be champions of free speech out of one side of your mouth, while stifling topics you don't like out of the other side of your mouth. I mean, I guess you can, being a privately owned forum and all, but I'm gonna call them on their bullshit every single time.
I'm not specifying the content in question, because doing so would break the rules set forth by the admins, as stupid as I personally feel those rules happen to be. Get it? Good.
As usual, any dissenting opinions result in a traditional VU clique-mob circle jerk. I would expect nothing less.
Now everyone get your "likes" in on every opposing post, as usual. Lol, classic VU.
I don't think it's really a matter of "not liking" certain topics, but a matter of wanting to keep their advertisers happy. VU already gathers a ton of idiots who want to know how to vape nicotine "for a buzz" -- if they had to also put up with idiots wanting to know how to vape everything else for a buzz, this place would go downhill FAST, mainly because a lot of advertisers don't like being associated with anything illicit -- and while this forum may be free to use, it's certainly not free to operate, and good fast servers are quite expensive.
I don't actually agree with the policy in question, nor the imbecilic law behind it, but I do understand at least the policy -- and actually I understand the imbecilic law, too -- big pharma and big liquor both have a lot to lose if the one particular substance that's gradually losing its stigma becomes fully legal everywhere in the US, so naturally they want to suppress, suppress, suppress, because it affects their bottom line -- and money talks very loudly, after all. Just ask William Randolph Hearst, the guy most responsible for getting that substance declared verboten in the US.
I'm sure there are a lot of places on the net where that substance can be discussed at one's pleasure. I'm fine with generally avoiding overt discussion of it, because "regular vaping" has been a godsend to me and a lot of others who were hopelessly addicted to smoking, until vaping came along. And I also see the vast difference between VU and asshole central, y'know, ECF -- here you really can mostly say whatever you like, WITHIN
REASONABLE BOUNDS... over at asshole central, all that's really possible is to kiss the moderators' asses.
And y'know... VaporJoe's house... VaporJoe's rules. I find them pretty reasonable, overall. if you don't, I'm sure no one will mind if you leave.
And no, I'm really not part of any "clique"... actually I'm probably one of the most loathed people around here.
Andria