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Just noticed this on BoingBoing:

http://jettcat.livejournal.com/328092.html

Some of the troops in Iraq will be holding a gamesday, June 6th! Cool. Here's what they're running:

Babylon 5 RPG, Cyberpunk 2020, D&D, D&D RPGA, GURPS, Historic Miniatures Battles, Magic Tournament, MechWarrior Miniatures, Rifts, Shadowrun, Starship Troopers, White Wolf System-Vampire, White Wolf System-Werewolf, XCrawl

I'm donating a few things, why don't you???

For more info, contact david.amberson (at) iraq.centcom.mil

Thanks, Ancient, for bringing this to our attention.

fellblade: Quite welcome, hopefully we can give these guys some good stuff!

Please keep this thread devoid of discussion about the morality of the war in Iraq. Any such comments will be deleted.

I wondered what had happened to all dem posts...

Can we still warn people not to use intarweb text-speek if they hope to be taken seriously?

Posted By fellblade on 04/18/2007 7:16 PM
Can we still warn people not to use intarweb text-speek?

Always. 

 

Just please try to do it in a friendly tone.

 

Thanks Ancient

Ancient,

Are you referring to the Ziggurat Con thingy going on?

I'm not sure if it has a name or not, this is the first time I've heard of it....

Posted By yakface on 04/18/2007 7:14 PM


Please keep this thread devoid of discussion about the morality of the war in Iraq. Any such comments will be deleted.

Shouldn't there then be a carpet ban on posts like this then?

If you open the door to one type of political speech then you should open it to all types.

Thats true, Can we then get some games donations for the insurgents?

Posted By pixelgeek on 04/19/2007 8:42 AM

Shouldn't there then be a carpet ban on posts like this then?

If you open the door to one type of political speech then you should open it to all types.

Nope. AncientSociety was merely posting the news about a miniatures drive for troops, not making a political statement about the validity of the war.

 

Posted By yakface on 04/19/2007 9:18 AM

Posted By pixelgeek on 04/19/2007 8:42 AM

Shouldn't there then be a carpet ban on posts like this then?

If you open the door to one type of political speech then you should open it to all types.

Nope. AncientSociety was merely posting the news about a miniatures drive for troops, not making a political statement about the validity of the war.

What is it that you are disagreeing with? Are you saying that a request to send material to troops in a warzone isn't a political statement?

Posted By beef on 04/19/2007 9:10 AM
Thats true, Can we then get some games donations for the insurgents?

If you'd like to report about a miniatures-themed donation that is occuring, feel free. As you don't have an actual event to report, it's clear that your post is simply an attempt to play devil's advocate and incite a reaction.

 

Posted By pixelgeek on 04/19/2007 9:24 AM

Posted By yakface on 04/19/2007 9:18 AM

Posted By pixelgeek on 04/19/2007 8:42 AM

Shouldn't there then be a carpet ban on posts like this then?

If you open the door to one type of political speech then you should open it to all types.

Nope. AncientSociety was merely posting the news about a miniatures drive for troops, not making a political statement about the validity of the war.

What is it that you are disagreeing with? Are you saying that a request to send material to troops in a warzone isn't a political statement?

I'm disagreeing with the idea that someone posting news about a request to send material to troops in a warzone is a political statement.

 

[snipped as the comment wasn't directed at me]

Posted By yakface on 04/19/2007 9:28 AM

I'm disagreeing with the idea that someone posting news about a request to send material to troops in a warzone is a political statement.

How is it not political? Even if the original poster has no thoughts on the issue himself, everyone else does. Hence your original comment informing people that you were going to delete comments about the war.

Seems like a pretty contentious issue and I know that the intarweb is usually a polite and reasoned place but it seems like a better idea to just let the original post stand and then lock the thread to avoid the obvious responses.

Pixel Geek,

perhaps you mistook my reply to Beef as one to you.

Your questions are perfectly legitimate and I am not afraid to answer them. I understand your position and your concern but as a moderator I often have to make a judgment call and in this case I don't believe the reporting of such an event constitutes a political statement about the war in general.

Posted By yakface on 04/19/2007 9:40 AM

perhaps you mistook my reply to Beef as one to you.

Yes I did. My apologies. Response editied

Mods,

Please lock this thread, apparently people cannot keep politics out of a charity request.

I think locking the thread at this time would be inappropriate.  Everyone just needs to chill, and everything will be all right. 

My point was that if it had been a request for the 'Insurgents'/'Freedom fighters' in Iraq, this thread would've been closed ages ago.
Sure I gave a political view but in my last sentence I also stated the very same thing as you Ancientsociety and that the 2 things should be kept seperate, so we are in agreement here.

I checked the site. It says games, do you donate "just" games (I don't have any of those games to send). Anyone catch that?

How can donating stuff to troops to make them feel good be political?  They have no say in politics regarding wars, they simply put their lives on the line for those who do.  For that, they should have our gratitude, and we should support them, regardless of whether we support their mission.

It's things like that, that make me check in less and less with DakkaDakka.

I'll be seeing what I can do to help, and spread the word of this.  Thanks!

Whoa!  This Ziggaraut Con is being held at Tallil!  That's where I was stationed for the past year and had a company of Elysians sitting under my bunk that never saw a game.  I did run a D&D campaign for the soldiers in my unit, though.

We managed to get the commander (a huge sci-fi nerd) to guest star in one of our sessions.  I'm the one on the far right.

Anyway, this is one Con I'd definitely love to attend, just to say I did.  I'm not so sure about the LARP at the 4,000 year old ruins of Abraham's birthplace though.  You have to go outside the gate to get there.

 

Awesome! I hadn't realized gamers could be found in today's armed forces in enough numbers to make a 'games day' possible! Good luck, guys. I'll see if I can get something from my FLAGS sent for the event.

It would also be breaking the American law. I doubt the Justice Department would look kindly at any kind of support to those groups.


People with an agenda find it impossible to believe that everyone else wouldn't have one also. Its the "Your with us or against us" mentality.

Posted By Crimson Devil on 04/20/2007 3:54 PM

My point was that if it had been a request for the 'Insurgents'/'Freedom fighters' in Iraq, this thread would've been closed ages ago.

It would also be breaking the American law. I doubt the Justice Department would look kindly at any kind of support to those groups.

How can donating stuff to troops to make them feel good be political?

People with an agenda find it impossible to believe that everyone else wouldn't have one also. Its the "Your with us or against us" mentality.

Well, it's technically only treason if you're a citizen of the US, though I'm guessing the brits have the same general form of treason. 

As for political slant, don't think of it as sending gaming materials to service people in a warzone.  Think of it as fellow gamers whose job has taken them to an unpleasant place with no gaming stores.

If a couple of hundred gamers were in the peace corps in Africa, or the gulf coast of the US, or any other dangerous or remote place, I doubt it'd be too difficult to rally some support.

I have nothing against the soldiers. I always have respect for soldiers or insurgents etc as they do what they are told to do by the powers that be. It was just a general question. I am not sure it would be treason to send insurgents games like 40K? Its not like your supplying them with guns. Well unless they start throwing some of the Ugly metal mini GW produces at Us soldiers then it might be treason.

NEWSFLASH "The Us government is suing a member of Dakka for supply dangerous material to Iraqi insurgents."

Posted By Furious on 04/20/2007 3:10 PM
Awesome! I hadn't realized gamers could be found in today's armed forces in enough numbers to make a 'games day' possible! Good luck, guys. I'll see if I can get something from my FLAGS sent for the event.

Actually there are quite a few gamers in the US military.  I couldn't give a percentage but at most of my assignments I was able to find 5-6 guys for either D&D, Warhammer, 40K or someother type of game.  And there are alot of former military that still play as well. 

When you've been a real soldier, its easy to play with little toy ones.

-Jmz