Quote:
Originally Posted by admin
Our aim to be 501C3 does need some consideration on the forum. It's important in that this forum is a publication of our main agenda and work. The main agenda of a 501C3 is charitable work, support, and advocacy for the class of people who are to be the beneficiaries of our effort. If the forum became dominated by partisanship or political candidacy, we might appear to be more of a PAC, and then maybe we might not be considered for grants or contributions from sources who felt that we were misrepresenting ourselves or would not use the funds in a charitable manner.
presenting and discussing candidate backgrounds and current events is most definately good use of the forum. Soliciting funds, posting advertisements, and outright advocating for them is where we start to drift away from charity and towards politics.
It's one thing to post "this candidate says this, and has done that". It's quite another to post "vote for this man/woman, or please send them money".
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"It's important in that this forum is a publication of our main agenda and work."
But the forum is not anything at all like that. That is precisely what it is not. There are many subjects on this forum that have absolutely nothing to do with SOS. Sports, for example. The forum is for discussions shaped by the subjects iin the various categories posted for the benefits of anonymous registered viewers and posters. It has nothing to do with advocating a particular point of view. Is registering for the forum all that is necessary to become a member of SOS? If so, then all that has to be done to free the forum from that restriction is to remove that qualification.
I don't care if I am a member of SOS. I first came to the SOS forum because I wanted to talk about illegal immigration and immigration in general. That's the only reason. I found the forum by searching Google. If I sympathize with SOS or post advocacy of the organization, it is entirely incidental. None of my opinions should be considered the voice of SOS or some member, they should not be considered advocacy by SOS, just my personal, private opinion. And restricting the ability for me to express support or opposition to some political candidate on this forum seems to me to be an editorial or forum administrative policy and not a legal obstacle. Such restrictions do risk the accusation of political correctness.