I'm not exactly sure what your point is, Nom, but as I am the Moderator who wrote that portion of the guidelines, I feel compelled to respond.  I asked that that part be inserted into the new guidelines because Gabbydott had assumed (incorrectly) that I had unilaterally banned her from the group last year prior to taking time off from the group.  The eternal damnation part was inserted as a tongue in cheek jab at my atheist freinds.

Though censorship is fraught with perils, at times it is necessary.  There is a point at which unlimited free speech becomes a hazard.......as the cliche "Should you be allowed to shout "Fire!" in a crowded theatre?

If a group determines acceptable standards of behaving (speaking), it is incumbent upon the participants to adhere to those standards or leave the group.  That is the way civilization works.....and why civility is demanded of individual.

If attacking other members of a group is a group norm, whether that group is a newsgroup like Mind's Eye or a nation, then that group has effectively chosen say that the person who can dominate the others gets to chose what is to be the norm.....effectively annihilating itself.  The attacker becomes the bully and his mores become the de facto mores of the group.

My freedom, any freedom, cannot impede on another's freedom........IF I choose to live in a society.  If I want to be TOTALLY free, then I have to find someplace where I can live as a hermit, and even THEN I'm not sure there wouldn't be some limits placed on my freedom by the Universe/God (whichever term one chooses to use.)

Namaste

Pottsie

5. Bannings
All decisions regarding disciplinary actions up to and including
banishment from the group are discussed thoroughly among the
moderators before any decision is made. None of the moderators take it
upon themselves to discipline a member of the group.  Disciplinary
actions include, but are not limited to: warnings, return to moderated
status, banishment from the group, and ETERNAL DAMNATION.
....

I couldn't help but notice a similarity ... the ETERNAL DAMNATION
part... to somethimng that I wrote on the Epistemology group site.
....

http://groups.google.com/group/epistemology/browse_thread/thread/e716...

NOMINAL9'S CENSORSHIP HALL OF "SHAME"

Censors are to Free speech and literature as Kapos are to Prison
Camps

Below is a list... to date... of pretty much the "mangy" censors and
the Neo-Nazi and Neo-Fascist internet sites where, yours truly,
nominal9 has been either censored out or downright "banned"..... And
I
bet y'all thought that the Stalinist / Maoist Communists or the Nazis
and Fascists were the only ones who stooped to such tactics of
ABRIDGING FREEDOM OF POLITICAL SPEECH AND EXPRESSION.... Well, think
again... The CENSORS ARE RIGHT HERE IN THE U.S. of A. ... AND ON THIS
INTERNET,  TOO. Mostly they are on the Conservative right...  I
submit
that even the "Political Correctness" crowd are actually Right-
Wingers.... they just lie about it.

CENSORING SYSOP......... BRAIN WASHING..........................
POLITICALLY
KAPOS..............................MESSAGE
BOARDS......................BOUGHT OFF ISPS

Dave Cunningham........................ Republican
Forum................ Compuserve

Richard Whaley............................Republican
Forum.................Compuserve

Jim Dellon....................................Political
Debate.....................Compuserve

?.................................................Democratic
Forum..................Compuserve

?.................................................Italian
Language.....................AOL

?.................................................Agnosticism
Board.................Yahoo

Alex Krislov..................................Books &
Writers ....................Compuserve
David Chiefetz..............................Books &
Writers......................Compuserve

curtisakelly..................................African
American.....................Compuserve
aka "Othello"

John Barreiro................................Language
Forum.....................Compuserve
Earle Robinson.............................Language
Forum.....................Compuserve

John Linendoll...............................World
Issues..........................Compuserve

I TELL YA... IF IT WERE UP TO ME..... THESE LOW-LIFE KAPOS AND THEIR
NEO-NAZI, NEO-FASCIST AUTOCRATIC 'SUPERIORS' AT THE 'CORPORATE'
LEVEL.... COME THE 'REVOLUTION'............ THEY WOULD BE  THE FIRST
I' D PUT WITH THEIR BACKS TO THE WALL....

BUT, IN THE EVENT THAT THE "REVOLUTION" NEVER GETS HERE... IF ANY OF
Y'ALL HAPPEN TO BELIEVE IN AN "AFTERLIFE"... MAYBE THESE LOWLIFES
WILL
GET THEIR JUST DESERTS IN HELL... HOW ABOUT IF THEY WERE MADE TO
SUFFER ETERNITY "LITERALLY"  IN THE SAME WAY THAT THEY "FIGURATIVELY"
WENT THROUGH LIFE.... WITH THEIR HEADS UP THEIR "ARSES" AND  WITH
"FECES FOR BRAINS"????...... NOW THAT WOULD BE DIVINE
RETRIBUTION....IN MY OPINION..... WELL WORTH A PRAYER, EVEN FROM ME.

But what can be done in the "here and now"?..... Well, just bide my
words and head my caution about these lowlifes.... don't waste your
time or your breath with such snakes in the grass.....fore-warned is
fore-armed.... maybe pass the word... and if any of y'all can add to
this list of..... CENSORSHIP HALL OF "SHAME"... you may be doing
others (and  me  definitely) a favor by giving  the "heads-up"....

NOMINAL9
....

I like my line better....... AN ETERNITY IN HELL WITH, LITERALLY,
THEIR HEADS UP THEIR ASSES AND WITH SHIT FOR  BRAINS....
But the, I was talking about  CENSORS....
Did you fellas.......RIP ME OFF.... for INSPIRATION????

nominal9

"You can't smell the roses while holding your nose!" - Pottsie