Just wondering.

Have noticed a few topics coming up lately that dont fit the Africa hunting theme and fall into the money seeking donation category. Some threads have been removed or re-directed some not.

My questions is ...

Should (the powers to be) create a TOTALLY (new topic category) specifically for those soliciting or seeking monetory assistance, and/or wanting to donate money to a cause.

OR

Do we leave as is with the forum slowly drifting towards bacoming a promotion for quasi charatable issues.

This is not a complaint, just an observation.

Wondering what our other guests and the moderators think!!

Cheers, Peter

Here, here. Good idea. A new board should be started. GIVE GIVE followed by a picture of the Chicago handshake.

I personally dislike the aforementioned requests in this forum.
Dave

I think it's entirely up to Saeed what posts he does or doesn't allow. It's his site and his decison.

I'm just grateful he makes the site available to us all the way he does.

shakari, will we be banned for making suggestions? Yes it is saeed's site, but he did invite us (as it is free and open to most) in so I would assume suggestions are welcome.

DOJ,

I was just expressing my own personal opinion.... as is everyone else.

Didn't take long for the Christmas spirit to wend its way through some of the Scrooges on here I see.

My thoughts about the "purity" of the board are 1) that it is entirely up to Saeed what he allows where 2) if you don't like a thread then don't allow your alter ego to force you to click on it and 3) if you don't care to give money to someone by all means don't, just don't bitch about being asked. Just for one example, if being asked for money or donations was a reason to ignore someone or something the NRA would have disappeared decades back.

Gentlemen, get over it, and exercise your right not to open any thread you do not want to read! There is only one king here, and his opinion is rule, as it should be with a privately owned website!

I concur 100% that it is Saeeds decision, as it should be, seeing he is offering these forums through his good auspices.

If there (was some interest from Saeed) to consider a new category it might be called

(Financial & Entreprenuers)

Then those wanting money/donations for a particualar cause/project or whatever or conversly wanting to donate themselves to some cause, they could then use the new category.

Also those with interesting entreprenuer ideas investments and/or schemes could post.

It might in fact be a good sounding board for all ideas financial, especially in these interesting economic times

At the end of the day collectively we can prosper (and/or assist others) where possible

Cheers and Happy 2009

Peter

Alternatively, it could just be called 'Lambs To The Slaughter'

quote:

Originally posted by shakari:
Alternatively, it could just be called 'Lambs To The Slaughter'

Or...."Bailouts".
Sorry about being so "U.S.-centric".

Dave

I think that when the so-called OT threads relate specifically to preserving African hunting resources or the lives of members of the African hunting community caught in the political upheavals that threaten Africa's future, it is rather "on" topic. Thus, a project to try to pay starving game rangers to protect wildlife in Zim is on topic, whilst a plea to cover travel expenses of the Swedish Bikini Team would not be. That one, of course, would fit perfectly in Walter's forum.

quote:

Originally posted by Bill/Oregon:
I think that when the so-called OT threads relate specifically to preserving African hunting resources or the lives of members of the African hunting community caught in the political upheavals that threaten Africa's future, it is rather "on" topic. Thus, a project to try to pay starving game rangers to protect wildlife in Zim is on topic, whilst a plea to cover travel expenses of the Swedish Bikini Team would not be. That one, of course, would fit perfectly in Walter's forum.

Bill:

If that was a request, solely in the spirit of the season, of course, I'd be willing to host for a day or two those poor girls on the Swedish Bikini Team as they passed through Texas........a day or two is all I could stand.....

Apart from the swedish bikini girls which is a worthwhile morale cause (-:

I am looking for expression of interest in donating money to pay for a one-way airticket ex; Zimbabwe for Bob Mugabe.

Any offers gratefully welcome. I'm sure we can find a suitable destination for him to hibernate in.

Cheers, Peter

quote:

Originally posted by Balla Balla:
I am looking for expression of interest in donating money to pay for a one-way airticket ex; Zimbabwe for Bob Mugabe.

Any offers gratefully welcome. I'm sure we can find a suitable destination for him to hibernate in.

Cheers, Peter

How about an all expenses paid, full board visit to the Hague just to start with.

I'm going to go off on a rant.

Probably a third of the messages on this board don't belong here. DSC cocktail parties are not African hunting. Finding a hundred year old rifle is not African hunting, it is a big bore, a gun collection or something else. Flight advice is travel, not hunting. Notes about cricket matches are not hunting. Holiday greetings are not hunting. The government of Zimbabwe is not hunting, it is political. They may (or may not) relate to things concerning hunting, but they are not hunting and there are other forums for those subjects.

There are forums for all these things, but they end up here, and no one says a word. In the past, there was a move to raise money to send a military member on safari. JudgeG raffled off a rifle (which I won) and nothing much was said (although there were some naysayers because they didn't get to go on a hunt).

A Searcy double was raffled off with the proceeds going to, I believe, the ILA. There was no protest about the raffle, only a bunch of whiners who didn't like the fact that some people bought more than one ticket. A thread about a raffle for a custom rifle has been on the gunsmithing site so long (23 pages) that it has been awarded "sticky" status.

However, when someone wamts a donation to possibly help someone, the sanctity of the board is suddenly questioned. I have noticed over the last few years that the only "acceptable" raffle/prize/off topic subjects are those in which someone reading the thread might recieve a benefit. For all the backslapping that goes on, I don't get the feeling from a lot that is posted here that concern for our fellow man runs very deep here unless we know him personally. The situation in Zim seems on the surface to be an exception, but if you read closely, for most people it is driven by a fear of loss of their cheapest playground.

I presume that the thread that triggered this was the appeal for money to help pay for medicine for a person in Zim. (I am presuming this since the thread has disappeared). I donated to it. I have no idea who any of the people are, having never met any of them, but they have thousands of posts here, so I have to assume they are somewhat accepted here.

Is this a scam? Don't know. Could it be? Yep. Do I care? Nope. The other day in a WalMart lot, I gave a guy $20 to help pay for a new tire. I presumed when I gave it to him that he was cheating me out of my money. However, he had out of state plates and looked like he needed money. The 20 bucks didn't hurt me, and someday I or someone in my family might be in the same position and really need help, only to be met by "Leave me alone, it's only a scam". My baby sister, who suffers from MS, gives money to panhandlers beside the road all the time. Her philosophy is "I'm not responsible for what they do, I'm only responsible for what I do if I don't help someone who needs it."

As far as I'm concerned, these types of requests should stay here. Aren't people who hunt africa more likely to understand the situation in Zim and give help than someone on, say, the CATS or HUMOR boards?

Most of these threads are plainly marked. If you don't want to read them, don't. But shame on people who are well off, enjoy one of the most expensive hobbies in the world, but complain when anyone has the audacity to ask for help for someone.

I have no problem at all with someone posting a plea for donations for someone related to African hunting as was the recent one by lawndart. We are not all that busy here that we can't take the time to help someone in need.

465H&H