web site: http://cgi.pathfinder.com/cgi-bin/boards/read/8

People can get awfully creative with put-downs and insults when they're not allowed to swear. That's the first thing that I learned from Pathfinder's O.J.: The Civil Trial and Beyond board. The other things I learned: OJ is definitely innocent and screwed by the government, definitely guilty and screwing with the government, the case had everything to do with race, and the case had nothing to do with race. The bottom line is that this board is rife with polar positions and barren of middle ground. The participants have been dealing with each other for the three years, ever since Simpson was arrested, and they're showing signs of cabin fever; arcane petty squabbles tend to erupt amidst the familiarity. Projers and Nojers (as they call themselves and each other) do battle as they pore over every detail of Simpson's criminal and civil trial. Partisan lines aren't only drawn where you stand on O.J.'s innocence or guilt, but also on your ability to discuss the issue rationally. Wackos are ostracized by both sides of the fence when they interrupt the discussion with fanatic rantings. This is a board for debating the O.J. Simpson cases with vehemence and attention to minutiae. Be prepared to back up everything you say and then some. -R.J.S.

subject: crime, race relations, judicial system

regional affiliation: global

format: conferencing system

cost: no cost